Meryem Kennedy was born and raised in Turkey. In her early 20s, she came to the United States as a Fulbright Scholar to get a Teaching English to the Speakers of Other Languages Degree from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. She fell in love with the Land of the Free, so she decided to make the United States her home.
Mrs. Kennedy holds three degrees: a B.A. in English and an M.A. in Applied Linguistics from Hacettepe University in Turkey, and another M.A. in Teaching English to the Speakers of Other Languages from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. She has been an English teacher for almost three decades, and she has taught at high schools, colleges, and language schools both in Turkey and in the United States.
She has been living in Arizona for over 20 years. She is enjoying life with her loving husband, amazing daughter, crazy cat, and playful puppy.
Book of Poems
Voices of Immigrant Teens is a compilation of poems, which were inspired by true stories shared by my immigrant high school students. They express the genuine feelings of these teens. The messages shared in this book are real, and they belong to these brave souls; I am only the messenger. With the onslaught of immigrant shaming and dehumanization in the last few years, I feel compelled to represent my students and to be their voice as an immigrant myself. I desire to introduce these precious human beings as they are … human, with ordinary hopes, fears, and struggles. In today’s global society, we need to recognize the intrinsic value of these teenagers no matter where they are from.
A choice between gangs or death
When you become of age
Guns and violence send us, boys, away
Leave your heart to save your skin
American Dream is not a dream
Working night shifts till 6 am
Dreamless sleeps on the hard-cold desk
Luke 12: 27-28 says, “Look how the wildflowers grow: they don't work or make clothes for themselves. But I tell you that not even King Solomon with all his wealth had clothes as beautiful as one of these flowers. It is God who clothes the wild grass — grass that is...
"Submission" is a word we use to define our relationship with Jesus as Christians. We are asked to surrender our lives to Him. All of it! This sounds scary. What if we open our hearts to Him, give our all, but He makes a fool of us? Knowing and loving Christ spurs us...
“But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Philippians 3:20). I was a Turkish citizen for the first 37 years of my life. Then I chose to become an American citizen. Since I was a kid, I have always had an...
