On Fridays, junior Lydia Olmsted arrives at Cedar Creek Therapeutic Riding Center and greets her beloved horse, Dar Ghazi.

Around the world, women lead different lives with varying privileges and hardships. Throughout history, culture and religion have shaped women's daily lives.

Raised by parents from South Sudan, freshman Mabior Akuiem grew up in Kenya before moving to the U.S. in 2015. From folk tales about how a mustache became stuck on a person’s face to his father’s life story, Akuiem absorbed the world around him and processed it in his own way, allowing the experiences and morals he heard to shape him.

ELL students overcome cultural and language barriers to find community in foreign environments. They face racism, unfamiliar slang and unrealistic expectations, yet despite these challenges they persist and achieve long-term, lasting success.