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 states61 storytellers68 stories
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…
Jolie Bouler
Jolie's story is not built on a single defining moment. It's built on the ordinary ones, family dinners, ski weekends, ballgames from the bleachers. These are the moments that seemed small at the time but turned out to be the ones that stayed with Jolie for a lifetime.
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.
Joey Smith
For Joey, 2026 is a year of celebration. As Americans mark the country's 250th anniversary, Joey and his twin brother Colby are celebrating their own milestone — their 30th birthdays. For a proud lifelong Mainer who has spent the better part of his life investing in the people…
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…
Walter Greenwood
“A Culinary Dream Made in America”
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…
