Stories of Transformation

Youth poet laureate Marjan Naderi hadn’t given much thought to poetry until middle school. It was at this critical juncture in her life that a teacher saw something in the precocious student, and enc…

From a young age, television and cinema were a powerful force of influence in Azita Ghanizada’s life. Through these mediums, she could escape her difficult life as a young Afghan-American immigrant; …

Ronnie Malley's range as a multi-instrumentalist is vast. He is a master of percussion and rhythm; a guitarist and oud player; and a keyboardist, to name a few of his skills. He is a versatile songwr…

In her lifelong career as a public servant, Shireen Ghorbani has witnessed many first-hand accounts of how healthcare operates in the United States and abroad. Shireen's career began in high school, …

Omaid Sharifi is no stranger to political oppression, nor the powerful imagery which often accompanies it. Born in Kabul, Afghanistan just before the end of Soviet occupation there, Omaid was raised …

It was a Friday morning like any other, and Mark Redmond was walking down Madison Avenue, en route to another business meeting. Mark had found himself exactly where he and everyone else had always en…

Raju Narisetti has always had a way with words — and it’s no wonder. As a child, if he wasn’t rummaging through his parents’ 10,000 book library, then he was writing letters to the editors of his fav…

In a world growing increasingly dependent upon technology and deliberate distractions, Flynn Coleman wants to bring a more grounded, human perspective back into focus. But her human-centered approach…

Saad Mohseni has lived all over the world, but no place has made an impact on him quite like his homeland of Afghanistan. So much so, in fact, that despite his transitory upbringing spanning continen…

When asked what having cancer has taught her, Sheetal Sheth says that she feels lucky. Cancer is terrible, no doubt about it, but in this conversation, Sheetal brings to light ways in which we can re…

As an Iranian Canadian, Kiana Hayeri has struggled throughout her life to find a sense of home and belonging. As a teen, she found photography—a medium through which she didn’t have to struggle with …

Andy Shallal is an Iraqi-American artist, activist and entrepreneur. He is best known as the founder/CEO of the Washington, D.C., area restaurant, bookstore, performance venue Busboys and Poets and l…

When people asked young Hammasa Kohestani what she wanted to be when she grew up, she responded that she was *going* to be a model, not that she *wanted* to be a model. She had this dream since she w…

Lual Mayen had never seen a computer until he was 17 years old. That’s because he was raised in a refugee camp in Uganda. Now, he is the Founder and CEO of Junub Games, and creator of an innovative v…

You can learn to do anything in life, and overcome any adversity, with practice. This is the key lesson Ed Latimore discovered again and again when he became sober, when he beat his pornography addic…

Hear from 2018 National Teacher of the Year Mandy Manning on what teachers can do in their classrooms to create a positive environment for students of all backgrounds to thrive, and what lessons she …

From holding mock presidential debates as a kid in her living room to becoming the first Muslim woman mayor in America, Sadaf Jaffer is passionate about being a voice for the voiceless, and inspiring…

Mia Birdsong is a pathfinder, community curator, and storyteller who steadily engages the leadership and wisdom of people experiencing injustice to chart new visions of American life. She plays an im…

Phuc Tran and his family fled Saigon, Vietnam when he was 1.5 years old, and landed in a small, predominantly white town called Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Now, he is a high school Latin teacher, tattoo …

Rabia Chaudry is an attorney, advocate, and author of the New York Times bestselling book "Adnan's Story" and Executive Producer of a four-part HBO documentary "The Case Against Adnan Syed."  

Rabia i…