Ayodeji Ogunniyi and his father, Abimbola "Yinka" Ogunniyi, at their first American home in South Holland, Ill., in 1993. Courtesy of Ayodeji Ogunniyi hide caption
StoryCorps: Recording The Lives And Stories Of Everyday Americans StoryCorps is an independent nonprofit project whose mission is to honor and celebrate the lives of everyday Americans by listening to their stories.
Cristina Peña was born with HIV. In high school, she was afraid to tell her boyfriend, Chris Ondaatje, about her illness. The couple have been together for 13 years. StoryCorps hide caption
Ernest Greene (left) accompanied Collin Smith to college. When Collin graduated, the school awarded Ernest an honorary degree. StoryCorps hide caption
Elisa and Bobby Seeger remember their son, Aidan, on a visit to StoryCorps in Brooklyn. StoryCorps hide caption
Army Capt. Drew Pham says his wife, Molly Pearl, helps him push through the difficulties of transitioning back to civilian life after deployment in Afghanistan. StoryCorps hide caption
Jessica and Anthony Villarreal in December 2011, more than three years after the explosion that severely burned Anthony in Afghanistan. Courtesy of Jessica Villarreal hide caption
Suzanne Bishop (left) and LJ Evans met while volunteering at an animal rescue center in Alaska after the Exxon Valdez spill in 1989. StoryCorps hide caption
Lisa Garzone, 47, and Megan Smith, 25, became friends after grieving the loss of the man they both loved. StoryCorps hide caption
Celeste Davis-Carr, a high school English teacher in Chicago, learned her student Aaron was homeless from a recording for the StoryCorpsU program. StoryCorps hide caption
Dean Smith, doubling as Maureen O'Hara, with stuntman Lee McLaughlin on the set of McClintock! Courtesy of the Smith Family hide caption
The lives of Leo, Nick and Steven Argel (from left) changed the day Ollie Cantos knocked on their door. StoryCorps hide caption
Sophy Medina and Thomas Olsen with their son, Luca. The couple spent their first Valentine's Day together fighting the same fire — before ending up in the hospital. StoryCorps hide caption
Barbara Amaya and her daughter, Bianca Belteton, at a visit to StoryCorps in Arlington, Va. StoryCorps hide caption
Jeremiah Lasater committed suicide in high school after years of bullying. He played for the Vasquez High football team in Acton, Calif. Courtesy of Vasquez High School hide caption
Lionel D'Luna, daughter Adrienne and wife Debra remember their daughter and sister Alexis, who died in 2012 of complications from CHARGE syndrome. Courtesy of the D'Luna Family hide caption