The 250
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Our communities.
Our stories.
Our America.
Two hundred and fifty Americans — one for every year of the country. Search by name, by place, or by the thing they can’t stop talking about.
50 states58 storytellers62 stories
Mark Genovese
Mark was born and raised in North Haven, Connecticut. He still calls it home to this day. Mark grew up hanging out at his family’s electric contractor business, where he first met a man by the name of Hayes “Buddy” Gibson. Back then, Buddy was working part time at the family…
Rick Gremillion
Rick Gremillion is a Louisiana entrepreneur, husband, father, and grandfather. He grew up learning the value of hard work from his parents. His father continually reinvented himself throughout his career, eventually becoming a small business owner, while his mother dedicated her…
Chris Rector
Chris grew up just outside of Boston in the 50s and 60s, coming of age as America confronted Vietnam and civil rights. From the pews of his Episcopal church, he watched his parents stand on the right side of history. They believed, as Americans must, that this country's promise…
Anthony Totaro
Anthony grew up as the grandson of Italian immigrants in The Bronx and Queens. His father and uncle were both veterans, and Anthony knew early on that he wanted to serve his country too. He earned the rank of Eagle Scout at just 13 and went to the University of Notre Dame after…
Kaitlin Carite
Kaitlin was born and raised in Mississippi, where growing up poor and watching her parents’ struggle gave her an early lesson in perseverance, and a perspective she carries with her still. Those experiences shaped her compassion and her drive, eventually leading her to a career…
Jay Jones
Some Americans build the country with their hands. Others build it by shaping the people who come next. Jay Jones of Narragansett, Rhode Island, has spent his life doing the latter.
Tara O'Connor LaRose
If there is one word that has defined Tara's life it is hope — hope in her family, hope in her community, and hope in a country she has watched face its darkest moments and come back stronger every time. Tara's parents each emigrated separately from Ireland in the early 1900s.…
Daniel Bernardo
Danny was born and raised in Brooklyn, and stayed until he was 36 when he started splitting time between Staten Island and Florida, working out of union halls in New York and New Jersey, making his way back south, working at phosphate mines in Florida in the winters. In the…
Katie Ward
Katie was born in Boise, Idaho, but spent some of her childhood in Alabama in the years following the end of segregation. Raised in a deeply conservative household, she developed an independent perspective early in life and learned firsthand how public support systems and…
Andrew Heiskell
Dr. Andrew Heiskell was born into a military family at Sheppard Air Force Base in Wichita Falls, Texas, before moving to Morgantown, West Virginia, where he grew up. His father became well respected in the community, despite his mix of hard times and good fortune. Andrew knew…
Chris Janda
The American dream isn't a finish line. It's a torch, passed from one generation to the next. For Chris Janda of Des Moines, that truth is personal.
Spencer Smith
Spencer Smith was born and raised in Elk City, Oklahoma, where farming was never just an occupation – it was a way of life passed down through five generations. From an early age, it was his grandfather Clarence who shaped him most, instilling a work ethic that has defined…
Stephanie Weins
Dr. Stephanie Wiens grew up in a small town where playing basketball throughout her childhood taught her dedication, discipline, and hard work. Her coach often said, “practice makes permanent,” a lesson that stayed with Stephanie far beyond the basketball court and continues to…
Jordan Mengel
Jordan was born and raised in Charleston, South Carolina, where the values of kindness, community, and a strong sense of belonging have shaped her life’s journey. Jordan attended both undergraduate and graduate schools in the Lowcountry, attaining a Bachelor’s Degree in Early…
Yvette Stewart
Yvette was born and raised in Colón, Panama, she came to the United States on a trip and knew that it would become her new home. At 27 years old, she left her job, packed up the life she knew, and moved to Brooklyn, New York to start a new life. Of course, this choice was risky,…
Cody McCulloch
Cody works for MindDrive, a nonprofit organization set up by the Kelce brothers to work with kids from underserved communities and give them experience building cars so they can later have the skills to be mechanics and engineers. Cody also owns a small family farm that's been…
Jarred Strength
Jarred was born in Dothan, Alabama, but because of his father’s managerial role at Walmart, he moved to Tallahassee, FL, before settling in Leesburg, GA, where he spent most of his childhood. Growing up, his faith and family shaped him to be the man he is today. He remembers…
Drew Kaufman
Drew grew up on a farm in small town Iowa. After high school, he attended Drake University,
Jan Booth
Jan was raised by two young parents in Kansas City where her dad, Jack, started a construction business after returning home from fighting in World War II as a pilot in 1944 and 1945.
Pat O'Neill
Pat O'Neill's story doesn't begin with him. It begins in 1848, when his ancestor Bernard O'Neill fled County Tyrone in the north of Ireland, leaving behind a homeland ravaged by famine, and made his way to the coal fields of western Pennsylvania. Bernard's son, John P. O'Neill,…
Marco Erickson
Marco was born in Billings, Montana, but grew up in Boise, Idaho — moving back to Montana to finish high school before returning to Idaho, the state he calls home today. It was during those adolescent years that his life's direction took shape. As a teenager, Marco lost his…
