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Veralyn Williams

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I am Veralyn Williams and I am 18 years old. I was born in Sierra Leone, West Africa. My parents moved me to The Bronx when I was just a few months old, so I've lived here almost all my life. Starting in the Fall, I'll be a college student at Hunter College. I am a member of MCC's youth theater company and I've been a part of it for three years. There, I write and perform original poems, monologues, and scenes. I am the oldest of my parents' three children but I love to act like the baby.

Interesting Fact: When I was 8, my younger sister dared me to jump off the banister of my stairs. When I did, one of my permanent teeth fell out but luckily it grew back in (a third time!)

Story Description: Legal Status?
Veralyn has spent almost her whole life in the United States. She doesn't even remember Sierra Leone - her birth country from which her parents moved when Veralyn was an infant. Her dad has a green card. Her younger siblings are all citizens who were born in New York. Veralyn, however, is confused about her own legal status. She's not a citizen, she doesn't have a green card and she doesn't even know what rights she has. She can't work, can't get financial aid for college and is frustrated about her situation. When Veralyn starts to ask questions, some of her family members get nervous and uncomfortable.

Vera's Mentor:

Leital Molad came to Radio Rookies from just three floors up at Studio 360, where she's an Associate Producer. She's been making radio with those folks ever since she started interning at WNYC in early 2000. Leital loves to play with sound, whether it's mixing a piece for Studio 360 or banging on her guitar when no one else is home. Radio also appeals to her because she gets to meet all kinds of people, ask a lot of questions, and constantly learn about new things. Leital has spent all her life around kids - she grew up in Texas with three younger siblings, and her dad and step-mom recently had a baby, which now makes Leital the oldest of five!

Interesting Fact: When I was studying in Spain, I got bitten by a monkey! How, you may ask? Well, one weekend we took a trip to Gibraltar, which has a big nature preserve with a rare species of primates. The little creatures are roaming free and some dumb tourists like me try to pet them. At one point my friend had a brilliant idea to try and feed them bananas. As soon as she took one out, they went crazy, jumping on our rental car and pulling off the rubber from the windows...I decided I'd bonded enough with my furry friends to try and get them down. So I went up to one to gently push him, and he grabbed my hand and bit it! Luckily, the wound wasn't too deep, and the local hospital didn't seem too fazed by it. They gave me a tetanus shot and sent me away. But for the next two months I was paranoid that I had rabies. Turns out I was fine...no sign of rabies to this day!