I had the unexpected chance to show a young Ukrainian woman some Hollywood sites she had only known from movies. Studio heads hold the dreams of millions in their hands.
The year 2023 marks the centennial of many iconic L.A. landmarks, including the Hollywood sign, Memorial Coliseum, Biltmore Hotel and the Angelus Temple.She spoke with an accent unfamiliar to me and I asked where she was from. Ukraine. She explained that her name was Maria and she was in Los Angeles for one day to pick up some immigration documents and would then be flying back to Spokane, Wash., where she was staying with a friend.
I thought she looked like a lost princess and I knew what I had to do. I told her to wait and fetched my car keys. Within minutes we were off on a mini tour of Hollywood. First stop was the sign. I turned the corner from Franklin heading up Beachwood Drive and it loomed before us. She gasped, “There it is!” Then she said something I will always remember. “People here may think these are just letters on a hill. But to us, this is our dream.
We stopped so she could take pictures. It was dinner time so we went into the Beachwood Cafe, where she could barely eat anything because she was so excited. I told herShe then poured out the story of her life, which might make a pretty good movie itself. Maria was born into a very large family in a village on the border of Ukraine and Russia. When her mother fell ill, Maria and some of her many siblings were sent to an orphanage where she was educated and cared for.
That was about six months ago. She has learned that in order to finish her studies and get a medical degree in the United States she needs to perfect her English. She began taking classes while working to support herself.
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