It did not take long in Alabama for the Generation Next team to realize it had entered a region not only steeped in history, but also streaking toward the future. From Hyundai Motor Manufacturing's new production and assembly plant on the outskirts of Montgomery, to historic Marion, the team interviewed a slew of Gen Nexters engaged in a variety of different activities.

The trip started at Hyundai, where Judy interviewed five Gen Nexters who all work for the plant. They are but a fraction of the 500 Gen Nexters employed at the 2,800 worker-strong facility.

Judy talked to these young welders, painters, and quality control specialists to learn about growing up in Alabama (all of the plant's workers are required to be Alabama residents), their choice to go into automobile manufacturing, how they integrated themselves into the workplace and what future they see for themselves.

The interview focused in particular on Hyundai's community-building training workshops, which put new employees through a series of training workshops meant to better acquaint them with their coworkers, who are often of different racial, religious and other backgrounds.

Then it was on to the historically African-American stretch of Alabama, where the team spent several days interviewing four Gen Nexters about their perspectives on life in rural Alabama.

The team spent the majority of its time in the town of Marion, located in Perry County. Marion has a rich history; it's the birthplace of Coretta Scott King, and a central location of the civil rights movement. The killing of a young black man in Marion by a white state trooper precipitated Martin Luther King Jr.'s 1965 march from Selma to its bloody end in Montgomery.

Judy interviewed the co-owners of The Perry County Herald, a weekly newspaper in Marion. John Allan Clark, principal reporter and editor, and Allison Beckett, the paper's business manager, discussed their desire to establish a newspaper that could challenge entrenched county politicians and expose some of the economic and social problems they saw in the county.

The Gen Next team arrived just in time to see the production of the first anniversary edition of the paper, which John Allan and Allison expanded to two sections. John Allan, who has seen many of his friends depart Marion, said he expects to stay in town, hopefully as editor of the Herald, for many years to come.

Judy also talked with Caramae Cirignano, who moved from Massachusetts to Marion after graduating from college.

Caramae is a member of Design Corps, an Americorps-funded program that works with residents from low-income communities to design houses for them. She's starting her third and final year in Marion, and hopes to soon break ground on some of the houses she's been working on. Judy talked to Caramae about being a Northerner in a very southern town, her thoughts on religion, her work with her Design Corps clients, and her plans for the future.

The team also spent some time with catfish farmer, volunteer firefighter and city councilmember Scott Morrison. Scott, who goes by the nickname "Squirrel," is one of John Allan's best friends, and one of the few young people who decided to remain in his hometown of Greensboro. He's now making a big impact on Greensboro as the youngest, and one of the most outspoken, members of the City Council.

Then it was on to Birmingham, where Judy sat down with Alesha Hardin and Doan Phan. The two women grew up in Mobile, only a few miles from one another, but actually never knew one another until they met in Birmingham. Judy spoke with these young ladies about everything -- from social networking sites, to dating, to their plans for the future. The team witnessed the women's attempts to light a barbeque, went shopping with them in Birmingham and out to the local bars to experience a bit of Gen Next social life.

The Generation Next RV finished its loop through the South, traveling from Georgia, to Alabama, Florida, Mississippi and Tennessee. See Judy's notebook entries to learn more about the trips, and stay tuned for pictures and kiosk interview videos.