T E X A R K A N A M A G A Z I N E
MARSHALL ALAM
MANJULA CARTER
CHRIS GAVRIEL
I was born in Jakarta, Indonesia. While the economy of Indonesia is steadily growing, my family was still barely getting by. My mother made the difficult decision to create change for my sister and me. She sponsored our green cards, and we moved here soon after I graduated at 18 years old. Shortly after arriving in the United States, I enlisted with the U.S. Air Force. I graduated from basic training and began my service and was excited about my future as an airman. It was a life-changing experience. By becoming a member of the U.S. military, I also became a naturalized citizen. Fast- tracking the citizenship process is an opportunity I am very grateful for, and I have the Air Force to thank. I enrolled in Texarkana College and earned my associate degree with a major in computer technology and information systems. That , with training and experience, has given me opportunities for a career that I wouldn’t have had. For what my mother did for us, I will always be grateful. She took an enormous risk so we could have a different life. I want to show her that her efforts were not fruitless and to always make her proud of me.
I was born in Sri Lanka, an island nation literally as far from the United States as you can get. When I was five years old, my parents emigrated to London, England, where I lived until I was 21. When given the opportunity to study abroad for a year, I jumped at the chance to spend it at the University of Arkansas-Fayetteville. I was 19, in a new country with no friends or family and I was scared to death, but it ended up being the best year of my life! I fell in love with the country and the people, so I returned to Fayetteville for my master’s degree. I applied for a green card, and after that for citizenship. It was a long and arduous process, but finally, in 2003, I received my citizenship. It was a really proud moment to pledge my allegiance to the flag for the first time. I would not have had the same career opportunities, or met my husband had I not moved to the United States. I consider it an honor and a privilege to be able to live and vote here.
I was born in Cyprus, Greece, to a large typical Greek family that is extremely close. When I was only one, the war between Turkey and Greece broke out. My family was forced to move and chose Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, where they opened a restaurant. In 1994, I moved to Texarkana with a scholarship to play baseball for Texarkana College. I met my wife Britany on my first day in Texarkana, and we were married ten months later. I lived in Texarkana while attending TC, and then we returned as a family in 2006. Life is much faster here than in Greece and it is much more conservative than it was in Canada. My boys have had so many opportunities that they would not have had in my native countries. I appreciate the fact that we had a praying coach while the boys were in school, and who would still pray at football games. That is not allowed in Canada, and it is a freedom we take for granted in the United States. I have my permanent residency and am pursuing my citizenship. As Christians, we have to do what we can to fight for our beliefs and fight to protect them, so now more than ever I look forward to having the right to vote in United States elections.
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C OMM U N I T Y & C U L T U R E
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