11 of 16

Photographed by Maureen Drennan.

Hande says that she feels "a bit less like an outsider" now that she's been in the neighborhood for a few years.



Still, she might not stay long. She works as a supervisor at Petco in neighboring Howard Beach, though she wants to return to college.



“What I want for my future is to be working for National Geographic photographing. That has been my dream since high school," she said. "I want to live on my own without help from my parents. I want my future to be something my family will be proud of.”