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Institute for Immigration Research featured in press release about interactive digital timeline that explores how immigration has shaped the United States from its earliest years through today.

The Immigrant Stories Project integrates quantitative data with in-depth interviews with immigrants living in the United States to highlight the lived experiences behind the numbers. This mixed methods approach provides both a comprehensive picture of the realities faced by immigrants and a broader view of immigrants’ vital economic and societal contributions to the communities’ in which they work and live and to United States as a whole. This year, the IIR focused on immigrant entrepreneurs and leaders in three regions: Boston, Massachusetts, Aurora, Colorado, and Washington D.C.

Kellie S. Wilkerson is a public and applied sociologist who earned her bachelor's degree in applied sociology from the University of Tampa, her master’s degree in public sociology from Cal Poly Humboldt, and her doctoral degree in sociology from George Mason.

Christophe Vitello is a George Mason University undergraduate student who worked as a research assistant at the Institute for Immigration Research (IIR) in the 2025-2026 academic year. With academic interests in cultural anthropology, folklore, and visual storytelling, Chris joined IIR through George Mason’s Office of Student Creative Activities and Research (OSCAR) program, contributing to the Leaving and Belonging Digital Storytelling project.

As the United States commemorates its 250th anniversary, the IIR collaborated with the Immigrant Learning Center, the George Mason University CHSSWeb team, and the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress, to create an interactive digital timeline featuring U.S. population data, key immigration policies, and notable immigrants who made lasting contributions to the United States. This timeline will showcase how immigrants have contributed to every aspect of life in the United States and have been part of the American story. By pairing data with personal narratives, this timeline brings to life the lived experiences behind the statistics.

During the 2025–2026 academic year, the IIR launched Leaving and Belonging, a digital storytelling initiative developed as part of its arts, culture, and storytelling initiative. This project complements the IIR’s broader mission to generate and amplify relevant research on immigrants and immigration to the United States by pairing research on migration with community engagement, using storytelling to amplify personal narratives and highlight lived experiences.