October 20, 2006

A Fascination With Immigration

By ERIN STROUT

Growing up in Houston, Joanna Schenke developed an interest in how the state's large Mexican population influenced the culture of the region. She learned to speak Spanish in high school and studied immigration and immigration policy in the United States.

Her fascination with immigrant cultures grew as Ms. Schenke moved on to Pomona College, where she majored in international relations and German. She studied abroad in Berlin, where she learned about immigrants from Turkey, the largest