States of America

Culture Series / 1 Season

In the United States, you may have been born in one state or even in a different country. You may go to school or work in another community, and then move somewhere else by choice or circumstance. What is it that ties us to these places and makes us call them home? And how does our state affect who we are and how we identify ourselves?

Watch Latest: S1 E29

3m 56s / TV-PG

Vermont

S1 E9 / 3m 17s / TV-PG

Growing up in a military family, Kelly Ault lived in twelve different states as a child. After college she was anxious to put roots down and chose a rural community in Vermont to start a new life. A husband and two sons later, she built herself a house on a remote plot of land with hopes to give her family a connection to a place she never had.

Rhode Island

S1 E8 / 4m 39s / TV-PG

A native of Rhode Island, Jack Welch has called the Ocean State his home for 82 years. The former teacher and principal is now a Meals on Wheels volunteer, a tour guide with the Providence Preservation Society and an avid cyclist. Jack believes that the people you spend your life with have the greatest potential to inspire you - a creed he embodies with his own life-affirming, cheerful service.

North Carolina

S1 E7 / 4m 22s / TV-PG

Growing up in a shack in the Jim Crow South, Paul Gunter dreamed of someday owning his own home. Although his dream came true at the age of 20, he soon had to move from North Carolina to New Jersey to make enough money to pay for it. Twenty-one years later, after his wife passed away, Paul finally returned to the house he built and the state that had always felt like home.

New York

S1 E6 / 4m 40s / TV-PG

Karen Eberle-McCarthy loves the Hudson River Valley community she has lived in for many years. A passionate member of this New York neighborhood, she teaches English to Spanish speaking residents and volunteers at the town park which allows Karen to meet people from diverse backgrounds and hear new ideas.

Virginia

S1 E5 / 4m 56s / TV-PG

As a young quadriplegic law school graduate, living in a location with strong public transportation accessibility options was a must for Daniel Leslie. Wheelchair accessible taxis in Virginia have not only made every part of his daily commute easier, but also allowed him to be more spontaneous.

New Hampshire

S1 E4 / 3m 31s / TV-PG

Lisa Hansen grew up in Kentucky and says she has the accent to prove it. Eleven years ago, she moved to New Hampshire and planted roots with her family to stay for the long haul. Embracing her own brand of north-south heritage, Lisa enjoys the Granite State's unique role in presidential elections.

Maryland

S1 E3 / 4m 48s / TV-PG

Serving a life sentence at 17-years-old, Chris Wilson sat down and wrote out what he called his “master plan” of all the things he believed he could do in his life, then got to work. After reinventing himself over 15 years - college degree, multiple languages, and a passion for learning, he was released and dedicated his new life to providing opportunities to an underserved community in Baltimore.

Massachusetts

S1 E2 / 3m 59s / TV-PG

Doug is in his freshman year at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. A native Californian, he is learning to adapt to the east coast as he settles in to the rigors of Ivy League studies. Many students find themselves split between two states during their college years, but Doug believes one may make a place your home simply by choosing it.

Connecticut

S1 E1 / 4m 52s / TV-PG

As a young, single mother of three, Joyce Thomas moved from St. Vincent to the United States after reading a newspaper ad for housekeeping jobs. She eventually ended up in Connecticut and began working with children, adopting six more of her own and becoming something of a matriarch in her New Haven neighborhood.

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