Proposed Film Features Montville Immigrant Students

When I was a reporter at the Norwich Bulletin, I enjoyed the privilege of covering an array of topics that are typical of journalists at a small paper. But early on in my 15-year career there, I discovered how much I enjoyed writing about the lives of immigrants in our region.

I found inspiration in their amazing personal stories. Part of that is due to life experiences that exposed me to other cultures early in my life, including a trip to Taiwan with my grandfather and trips to Italy and England with my church youth group. My Russian great-grandmother used to take me by the hands from across the table during Thanksgiving and share with passion the feeling she had when she first landed in the United States.

In 1985, the arrival of an 11-year-old Honduran girl at our church especially inspired me. After all, Luisa and I became friends since she first came to the U.S., and we later married in 1995.

In 2006, I spent a year reporting about the dramatic surge of immigrants in Eastern Connecticut, the region's first great population change since World War II. The work resulted in a special project that remains my most favorite experience during my years of writing. And even though I left The Bulletin two years ago, my passion to write about immigration has not waned.

Now, through Not With Ink, a company I started, I'm working on a film featuring the amazing stories of immigrant students and their emotional journey to break the language barrier. I'll share more about it in blogs to come. But for now, please visit www.voicetobeheard.org and let me know what you think! Better yet, become a sponsor and make this film possible.