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.

Rookie Reporter Irina was born in Belarus 6 years after the Chernobyl disaster. Belarus bore the brunt of the radiation fallout and her family moved to the Bronx to escape the contamination. Now, Irina and her family attribute many of their health problems to the radiation.

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.

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.

Sonia first learned about Darwin in junior high school. The theory of evolution made sense to Sonia and she began to question everything she’d been taught previously by the church and her devoutly Catholic mother. Four years later, Sonia is the only atheist among her parent’s 13 children—a fact that often leaves her feeling misunderstood and tired of explaining that just because she doesn’t believe in God, she doesn’t worship the devil. Sonia’s documentary delves into the religious and cultural split that divides her from her family, especially her parents: "They grew up on little farms [in Mexico] with no running water and wooden floors. My dad started herding goats and cows when he was five years old. It was hard to survive and go to school. My mom went to school through the first grade and can only write her name."

Wen moved to the United States from China in 2001 and she hasn't returned since. In China, Wen lived with her grandparents and was surrounded by her extended family. Here in New York, it's just her and her mom. 

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. 

Angely has family in the Dominican Republic, and she goes there every year for vacation. She adores the DR and often wishes she lived there, instead of the Lower East Side of Manhattan. But many Dominicans, like Angely's father and grandfather, immigrate to New York for a "better life." Angely's not sure they're making the right choice.

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.

Sunnie Hwang moved to the US from Korea, hoping she would find the happiness she had as a child -- when her parents were still alive.

Heidi Choe's parents pay attention to her -- A LOT of attention. She thinks in-your-face parenting can be overdone.

Mary Fory moved to Queens from Colombia. Now she lives among immigrants from many different countries, but she's noticed that even those who speak Spanish tend not to hang out with each other.

Since she moved to the Bronx from Suriname at age 12, Judith hasn't felt she fits in with any group. Dutch is her first language. She wants to be an opera singer. She's black.

Janelle Lewis is 19-years-old and her report tracks her lifelong quest: figuring out whether she's American or Trini, or both - and why.