The Stories

During the 2008-2009 school year, MVAS students identified and interviewed diverse community leaders from the Colina Park neighborhood.   These interviews were transformed into human interest stories, artistic images, and public art displays – all created by MVAS students. 

The people in these stories are immigrants, refugees, and American-born.   They are Muslim, Christian, Buddhist, and unchurched.  They are renters and homeowners.  They speak Spanish, Somali, Vietnamese, Cambodian and English. 

And they all work toward making a better Colina Park community.  These are the stories of Colina Park. 

Abdi Farah founded the Somali Youth United (SYU) in 2004.
Members of the group look at history of the Somali people and forsee change for a better tomorrow. Read more...

As a member from the South Park community, Colin Mathewson is affiliated with the Price Charity. Read more...

 “This community has two faces to it.” These are the words of Ms. Debra Holmes-Brown. “One side of the community is single families dwelling and the other side is over crowded apartments,” but overall she feels that this is a very nice community.  Read more...

Diego Gutierrez is not only a principal at Multimedia and Visual Arts School (MVAS) in the Crawford High Complex, but he is also a resident of the community. Read more...

Hugo Ramirez attended both Horace Mann Middle School and Crawford High School. His family came from Oaxaca, Mexico. Read more...

Frank Vuong, an organizational leader for the Vietnamese American Youth Alliance (VAYA) has dealt with making difficult choices in his life. Read more...

James Quistorff, a Native American from Wisconsin, volunteers at Talmadge Patrol, and works an engineer, Talmadge Patrol puts him in the setting to work with a diverse group of people of different beliefs, ages, and genders. Read more...

Keith A. Selby, a native of New York, enjoys working with people, particularly community members who are in charge of many of organizations, businesses, and schools. Read more...

Maslah Farah has had similar experiences to the people of whom he works. This young adult was born in Somali.. Read more...

Michelle Hoang started working in this community by volunteering at Mission Bay and Crawford High School. She has met many students in this neighborhood with different ethnicities by starting Urban Life. Read more...

As he finds success in the industry of entertainment, Martin Russell Johnson hopes to help students find something useful for their future if they are also interested in the same career. Read more...

Growing up in City Height’s wasn’t easy for Mina Nguyen, but she learned how to overcome all the challenges and pressure around her. Read more...

Sakara Tear, a social worker, plans to work on bigger projects that the community can benefit from. She is a graduate of Crawford High School’s class of 2002. Read more...

As a child, Sidney Michael struggled a lot from being poor and living in a diverse community. Read more...

Virginia Angeles is proud of her Mexican heritage. She likes her culture's language, food, and sense of community. Read more...

Home | About | Stories | Art Walk | Making Of | Sponsors | Contact Us