Here is a long list of ideas for stories to help you get started:
Tell a story about…
A bad habit you quit
A big life change
A biography of someone interesting
A blessing in disguise
A coincidence
A cultural conflict
A cultural custom or tradition
A day in the life of an immigrant
A deception
A disappointment (when you disappointed someone or someone disappointed you)
A failure
A family custom
A family heirloom
A family member
A folk story
A ghost story
A great vacation
A legend
A letter or dialog with someone you love, someone you want to forgive, or someone whom you want to ask forgiveness
A lie
A miracle
A misunderstanding (due to language or cultural differences)
A mixed blessing
A movie trailer of your life
A mystery
A myth
A painful experience
A painful experience
A person who you admire
A place that is special to you
A place you would like to visit
A poem you like
A proverb or dicho
A Public Service Announcment (PSA)
A rite of passage
A sacrifice you or someone you know made
A secret
A societal or environmental problem that concerns you
A song you like
A special friend
A special holiday
A special place
A story about words that someone said to you that impacted you or changed your life
A story from your childhood
A story of courage
A story of discrimination or unfair treatment
A superstition
A time when someone helped you or when you helped another person
A time when someone hurt you
A time when you experienced prejudice or stereotyping
A time when you had to make a big decision
A time when you learned a new skill
A time when you lost someone
A time when you lost something
A time when you made a difference in somebody’s life
A time when you overcame an obstacle
A time when you reconnected with someone
A time when you used your intuition
A time when you were healed
A time when you were helped by helping somebody else
A time when you were honest
A time when you were lost
A time when you were scared
A time when you worked (or played) as part of a team
A transformation
A tribute to someone
A very important journey that you undertook
Acceptance
Advice for newcomers to the USA
An event in your community, city, country, or the world that changed your life or your views
An event that taught you a lesson
An important person in history
An important person in your life
An important relationship
An unexplainable experience
An urban legend
Becoming an adult
Disapproval
Doing your own thing
How and what you appreciate in your life
How to … (anything you know how to do well)
How we are all connected
How you are lucky
How you changed for the better
How you met your spouse, best friend, or boyfriend/girlfriend
How you or someone you know took a different path in life and the results
How you used to be
How you want to inpires others
Interviewing a special person
Learning English
Something special about your community
Something you fought for
Symbols of your culture, country, or hometown
The best advice you ever received
The best day of your life
The best gift you have received
The history of (fashion, a sport, a monument) -- a subject that interests you
The origin of your family
The origin of your name
The worst day of your life
Welcome to your school, your community, your home, or your hometown
What freedom means to you
What happened in history on the day of your birth
What makes you happy
What makes you proud
What worries you
What you are hopeful about
What you are willing to die for
What you believe in
What you used to believe
What you used to believe
What you want others to remember you for
What you would do if you could change yourself, your life, or something in the world
What you would say to someone if you could say anything (who, what)
Your (hidden) talent(s)
Your (or someone else’s) wedding day story
Your __________ experience (scariest, happiest, unique, most interesting, most exciting, life-changing, special/first time, most rewarding, saddest, most embarrassing, etc.)
Your American dream
Your autobiography in three parts (past, present, future)
Your big success
Your birth story
Your blessings
Your coming-to-America story
Your definition of respect, loyalty, or faith
Your earliest memory
Your goals for the future
Your greatest fear
Your hero
Your hometown
Your hopes for your children
Your inspiration
Your life in the future (plans, goals, dreams, wishes)
Your life’s purpose
Your most prized possession(s)
Your mother country
Your personal story of loss
Your position in your family
