When a child grows up as a political refugee, democracy is not an abstraction—it’s personal. At three years old, Marta Tellado’s family arrived in the United States from Cuba.

When Priscilla Almodovar first set eyes on Capitol Park Historic District in Detroit, Michigan, five years ago, her initial impressions of the historic Motor City neighborhood were far from positive.

In the 1970s, New York’s South Bronx neighborhood was the urban equivalent of the Wild West. Not the romantic interpretation seen in movies, defined by chaps and lassoes, but the historical one: loose, lawless, and lethal.

He calls them his “angels along the way.” It’s a strong statement, to be sure, but it’s not an empty platitude.

It was a moment that marked a turning point for an entire family. Marcelo Prado stood at São Paulo–Guarulhos International Airport, suitcase in hand, and said goodbye to friends and family who had gathered to see him off.

Being good at something doesn’t always equate to passion.” That’s a lesson Bernadette Aulestia learned when she was just twenty-three years old.

It was the 1960s, and a young teacher stood in a small Texas schoolroom in front of a group of third graders.

Indrani Franchini needs more room on her business card. This year, Hess Corporation’s vice president and chief compliance officer added assistant corporate secretary to her title.

When Jonathan Avila began his legal career at CBS in 1992, the Harvard Law School graduate was thrown into the world of privacy and security.