Description:
Born and raised in what was the drug and murder capital of the world, Medellin, Colombia, Harold’s parents fled the violence with the same dream that all immigrants hold—to make a better life in a new land. Harold faced years of separation from his parents as a young boy, grave danger on the open seas, and hardship, fear, bullying and bigotry in America. As he and his family lived "in the shadows" as undocumented immigrants, Harold was determined to achieve The American Dream. Through hard work, perseverance and the support of compassionate people, Harold Fernandez and his family became legal citizens of the US, with Harold graduating from Princeton University and Harvard Medical School. He is now one of the top cardiac surgeons in New York. He saves countless lives, literally holding the hearts and the lives of his patients and their families in his hands. His story is not a typical one, yet it holds out hope for the millions of immigrants who have come—and have yet to come—to the land of their dreams.
Biography:
The issue of immigration is a personal one for Patricia. Her father immigrated from China in 1945, two years after the repeal of the Chinese Exclusion Act, a racist law targeting solely one national group. Even after the repeal, the country limited the migration to 105 Chinese from around the world. Her father's visa was #25. Patricia has been a creative artist in multiple media her entire life, starting at the age of four when she won her first award in art. At age twelve she wrote her first song; at fifteen she signed a recording contract in Washington DC, and at sixteen released her first recording. Like Dr. Fernandez, she graduated #1 in her high school class of 535 seniors. Since then she has made her full-time living in the visual and performing arts (music, glass art, portraiture and theatre), and most recently in video. Her artistic strengths, creative sensibilities and storytelling experience shine in her music videos, documentaries, memorial videos and more. Patricia earned a bachelor of fine arts from the Academy of Art and Lone Mountain Colleges in San Francisco.
