Story Telling and Democracy

These message portray individuals who became role models, paving the way for others.

    • Reversing the Imposter Syndrome

      She is an enrolled member of the Choctaw Indian Nation of Oklahoma. She has a double major in Spanish and Communications from the University of Arizona. Through an internship opportunity with IBM, she discovered she had a talent for invention. Tara Astigarraga is...

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    • Lessons from A 75-Year-Old Story

      On June 26, 1943, The New Yorker magazine published a story by Shirley Jackson called The Lottery. The story involves a small town with a tradition designed to ensure a good harvest. Blank slips of paper are prepared for each household in the community. On one slip of...

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    • Let Me Share

      Franklin Roosevelt grew up with an elitist aura. He had big dreams but at the age of 39 was stricken with polio. Fueled by a determination that few people could maintain, he fought to sustain his dreams. The key moment in his physical and human rehabilitation was a...

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    • Pass It On

      As the 350th anniversary of democracy in America approached, Peyton Chen decided to initiate her own democracy project. She created a website where she invited her friends from her various social media sites to share a story of how they contribute to American...

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    • Sharing Stories

      It began as a simple letter to the editor of a local newspaper. The first lines of the letter began: “God Bless America. That’s my favorite song. It was written by an immigrant to America who was placed in a holding pen when he arrived at Ellis Island from Russia. He...

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    • Up Close and Personal

      Martha Gellhorn lived a life of contrasts. She was a pacifist but also considered one of the greatest war correspondents of our time. Martha attended college but never graduated. She wanted to be a journalist and didn’t see that having a college degree was necessary....

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    • Story Telling for Change

      Growing up, he loved to listen to his father and visitors to their rural area of the state as they shared stories. He watched those who visited his family intently as they reacted to the stories. When he didn’t understand a story, he imagined a better way of telling...

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