The first episode in Season One, “Singing Through Struggles,” features Gloria Estefan, the “Queen of Latin Pop.” In The Thread we hear another side of her life, her early years in Cuba, fleeing with her parents to America after Fidel Castro came to power, and the life they rebuilt in Miami. While never intending to pursue singing as a career, we learn how the artistic life she shares with her husband Emilio is a testament to perseverance and strength, tremendous talent and hard work, and the life-sustaining power of love.

Read more about this episode and The Thread series at People.com.

Today, we also launch Teaching The Thread, the companion educational guide and series lessons rooted in examining the power of personal narratives. Students take the seat of the interviewer with “The Art of the Interview'' activity and can explore the choices a filmmaker and editor make with “A First Take” or reflect on life lessons shared with “A Closer Look.” Educators in ELA and Social Studies, or mentors supporting youth leadership and service learning, can use an episode as a centerpiece for a lesson or workshop and adapt the lesson into existing curriculum to deepen content knowledge, sharpen critical media literacy, and enrich social-emotional learning.