In recent years, the city of Azle has continued to grow steadily grown by two thousand, bringing in people from across the country and the world. Among them are immigrants, each leaving behind a world they once knew to start over. Their journeys aren’t just about where they came from, but about the futures they’re fighting to build.

Senior Igor Jakubowski: Chasing A Dream of Football

From Katowice, Poland, Igor said he left his family behind to follow his passion—football.
“It was the hardest decision of my life,” he said, “but if I wanted to make my dream real, I had to take this chance.”
Igor said playing in America is a dream come true, but being alone in a new country where everything is different has come with its difficulties.
“It gets hard sometimes,” Igor said. “Starting all over without the comfort of my family.”
With his family thousands of miles away, Igor said he works on and off the field to build his future, fueled by hope. He’s now planning for his college career, saving for his own apartment, a car, and the stability he enjoyed back home.
Robotics teacher Ramon Quevedo: Escaping Dictatorship for a New Start

Mr. Quevedo came to the U.S. from Chile as a child. He said his family escaped the despotic regime of Pinochet, hoping for a safer and better future.

“I was too young to understand at the time,” he said, “but now, I realize the sacrifices [my family] made.”

Immigrating to America, Quevedo said his family risked an uncertain future and financial ruin for the betterment of their lives and their children. Despite the sacrifice in supplanting their lives to come here, he said life in the U.S. was made easier for Quevedo and his family with a strong, supportive community around them. Now a teacher at Azle, he said he carries his parents’ sacrifices with him every day.
“I owe them everything,” he said. “I want to give back to the community that gave me so much.”
Baseball Coach Luis Hernandez: From the Dominican Dugout

Hernandez said baseball was more than a sport—it was a path to a new life. He said moving to the U.S. meant leaving behind everything he knew.
“It wasn’t easy, leaving my family,” he said, “but staying home meant fewer opportunities.”

Hernandez said that though he found difficulty in moving away and being separated from his family, he was motivated by the promise of a better future for himself and those that he left behind. After playing college baseball, he became a coach, now helping young athletes.

Senior Ioanna Machalia: Finding Home in a New Country

Ioanna’s move wasn’t by choice. Originally from Thessaloniki, Greece, she moved here with her mother, chasing improved job opportunities.

“At first, I hated it here,” she said. “I missed everything—my friends, my home, the food, even the way the air smelled. I had lived there all my life. It was home.”

Over time, things changed. She said that the more time Ioanna spent here, the more she felt that she had found a new home.

“People here welcomed me,” she said. “Little by little, I started to love life here.”

Ioanna said she is now excited to continue her education in America, going to flight school to pursue a career as a pilot.

Immigrants come to America for reasons too myriad to count, but they’re all connected by the common thread of seeking a better life here.Whether they come alone or with family, the journey is never easy. Some come for opportunity, some to escape danger, and others to chase dreams that once, in a far-away home, seemed impossible. But all share sacrifice and the hope of building something greater—not just for themselves, but for those they love, because an immigrant’s journey isn’t just about where they came from, it’s about where they’re going.