Yakov Kasman Russian Native Puts Down Roots in Vestavia HillsBy Shannon ThomasonNo one was more surprised than Yakov Kasman when he realized Alabama had become home.Originally from Orel, a city near Moscow, Russia, the professor of piano and artist-in-residence at the University of Alabama at Birmingham came to the state by way of Huntsville. He and his wife, … [Read more...]

Beena and Victor Thannickal Indian Couple Likes Brook Highlands’ NeighborlinessBy Jeff HansenBeena Thannickal came to the U.S. from the state of Kerala, India, at age 5. Her father was studying engineering in Hartford, Conn., and the rest of the family was finally able to join him.She had no American clothes until the Central Baptist Church and her school … [Read more...]

Jie “Sophie” Zhang and Shia Kent International Family Feels at Home in HomewoodBy Jeff HansenJie “Sophie” Zhang and her husband, Shia Kent, moved to Homewood’s Mayfair neighborhood one year ago, when they finally left what they call “the UAB bubble.”They had entered the bubble as graduate students at the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 2005. Like many of … [Read more...]

Palaniappan and Solachi Sethu
Mountain Brook Family Keeps Connection to IndiaBy Katherine ShonesyMountain Brook resident Palaniappan Sethu originally came to the U.S. from India to further his education. But Palaniappan, an associate professor of medicine and biomedical engineering at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, said he has found much more than that. More … [Read more...]