Senior Alyssa Chou was born in Taiwan and holds a Taiwanese passport as well as a U.S. green card, which she’s had since birth through her parents. Her green card makes traveling in the U.S. simpler, while going back to Taiwan is much smoother with her passport. In the future, Chou plans to acquire U.S. citizenship for easier international travel. 

“I feel like my passport symbolizes where I was born and where I was raised, and the green card, like the permanent citizenship, shows where I live now and where I am now,” Chou said. 

When she walks through airport customs, sophomore Zoey Jaquish carries two booklets: one blue and one green. A lifelong U.S. passport holder, Jaquish also acquired a Taiwanese passport in 2020, when the country banned the entry of foreign nationals to control the flow of COVID-19. Her Taiwanese passport gives her easier access to the islands that many of her maternal relatives call home.

“I think this passport ties me more to my Taiwanese side,” Jaquish said. “I’m mixed-race. So it brings me a lot closer with my family there because I only get to visit them a few times a year. Just having that passport makes me feel closer to them as well.”

Born in Ukraine, sophomore Lexi Barabonova moved to the U.S. in 2018. In 2022, she acquired a green card. Even now, Barabonova says she and her family experience a longer routine than most. 

“We often have to go through additional security in the airports because we don’t hold an American passport, even if it’s inside the U.S.,” Barabonova said.

With her 16th birthday and a choir trip to Japan coming up, Barabonova seeks to renew her Ukraine passport. Despite all the obstacles, Barabonova’s Ukrainian passport still holds a cherished place in her heart.

“My passport literally says the word ‘passport’ in Ukrainian,” Barabonova said. “It’s important. It connects me to Ukraine and to my past.”