The latest fundraiser for Make It Happen, Portland Public Schools’ college readiness program for multilingual students, was perfectly aligned with the way the program celebrates diversity while promoting English literacy. More than two dozen students spoke from their hearts at “Sips, Sweets, and Stories” April 16 at Ocean Gateway.

“Make It Happen gives me and others a space to share our cultures and learn about other people’s cultures,” said Gelson Manzambi-Kanga, a student at King Middle School. “And there’s always enough food when you’re hungry.”

The ticketed fundraiser started with a social with an international buffet of desserts and beverages, from African donuts to Vietnamese coffee. Then dozens of students read from their writing: stories about their immigration experiences as well as bits of poetry, fiction and college admission essays.

Misk Abdullah, a senior at Casco Bay High School, talked about survival themes in anime and how those resonate with her, having fled wars from Iraq to Syria to Turkey and finally to the United States.

While diaspora is a common life experience for these students from “away,” many of their stories sounded like they could have been written by any American teenager. Amran Idow wrote about a fear of flying. Abdulkair Munye grumbled about peanut allergies in a piece called “I Wish I Could Eat Nutella.” And Brinelle Kubelo concluded his poem on lost love with wisdom from rapper Lil Wayne: “If you can love the wrong person that much, stop and think how much more you could love the right one.”

Originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kubelo is now a junior at Casco Bay High School. “Throughout middle school, Make It Happen was a place I could go after school and finish my homework,” he said. “Now I offer to help any time I get.”

“The name Make It Happen says it; it helps you make your dreams come true,” said Sander Sam, a Casco Bay High School senior who is a first-generation Cambodian American. “I want to be a teacher, and I’m able to help middle school students with their studies and work with pre-kindergarten students.”

Sarah Murphy, a teacher at Lyman Moore Middle School, sees how her students look forward to the after-school program. “They are language partners for each other,” she said. “But they’re not just developing language, they’re developing relationships, making connections and seeing life beyond their current level of schooling.”

“Sips, Sweets, and Stories” raised nearly $5,000 for the after-school program.

Amy Paradysz is a freelance writer and photographer based in Scarborough. She can be reached at amyparadysz@gmail.com.