Success

SUCCESS

/​səkˈses/​: happiness, fulfillment of goals, and resilience through adversity

By: Kelly Wynveen

Kelly’s Picks

Movie Reviews

Remember the Titans​, a 2000 film based on a true story that occurred in 1971, follows the T. C. Williams High School football team through their journey in a newly integrated school district (“Remember the Titans”). Director Boaz Yakin highlights the racism in the southern town to exemplify the astonishing success of the team. Not only do the players overcome hate from opponents, and their community, but also their own internal prejudices about race which morph into an inseparable brotherhood. Despite their adversity, the team manages to reach their goal of winning the state championship. Throughout its many unexpected twists and turns, ​Remember the Titans​ presents a long overdue success story of integration, and sets a realistic expectation of the resilience needed to succeed. ​Remember the Titans​ reminds viewers why they watch movies: the feelings that movies evoke. ​Remember the Titans​ takes the viewer on a roller coaster ride of emotions, each triumph and tribulation the team experiences and their resilience throughout their struggles ultimately leave the viewer with warm feelings and restored faith in the goodness of humanity.

Finding Nemo​, a 2003 film by Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich, follows the story of Marlin and Nemo (“Finding Nemo”). After experiencing tragedy with the death of his wife and all but one of his eggs, Marlin becomes an overly cautious father to his one remaining son Nemo. Stanton and Unkrich juxtapose Marlin with adventurous Nemo who proves adamant to validate his worth despite his one weak fin. Nemo decides to swim over the edge to touch a boat to prove himself to his peers. After a fisherman on the boat captures Nemo, Marlin proves determined to find his son, even willing to cross the ocean to do so. ​Finding Nemo​ follows Marlin on his treacherous journey through the ocean battling rough seas, sharks, and overcoming his own fears with his forgetful companion Dory. ​Finding Nemo​ presents audiences with a story of resilience for all ages. Marlin’s compelling journey across the ocean demonstrates love and perseverance through struggle. After the duos heartwarming reunion, the film promotes acceptance and love with their adoption of Dory into their family. Overall, Stanton and Unkrich capture the determination needed for success through his comical film for all.

While both ​Remember the Titans​ and ​Finding Nemo​ leave the viewer with warm hearted feelings, if given the choice, I would choose to watch ​Remember the Titans​. This true story inspires viewers to reach for their furthest goals. Moreover, although this tale occurred in 1971, the movie proves increasingly relevant in today’s political and social climate. We live in a time of increased racial tensions, and while discrimination proves less blatant than the time when this film occurred, ​Remember the Titans reminds us that we as country can overcome racial barriers to form meaningful and lasting relationships with others.

Ask Kelly: Advice for Teens

Today’s topic: Balance

Dear Kelly, As as sophomore in high school, the pressures of college have started to set in. While I have not yet decided what I would like to study, the constant questioning from my family has gotten me thinking about my future. While I have a passion for art, I have a hard time believing that I could find success in such a field. I have yet to vocalize my passion of art to my parents; since I know that I come from a more money driven family, they would not support the pursuit of such a career. I know that they would disprove as all of my older siblings have gone into more lucrative fields as opposed to pursuing their passions. Should I pursue what makes me happy even it sacrifices financial stability?

Sincerely, Conflicted Dear Conflicted, I have experienced a similar situation as I also enjoy art but did not think it would ultimately work for me as a career. Many career options can incorporate your love for art with a more stable salary.

Fields such as interior design or architecture can provide good balance for someone with art abilities.

However, if you decide a career in art may prove worth pursuing, more versatile degrees can prove beneficial. A degree in business or marketing may allow you to more successfully merchandise your works of art, run your business, and will prepare you later should art no longer remain your passion. I believe that happiness and success walk hand in hand and thus success does not necessarily mean money.

Personally, I would choose a career that I enjoyed as opposed to one I resented even if I made more money. However, if you choose to follow a more lucrative field as your siblings did, I recommend you continue to also follow your passions as they ensure your happiness. Lastly, I urge you to at least talk to your family about your conflict and passion for art, as they may respond more positively than you would imagine.

Thanks, Kelly Dear Kelly, Our college counselors have encouraged us to start our college applications. My dream school may prove too far out of reach, but my parents both attended that school. I feel afraid I may disappoint them if I do not get accepted. Any advice?

Sincerely, Not College Ready Dear Not College Ready, I recommend talking to your college counselor about your concerns regarding your acceptance into your dream school. Setting far reaching goals proves necessary for improvement and success; however, remaining realistic proves necessary to staying grounded. Additionally, I recommend talking to your parents regarding your concerns. College has become increasingly competitive and difficult, so I believe they can understand why you feel anxious about applying to their alma mater.

Thanks, Kelly

Malala Yousafzai

At age 17, Malala Yousafzai became the youngest person to ever win the

Nobel Peace Prize. While no one comes upon Nobel Prize easily, Yousafzai’s journey to success proved especially turbulent. Yousafzai’s hometown of Mingora, Pakistan remained a popular tourist destination before the Taliban took over, leaving the formerly welcoming village ravaged with violence and oppression. Malala always harbored a thirst for knowledge, and fought hard when the Taliban tried to rob her of this. The Taliban’s restrictive rules banned girls from attending school, dancing, and even watching television. The Taliban used murder to instill fear into the citizens of Pakistan, igniting a terror campaign to force them into submission. However, Malala refused to let the terrorizing Taliban paralyze and strip her of her rights.

At the age of 11, Malala started anonymously blogging on the British Broadcasting Corporation about life under the Taliban and her desire to obtain an education. Malala also began publicly opposing the Taliban on television, leading to her eventually traveling hundreds of miles away from Mingora for her safety. Upon her return, Malala continued to advocate for education rights. While her campaign ignited a movement among the oppressed citizens of Pakistan, it did not come without forceful resistance.

As a result, a Taliban aligned attacker shot 15 year old Malala in the head on the bus ride home from school. After weeks of fighting for her life with multiple surgeries, treatment, and therapy, Malala returned to Birmingham to continue her education. While Malala narrowly escaped death, the events that occurred that day led to a flood of global support for Malala and her fight for education rights (​"Malala Yousafzai - Biographical"​)​.

In 2013, at age 16, Malala spoke to the United Nations and published her first book ​I am Malala.

Despite Malala’s unconventional road to success, Malala proved an instrumental driving force in paving the way towards equal rights for all through her work as an author, speaker, and activist. Malala received millions on books sales alone, selling 1.8 million copies worldwide for ​I am Malala ​(Pti).

More recently, Malala has continued to advocate for the voiceless victims such as the girls abducted by Boko Haram, a terrorist group similar to the Taliban with its restrictive stance on girl’s education. To aid Malala’s continued efforts, the Malala Fund supports education projects in five third world countries. Along with her Nobel Prize, Malala has won other prestigious awards such as the Pakistani Youth Peace Prize, as well as the Sakharov Prize. ​Time ​magazine also named Yousafzai as one of the most globally influential people. Not only has Malala proved an instrumental force in education rights, but she has paved the way for others like her to fight for their own rights.

Walt Disney

What originally started as a passion for drawing, morphed into the internationally sensational empire of a production company, chain of amusement parks, and entertainment conglomerate that today we know as The Walt Disney Company. Walter Elias Disney grew up in Marceline, Missouri, exploring his passion for art by drawing pictures and selling his work to his neighbors and friends. After moving to Chicago, Disney continued working on his art with photography and drawing classes as well as contributing to his school newspapers with cartoons. After facing rejection from the army because of his young age, Disney traveled to France to work as an ambulance driver for the Red Cross. Upon his return, Disney moved to Kansas City in search of a career as cartoonists for a newspaper. Disney found work at an art studio and later worked at the Kansas City Film Ad Company, where he began to explore animation.

Connections Disney made during his experience working in Kansas City fostered partnerships that aided Disney as he started his own animation company in 1919. Despite only having one employee, the cartoons Disney company produced proved very popular among Kansas City locals. However, while many enjoyed Disney’s cartoons, the companies immense debt forced Disney to declare bankruptcy.

Disney refused to quit on his dream; thus, him and his partners pooled their remaining money and moved to Hollywood. Hollywood proved just as troubling as Kansas City; after Disney’s partner stole his signature characters and all but one of his animators, Disney had to start from scratch. However, through the most devastating of tribulations emerged Disney’s most iconic character: Mickey Mouse. Disney’s lighthearted cartoons juxtaposed the woes of the Great Depression. Despite the failing economy, Disney succeeded as his cartoons allowed viewers to escape the often harsh reality occuring around them (“Walt Disney”).

Disney originally started with cel animation, drawing each picture by hand and photographing the images to form his cartoons. However, the art of animation has transformed to computerized three dimensional images that form the movies and television shows of the 21st century. Disney proved one of the first animators to use television for entertainment purposes, fostering the abundance of television entertainment we enjoy today. Moreover, Production companies such Pixar, a division of the Walt Disney Company, hires animators to create and compile intricate computer- generated images at a rate of 24 images per second. A single Pixar film such as ​How to Train Your Dragon ​can take over 75 million hours of computing. Animation technology not only aids animators in the storing of data, but also provides analysis of viewer response. Computer animation technology continues to progress with future films such as ​Star Wars ​claiming to operate at 48 images per second compared to 24 (Curtis). Overall, Walt Disney’s perseverance in the early stages of animation foraged the path for future animated productions.

Interview

Blake Wynveen

Blake Wynveen, a current junior at Wake Forest University (WFU) and intern at Ernst & Young (EY) gives his perspective on life entering the work field.

What remain your biggest accomplishments?

My proudest accomplishments include my acceptance into WFU, and my internships. I also think the ability to mentor other students at WFU remains the ultimate form of accomplishment when people can come to you for advice. I think I take more pride in my relationships compared to school or internships offers, so one of my proudest accomplishments remains the role I played in my family after the death of my father. This summer I will intern at EY, I plan on working in the business advisory program in financial service which operates out of Charlotte (the 2nd biggest banking city and has many headquarters such as bank of america) so I may work consult regarding banking services, funds or a specific company.

What goals have you set for yourself and did you achieve them?

I want to prioritize my relationships as a father, husband, son, and brother. I think having those successful relationships give people a baseline for happiness. I also want financial stability without sacrificing relationships because those prove most important.

What setbacks do you face and how did you overcome them?

My father became ill and I had to deal with his eventual passing, quickly going from a normal family to a one parent house with no income. I had to mature a lot and experienced times when I felt a lot older than 17 years old. Also separating between school and home life proved very difficult for me and balancing both especially when either struggled. I learned to not dwell on the what ifs, which often happen in passing. I had to focus on the larger picture and take a step back from what's going on. I did not do that perfectly every time but I think I learned the most from the times that I could not. Another setback occurred after I didn't get into my number one school and had a very hard time adjusting to my new school.

How do you motivate yourself to accomplish your goals?

My family motivates me a lot as well as my future family. I try to provide good role model for my siblings and make my mom proud in order to give myself a sense of purpose and trying to find a higher purpose than just my success. As a high school senior, I never felt senioritis because I can not always turn the work brain off which has positives and negatives but overall I just don't understand not living up to your full potential or at least trying to.

About the Author Kelly Wynveen, a current junior at Chagrin Falls High School, grew up in Chagrin Falls, Ohio. Kelly enjoys taking leadership roles and has participated in student government with the Superintendent's Advisory Committee and as a current representative of the 2019 class in Student Council. Kelly also enjoys art, and currently takes portfolio preparation class, and plans to continue on to three dimensional advanced placement art her senior year. Kelly has submitted her art to many award shows and has won three silver keys with the scholastic art show. Kelly has also participated in art club since her freshman year and currently acts as vice president of the Art Club, and plans to continue on as President next year.

Moreover, Kelly acted as captain of the junior varsity soccer team her sophomore year, and participated in cross country her junior year. Kelly’s involvement with the girls lacrosse team remains one of her proudest accomplishments as the current captain with two varsity letters. The girls lacrosse team has made it to the state championship both Kelly’s freshman and sophomore years, and she remains hopeful that they may continue successfully this year.

Furthermore, Kelly participates in church, has completed her confirmation, and teaches Sunday School to the children of the church every Sunday at Federated Church. Not only does teaching Sunday school

allow Kelly to receive community service hours, but Kelly finds teaching the kids very fulfilling and enjoyable. Kelly also babysits and works at Knuth’s boutique as a teen helper and floor manager.

Kelly also enjoys travel, with some of her favorite experiences on her trips to Spain, Costa Rica, and Africa. Kelly traveled to Spain on a school trip and experienced full cultural immersion as she lived with a Spanish family for the duration of her trip. Kelly takes Honors Spanish 4 and plans to continue on to advanced placement spanish next year, while Kelly may not speak spanish fluently, she hopes to continue working on the language throughout college. Moreover, on Kelly’s trip to Africa, she experienced safaris, and gained a passion for community service after witnessing the living conditions of the South African township of Alexandria. Kelly has since worked on community service projects through Key Club, such as the Bright Pink Event for breast and ovarian cancer, and Fishes and Loaves, a soup kitchen near downtown Cleveland. Kelly also gained community service by helping build houses on a school trip to Costa Rica, as well as safety town, a program run through the Chagrin Falls Police department for elementary students to learn basic safety procedures. Kelly credits her successes to the constant support from her friends and family and remains grateful for the adversity she has faced as the challenges have allowed Kelly to grow as an individual.

Works Cited Curtis, Sophie. “How Technology Is Driving the next Wave of Film Animation.” ​The Telegraph​, Telegraph Media Group, 22 May 2014, www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/10849028/How-technology-is-driving-the-next-waveof-film-animation.html​.

“Finding Nemo (2003).” ​IMDb​, IMDb.com, www.imdb.com/title/tt0266543/.

"Malala Yousafzai - Biographical". ​Nobelprize.org.​ Nobel Media AB 2014. Web. 20 Apr 2018. <​http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/2014/yousafzai-bio.html​> McKenna, Dave. “Remember The Titans Is A Lie, And This Man Still Wants You To Know It.” Deadspin​, Deadspin.com, 29 July 2014, deadspin.com/remember-the-titans-is-a-lie-and-this-man-wants-you-to-1609473834.

Portfolio, Mondadori. “Walt Disney With A Mickey Mouse Puppet.” ​Getty Images​, 1 Jan. 1950, www.gettyimages.com/license/141557818​.

Pti. “Nobel Laureate Malala Becomes Millionaire with Book Sales, Lectures.” ​The Indian Express​, Friday, April 20, 2018, 29 June 2016, indianexpress.com/article/world/world-news/nobel-laureate-malala-becomes-millionaire-with -book-sales-lectures-2883716/.

“Remember the Titans (2000).” ​IMDb​, IMDb.com, ​www.imdb.com/title/tt0210945/​.

Seliger, Mark. “Malala Yousafzai.” ​Time​, time100.time.com/2013/04/18/time-100/slide/malala-yousafzai/.

“Walt Disney.” ​Biography.com​, A&E Networks Television, 7 Aug. 2017, www.biography.com/people/walt-disney-9275533.