Dr. Angelou explores the many facets of being an American with three unique guests: A woman from Puerto Rico who moved from the island to the mainland United States; a northern Minnesota woman who took in a Japanese exchange student; and a journalist from Detroit who has traveled the globe for her work.

Luz, an American of Puerto Rican descent, says she experienced a bit of culture shock when she moved from the island to the mainland United States at the age of 30. Arriving in November in Springfield, Massachusetts, Luz says her first impression was the "cold" weather—which was 65 degrees! Weather aside, Luz says she immediately felt welcomed into the Puerto Rican community in Springfield, but being both black and Latina, she says some people didn't know what to make of her. Still, once they got past their initial "confusion," Luz says she had little trouble fitting in.

Heidi, a woman from northern Minnesota, says she and her husband broadened their horizons by taking in an exchange student from Japan for one year. Upon returning to Japan, the exchange student's family was so pleased and grateful for Heidi and her husband's hospitality, that they sent a wedding kimono as a token of their appreciation. "That's a tradition they have, to have many kimonos, and then as your life progresses, they are bestowed to people for important reasons," Heidi explains. "That is something I will always treasure."

Betty, an African-American journalist and author from Detroit, Michigan, calls herself a "citizen of the world," having spent her career writing and traveling around the world. Her work has taken her to places like Russia, Cuba and South Africa, to name a few. "Sometimes I was representing the newspaper, sometimes it was a personal quest, sometimes I was traveling with groups just for enlightenment," Betty says. "I was traveling for a variety of reasons. … However I could get there, I went."