Ilse Cruz was brought into the United States by her mother when she was 4 years old, and has no memories of her native Mexico. She also doesn’t feel truly American — because she’s undocumented. 

As a high school senior, the discouraging realities of Cruz’s legal status have begun to set in: She’s wary of ever leaving the country to visit Mexico, she’s not sure if she can go to college, or apply for federal aid to make it possible.

In this short documentary, Ilse, we follow along as Cruz navigates the process of attempting to be in the United States legally. 

Published February 2017 in The Atlantic's Editor's Picks Series

March 2014

Busboy by night and community organizer by day, Cambodian American Johnny Yoeun leaves a life of violence on the streets to lay the groundwork for a hip hop activism movement in his Uptown Chicago neighborhood. 

May 2015

Situated on the corner of Church and Dodge, Ebony Barbershop has served the West Evanston community for more than 50 years. Today, Brigitte "Gigi" Giles runs the second-generation family business along with a cohort of young male barbers she mentors both professionally and personally.