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A U.S. Navy veteran from Texas. A hearing-impaired, gay, Latino man. The daughter of a Nigerian orphan. A Colombian immigrant who always - always - corrects the pronunciation of her name, even at a basement party.

They are different as can be with this exception: They are all Americans.

Each one shared a personal story Wednesday night about how they define their place in this country as part of The Storytellers Project's "I Am An American," a season of five live storytelling nights across the U.S. The first installment was a sold-out show at Phoenix Theatre in downtown Phoenix.

"Even though we all have very diverse backgrounds, and we come from diverse places, what unites us is our commonly shared values," said Megan Finnerty, founder and director of the Storytellers Project.

Finding American identity in California's '90s gay scene

For storyteller Nate Romero, being American meant finding his place in the gay community through a whirlwind trip to San Diego in 1999 as a 19 year old.

"Part of being an American is discovering your specific brand of history and building on that," he said before the show. Discovering his community and learning about its fraught history changed his life.

RELATED: 2017 Arizona Storytellers Project schedule

"I stopped apologizing for who I was, and it gave me the passion to stand up for what I believed in and to be able to say, 'I belong here, I deserve to be here, I have friends here.' Once you have that, it's hard for somebody to take that away from you."

Attendee Madonna Hart, 71, said she enjoyed Romero's story the most because it likely couldn't have been told on stage years ago. The fact the he told it and the audience enjoyed it shows America is changing, she said.

"I see it getting better," Hart said. "I think we're finally moving on, getting to accept that everybody's not the same and we don't have to be the same."

Calvin Worthen tells his story during the Storytellers Project "I am an American" storytelling event at Phoenix Theatre June 14, 2017. (Photo: Michael Chow/The Republic)

Bad Christmas gifts and learning to ask for help

Calvin Worthen grew up poor, or actually "po' - we could only afford one vowel."

Although difficult, it also let him find humor and gratitude. He spoke about a Christmas when all of the men in his family were gifted size-34 underwear, and he was the only one they fit.

During his time as a U.S. Navy photographer, Ryan Kitchell learned to compartmentalize his feelings as if closing them in a shoe box, and it worked - until it didn't.

"When I got to Phoenix, all of a sudden, I started having these nightmares," Kitchell said. "I think that shoe box loosened up a little bit and a lot that stuff I had been packing in there over the years got out."

He began drinking heavily every night, one night drinking so much he's still surprised he ever woke up. That day he realized, for the first time, he needed help. He sought counseling and eventually found help, spending years working to adjust to civilian life.

"Things really are seemingly getting better all the time. By the way, I got well enough where I could have friends again," he said as a chunk of his friends in the crowd whooped. "I met the love of my life and she, for some reason, liked me back and we got married 194 days ago.

"The point is, there's good help out there if you want it. The catch is you've gotta fight for it. It's not gonna fall in your lap, right? You have to advocate for yourself, and you can't give up."

Guests listen to speakers during the Storytellers Project "I am an American" storytelling event at Phoenix Theatre June 14, 2017. (Photo: Michael Chow/The Republic)

Bridging a language gap with a Black Eyed Peas song

Storyteller Laura Gomez-Rodriguez's first name is common in English, but she wants it said with a Spanish accent, a choice she made when she came to the U.S. for college.

Spanish is important because "it's the language that my family and my friends use to tell me that they love me and they miss me," she said. But she began to feel bad about how often people couldn't pronounce it, asking herself, "If I was already translating my speech, why couldn't I translate my name as well?"

The solution came in the form of a pop song: The Black Eyed Peas' 2005 hit "Pump It," in which the way the band sings "pump it, louder!" almost sounds like the Spanish pronunciation of "Laura." She still uses the song as a tool today.

Rachel Egboro tells her story during the Storytellers Project "I am an American" storytelling event at Phoenix Theatre June 14, 2017. (Photo: Michael Chow/The Republic)

First-generation American dreams

Rachel Egboro told a story about her father David, a Nigerian immigrant who found the American Dream in the form of a corner office at a bank - and then lost it in the recession.

For David, being American always has, and still means, "opportunities, freedom and 'I can achieve any dream I set my mind to," he said after the show.

But for Rachel, it's not about success.

"Being American is also reinventing yourself and having the chance to redefine who you are and getting second chances."

More on this event in other cities

Over the summer, "I Am An American" is also headed to Nashville, Cincinnati, Memphis and Des Moines.

"In each city, we've chosen a careful mix of storytellers that speak to totally different parts of the American experience," Finnerty said.

Find posts from the event by searching #IamAnAmerican on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Get tickets at tickets.usatoday.com.

Follow The Storytellers Project at Facebook.com/USATODAYStorytellersProject and on Instagram @TheStorytellersProject.

Read or Share this story: http://azc.cc/2t6Uqj3

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What does it mean to be American? Finding identity in a fifth of whiskey, Christmas underwear, a corner office

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CLOSE A U.S. Navy veteran from Texas. A hearing-impaired, gay, Latino man. The daughter of a Nigerian orphan. A Colombian immigrant who always - always - corrects the pronunciation of her name, even at a basement party. They are different as can be with this exception: They are all Americans.

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antonyo

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Dramon

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Janet Leyva

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