Venezuelan Voices With A Mission

Ahiled, Luis, and Antony have organized a band with a mission.

They are Venezuelan migrant teens at Sullivan High School, located in the Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago.

Their mission is to connect with their teachers, other students, and the homes they left behind.

The Sullivan student body represents more than 40 countries, including more than 70 students from Venezuela, located on the northern coast of South America, who have fled their home country to seek refuge in the United States.

With the help of an English language school social worker, Josh Zepeda, who moonlights as a DJ, the three students pulled off their stunning performance debut with Ahiled and Luis on vocals and Antony rapping.

For their songs for the 2023 fall concert in the packed high school auditorium, they chose the pop hits ‘No Se Va’ by the popular Columbian group Morat and ‘Mi Nina Bonita’ by the Venezuelan band Chino & Nacho – a song which evokes a wide range of emotions, but especially love and longing.

Ahiled said her group chose these songs ‘because Venezuelans are always longing for a better life and getting over obstacles.’  

She added that singing is how she likes to tell her story and that ‘no matter what happens to me and my friends, we’re happy to be here.’

Social Worker-DJ Josh Zepeda sees music as a great way to help migrant students feel at home in their new school setting – especially cultural-themed assemblies.

Ahiled, Luis, and Antony totally agree – along with hundreds of their newly-found friends at Sullivan High School.

Ahiled - band member • Josh Zepeda – school social worker • Antony – band member

Photo and Partial News Content Credits:  Jamie Kelter Davis and Elly Fishman of WBEZ Radio for the Chicago Sun-Times