JANUARY 31, Volume 23, Issue 5
the voi ce est.1997
the
meaning of
Life
The Voice brings you its Jan. 31 issue, “The Meaning of Life.” This issue brings to light the unique lives and stories Huntley holds. Together we define the meaning of life.
2 THE MEANING OF LIFE 2020
Kaitlyn Ziebell Talented
[
Singer
]
After school, I do Speech Team, I also do yearbook, and I’m trying out for lacrosse here. Outside of school I do a lot of vocal training. My favorite role that I played would definitely be Ariel in “The Little Mermaid.” I also liked being a nun in “Sister Act” at the high school. My favorite song I’ve sang on Instagram would be “July” by Noah Cyrus; it was the most recent one I’ve put up. The music I listen to is all over the place. I have seven different playlists. I make playlists based on my mood, so I have a happy, sad, angry, and a numb playlist for all of my emotions. It can range from pop, to alternative, to sometimes musical theater; it’s just all over the place. Five famous people I would have dinner with are Freddie Mercury, the Dalai Lama because he seems like a chill guy, and I would really want to talk to him. Tom Holland and Andrew Garfield so we can have both the Spidermans there. I was watching “Hacksaw Ridge,” my favorite movie, and I was like, ‘man, I love Andrew Garfield’. So, we can get the Spidermen to meet up and talk. Jack Dylan Grazer, he’s in “It” and plays Eddie. He’s the cutest, and I would ask him to be my boyfriend. The most nerve-racking thing I’ve done related to singing was a week after I had gotten out of the hospital with sepsis. I was still body weak. I went to this one really big competition where people from the Lyric Opera, came to see me. I actually won the competition which was really good, but also really scary because I didn’t know if I was going to be able to perform well because I was still really weak. Being on that stage felt nerve-wracking honestly. The audience wasn’t that big, but people from the Lyric Opera were scouting there. I went up there, and I was shaking a little, and I was in my nice, pretty dress. When it comes out, it comes out, and it was probably one of my best performances. When I sing, it lets things out. When I put up “July,” I was feeling certain emotions. It wasn’t about anybody, but it was angry, so that’s one of my angrier songs. So in a way if I’m able to have that outlet, then that is a win, and that brings me peace. If I could travel anywhere, I’d go to Ireland. I’ve been there once before, and I told my mom that when I die, I’m dying in Ireland. I’m going to move there because it is so gorgeous. If I could see it one more time to take it all back then I would. It was so green, a green that my eyes had never seen, and it was so peaceful. Everyone there is nice, and the water there is so blue. That’s my ideal place to be. Be honest about your struggles, be curious about why you struggle with it, and give your anxiety away to let other people help you carry on. That just means, if you struggle with something, be honest with it and don’t try to push it down. Be curious about why you struggle with this. Actually question it, and don’t struggle with it alone.
“If you struggle with something,
be honest with it and don’t try to push it down. Be curious about why you struggle with this.
Actually question it, and don’t struggle with it alone.”
interviewed by Maggie Kirwin | photographed by Sydney Laput HUNTLEYVOICE.COM 3
Madame Kostova Bold
[
Teacher
I am Bulgarian but I studied in a French school. I have lived in Bulgaria for around for 20 years and 20 years in the United States. The thing I miss most about Bulgaria is the relationships you have with people. Because I was born and raised there. It’s not only the language but also the meaning of words. I’m better understood there for everything. The sense of humor, the things that I notice like references. That’s what I miss most about my culture. The way that you look at life. I think it is different than it is here. The first w ord t hat describes my transition to the United States from Bulgaria is shock. Culture shock in any way. You can spell it in capital letters S-H-O-C-K. It is because Americans are friendly, but friendly doesn’t mean that they are you’re friend. I like to travel and go out of state, out of the country. I like to work out but not work out like crazy but to stay in shape. I like to box too. I like reading and go to Chicago to go to my French class. I take French classes in Chicago because they have a community there so they can keep up with their French. I always loved learning new languages. I was on the truly nerdy side. That what is different there. According to standards, I learned that I was a nerd over there but no one treated me as being a nerd. Because there is no concept of popularity at the Bulgarian school. The school is way more accepting. So here being popular is a big thing starting really early on. That concept doesn’t necessarily fit there. Here I can see everyone is more cliquey. I am really curious about everything and I want to learn more. When I am interested in something I really go in depth and do my research. I really try to know more about that by immersing myself into that situation. That is what I teach my French students. I wanted to be an actress. Then I changed my mind. But teaching is close to acting. And in acting in a way you teach. But I knew the language back in Bulgaria. I came from a really artistic family. My father was acting on the side, [many members of my family] are painters, and writers. So [I have always had] an artistic side and I have always loved theatre. My uncle gave me the best piece of advice. He was a German teacher, newspaper reporter, and a poet. How do you know how to find your purpose in life? [He said] ‘find what you are good at and what you want to do with that. You will find so many things that you actually like in life and that you are interested in and you go with them. But if you constantly go back to the same thing that you liked in the first place that is it and supposed to be for you’.
“Because there is no concept of popularity at the Bulgarian
school. The school is way more accepting.”
interviewed by Sarahi Barcenas | photo provided by Madame Kostova 4 THE MEANING OF LIFE 2020
]
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Tyler Bahwell Skilled
[
Athlete
]
My role model has to be my dad. He has done everything for me and is always there for me. Sports wise, I look up to either Cristiano Ronaldo or David de Gea. I believe Ronaldo is the best soccer player of all time and I think de Gea is the best goalkeeper in the world. I try and perform just like de Gea and hope to make it big time one day like he has. I first started getting into drawing from my dad. He took art classes in college and showed me some of his drawings. Drawing being an escape from reality is what keeps me going. It’s like soccer for me, but obviously different. I took basic art and design for engineers my freshman year and really enjoyed the projects we did in that class. A few of my friends know I like to draw, but I just never really told anyone except for my family. Everyone knows I focus more on soccer than I do on art so I think people forget about my other hobby. The happiest moment of my life would probably be most recently when the boy’s varsity soccer team won regionals. Everyone was so excited and jumping around when Josh Guyer scored and especially when we dog piled on top of Ethan Kornas. It was a great game and a great day. The scariest moment of my life has to be when I was either 4 or 5 when I got lost in a store. I just remember panicking and wandering around looking for my mom and my sister. Some lady saw me looking for them and we waited up by the entrance. My mom soon realized that I wasn’t in the car with her and my sister, and went back into the store for me. My closest friend has to be Aidan Huber. I met him when we both moved to Huntley when we were 3. He moved right next to me and we have been best friends ever since. We do everything together and I am very grateful and thankful for him being in my life. My favorite childhood memory has to be the time I went to Arizona to go visit family. It was the first time I have been to Arizona and it was also the first time for hiking a mountain, seeing those family members, going to a Cubs game, and the first trip I remember flying to and from. I hope to change by not caring as much. I also hope I can change fitness wise so that I can look and feel like the best me possible, especially for my teammates because the better I am fitness wise, the more I can contribute to a helpful environment on the soccer field. The meaning of life to me is to be the best person I can be to everyone and myself.
“I hope I can change fitness-wise
so that I can look and feel like the best me possible, especially for my teammates.”
interviewed by Natalie Vonderheide | photographed by Sydney Laput HUNTLEYVOICE.COM 7
Ellie Pahl Graceful
[
Ice Skater
]
I started skating when I was like 3. I never thought that I’d get up to that higher level. I just wanted to do ice skating because that’s what my dad grew up with - an ice family- he grew up playing hockey, so he wanted me to do an ice sport which is why I started off with figure skating. I started off individually then I saw synchro with a team and I thought that it was pretty cool, so I decided to try it out. I worked my way from beginner, the lowest level team, to up higher and higher until I reached a really competitive team. That’s when I wanted to take it more seriously. Now I’m on a really good team. So I’m at a Junior level, which is the highest my club offers, and the highest is seniors. So I think it’d be pretty cool if I were to move levels up. That’d require, most likely, me being in college having to do that and put time away for that in college. I think I’m okay. Like I think I’m good enough to be on a team that is good enough to represent the USA. But it took a lot of hard work and stuff to get there. It is a big time commitment with managing school, my home life, and also skating. I’m really proud to represent the country and its not something everyone gets to do and I’m honored. I want to be in Boston for college and then be part of a figure skating team for synchronized ice skating, which is called Haydenettes, which would be pretty cool because they’re the best team in the country for the senior level. But for a job standpoint, my career goal is something in the business field, which is why math would help me out with that with analyzing and using numbers, calculating stuff and stuff like that. My family is why I am who I am today. I have my beliefs and morals because of them. My mom, specifically, taught me a good work ethic and how to work hard. Like, if you put your time into this then your outcome will show it. My biggest hero would probably be my mom because she taught me a lot in life lessons and important values that I carry with me today. I would change the language barrier, maybe because I feel like it’d be cool to talk to different countries, but you don’t know their whole language. I find traveling around the world with people really cool and seeing and meeting new people and things. I haven’t traveled anywhere where they haven’t spoken my language, so that hasn’t been a problem yet. But when I was in England, they have an accent and sometimes they have different ways of saying stuff and you can’t understand them through their accents or they have different names for words and slang that they use. It’s worse to never attempt in the first place. If you fail then you can learn from that and then try again. Whereas, if you don’t even try then you are left in the dark and will never know if you succeeded or fail. It’s better to fail than not try. My biggest personal change that I’ve made in my life is being more independent and learning responsibility. I think it’s important growing up to just learn responsibility and all you have is yourself. Stick to your morals and don’t change your morals. I know that your experience can change them, btu do it yourself. Don’t let someone else tell you to. The meaning of life is to go out there and live your dreams. If you have goals, go out there and accomplish them. Don’t refrain from doing what you want to do. I feel like life is really short and you have to go out there and and do everything you want to do, which is why when I’m older, I want to go out there and do what I dreamed of without holding back.
“My mom, specifically, taught
me a good work ethic and how
to work hard. If you put your time into this then your outcome will show it.”
interviewed by Meghan Bentley | photographed by Sydney Laput 8 THE MEANING OF LIFE 2020
HUNTLEYVOICE.COM 9
Zachary Adams
Driven
[
Fossil Fan
]
I started getting into fossils in second grade when one of my friend got a question about dinosaurs right. I did not like that he knew more about dinosaurs than I did. Since then, I have amassed this knowledge of fossils and bones and whatnot. From there, it really did just become a passion, especially growing up seeing things like “Jurassic Park.” I’ve met a couple of people like my close friends and mentors who have helped me further my interest and develop a deeper love for it. Sometimes you can bike around and just find them. There’re tons of fossils behind Marlowe and in the retention ponds because they dumped a bunch of limestone [back there]. Most of the time they are kind of exposed but still in large boulders, so I do have to split them. I have rock chisels, but when I don’t bring them, I drop them on other rocks. They tend to split pretty decently, and I clean them up when I get home. ‘Rock licking’ is a term I coined called dislithology which translated means the study of rock taste. For the most part it started as a joke where I was able to identify rocks by their taste even if it was obvious what they were visually. Then I started looking into it more, and there are actually types of stones that you are supposed to lick to tell them apart. For example, siltstone and mudstone, one of them has a more course taste, so I guess this lithology is an actual thing. The interesting thing about cohort is that I didn’t really join it until about a year and a half into middle school. I didn’t feel challenged enough, and I asked to be put in and they did. I actually had a lot of friends [in cohort]. I had known most of them since kindergarten, so I was able to reconnect with them, and I’ve stayed connected with them. Those friendships have lasted until this day. I’d say I’ve been able to branch out [in high school] and my other main outlet is Science Olympiad. I’ve met a lot more people. I have a really great friend group, and I owe a lot to them. I’m a Catholic, and there are definitely some aspects of religions that I am like, ‘what?’ Like the 6,000-year-old Earth [theory] because geologically that’s not the way it is. If you believe in that, that’s totally fine, but I don’t. I believe more in the teachings and the morals of the church. I believe the stories as well but there are some times [when] science and religion disagree, but I live in perfect harmony with the both of them. I’m completely content with my life. I don’t feel like I have a conflict between these two aspects of my life. Honestly to relax, I just add more stress. Working on Science Olympiad and always working on something gives me a sense of accomplishment. Even if it’s taking a break from school work that I don’t want to do and working on something else will make me feel a lot better about myself. I’ve always had the drive to go and do something no matter what so that’s just kind of stuck with me, and it helps me relax. I think the meaning of life is to find a way to enjoy yourself. It’s always going to be filled with hardships and strife but no matter what, if you end up doing something you’re happy with and you’re surrounded with the right kinds of people, you’re going to be a lot better off.
interviewed by Veronica Castillo | photographed by Ellie Armstrong 10 THE MEANING OF LIFE 2020
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Lanie Napientek Perseverance
[
Dancer
]
I was not a normal kid. I couldn’t even sit in a normal chair. My mom had to get me a lounge chair because that was the only way I’d be comfortable in my cast. I couldn’t go outside to play with the other kids in the neighborhood. I couldn’t be a normal kid until I was 6 or 7 because I had to learn how to walk. I was born with no hip socket on the left side. My right [hip] was severely displaced because there was only a sliver of the socket, and that was pretty much the only hope that my hips would be normal. I had five surgeries. For the first 5 months of my life, I didn’t have sockets. My first surgery was when I was 6 months old. In my third surgery, I had bolts and screws put into my hips. They were made to act as my hips. Then for the next surgery, I had metal hips [or] ‘fake’ hips. My last surgery, when I was 5 [years old], that was my biggest surgery. Dr. Knuth cut through my scars that were already there from previous surgeries and cut through both of my femurs. Dr. Knuth made them for me, so they grow with me. They are my actual hips now. For four of my surgeries, I was in a full-body cast. The body casts went all the way up from my ankles to my chest, so I couldn’t sit upright. One surgery I had from the ankles to my chest, and then another I had the same thing, but they cut one of the legs of the cast at the knee so one leg went to my ankle and the other went to my knee. My doctor said
“I started to walk when I was 2 but then had to stop because of another surgery coming up. After my surgery, when I was 5, was when I really started getting into dance.” that would help because that leg needed to grow more because it was shorter than the other which correlates back to my hips. The fifth one, I was in a wheelchair with a wedge that made it so my legs could not move. From the age of 6-24 months, I was in a full-body cast for 7.5 months and was in physical therapy for 6 weeks. I started to dance when I was 2. I learned how to walk three times. I started to walk when I was 2 but then had to stop because of another surgery coming up. After my surgery, when I was 5, was when I really started getting into dance. I’ve always done dance. I did rec soccer once, but I was still doing dance, and I didn’t like soccer. Then I did rec cheerleading, and I was still doing dance on top of that. I didn’t like to cheer. It’s always been dance. I shouldn’t be as flexible as I am right now. I’m fully past what [Dr. Knuth] made me to do. I had to do a lot of work to become flexible because the girls in dance class when I was younger would come and already had their split or [could] get their splits. I remember I got my right splits at my girl scout meeting, and I was like, “Mom look!” I was so happy because I shouldn’t be able to get that. A few years later, I got my middle splits, and I shouldn’t have gotten that either. I’m still not as flexible as I want to be. One of my biggest accomplishments is winning the 2016 World Championship competition. If I didn’t get all those surgeries, I wouldn’t have gotten to that place or I wouldn’t even be where I’m at. My biggest goal is after high school to become a Chicago Luvabull, the Chicago Bull’s dancers. I will be trying out this July.
interviewed by Taylor Koop | photographed by Katie Ambrogio 12 THE MEANING OF LIFE 2020
HUNTLEYVOICE.COM 13
Ava Schwank
Artistic
[
Animator
]
I’ve lived in Chicago, Elgin, Barrington, Algonquin, and we were homeless for a little bit, and now Lake in the Hills. When we were homeless, I was a kid, but Huntley’s the best school I’ve gotten to go to. Everyone here is really nice and Jacobs… really sucked. I was bullied a lot. But I was bullied through my entire years of schooling. [Jacobs has] a lot of white kids who say the n-word but then lecture other white kids for saying the n-word. I have two dogs. I have a rottweiler named Bronx and a french bulldog named Brooklyn. We didn’t plan [the naming scheme], though. We got Bronx six years ago, and we like the name because he’s a tough guy. Brooklyn is the first female dog my family had. I have a collection of odd-looking sunglasses. My favorite [subject] is theater because I like acting, and I actually transferred here for theater and graphic design. My least favorite is Physics because I’m bad at it. I’m an artist, and I do theater. I am a 2D artist, so I want to go into storyboard animation, do webcomics, and work on children’s TV shows. With becoming an animator, the main thing I want to do is inspire other people to create what they feel is true to themselves. I was a kid who got bullied a lot. I did not have a lot of friends when I was really young, and it was difficult. But I confided a lot in cartoons, especially considering that my father wanted to be an animator when he was younger. Being able to see representation in cartoons, I think, is really important. I want to make kids and people feel worthy enough to be recognized and that they have a place in the world. [If I had 24 hours to live,] I’d go swimming. [It’s] is the most calming thing that I do. I’d probably just spend what I have saved up for college, bring a lot of my friends to a nice beach. Or just treat it like a normal day. I think that things like blended courses are really good for education in America. They help give me a break. I remember the first time I had blended I left school, sat at McDonald’s, and just put my headphones in. It was the most calming experience ever, getting to take a break from school. I feel there is no meaning of life, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you have to find despair or grief in that emptiness. I believe that the ‘meaning of life’ is simply to just live. Every single one of your choices, actions, it will impact something, whether it’s something small or big. In the grand scheme of the whole universe, what is it going to do? I see it as an optimistic thing because, ‘what’s the point of trying if there’s no meaning to life?’ Well, what’s the point in not? Regardless of whether or not what you do is going to change the whole world, or even the country you’re in, that doesn’t mean you can’t strive for your own happiness. I remember my family members were [asking] ‘why would you ever go into animation?’ Well, why wouldn’t I? It’s what I want to do, and I’ll figure it out.
“With becoming an anima-
tor, the main thing I want to
do is inspire other people to
create what they feel is true to themselves.”
interviewed by Braden Turk | photographed by Sydney Laput 14 THE MEANING OF LIFE 2020
HUNTLEYVOICE.COM 15
Cynthia Velazquez
Introverted
[First Gen]
I love being Mexican. It’s very different from what’s normal in the United States. It’s definitely a different culture and a different lifestyle. [I’m Mexican-American] and being Mexican for me is such a great thing. Especially learning how to [handle that] because having parents that weren’t originally documented, although now they are, was such a scary thing to [live with]. [My mom] just recently got her papers. [Throughout] the whole process I was very anxious because there are only two choices they can make, yes and no. You can go back or not. It was very scary to think about, but deep down we had hope. [When my mom got her papers], it was everything. I remember it like it was yesterday. We were all so excited that we screamed. We started calling family members [to let them know] that we’re safe now, and there’s nothing to worry about. I think [the immigration system] is flawed. They don’t see the perspective of the person, but they should really take that in and acknowledge it because they’re coming [here to be] just like every other American wanting a better future. Give them an opportunity to show they’re here for a purpose. You can’t [look] at those few people. You have to see them as individuals. Everything happens for a reason, just like everyone says, but I feel like God is someone who puts things in your way in life for you to learn something or take something out of it. Friends come and go, but there are specific friends that will treat you [poorly]. That’s my biggest mistake, letting [those] people in my life, but now I’ve learned from it. You don’t need anyone to better your life because you’re the only person who can do that. Stop holding grudges. Why would you want to hold things over a person for something [that could have] happened a year ago? Being nice to people is better than [holding] all that anger in you. It doesn’t take much out of your day to make someone else’s day. Sometimes I just lay in my bed and lock myself in there. I know I shouldn’t do that because my emotions all ball up but being in your room and having your thoughts to yourself makes you think. I’ve had so many people tell me that I’m capable of more than what I do now. I just don’t really show it because I’m shy. I’m a very quiet person. I don’t know why. I want to change that but it’s hard. Everything stops me. I guess my self-consciousness and my insecurities [hold me back.] I don’t know if I’ll be good enough, and there are all these thoughts in my head that stop me. I don’t try things because I don’t want to fail. That’s what worries me all the time: [failure] as a student and as a daughter. Am I failing my parents? Should I be doing something different? Do they compare me? [My oldest sister], Jennifer, tries more than me to have a bond because we see that [my other sister] Nallely is going down her own path, but our relationship is still distant because she’s like our second mom. [I would tell my younger self] to put myself out there. I feel like if I had started [young], then it would have probably made me a more social person now. By failing you’ll learn from your mistakes. Maybe it didn’t work out, and that’s fine, but at least you tried. Live in the present, don’t think about the future or the past. Don’t let anything ruin your mindset. Be passionate about what you do and what you want to do, or else what’s the point? Taking risks to get there is what life should be.
interviewed by Kate Alvarado | photographed by Katie Ambrogio 16 THE MEANING OF LIFE 2020
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Ian Faber Educated
[
Team Player
]
I am a part of the Math Team, the Science Olympiad Team, the Robotics Team, I’m the treasurer on the Student Council, and I’m a member of NHS. I help at my mom’s nursery at my church. We supervise children during mass and it’s a fun time. I have been doing it since sixth grade. I was not exactly the most social kid, whereas other people were outside playing until midnight or when the lights came on, I was more inside playing video games and helping out my family. I did have eye surgery because I had a really bad lazy eye, where my eye would just not follow what the other one would do. I had to get that fixed. I feel that if a day does pass without learning, then it is a wasted day. So, if I can learn one or two things every day, then that is a win for me. I split up my work ethic into sections, so I will do an hour of work and maybe 15 minutes of a break where I will watch YouTube or look at social media and then I get right back to work. I don’t necessarily tune out social media because that is impossible in our current climate, but I integrate it into my work schedule so I’m not doing all school all day. I am always trying to look at what other people have in comparison to what I have and count my blessings to keep me grounded and humble. If I could change one thing about the world, I would try to stop the unnecessary back-and-forth yelling at each other without any assemblance of fact. If everybody could just stop and listen to each other’s side and then judge from that instead of just judging people based on sound bytes, that would be great. If I could go back in time, I would probably want to see the dawn of modern aerospace, like Robert Goddard’s rocket experiments. I want to see how that came about and how he actually did that. It’s worse to never attempt something in the first place because otherwise you can’t learn from your failure. If you never try something, you’ll never know if you’re actually good at it, whereas if you fail at something, you can learn what you did wrong and you can do it better the next time. The best advice I was ever given was to take a step back and enjoy the world as it is instead of worrying about every little thing. When I entered high school, I worried about every little thing. If I got a B+ or something in a class, I would be beat up about it for the entire week. Then there was a point where someone came up to me and said ‘Hey, take a step back and look at everything that is going on. One little thing in your life is not going to make or break the rest of your future. So just relax, take it easy, still try your best, but don’t stress out about everything,’ and that has influenced my mindset to this day. Ever since freshman year, I have been following a musical group called “99 Lives.” It’s a video game-themed electronic brand that posts a lot of different work from a lot of different artists and combines it into this one label. I also follow this one called “MDK,” which is another electronic artist. My role model would probably have to be my dad. He immigrated from Poland when it was still under Communism and he always influenced me and my brothers to go towards any opportunities that we were presented with because other people are less fortunate. So he really pushed me and my siblings to push ourselves and he was really an inspiration for me. interviewed by Ethan Babicz | photographed by Katie Ambrogio HUNTLEYVOICE.COM 19
Rachel Sawyer Persistant
[
Dancer
]
I’m Rachel Sawyer. I am 18 and I am a senior. I am on the dance team. I am in Link Crew and in World Language club. I have two sisters. One is a junior in college and she does not live at home and my other sister is a junior in high school. I have two dogs. My least favorite subject is definitely math. I have never liked math just because it does not come easy to me. My favorite is science in general just because it is interesting to me but more specifically I like psychology. My favorite childhood memory is going to Disney World with my family. My favorite ride was Space Mountain. I always wanted to go on the big rides. I loved dressing up like a princess and I was obsessed with watching the firework show. My most embarrassing moment, there are too many. One time I was at a recital and my shoe fell off and flew into the crowd and landed a few rows behind my mom. I am going to Carroll University and I chose this college because I was able to get into a direct admit program for physical therapy. I will be able to get my degree faster, it is close to home, and I received scholarships. It is only half an hour away from my sister who goes to college in Milwaukee which I liked too. I want to be a physical therapist. It is a job that will allow me to have a successful future, but I still get to help people and help them have a better quality of life. Helping people is something that is important to me. This career checked all the boxes of the thing I wanted in a future job. Now that I know that I have social anxiety, it is a lot easier to see it earlier in life. It became apparent to me when I was a freshman because I started getting sick every morning before school, like throwing up, and I had no idea why. I thought I had a parasite or something. It was becoming a big issue so my mom said we needed to do something about it. We started going to doctors and they didn’t find anything wrong with me and I did not know what was going on. They suggested I go to a psychologist so I did. She was able to recognize that I did have a social anxiety disorder. She was able to help me come up with ways to take control of it because it is not something that can be cured. It is something that you will have forever. Anxiety in general is such a big thing. Almost everyone has anxiety. For people who are struggling with it, you’re not alone. It is okay that this is how you feel. It does not make you abnormal. There are so many people that you would not even expect to have it that do. You are not the only one and not everything is as big of a deal as you think it is. Everyone has a purpose. You were not just randomly put here. Each person has some impact that they have to make in the world. The impact could have been made when you were younger or when you are older but everyone has a purpose.
“Everyone has a purpose. You were not just randomly put here. Each
person has some impact that they have to make in the world.”
interviewed by Grace Carpenter | photographed by Katie Ambrogio 20 THE MEANING OF LIFE 2020
HUNTLEYVOICE.COM 21
Charlotte Sveen Determined
[
Athlete
]
Falling is frightening. We used to do falling exercises where I would climb up a bit and my coach would have me fall about 10 to 15 feet just so I knew how and got used to it, and it’s terrifying. I was petrified. I have a notes section on my phone that includes all of the weird things I’ve heard at school. Such as “I talk bad about both of you guys to each other,” or “So if I died, my parents get my brain? Well then, I want my kids’” My family live kind of lives everywhere. My dad’s entire side of the family is living in Norway currently, so I never really get to see them and my mom’s side lives all across the country. I have an aunt in Colorado, Wisconsin, Illinois Florida, and a grandpa who just travels the U.S. in his RV. Anyone can do it if you just have the right mindset that you want to be good and get better at it. Anyone can do anything. If you want to be a rock climber, just show up to any rock climbing place and say ‘Hi, I want to climb’ My team was very excited after winning my first match. They were very excited for me because they know how hard I’ve been working, they were jumping up and down, screaming. My favorite core class would have to be English, just because it comes easily to me and I tend to like reading and writing. This year has been pretty fun being blended as well. My least favorite class would have to be either math or science, but I love my teachers, they’re great. I’m not quite sure yet, I would like to possibly go into teaching. Like becoming an art teacher and then doing freelance on the side. A lot of my teachers talk about our careers and things like that, but I haven’t done as much research as I want to. I love the arts, I’m taking a lot of art classes, and I’m in art club. A lot of people know I’m on the wrestling team because it’s an interesting thing for me and my friends to do, and that I am a rock climber. My friends would consider me nice and caring. They’d also consider me kind of like a scaredy cat. You know, especially my wrestling friends, they know that having a match scares me. And the same goes with rock climbing or going to competitions. It’s always intimidating because it’s my first year. My friends have all been doing it for much longer. They still get stressed about matches but have the skill set to back them up, but I don’t quite have that yet, so it’s especially scary going against a boy. I think we have such a fun and amazing bond between all of us because we spend so much time together for wrestling practice every day, and going to meets every week. We spend so much time together and we just joke around the entire time and it’s just so enjoyable to be around them. I love them all. It’s difficult. It depends on your skill level a lot. I’ll do a lot of really hard things and it’s very skill based, you have to be doing it for a long time to be really good at it. I’ve been doing it for about 7 years. I’ve taken a class with my coach all those 7 years and he’s helped me progress, and I’ve seen people join the class and then leave, like 10 or more years and they would never show up again.
interviewed by Hailey Pohl | photographed by Sydney Laput 22 THE MEANING OF LIFE 2020
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HUNTLEYVOICE.COM 23
Jennifer Drozt Enthusiastic
[
Black Belt
]
The best advice I was ever given: always try it. My mom would be like ‘You just gotta try it.’ Trying a new career, trying a new class, trying if I am a math person, trying a writing class. Trying something new, you always learn something, and it’s scary but I’ve gotten to do a lot of really fun things in my life because I’ve been willing to try something new. My biggest personal change was my career change. I was an engineer for 17 years so I was very steeped in the culture. I didn’t know that I could do [teaching], and so I was terrified when I started. I’m not going to lie, the beginning of every school year I look out at my students, and I’m terrified until I get to know them. But then I get to know them, and I’m sad when they leave. It is a joy. It’s such a joy to teach. During the school year my one hobby that I do maintain is I go to taekwondo. I teach taekwondo, and I’m a third-degree black belt. I do that three to four times a week. My littlest wanted me to join class with him. There was a free month so I was like ‘Oh, I’ll do it for a month,’ and now it’s been 11 years and I’m still doing it. It is very much a meditative thing for me, so it’s better [for my] physical health, it’s better for my mental health, [and] it also helps me connect better with my family. [Taekwondo] really teaches you to just stay focused and keep trying something until you can do it. I never thought I could break four boards with my foot, but I can break four boards with my foot. Four very thick pieces of wood. So just believe in yourself. [If I could choose one thing to change about the world], I would try to make things more equal. In the United States, we have so much and we don’t even realize it and other areas of the world have so little. I would want to try to make everything, education, food, those things, equal. [If I could have any superpower], I wouldn’t want to fly because I’m afraid. I hate flying. I think I would do shape shifting. I almost chose invisibility but if you shapeshift you could be anywhere, and you could be stealthy. You learn so much when you fail, and you don’t learn anything when you don’t try anything. You always learn more from your failures. It’s important to get out there and try even if you fail. Probably one of the biggest failures that sticks out in my brain is in my freshman year of college. I was very nervous about going into engineering school and believe it or not my very worst class was Physics. My very first Physics test I got a D, and I’ve never gotten a D in my whole life. I feel like it was a huge failure but then again [it is] a triumph that I didn’t just quit because a lot of kids that first year of engineering just quit. I overcame it, and actually now I love physics. I teach it, and it’s so funny because AP 1 is what I teach, and it is literally the worst class I took in college. I’ve overcome and learned to love it. I actually have a couple [mottos that I live by]: every day is a good day in physics, which is a good one, [and] I’m not the best at anything but I try my best every day. So I know that there’s always room for improvement, but I try to work hard and do my best every day.
“You learn so much when you fail,
and you don’t learn anything when you don’t try anyting. You always learn more from your failures.”
interviewed by Ellie Armstrong | photographed by Sydney Laput 24 THE MEANING OF LIFE 2020
HUNTLEYVOICE.COM 25
Ron Hankin Unstoppable
[
A Professional
]
I go by Ron Hankin, my age is 85 years old, and my career is a professional. I’m a lawyer, a private detective, a developer, a real estate agent, a commercial pilot, an author, a Marine, and a graduate of Northwestern University. We are dog lovers here. I’ve done a lot of things, and I liked them all. [In the military] I got promoted real quick. I was made major in 5 years and I ran the Navy prison. I had 600 prisoners and these were all dishonorable discharge type fellas. So I ran the Navy prison and then I got a plum assignment and I ran the rifle range. [My rifle company] went through a typhoon in the South China Sea, almost sank. We lost 11 sailors off that ship. Over 300 people were killed by that typhoon, it was one of the biggest in history, and our ship was right in the middle of it. I was invited to speak at Harper College and [my future wife Camille] was a student in the class. I was attracted to her and I guess she was attracted to me. I gave a good talk, real good talk. I was the youngest assistant manager in the whole Travelers chain. They were promoting me like crazy. I’m a lawyer. I practiced law for 25 years. I was doing all of these things at one time, with Camille as my paralegal. She ran the office. I was gone a lot and we had six people working for us, including the attorneys, and she ran them, and she was brilliant. I built The Glass Court in Lombard, the biggest racquetball court in Illinois. It’s an actual court that has all glass walls and you can have spectators actually watch the match. I own it, I designed it and built it. I said ‘I want to be an agent, I’ve always wanted to be an agent, and I’m going to stick with it.’ I think the most exciting job I had was the FBI, obviously, when you’re capturing the people I was picking up. For the most part I was covering the southern half of Arkansas, me alone, no help, no other agents. We had bank robberies in Pine Bluff by one individual who was wanted in three states. This guy, Gene Eldon Collins, was one of the top 10 wanted by the FBI. He robbed three banks and I got him. Bank robbers come in a variety of people. In conjunction with the FBI, I became a commercial pilot. I spent most of my time flying. I put 4000 hours on my airplanes. I had three at one time. I used to haul all of my cousins around. I’d take them for a ride every Sunday. We had seven seats in the airplane so I could fly them all over the place. I went into the private detective business as a hobby. I chased cheaters, spouses who were cheating on other spouses. I found it to be a real fun gig, but it turned out to be a very lucrative business. I think of all of the jobs I’ve had, the one that I probably enjoyed the most. It was not for money and not for any other reason than to have a little fun. The private detective business is so ripe with liability; you can’t peer into a toilet is an example. There are so many rules on what you can’t do that I thought there should be a book on this. So, I said I’m going to write the damn thing and that’s the book I wrote. It’s all of the rules of what you can and what you can’t do. It made a lot of sense to a lot of people. I wrote a bestseller, [“Navigating the Legal Minefields of Private Investigations”], and it was number one on Amazon in technical and professional law. Interviewed by Kimberlynn Bjurstrom | photographed by Kimberlynn Bjurstrom 26 THE MEANING OF LIFE 2020
HUNTLEYVOICE.COM 27
Emma Bolas Passionate
[
Photographer
]
One year for Christmas, my mom had done big gifts for all of my family and got me a camera with all of this equipment for it. Then I started testing it out, more than just using my phone, which I would normally do for pictures. I started liking it more and pursuing photography more and then it middle school when I started choosing my classes I decided to pick photography so I could try it out. I ended up doing Photography 1 and Photography 2 which I ended up liking and there’s no other classes so I had to continue with yearbook to keep continuing taking pictures. I really enjoy photography so I’ll go and take pictures with my friends. My brother kind of was taking pictures on this app one day. I kinda liked it and then it kinda continued on from there. You could have a tripod to keep the camera still when you take pictures. I also have two different lenses. If the one lens doesn’t zoom in far enough, I can just switch it out and capture one up closer. Also I have a wide lens, so if I need more of a wider shot of the whole thing then I can get that. Right now, if im out of school I usually take my friends on photoshoots I’ve taken some people’s senior pictures. I’ve gotten paid for it and also for yearbook I mainly just take pictures of clubs, sports, and academies and stuff like that around the school. Alex, my boyfriend, has been in the National Guard now for two and a half years, which was what he signed up for. I couldn’t cope when he left. I still remember the day he left like my world was coming down and I couldn’t breathe. My eyes would always be so puffy to the point where my eyes were closed from crying so much. The only way to cope for me was distract my mind with my friends, mainly Heather Strait. When I was always upset she would be the first one to call and take my mind off of him being gone by doing something fun. The first two months was really rough because there was no communication at all. We finally got to send letters to one another after those two months, so that’s when I started to cope better and deal with it. I would always look forward to two or three a week from him. It also helped that I would write about my whole day to him in a letter knowing that he won’t be missing out on anything happening over there. Even though I was getting those letters I would still feel sad every day and break down crying every once in a while. Towards the end of the five months of him being gone, it had gotten better because I was getting five minute phone calls with him, which turned into 10 minutes after a while. Every month when he leaves, it switches off each time so it could be like two days, four days, or five days. Then every weekend during the month he goes to training and he has to be tested for something else that is new. Over the summer, they have this 15-day thing where they go away. I don’t really know what goes around there, but I do know they go away for like 15 days to, I think, they do extra training like to requalify. His coming home and watching him graduate was the best feeling in the world and made me so proud.
Interviewed by Emma Gribbens | photographed by Sydney Laput 28 THE MEANING OF LIFE 2020
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Craig Jahnke Kind
[
Helper
]
I grew up in a low-income household and had to figure a lot of things by myself, in regard to my life after high school. I worked for everything I had, and put forth my best effort even on the days that I might have felt like doing otherwise. Being able to say that I overcame adversities and achieved what I set out to do, gives me strength that I still carry with me today. I am the middle child of three boys. We’re each two years apart so my younger brother, Jayson, is 25 and my older brother, Kyle, is 29. Growing up we had a pretty typical brotherly relationship, we played video games, watched tv and of course, got into arguments. We are all very much different, yet alike. My younger brother holds a special place in my heart as when he was younger he had a blood condition that prevented him from doing a lot of things we take for granted such as playing sports. Jayson also struggled in school due to a learning disability. Through him I learned what it meant to be a brother; to feel a responsibility to protect him and help him succeed in life the best I can. My older brother [and I] get along as well, we both like different kinds of music and share the same friend group, so we got to hang out a lot in high school. Whenever I go back home to visit my family. Now that we’re all older, I realize how cool and unique it is to have siblings that you get along with and that are there for you. I have always been a pretty extroverted person and thrive off of interacting with people. In my personal life, I try to always surround myself with people who have good intentions and give off positive energy. I want to be around people who bring my joy just by being who they are. For this reason, my students bring me joy. As a special education teacher I will often get comments from people who say, ‘wow you must have so much patience’, or ‘wow, good for you it takes a special person to work in that field of education.’ However, I see it differently. My students, whether they receive special education services or not, are the ones who have the most patience and determination. We challenge students both socially and academically everyday in school and they are learning how to navigate that as they move forward in their education. I’ve watched so many students persevere through things that make me question my own strength if I were put in their shoes. If I can be there for students through their journey as they move into adulthood and be a person they know who is and always will be rooting for them, there’s really no greater joy. One of my high school teachers told me once that ‘You may not always be able to control other people’s actions, but you can control your reaction to their actions.’ I feel like the reason why this stuck with me is because in life we experience so many different feelings, have so many different interactions with people and sometimes they can be less than ideal. This advice helps me remember that at the end of the day, I can control my outlook on things and focus on things that are in my sphere of control, which is something that can be easily forgotten in the midst of all the things life throws at you. Life after high school can be full of twists, turns, and surprises. Take risks. Challenge yourself. Be kind to others. [The meaning of life is] being the best we can be. Using our strengths and the things we find joy in to have a positive impact on others around us. In life, we’re all connected and making those connections throughout our life gives us meaning.
Interviewed by Trevor Book | photographed by Peyton Siegler HUNTLEYVOICE.COM 31
Guiliana Mack
Relentless
[
Mother
]
I wasn’t embarrassed of being pregnant with him. I was more so afraid or nervous. People were very rude. Yeah, they can be very brutal. I was so afraid of, you know, like other’s reaction. I knew I was keeping him no matter what. So I talked to the counselor, I met with my mom and my aunt who I was close to at the time, and we discussed a different path for me so that I didn’t have to go to school while I was showing. So I actually went to school until I had a bump. I’m uncomfortable in general; I’m not a touchy-feely person. I didn’t want people asking like to touch my stomach or anything, so I went until April 10. I still continued my schooling after; I actually did it from home. It wasn’t homeschooling but I had the tutors come to the house, and I did all my work from home. The teacher who helped me the most was Ms. Shively. Mr. Gunderson was also there for me, as well as Ms.Wright and Mr. Jahnke. I got really close with Ms. Wright and Ms. Shively; they are both really important in both of our lives. It was the summer I was pregnant when I figured out his name. My mom, [my sister] Olivia, and the rest of my family were watching the show “Weeds” and there’s like eight seasons or something like that. So we watched the entire summer. And there’s a boy and his name was Silas; call me crazy but I was like “Oh my gosh, I actually really like this name.” My mom’s like you have to name him this, and I was deciding on Silas or Jonah. Jonah was also on the TV show. It just clicked. It’s unique. It’s different. He was born with idiopathic infantile scoliosis. So it is different than just scoliosis because some people think like “oh it’s the same thing,” it’s not. He was born with it and at first you know we couldn’t tell if anything was different with him until he was about four months old. My mom noticed it and the pediatrician was watching; it was my first baby, I had no idea what to look for. She was watching his spine, so instead of it being a normal straight spine, it was curved in an S shape. So that’s obviously an issue, so we had him in physical therapy since he was four months old. The physical therapist told us that she thought we needed to go see an orthopedic, so we did. They did several X-rays of his spine, and that’s when they diagnosed him with idiopathic infantile scoliosis. It’s very rare. That’s when we discussed different methods of what we could do to help him. She first said surgery, we’re not going for that first. We want to do everything we can to prevent that, right. So she was mentioning the castings; I personally never heard of them. They try to have the cast last eight weeks, because that’s the time that is supposed to stay on to help the spine stay in place. But there’s a chance to come off earlier than that. So he’s on his third cast right now, and after this one he’s supposed to get two more casts, and then he gets a break for the summer. So during the break for the summer, it’s gonna be a very telling time for us, if his spine reverts back to the curvature. And if it reverts back to the curvature, then he’s going to need five more casts and possibly surgery down the line, which we’ve been trying to avoid. I’m praying that does not happen. You have this baby and you love him so much, but then you have all these different feelings and you just don’t feel right. I don’t know how to describe it, it was very hard and I still suffer from postpartum depression. You’re so in love with your kid, but then it’s also like you’re trying to find yourself again. Interviewed by Ashley Reilly | photographed by Ashley Reilly 32 THE MEANING OF LIFE 2020
HUNTLEYVOICE.COM 33
Gibson Danekas Leader
[
Teacher
]
My advice to anybody who is graduating from high school is to not be afraid to do the things that scare you, like making hard decisions. My philosophy of life would have to be this: make everybody around you feel important. The best advice I was ever been given was to treat the CEO the same way you would treat the custodian. I find coaching to be really rewarding. I think the kids work really hard and one thing a lot of people take for granted is they just show up on Friday and go to games, which is awesome, but there are hundreds of hours that are put in, from the kids’ perspective. It’s just cool to see them on Friday because that’s hundreds of hours being put into 2-hour games so it’s cool to see them perform and to play well. The thing that annoys me the most is people, in general, being rude. The biggest change I’ve made in myself was in college when I finally realized how important education is and I understood why it’s important to learn. Obviously people tell it to you all the time but it’s different once it actually clicks for you and now I understand why it is so important. I stumbled into teaching because I wanted to go into business and that didn’t go very well. Then I accidentally took an education class and I ended up really liking it and now I’m a teacher. I find most joy in helping people, whether it’s teaching or just helping people. Seeing other people happy makes me happy. I collect records, vinyl, because music has just been a stress reliever for me. I like to just put music on and listen. I like oldies and older music and the sound of the record. My hero is my grandpa because he is the greatest human being I’ve ever met. He is the most selfless person I’ve ever met, he’s the most humble person I’ve ever met, he’s the happiest person I’ve ever met, he’s the hardest working person I’ve ever met, he’s the dude. When I was growing up, he set the example of what a good human being, what a man looks like in society and how I should act. My favorite thing about teaching is hearing from kids, after they graduate or after I have them in class, that the class didn’t just teach them content and that class taught them things about life. A good day at school is knowing that you made a difference, knowing that there was something done that made a difference for at least one kid. I play the guitar, the bango, the ukulele, and the piano. My favorite band is Fleetwood Mac. I think the meaning of life is to live. Yes, as clichéd as it can get, but to truly live and get the most out of life is what it means to live, to me at least. To fill your life with as many moments as you possibly can that you felt as if you were alive. To be willing to take risks and be terrified in doing so, but still doing it. To invest your time into people because time is the most valuable thing that a human being can give. Life is about those tiny moments that make us smile, laugh, cry. To be and feel alive is a powerful thing.
“Life is about those tiny
moments that make us smile,
laugh, cry. To be and feel alive is a powerful thing.”
interviewed by Emmy Cohen | photographed by Sydney Laput 34 THE MEANING OF LIFE 2020
HUNTLEYVOICE.COM 35
Hannah Price Spirited
[ Performer ]
I auditioned for my first show, and I didn’t have music and I forgot the words, and I just started crying. Then I got a nose bleed, in the middle of the audition and I got cut. I was 7. It was really fun being a leader and getting to be a role model and show that just because you get a good part doesn’t mean that you have to put yourself at a higher level. You can still be humble and I wanted to show the younger kids that. I kind of see it as, even if you don’t get the role, you get to play it for that one hour you’re there, and you can soak it up whether you get it or not. Being on Broadway has never been a huge dream of mine. It would obviously be cool but I just like performing. Religion is a huge part of my life. When I was in eighth grade, they called me and asked if I wanted to be a small group leader for the sixth graders, and I was screaming on the phone because I had always wanted to do that. It was a huge honor being chosen. I’ve taken away that their problems, their triumphs, their joys are just as big to them as mine are to me. Everyone has things that are important to them and I think it’s really valuable to recognize that in other people and recognize that in yourself and talk about it. I watch a lot of true crime and listen to a lot of true crime podcasts, I just like finding out about how the brain works. I’m not really a shoe person, I feel like a lot of people are about fancy shoes and all that. I literally have gray Vans and I wear them every single day. I’d rather spend [money] on clothes, because you have to wear different clothes every day, and I feel like no one is really looking at your shoes that hard. My mom was adopted from Korea, and my dad is white. Because my mom was adopted, I really don’t have a lot of the culture, because she doesn’t speak the language, doesn’t really eat the food, none of that. I just kind of look Asian, I really don’t have any background. I would love to go [to Korea] or learn about it more. Especially because people ask me a lot, and honestly, I have no clue. I love Chipotle. It is my favorite restaurant ever. If I could eat there every day, I would. I think I’d go back to the ‘80s. Probably because I’d love to see what it was like with no technology and everyone just has to talk. Appreciate the timing of life, the way things work in your life. I think it’s more beneficial to go with the flow and take it as it comes and live in the moment. Instead of dwelling on stuff that’s happened that you can’t change any more. “My Girl,” I love that song. I would go to the father-daughter dance with my uncle and every year and all the dads stand there and sing that to them. I always thought about it as a father and daughter, it’s definitely about a couple, but whenever I hear it that’s what I think of. Instead of resorting to social media and people screaming at each other on that, I wish people would just sit down and talk it out. That’s so cliche, but I remember being in Culver’s with my grandma when I was 7 and I asked her, ‘Why don’t people just come to Culver’s and sit down and talk it over?’ I think it would be harder living with the fact that you didn’t even try than living with the fact that you did try and you gave it your all and you failed.
“I think it would be harder living
with the fact that you didn’t even try than living with the fact that you did try [and] you failed.”
interviewed by Caitlyn Gooden | photographed by Sydney Laput 36 THE MEANING OF LIFE 2020
HUNTLEYVOICE.COM 37
Josh McGinley Anticipating
[
Homeschooled
]
My name is Josh McGinley and the “g” is capitalized. I lived [in Woodstock] until sixth grade, then we moved to Huntley. My oldest three siblings have their own lives and families, then there is my sister, my brother, and me. I am a very challenging person. When people say something I have an issue with, I tell them they are not right. I am the younger sibling so I had to be vocal and more competitive. My parents did not like what the public schools were teaching. So when they had my oldest sibling who is now 31, they decided they would homeschool all of us. I would wake up, and my dad was actually our teacher. We would get all of our work done in two hours, then would have the rest of the day to do what we wanted. My parents liked to do everything on their own. They even would do church at home every Sunday. We would all wake up, meet for mass, and then do all of our Bible studies as well. My parents are still very strict about church, and even today we still continue to do Bible studies at home. My parents were very against technology. We did not have Wi-Fi growing up, no phones, or computers. All of our schoolwork came out of a book that we ordered for each grade. We did not have phones until I was almost a sophomore in high school. I came to public school in 7th grade. My sister really wanted to try public school. So her freshman year of high school she told my parents that she was going to public school. When she told us everything she got to do, we told our parents it was not fair and we wanted to go too. I just remember being nervous and not being able to figure out how to stop it. Everyone was very nice but I did not know what to say. Homeschooling helped me become more outgoing when I came to Huntley, which made it easier to make friends and connect with people. I was a vegan for a week in seventh grade. I started before coming to public school because I wanted to have something that made me stand out. I do not know why I thought being a vegan would, but that is what I told everyone. It did not last. I did not know what to eat all the time, so it was kind of short-lived. [Public school] is different because you have to sit in a class for 45 minutes, and then do work when you get home rather than doing the work at your own speed. I still think that having a face-to-face conversation with others is a better way to make a connection. My parents expect me to go to college and make something big of myself because when I was younger I wanted to go into medicine, but now I don’t think college is a good idea for anyone. I think I am going to move to Nashville and dip my foot into music production. I’m not sure if being homeschooled has a correlation with my not wanting to go to college. I don’t know if my brother plans on going either. Maybe it is just me but I don’t want to put that much responsibility on myself for so much money to get very little out of it. Just try not to have regrets, because they can turn a great memory sour. All anyone ever does is make the best decision they can, with the information that they have and hope there is a forgiving God.
“Maybe it is just me, but I don’t
want to put that much responsibility on myself for so much
money to get very little out of it.”
interviewed by Molly Baker | photographed by Sydney Laput 38 THE MEANING OF LIFE 2020
HUNTLEYVOICE.COM 39
Kristian Claassen Curious
[ Adventurer ]
I’m an exchange [student] here in the US for 10 months, so basically one school year. My family is in Germany right now, and after the school year ends I return home. I speak German, English, I would say I speak French to some degree. I’m not fluent in it. Also if you could count it, our regional dialect/language, which is kind of [a combination] of Dutch and German. I share a lot of memories with my grandparents because I was always on their farm. My mom grew up on the farm, so whenever she didn’t have time for me she dropped me off at my grandparents. I basically just helped my grandparents a lot on the farm. On the farm I loved to ride along with my uncle and grandpa on the tractor. A part from that, helping young cows, specifically giving them straw to feed them. There are a lot of fun slang words that I know in German. We have the word ‘alter Schwede’ which means old swede. It sounds kind of weird, but if something is cool or awesome and you are surprised by it, you say it. I am not very religious. In Germany my religion teacher, because we have religion as a subject, always told me that the purpose of religion is to live a happy life. That basically turned my perspective around and I thought, ok I believe in god. If I could go back in time, I would probably go back to the 1920s. I do not know why. It is not the best time period but I just recently read a series of books that was set in the 1920s and that just gave me the need to learn more about it. I think it is a super interesting time period where people just lived differently than today, and just differently than what they were used to. My parents always told me that if stuff needs to get done, do it because then you will have time to do the things you really enjoy. I feel like there is a place where the soul goes after we die. I can’t really cope with the whole concept of heaven and hell, that is not something that I really believe in. But I do feel like there is some place where we go afterwards and meet up with the people we knew. I grew up with my dad having a farm machinery company where they repair and sell farm machinery. So I live in a pretty rural area that is heavily influenced by agriculture. My current plan after I graduate is actually not necessarily going to college, but doing an internship as a mechanic and then doing further certifications in there, until I am ready to take over the company for my dad. My biggest pet peeve is if people talk too much. If they over-talk and just don’t stop, that just drives me crazy. It’s probably because I am a rather quiet person. If people just speak like a water fountain and put out everything, it drives me crazy. I think that, like many others, I stepped out of my comfort zone for some time to have an adventure, and I feel like that is something people should do more often. To just step out of their bubble where they feel comfortable and where they feel safe. To just do something that they don’t know the outcome of. I feel like with my exchange year that is something that sets you out of your comfort zone. I feel like once you are out of that bubble it opens you up to so many more life changing experiences.
“I feel like once you are out of
that bubble it opens you up to so many more life changing experiences.”
interviewed by Nikki Darnall | photographed by Sydney Laput 40 THE MEANING OF LIFE 2020
HUNTLEYVOICE.COM 41
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HUNTLEYVOICE.COM 43
Allison Boroski Involved
[
Leader
]
I am a very creative person so outside of school, I do lots of crafts. I love to make jewelry, knitting projects, clay sculptures, and wood burn. If they sell it at Hobby Lobby, I have it. I also love to read in my free time. When I took my first steps into Huntley High School, I did not know what I wanted to be a part of, but I was aware of all the amazing opportunities. I 100% knew I wanted to be a part of Snow Raiders and Art Club. My involvement here at Huntley has definitely strengthened me and changed me for the better. I used to be very shy and would almost never go out of my comfort zone. After joining the golf team, Snow Raiders, art club, and Silver Cord my freshman year, I met many amazing people who showed me that it’s ok to try new things and make mistakes. I loved being involved which led me to become a team captain of the golf team, a Snow Raiders committee member, and a yearbook editor. I am also in Student Athlete Leadership Team during late starts, and in NHS. I never thought that I would be a leader, but I’ve found a love for helping others and sharing my knowledge If I didn’t get involved here at Huntley, I would have missed out on so many opportunities and I wouldn’t be who I am today. My biggest personal achievement would have to be going out of my comfort zone and becoming a leader. I am also proud of the fact that I am on track to graduate summa cum laude while balancing involvement in seven school activities with three leadership roles. It’s been a lot of hard work to maintain all of this, but I’ve had a great time and wouldn’t trade my experiences for anything. Growing up, I always looked up to my parents. They were always setting a great example and they showed me how to be a good person. They also always encouraged me to do my best in everything that I do. My true happiness comes from being with my friends and family and having a great time with them. They are the most important to me. If I had 24 hours to live, my loved ones and I would spend most [of that] time outdoors. I would love to take a long ski trip out west in the mountains. I love skiing and I’ve always wanted to ski in the fresh powder while being surrounded by the beautiful mountains. I also want to go to at least one national park in every state. I’ve been to a few and I love getting to see the different natural landscapes across the country. The meaning of life [is] finding something that you like and that you are good at. Just be happy with whatever that may be. Find what makes you happy.
“My involvement here at Huntley has definitely strengthened me
and changed me for the better.”
“If I didn’t get involved here at
Huntley, I would have missed out on so many opportunities and I wouldn’t be who I am today.”
interviewed by Taylor Calame | photographed by Katie Ambrogio 44 THE MEANING OF LIFE 2020
HUNTLEYVOICE.COM 45
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Al Trch Brave
[
Cheerleader
]
I came out freshman year as gay. I’ve known for a long time, but it is hard to live as someone else when you want to be a different way. I have definitely been happier since then. Don’t let the world define who you are because the world wants to put so many stereotypes on you, but you don’t have to follow them. I am a small person, but I can be very outgoing. A lot of people don’t [see] me as someone who wants to put themselves out there, but I do. If you get to know me, I am outgoing. I like to talk to people. I am a loud person when I want to be. Cheer taught me that I wasn’t going to get every skill I wanted overnight. I wasn’t going to win everything I wanted. I really had to put in extra work to get the results I wanted. Anyone can walk into your life at any time and become a huge part of it. There are people I’ve known since I was 4 or 5 that I am not nearly as close with as the girls that I’ve met in the last six months through cheer. You meet everyone in your life for a reason. Either they are changing your life, or you are changing theirs. You just don’t know it yet. I became an uncle when I was in 7th grade. My niece and nephew are one of the best things that have ever happened to me. They are super sweet and my brother and his wife have definitely raised them really well. My older brother is such a great father and an amazing older figure to me. He’s always been like my best friend. I miss seeing him every day, but every time I see him our relationship gets closer. Both of my grandpas died last year and I think that had a huge impact on me. It has made me see a different side of things. You want to think that everyone will live forever when really we know that we all die at one point. It has opened my eyes up to take in every moment and to spend time with your family every chance you get. Don’t take anyone or anything for granted. Family is everything. Hopefully you can find a group of people that you can always go to, will love you unconditionally, and you can talk to them about anything. I am adopted from China. Even though it was at such a young age, it is something unique to me. I want to go back to China. I want to travel there, walk on the Great Wall of China, and go back to see what it’s like. I was adopted when I was 18 months old so I barely remember anything. I was left at the front of a police gate by my mom, so no one knows who she is. The police had no information on me so the police took me in, got a report on me, and from there I was put into an orphanage. Adoption is making your life into a whole new opportunity. I know that my life would be completely different if I wasn’t adopted. I don’t even know where I would be right now in China. I have been opened up to so many new opportunities and I am so fortunate now.
“I know that my life would be
completely different if I wasn’t adopted.” Al Trch
interviewed by Sara Hursey | photographed by Sara Hursey 48 THE MEANING OF LIFE 2020
HUNTLEYVOICE.COM 49
Sid Duvvuri Fearless
[
Soldier
]
My family, in the beginning, were not big fans [of my joining the military]. My dad was really opposed, [but] my mom’s like, ‘go do whatever you want’. My brother was kind of in the middle about it. Over time they saw my persistence and will, and my dad said, ‘cool, go do this, but also go to college at the same time.’ That’s the only condition I had in order to join the military. I go to college at Illinois State. Currently I’m majoring in molecular and cellular biology. I decided to join the military because my family is IT-based. I decided I did not like the IT field and that joining the military was the way to go. I like guns and I really liked the environment. My contract is six years long, and I’m already done with two years, so I have about four years left. With being in the military, I’ve had the opportunity to go to southern California, and this summer I’m going to North Carolina. With what’s happening currently [in Iran], the entirety behind what I think about it is more that I don’t really have a choice or opinion. I know what my job is, and that’s to protect America and the people I care about no matter what the end goal is. I know I have to do it no matter what. My favorite color has to be green. In the Marines no one sees color, just green. No one cares what color you are, you’re just a green person. My favorite food? It has to be pizza. The military bases don’t have anything besides fast food. We get like cafeteria food, I guess you could call it. There’s a Domino’s for every block and I got Domino’s all the times I was there. Domino’s was an every day thing for me. My parents were never big into guns, so I started using them when I joined the military. I was big into the concept of them beforehand, and then I learned how to use them. It takes a different mentality to know how to use them for good and not for other reasons. In high school, studies wise I could’ve done better. Social wise it was pretty good. I had a lot of ups and downs but mainly ups. I have a lot of interesting memories. I would say I have a decent amount [of hobbies]. I love to [play] video games. I dabble with things here and there, I’ll go with my friends to do some train stuff, or I’ll work on cars. I love building Legos. I’ve been building Legos for more than 10 years. It started with my brother, with the big building blocks. It just kinda grew into something that I enjoy doing. I would build it with him, take it apart, and build it again. Pretty good times. It was relaxing so I can just think about that and nothing else. If I’m having a bad day, I take apart Legos and put them back together. With going to college and being in the military, there’s a big mentality shift and I’m still trying to get through with it. Leaving my friends was hard on me because I only had a select few friends through middle school and high school and up until now. Now leaving, it’s not as hard, because I know I’ll come back and they’ll still be there.
“I know what my job is, and that’s to protect America and the
people I care about no matter what the end goal is.”
interviewed by Olivia Mack | photographed by Sydney Laput 50 THE MEANING OF LIFE 2020
HUNTLEYVOICE.COM 51