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Photographed by Tamara Reynolds
The Optimist
While a college senior, Catherine Neale, 24, took a course in New Orleans that gave her a firsthand look at the hurricane's effects. As soon as she graduated, she moved to the city to work with Habitat for Humanity. She worries about the high crime rate but remains hopeful: "I measure progress by potholes being filled, a grocery store opening. These things have added up."