“You Belong Here” is designed to help women confidently claim their voice and their seat at the table – just as she did.
You are invited to join us –
a new community of foreign-born women and mainstream Americans connecting to life-changing inclusivity.
a new community of foreign-born women and mainstream Americans connecting to life-changing inclusivity.
WHO BELONGS HERE?
IMMIGRANT WOMEN!
Feeling like outsiders at meetings because of your accent, skin color, education, class, race or ethnicity
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Sharing a deep hunger to making a difference in the world but not sure where to start
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Yearning for something more – more life clarity, more significance, more meaningful work or second act
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Searching for a diverse tribe of women who accept you for who you are and celebrate each other’s differences
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PORCIA'S STORYI believe we are equal despite our birthplace, skin color, accents, class, education, and other ways we are different. I am a flaming optimist who believes in the goodness of people. I believe it’s worthwhile to strive for ways to find our sameness instead of difference.
As a new American who immigrated to the U.S. forty years ago with my parents, I did not choose to start over in a foreign country, learn a new language, find new friends, adapt to a new culture, and certainly not to become an outsider instantly the moment I arrived in my new home country. Imagine if you were a well-known child actor since age 6. Yet when you arrived in America, there was no longer any recognition. Things were so different. I felt like a nothing. And, growing up in mostly white communities in Colorado was not easy, especially before I mastered the English language. Doing it on top of navigating through my teenage years was even more challenging. |
"I want to help immigrants leverage the power of volunteerism as leadership development and personal fulfillment." |

There’s also the hurdle of navigating through professional advancement without native-born parents’ guidance or access to the rules of the game at work or a seat at the table. As anyone who has moved to a new city knows, finding a new community to belong to is hard enough, imagine what it’s like for a foreign-born professional to establish new networks. Below is a cool essay that I resonated with very much.
I decided I had to launch You Belong Here because of my passion to create communities and my calling to help fellow immigrant women to live a wholehearted American Dream. I believe feeling a sense of belonging is a critical component of such an American Dream. And, civic engagement is an important component of feeling a sense of belonging.
Most immigrants have little knowledge of the nonprofit sector in America. I have close to twenty years of experience working for and founding nonprofits. I’m the perfect connector to bridge the gap between immigrants and nonprofits. I want to help immigrants leverage the power of volunteerism as leadership development and personal fulfillment. I also want to share my personal stories of triumphs, lessons learned, effective strategies to find our personal passion, re-invent oneself, create a purposeful life and vocation.
Furthermore, I feel it’s urgent to do my part in having immigrants at the table and in positions of power in today’s political era, racism, and xenophobia.
I decided I had to launch You Belong Here because of my passion to create communities and my calling to help fellow immigrant women to live a wholehearted American Dream. I believe feeling a sense of belonging is a critical component of such an American Dream. And, civic engagement is an important component of feeling a sense of belonging.
Most immigrants have little knowledge of the nonprofit sector in America. I have close to twenty years of experience working for and founding nonprofits. I’m the perfect connector to bridge the gap between immigrants and nonprofits. I want to help immigrants leverage the power of volunteerism as leadership development and personal fulfillment. I also want to share my personal stories of triumphs, lessons learned, effective strategies to find our personal passion, re-invent oneself, create a purposeful life and vocation.
Furthermore, I feel it’s urgent to do my part in having immigrants at the table and in positions of power in today’s political era, racism, and xenophobia.