The Pursuit of Education

Tuesday, September 01 2009 | Send to a friend

The Pursuit of Education

Mike and Iman Mallah

One of the new students at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine this year is Mike Mallah. For Mike, this is an achievement for his entire family - going back generations. Mike's parents lost two homes to war - first in Palestine and later Kuwait during the Gulf War. They settled in the United States and began to see a brighter future when they opened a neighborhood convenience store. Then Mike's father, Mohammed, was shot and killed in a robbing.

Mike and his mother Iman talk with Dick Gordon about how their lives changed after that. Iman went to work in the store, and Mike and his siblings set about improving their lives and the life of their family through education.

• Learn more about Mike's business
• Discover the Muslim Self-Portrait Project

Summer Job: Tour guide at Graceland

Stacey Williams

Stacey Williams was looking for a fun summer job. Something different. And did she ever find it when she landed a job as a tour guide at Elvis Presley's Graceland. It was even above minimum wage. Stacey talks with Dick about how tour guides learned to tell stories about Elvis (accuracy wasn't always important) and how she came to appreciate his music and what his life as a star was like.