Wings of a Bird

High school graduation will be bittersweet for immigrant - Seattle P-I
The one person Nicole Malkandi most wants at her graduation from Inglemoor High School in Kenmore on Wednesday cannot be there -- her father.
It was her father who urged her toward an education, and told her throughout her young life as a refugee, first in Iran and later in Pakistan, that school would be her path to a better life. It was her father who kept her safe from attack in dangerous refugee camps after the death of her birth mother when Nicole was 1 year old.
... Her dad, Sam Malkandi, has been held at the Federal Detention Center in SeaTac for the past two years while awaiting deportation to Iraq ...
"My mom took on my dad's role, and I took on my mom's," she said. At the same time, she maintained her grades and kept active in programs, including a volunteer project to raise money for victims in Darfur. ...
She hopes one day to work in various countries where dental care is limited. Her desire to be of service is a trait she got from her father, she said. ...