We're all from somewhere. Our home, our heritage, it shapes us, for better or for worse, and no matter where life takes us, that tether holds; sometimes faint, sometimes like a siren, but always present.

The NFL invites players to celebrate that heritage with flags on the back of their helmets, representing countries where they were born, if other than America, or have ancestors tracing back two generations. They are a reminder that players come from all around the world, with threads of stories that circle the globe. And as the NFL continues to grow its brand in new countries, sharing the sport with the world, it's crucial to remember that with each new country ventured, the world is also sharing itself with us. It's vital we listen.

The Carolina Panthers boast 11 players who display their history with the Heritage Helmet stickers. These are their stories.

What is it like to feel connected to a place you've never been? How does one honor a country in which they've never set foot, but one they consider home? Is there a way to acknowledge what feels like a dichotomy of self while also being proud of the years and place that raised you?

That's the balance Yosh Nijman has been trying to achieve his whole life.

"Suriname is a small country," Nijman says, his gentile voice even quieter than usual as he reverently lays his hands on the Suriname flag in front of him. "Small but very prideful, and it's not super well known in the states, and for me, it's a big part of who I am. So just enlightening people about the country is very important to me."

Nijman's parents were both born in Suriname, "Paramaribo, the capital," he clarifies. The country is in South America, sitting right above Brazil and between Guyana and French Guiana. It has the highest proportion of rainforest cover in the world, and over 70 percent of the country hasn't been explored.

"Suriname," begins Nijman, a prideful note in his voice before he pauses and gathers his words. "There's a bunch of cultures there; for me, recipes are important as far as food, but Suriname is a beautiful country, so for me, the most important part is just to be prideful and have that preserved for anyone that wants to visit or anyone that wants to learn more about it there in the states."

His parents, who he shares still speak Dutch to each other and at home, moved to the States in the 80's, New York specifically, then had him and his sisters.

"My parents came to a country like the United States to give me an opportunity to just be the best I can be in the classroom and at this sport and everything."

It's a sacrifice Nijman is beyond grateful for, and one that paid off as he wraps up his seventh year in the NFL. It also means there is a tie he feels half a world away, tugging him towards a place he's never seen but can imagine in his dreams.

"For me to go back," he says, proving it would feel like a return even though it would be the first time, "would be another surreal moment, knowing that's where my parents grew up and how it all started."

But for now, he honors the heritage that is woven into his DNA in different ways, whether it's cooking traditional Suriname food, wearing the dress, or proudly displaying the flag on the back of his helmet. Every time he straps on the helmet, he hopes people see the flag and ask themselves what it means.

He has an answer.

"I hope they know or learn that the Surinamese people are very prideful and that we have a lot of talented people that come out of there," Nijman preaches.

"At least for me, a big part if they see the fight, at least they can remember, 'Hey, like Yosh was that Surinamese guy in the NFL.' And for the people in Suriname to know they have someone from their country presenting them. And now we're doing big things in the States.

"Suriname is a small country, and I carry it with me on the field and off the field, so for people to see me representing this country, I hope they're able to learn more about it and to see that I'm prideful."