Gilbert Monterrosa was 15 years old during the 1992 riots. He and some friends decided to loot a Fedco department store where he found something unexpected — Nirvana's album, Nevermind.

This week 25 years ago, policemen were acquitted in the savage beating of African-American Rodney King. Five days of riots, arson and looting ensued, fueled by deep-rooted tensions that persist today.

This year, high school students will find out how much money they'll get from colleges well in advance. That's because FAFSA applications can be submitted as early as October.

Growing up, Natalie Devora always questioned how she fit into her African-American family.

"Everyone was brown, and then there was me," Devora says. "I'm a white-skinned black woman. That's how I navigate through the world. That's how I identify."

Devora has albinism, a rare genetic expression that leads to little ...