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On Small Step partners Dennis Darnoi (54) and James Thomas (56) discuss how to handle friends and neighbors with extreme views, their thoughts on bringing grandchildren into a complicated world, and why they think they "had it better" when they...

Megha Patel (18) talks with her close friend Shaila Gopal (18) about her struggles and triumphs through her athletic career. While having to balancing academics, mental health, and social life, Shaila reveals her motivation to grow from her severe physical...

Folklife Director Lesley Schierenbeck interviews Cape May native decoy carver Jack Murray about his apprenticeship with J.P. Hand of Cape May, his passion for carving, and why decoy carving is a unique folk art. Jack volunteers his time by showing...

One Small Step partners David Charpentier (52) and Troy Teeboom (54) acknowledge influential people in their lives, discuss national versus local politics, share their adoptions stories amongst various other topics.

Join Folklife Director Lesley Schierenbeck as she interviews Nancee Jo Luciani, the New Jersey Decoy Collector & Carver Association's Carver of the Year for 2023, and the first female carver in the history of the organization! Nancee Jo has not...

One Small Step conversation partners Scott Mathis (78) and Laura [No Name Given] (45) talk about the meaning of conservative and liberal, and explore life histories.

Gary Hance talks with Folkllife Director Lesley Schierenbeck about his childhood find of what he thinks could appear to be a Lenape dugout canoe off of the shores of Manahawkin, New Jersey. The vessel was found off of the property...

Kevin Gluck (49) talks with his mother, Anne Perdue (74) about her life

In this interview, Folklife Director Lesley Schierenbeck interviews Oksana Pasakas of Ukrainian History & Education Center of New Jersey to discuss the traditional folk customs of the Ukraine, and the importance of continued education in the traditional folk arts of...

Spouses, Michael Kelly (73) and Peggy Kelly (75), talk about Michael's military service in the Military Police, his upbringing, and their time in Grafenwöhr, Germany.

The Penza Family, Evelyn & Tony discuss their family history, their immigrant experience in South Jersey, and the dynamic way their Italian-American immigrant-family legacy was created using the foodways of Southern New Jersey.

In this interview conducted in November 2021 in Egg Harbor Township New Jersey, Nicole Zimmerman (16) interviews her mom Theresa Zimmerman (44) about her childhood, how she met her husband, and some of the most influential people in her life....

Whether it be in New Jersey or New York, Tammie Vivlamore's life experience has been crazy from the start. In this interview, Tammie opens up about her less-than-stellar childhood, where she ended up in her 20's, and how becoming a...

Sheryl Dobson (60) asks her mentor and friend, Rev. Dr. Bessie Duncan (80) about her relationship to God, and her most important experiences and life teachings.

Anjali Patel (18) interviews her mother Mona Patel (41). Anjali asked Mona about her childhood in India and differences between her life then and her life when she came to the United States. They also discussed Mona's college years, happy...

Stephanie Lam (61) talks with her daughter, Sophie Brown (18) about her childhood in Toisan, China in the 1960s and what it was like to move to America at 18. She discusses her life in a small village, her experiences...

Margaret "Marge" McKee (74) and Joyce Welsh (61) interview their mother, Letitia "Doris" Welsh (96). Doris reflects on her life growing up in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, working at various places, raising six children and traveling.

Cristina Larios (16) talks to Joe Nowinski (33) about her experiences traveling the Americas. Cristina is an American Citizen who grew up in Nicaragua and came to the tiny Almond-Bancroft High School in rural Almond Wisconsin. Joe Nowinski is her...

One Small Step Conversation partners Allison "AJ" Oberempt (61) and Chelsea Niemann (31) share a conversation about their upbringings, their political values, and their families.

For Rachel's Journalism Midterm, she talks with her dad, Steven, about his memories and his current thoughts.

Alexis Garcia (18) talks with Amanda Padron (20) about the struggles she has faced as a healthcare worker during the COVID-19 pandemic. They discuss topics ranging from mental health, to stress, to the importance of family and a work community,...

Nash Alamgir (16) and Onyx Alamgir (21) and discuss her childhood and adolescence. She touches on subjects of mental health and how it was negatively affected with the American education system. Through classic stories of her teenage years, Onyx discusses...

Jenny Hunter (45) interviewed her parents Judy Hunter (74) and Chris Hunter (73) about their childhoods in Rhode Island and New Jersey, how they met at Brown University in 1968, their decision to get married, the early years of their...

Tarik Mahdi (36) and friend Yusuf Al-Rahman (41) exchange stories about the micro-aggressions they dealt with as Black Muslim men and experiences where they challenged the ignorance around them.

One Small Step conversation partners David Mellott (67) and Maya Stein (51) talk about being step-parents, families and marriage, life lessons, and being middle children. They discuss God, the importance of family, being Liberal and Conservative, and hopes for the...