Four Radio Rookies, who are all very recent immigrants from the Caribbean, now attend high school in the heart of what was the epicenter of the Crown Heights riots 20 years ago.  But, as newcomers, the Rookies know nothing about the neighborhood’s fraught history. 

Joey Rizzolo was six years old when he watched the events of September 11th 2001 on the news, while folding laundry with his grandma in his living room.  At the time, Joey didn't understand the larger meaning of what was happening, other than planes hitting buildings.  Even though he had no personal connection to 9/11, at the age of 11 Joey decided to initiate a Freedom Walk to help residents of his town, Paramus, NJ, remember and honor the victims of 9/11.   Joey organizes the event with a committee of teenagers, who carry out all the fundraising, organizing, and publicity.  Last year's Freedom Walk drew almost 1,000 people.  

To comment on Joey's story, you can email at radiorookies@wnyc.org.     

Today is the first of the Radio Rookies series Our 9/11: Growing Up In the Aftermath.  Jillian Suarez’s story is one she says she doesn't want to tell with tears.  Jillian’s father, a New York City police officer, didn't come home on September 11th and for three months her mother held out hope he would be found alive -- until she received a call that his remains had been found.  Now 18 years old, Jillian rarely speaks about the loss she feels.  For this piece, she decided to push through her silence to sit down with some of the closest people in her life, including her mom, to talk about her father’s death and what his absence has meant in her life. 

Over the years Tim has fought, sometimes physically, with his family and struggled to become who he wants to be.  He's been diagnosed with everything from ADD, ADHD, PTSD, depression, to bipolar disorder.  But he doesn't think any of those labels fit him. In fact, Tim's not sure he's mentally ill at all.  And if he is, he's not sure he wants to know about it. 

Half of Radio Rookie Alicia Martinez's family members are U.S. citizens, the other half are not. Her parents and older sister came to the U.S. illegally before she was born. Alicia knows – from her sister – how hard it is to grow up in the U.S. without legal papers, but she also finds it stressful to be the lucky one: the daughter with all the opportunities.  As one of three U.S. citizens in her family, Alicia has struggled to meet her parents' expectations and overcome the guilt she feels that her hardworking sister’s life is so limited.

About two thirds of New Yorkers are from immigrant families. And when parents - who came here from other countries - raise American children, they face all kinds of choices about which cultural norms to follow. That's the case in Radio Rookie Andrea Lee Torres' family. Her parents came here from the Philippines in the 1990s. And she's not sure she agrees with at least one decision they made - not to teach her their language.

18 year old Caribbean American, Rayon Wright, who was born in Jamaica, West Indies and raised in Brooklyn. Though Rayon grew up surrounded with Jamaican culture and music, he wants more than anything to become a producer of Korean music and entertainment. A lot of non-Asian teenagers like Hello Kitty or Japanese Anime, but Rayon's love for Asian culture goes far beyond that.

Video Games! Millions of people play some form of them - from Farmville on Facebook to more complex games on consoles like the Xbox, PlayStation, and the most popular, Wii. Industry experts say forty percent of all game players are female, players of hardcore games like Grand Theft Auto are mostly male. That means the games are designed with boys and men in mind -- and 17-year-old Radio Rookie Jessica Cernadas finds that very frustrating.

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Until recently all Victoria (Vikky) Cruz knew was that her mother was sick. Her mother hasn't been able to walk in years, can barely speak and goes into rages, but no one ever told Vikky why. Now, at 17-years-old, Vikky struggles to cope with her mother's illness, a rare gentetic disease called neuroacanthytosis, and the ways it's taken over the mother she once knew.

Like most of the kids in her school and on her block, 16 year old Josetta Adams used to listen to hip-hop music. But, when Josetta slipped into a depression, she started to listen to rock music that matched her mood. She also began painting her nails black and wearing t-shirts adorned with skulls. Her way of expressing her feelings went against the norms of her family and her community, quickly labeling her as different and even as far as calling her a "sell-out". Depression is an uncomfortable topic for anyone, but amongst an African-American family it can be taboo. Josetta is no longer depressed but she wants to figure out why her family, friends, and community have a difficult time understanding her way of expressing herself and why it's hard to talk about these feelings of sadness in her family and community.

Keith Harris had a secret when he started school in the U.S. for the first time: he didn't know how to read and write. After falling through the cracks of the educational system in Guyana, he decided to confide in his 9th grade English teacher at his Brooklyn high school. Now a successful and literate high school senior, Keith's story takes us into his journey to literacy.

14-year-old Krystle has been living in a group home in Manhattan since last summer. She never expected to wind up in "the system," but when conflicts between Krystle and her mother reached a boiling point she found herself separated from her family. In her radio story, Krystle documents what life is like in the group home and how she might be able to move back to her family.