José Rodriguez and Charles Zelinsky
When he was a teenager, José Rodriguez was kicked out of public school.
He was diagnosed with a learning disability and sent to a school for students with special needs.
This qualified him to participate in the New Jersey Special Olympics – any child or adult with an intellectual disability can take part.
At StoryCorps, José told his former coach, Charles Zelinsky, what his life was like before he found the games.
José is now a Special Olympics basketball coach–and will be coaching during the 2012 New Jersey Summer Games.
Originally aired June 8, 2012, on NPR’s Morning Edition.
Ricardo Isaias Zavala and Ricardo Javier Zavala
When Ricardo Isaias Zavala came to StoryCorps, his son, Ricardo Javier, asked who the most important person in his life was.
The answer came without a moment’s hesitation — it was Vicente Domingo Villa, Ricardo Isaias’ grandfather.
He told a story that began in the 1920s, when Vicente was a young boy enamored with the vaqueros, or cowboys, who worked on the South Texas ranches where he lived.
Kate Musick and Harleé Patrick, Jose Catalan and Carlos Vizcarra
For students who are struggling, sometimes the difference between success and failure can start when a teacher takes the time to listen.
In these two stories from our National Teacher’s Initiative, teachers go beyond the classroom to help their students.
In 2004, Kate Musick (top left) was teaching third grade at T.C. Walker Elementary school in Gloucester, Virginia. When Harleé Patrick (top right) walked into the room Musick saw a troubled child.
Harleé is now a teenager, and the two came to StoryCorps to talk about how she made it through that year.
The second story comes from Los Angeles, where 19-year-old Jose Catalan (above right), who is studying to become a math teacher, sat down with his former high school teacher Carlos Vizcarra (above left) to talk about how they became friends.
Originally aired April 29, 2012 on NPR’s Weekend Edition Sunday.
Blanca Alvarez y Connie Alvarez
Blanca Alvarez le cuenta a su hija Connie Alvarez sobre el día en que cruzó la frontera sin documentos para llegar a los Estados Unidos desde México.
Roger Alvarez and Antero Garcia
Antero Garcia (right) taught Roger Alvarez (left) in his 9th grade English class at Manual Arts High School in Los Angeles.
That year, the school’s graduation rate was just 42 percent, and Roger was one of the students who didn’t make it through his senior year.
Roger dropped out in 2007 and hadn’t seen his former teacher until the two of them sat down together at StoryCorps.
When they recorded this interview, Roger was working the night shift at a loading dock, and he said he hopes to get his GED one day. Antero Garcia is now an Assistant Professor of English at Colorado State University.
Originally aired January 29, 2012, on NPR’s Weekend Edition Sunday.
Scott Wall and Isabel Sobozinsky-Wall
Scott Wall and his wife, Isabel Sobozinsky-Wall, got their love story down on tape — 20 years before they came to StoryCorps.
It started on New Year’s Eve 1991. Isabel was living in San Francisco but decided to celebrate with some friends in New York City. That’s where she met Scott.
Scott and Isabel hit it off and started dating despite living on different coasts. They eased the distance with a novel type of love letter — the couple would record their everyday lives on cassette tapes and mail the recordings back and forth.
Within a year, Scott moved to California to live with Isabel. At StoryCorps, they sat down to remember how it all began.
Sarah Benko and Meliza Arellano
Meliza Arellano (R), is an 11th grader at a New York City charter school called Democracy Prep. When Meliza started there four years ago she was below grade level in both math and reading.
She was put in a class that helps students like her get up to speed. Her teacher was Sarah Benko (L).
The pair recently sat down for StoryCorps to look back on Meliza’s 7th grade year — the year she became a serious student.
Originally aired November 27, 2011 on NPR’s Weekend Edition Sunday.
Ruben Salazar and Rachel Salazar
In January 2007, Rachel P. Salazar was living in Bangkok, Thailand. Ruben P. Salazar was in Waco, Texas. They were 9,000 miles apart and completely unaware of each other’s existence. But when an email meant for Rachel accidentally went to Ruben, it wasn’t long before an ordinary mistake began to look like an extraordinary stroke of luck.
At StoryCorps, they remember how an errant keystroke led to an enduring romance. See their first email exchange above.
Watch “To R.P. Salazar, With Love,” the animation of Rachel and Ruben’s story.
Originally aired May 13, 2011, on NPR’s Morning Edition.
Alex Fernandez and Noe Rueda
Nineteen-year-old Noe Rueda (right) grew up poor in Little Village, a neighborhood on Chicago’s West Side. He is the oldest of four siblings raised by a single mom. As a boy, Noe watched his family struggle and decided to help.
At StoryCorps, Noe tells his high school economics teacher, Alex Fernandez (left), about launching his first business venture selling discarded cleaning products from a nearby factory.
Click here to watch “Making It,” an animation of Noe’s story.
Originally aired April 15, 2011, on NPR’s Morning Edition.
Jose Noriega and Lynn Guarch Pardo
Jose “Pepe” Noriega , one of over 14,000 children who came to the U.S. as part of Operation Pedro Pan, speaks with Lynn Guarch Pardo about the role her father, Jorge “George” Guarch, played in the historic airlift.