80 Minutes Around the World

Alondra is a college student in her second year, majoring in accounting. She hopes to inspire people and bring hope to those who feel like there’s none left.

Veronica came to the U.S. as a child, carrying both her Peruvian and Filipino roots. She’s an occupational therapist, a clinical assistant professor at DePaul University, a Peace Corps alum from Nicaragua, and co-leader of Weaving the American Dream, a cooperative of newly arrived immigrants and refugees. A lifelong fan of listening to stories, she is new to sharing them on stage herself.

Frank is a junior in college, majoring in Finance and Entrepreneurship at Dominican University. He is also a student athlete. He feels that he has to stay active, and playing a sport is one way to keep distracted. He sprints for the track team, and on the side plays soccer. He is an out-of-state student, traveling all the way from Massachusetts, where he grew up.

Julieth came to the United States as a refugee in February 2024 with the help of Rainbow Railroad and the Welcome Corps program. Julieth is 32 years old, and was born in the city of Morazán, El Salvador. She is the 7th daughter in her family and a graduate in business administration. She currently lives in Chicago, studying English. She is a very charismatic and sociable person who plans to be a lawyer and work for migrants. In her free time Julieth likes to run in the park and go to the gym.

Emily is a Chicagoland native, the daughter of a Colombian immigrant and Iowan farmer. A lifelong lover of storytelling, she thrills in devouring narratives in all forms-visual, digital, oral, and written. After years of sharing stories informally with anyone willing to listen, Emily is now stepping onto the stage to share her voice with curious audiences, inspired by the power of connection and creative expression that stories create.

When you meet Miguel in person, all he wants to do is make you laugh. When you hear Miguel tell a story, all he wants to do is make you cry. In either case, his real goal is to leave you with a memory you’re glad to have made. Unless there’s pie nearby. Then the only memory he wants to make is the one where he digs into that doughy delight!