WNYC's Radio Rookies recently accepted a Peabody Award for their work, and stories like Veralyn's 'Legal Status' show us why they deserve the recognition. This is a first-person feature about an immigrant teenager's struggle with the bureaucratic hurdles that stand between her and a green card. Through Veralyn's eyes, we learn not only about what it feels like to be a legal outsider as an undocumented immigrant, but also what it feels like to be in cultural conflict with one's own family elders.

Veralyn came to the US when she was a toddler --- it's the only home she knows. But her older family members seem to have trouble accepting her Americanized attitudes. Probably my favorite thing about this story is the intimacy of the very candid family arguments that Veralyn catches on tape. It's a rare thing to hear people butting heads with their loved ones in such an unmitigated and honest way. After hearing this piece, I feel like I've shared some very personal moments with a family I thought I'd have nothing in common with.