New Women New Yorkers

Tagged: immigrant woman

Memoir piece

Dear Younger Self

Fernanda Mamani is a Peruvian marketing professional who has worked in the financial services, news media, and entertainment industries. Her passion for performing arts, and her endless curiosity for new cultures motivated her to learn English at 12 years old without knowing that this would open doors to new opportunities and adventures in NYC and the world. Dear younger self, You need to relax. Your muscles are too tight for a fourteen year old kid. To be totally candid, your...

Portraits & interviews

Meet Kamonwan Chen, a gemologist from Thailand

The story of how an immigrant woman from Thailand learned her way around NYC Written by Allie Ginwala   Tell us a little about yourselfI’m Kamonwan Chen, from Thailand. I just moved here in January 2018. Before I moved, I came here on business trips four or five times. So it’s not all brand new, but visiting on business and living here is totally different. What brought you to New York City?I got married. We met on a business trip...

Portraits & interviews

From France to England to New York: A passionate actress’ journey to success

By Divya Ramesh   As a child growing up in Strasbourg, France, Elizabeth Maille watched a lot of films. She would memorize her favorite lines and scenes, and often scrunch up her face and say to herself, “I wouldn’t do this scene like this.” Then, the extremely shy girl would run to her room, make sure she was alone, and gleefully act out the same scene to her satisfaction. That is how it all began. Now, that little girl has...

Portraits & interviews

“We don’t need no education” — Oh wait, yes we do

Written by Mira Brock   I sit across from Dia Rueda in Joe’s Coffee on 23rd Street. We drink Earl Grey tea and share a vegan scone. Rueda, at 38, is a confident, curly-haired beauty.  She beams across the table at me, her smile accentuated by bright pink lipstick. Dia Rueda grew up in Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela. She describes her childhood as being stuck in a “golden cage.” Rueda’s parents did not allow her to play with other children...