When Ben Salian Kouyaté arrived in the U.S. from Mali, he saw an opportunity to fulfill his life-long passion of hair braiding. Twenty years later, Kouyaté is the proud owner of a one-of-a-kind salon in Detroit where clients wait all day to enjoy the artistry of his braiding. In the special report Braiding the Dream, VOA takes us into the lives of top African hair braiders whose unique talents have helped them achieve their American Dream.

In 2019, inline speed skater Leticia Detrow won the national gold medal for her age group. She also happened to be the only Deaf skater. This documentary follows the story of 14-year-old Leticia, who was born in Uganda and adopted into an American family. Striving for excellence in everything she does, Leticia navigates skating, family and coming of age in a hearing world.

Peter Lee is a real life stuntman. He's done everything your parents told you not to do. He throws his body through windows and busts through doors and crawls into burning buildings. ​Peter's unbridled enthusiasm and passion for his job – a firefighter at the Englewood Fire Department – has helped save lives, big and small.​

William Padilla-Brown is a self-taught citizen scientist and mycologist whose passion for mushrooms is leading to new discoveries as he teaches others and works to build a healthier, more sustainable world.