In a summertime diversion, we tackle a canine mystery: is our new puppy – Dovekie – really a Golden Retriever/Lab mix, as we were told, or is he actually a cross between a black-furred Cookie Monster and Sasquatch?

Hear part one — and see the 600+ guesses submitted by NPR listeners as to what breed Dovekie might really be.  Then, for the stunning conclusion, listen to part two.  Meanwhile, you’ll find more clues and photos of the Dove on his very own Facebook page.

It’s true — it’s months later, and we still haven’t accomplished anything on our new website.  Hopefully this will be snazzier soon, but in the meantime if you want to hear more of our work, visit our old site. And please forgive the wonky links, incomplete sections, and general chaos here.

American schools teach students that with hard work, they can realize their dreams. But some kids do everything right, only to graduate from high school and find the American Dream isn’t for them.

Parts one and two combined

Part three

Part four

Sam was brought to the United States by his parents as a young child, but his family overstayed their visas. They’ve lived here now for fourteen years, and in that time Sam grew from a small boy to a young man — taught in American schools, and churches, he grew up like any other American kid.  But it wasn’t until he was asked to fill in his social security number on a financial aid form that he began to realize the consequences of being undocumented.

We met Sam just before he graduated from high school last May in Elkhart, Indiana.  We share his story.   Special thanks to the College Board for their support and special American Dreamer webpage, and for this great interview they did with Sam for their newsletter.

If you’d like to send a message to Sam, email helpsam@american-dreamer.org.