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.

With joblessness at a 26 year high, many people across the country are getting a crash course in coping with the stress of not having a steady pay check. Rookie Reporter Erikka Diaz, like many of her neighbors in South Bronx, has lived in poverty her whole life. Her family knows well the anxiety that comes with constantly having to scrape enough money together to pay the rent, buy groceries, and have enough left over for all the things kids want, like going to the prom, or a new pair of sneakers.

For Jesus, it’s one of those nights when you’re young that almost sends your life in an entirely different direction. This is a story about the most basic kind of survival.

In many ways Valentine's Day is just as significant for people who are pining for love, as for those who have it. So, in honor of unrequited love, Radio Rookie Keith Harris shares a story about an all-consuming, exhilarating, and over-the-top high school crush. 

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.

Shirley Diaz’s life has been shaped by the tragedy of her mother’s murder, and the difficulty of growing up in six different foster homes, separated from her six younger siblings. To avoid being consumed by loss, Shirley tries to make sense of these events and find refuge in home and family as she finds them.

Two years ago, at 15, Jordan Teklay became legally emancipated from his parents and moved on his own from California to New York City. Since then, he has been learning to juggle the responsibilities of work, school and taking care of himself. Emancipation has brought both freedom and hardship. Struggling to negotiate his path in the world, Jordan is trying to understand what it means to be an adult.

Every day on his way to school, Christian passes a group of men lined up for work on the street. Most of them are undocumented Mexican immigrants -- just like him -- without any pathway to legal citizenship. Christian is 15 years-old and grew up in New York City. For teens like him it can be hard to keep going to classes, knowing that without permanent resident status, the jobs and opportunities they seek will be closed to them. Some of the immigration reform legislation currently being debated in Congress, known as The Dream Act, contains provisions for kids like Christian--who have spent the majority of their lives in the US-- to gain their citizenship through completion of college or military service. And even with all the grim risks of war, Christian's best hope might be the Army.

Have you ever had a dream that you were aware you were dreaming? Neil had a dream like that so powerful and intense that it set him on a months-long journey to perfect the art of lucid dreaming. He wasn't interested in the meaning of his dreams, he just wanted the freedom to be able to fly.

Neil was mentored by Fred Mogul.

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. 

Seventeen-year old Munir, a Pakistani immigrant who was raised and lives in Midwood, Brooklyn, is very different from his religious Muslim parents. While they pray five times a day, Munir watches television, plays videogames, and wonders about nearly everything.

Linda Lee dreams of being the next Kaity Tong, the WB11's nightly news co-anchor. But Linda worries her Korean roots will get in her way.

Becoming the President used to rank high among career goals for young people. Now they want to be pop-stars.