Profiles - Grade 8 Journalism Magazine

PROFILES

My mom, Melissa Abiodun is one of seven siblings not counting the three foster kids who stayed with them thought her life. Abiodun is also the middle child so it must have been rough growing up in such a large family. My grandma Elaine must have had a hard time with having so many kids to look after and being a forgetful person, she tends to forget things. The family was out shopping at the grocery store, they were out getting food for that night’s dinner. When it was time to leave the store, they were all rushing to get to the car so they could get home. As everyone piled in the car it felt like there was some more room. It also sounded quitter, that’s when they relized they forgot one kid. Will. Will was one of the older kids but not the oldest one. He was loud and was probably messing around in the store while they were freaking out. These are just somethings that tends to happen in a big family like this one.

Melissa Abiodun today

The Six of Us The different highs and lows of growing up with six siblings

By Zion Abiodun

Mom and dad each with a kid on their back, in a backpack on their stomachs and a kid between each of their legs with a kid one on either side skiing all the way down the hill as a family.

I can imagine kids getting lost, getting hurt, and complaining about the cold. another trouble I would think that might happen is going on family trips with 7 kids must have been hard watching and taking care all of them while skiing.

Although this is not a real problem for this family because even growing up at such a young age they loved to ski. This would be a problem for most parents, but my grandparents were full of energy and loved to do this as much as the kids or even more.

Everything they did was always a competition even small things like eating fastest. In their household my grandma cooked dinner, but she is super healthy and not good at cooking, so the food does not taste great. It was so bad that the siblings had to be put on a timer in order to finish, but sometimes they could sneak food to their dog.

They are a super religious family who are followers of Christianity. They had My great grandma was an Olympic to participate in daily devotions before ice skater, so my grandma grew up loving school and had to finish the devotions no matter what. This was a huge part of winter sports. This really does show how Abiodun’s life as well as her siblings (who big of a family it really was and how are all Christian but one), and she went to difficult it most have been for my grandparents Paul and Elaine. I think that church every Sunday. Every morning they had to do devotions and “Some days we this has become more and more uncommon, and you really don’t see it that were late to school because we had to finish them.” often. My experience with family trips are much different than this. When I go on My grandma is a really religious family trips, they are all really fun but I’m woman who used to be catholic but sure my parents aren’t as stressed as my converted to Christianity in her early adult grandparents are. When my family goes on life. In the family there was God before family trips, we stick together more than anything else. They would pray before Abiodun’s family because it is a smaller every meal, before bed, and before big family. We, to this day also go to this events or decisions. My Grandma believes resort with my cousins and grandparents that me and the rest of my family should Paul and Elaine. do devotions when we are down there for

Me and my sister are competitive to a certain point, but we play different sports. Abiodun’s brothers and sisters are very competitive due to the fact that they are all active, and close to the same age.

Every year there was a family Another reason is that they played the tradition of going skiing as a family. same sports as eachother. The main sport During these trips they stayed at my that most of them played was basketball Grandfather Paul’s friends' resort in which four of the seven kids played. There Catholic Michigan. During their stay there was one incident where Abiodun got in a they would ski nonstop. They would always fight with her sister who was on the same stay together in ski as a family. Abiodun basketball team. They got in a big fight explains how her “mom and dad each with over one of them wearing the other’s a kid on their back, in a backpack on their clothes. They then went on to have a fight stomachs and a kid between each of their in the locker room which the coach had to legs with a kid one on either side skiing all stop. From tip off to the end of the game the way down the hill as a family.” they refused to pass the ball to eachother.

Abiodun states that her family is “Very, very competitive.”

the summer, we must do them.

It must have been fun and an experience growing up with all those family members and I have fun to this day with all my family members. In all there is 30+ family members and we are all really close.

Every summer we go up to my grandparent’s house in New Hampshire and we do all types of things together. We all come from different states and even though we only see eachother once a year we are still close. Abiodun has learned a lot and has a lot of life lessons that she still believes into this day and teaches them to us. It is clear that my mom loves her family and that it was great growing up with 6 siblings.

(Photograph by Lisa Aggarwal)

Growing Up During WWII Stella Dybowski takes us through moments that describe what it was like to grow up during the brutal time of WWII. BY: MIA AGGARWAL

My interview with my grandmother, Stella Dybowski, took place in her small suburban home in Orland Park. It was a gloomy morning, and we were sitting on her red couch in the family room that was decorated with lots of warm colors. She was eager for me to begin asking questions but confused to what the purpose of the interview was. My grandmother was born in 1941. She grew up in a small town in Poland called Torun and was raised on a farm. She met her husband, Lester Dybowski when she was 16, and they later got married and immigrated to the United States where they had my mom and her two sisters. When the tragic event of WWII started, she was just born, and seven when it ended. She was able to use these traumatic experiences from the war to learn important life skills and lessons that she used throughout her entire life.

It had been 4 years since World War 2 ended when my grandmother was kidnapped in her hometown of Poland. It was a gloomy summer morning, and the year was 1949. My grandmother who was just 7 years old at the time went on a train with her family that was heading back to the small town of Torun in which they lived. They lived in a small home on a farm with lots of cows, pigs, chickens, and more animals. Their family consisted of 5 children including my grandmother, as well as their mother and father. When the train came to a stop, my grandmother’s family all exited the train and began walking home, while my grandmother who wasn’t paying much attention, slipped out of the car and fell on her face onto the rocks. The train was parked on the shore, so the

rocks were certainly an obstacle to be aware of when exiting. My grandmother hurt herself badly on those sharp rocks – she had cuts all over her face and from what she described, her arms and legs were sore from the impact. She was hurt, and on top of that, afraid because her family was nowhere in sight. However, a middle-aged man soon appeared out of the thick trees and helped her up from the rocky ground. He took her to his home, and from there, fed her coffee cake and warm milk, treated her wounds, and tried his best to make sure she was happy in his home.

From what my grandmother described about the man, “He was so happy because he didn’t have children, so he thought he had a child of his own.”

attending class as he usually would, they went into a field a few blocks away from the school building and began to play as normal kids.

According to him, they were mischievous kids and did these types of things quite frequently. However, little did they know that this time in particular would change, and even end some of their lives. Shortly after they began to play, the plane hovered above them and shot missiles down at my grandpa and his friends. America had strong weaponry during the war, so the force of the missiles were enough to spilt my grandpa’s friends in half, while my grandpa got lucky and unlike his friends who were killed, only got shot one time in the kneecap. “They were bad boys, his brother too.”

When she told me this information, I was very surprised because when you think of a kidnapper, you would typically picture someone who is cruel or cold-hearted, but all this person wanted was to have a child of his own and his intentions weren’t meant to be harmful. My grandmother had certain traumatizing moments in her childhood that were connected to the war and people’s need for affection. Some people needed so much affection after the war, that they felt the need to kidnap children which provided young kids living in Poland with an obstacle to be aware of.

People during the war had many obstacles to be aware of in everyday life, and these experiences had a long-lasting effect on many of the children who went through traumatic things that involved violence. My grandpa still has a scar on his leg to this day, and it has hindered his everyday life in drastic ways; he cannot walk as well, and he had to get an artificial knee when he was older. Many people don’t care to acknowledge the troubling things people had to experience in their lives, and it isn’t until they tell their story that you think, I can’t believe things like this used to happen on a daily basis. Our recent generations living in countries like America should be aware of the harsh reality of war, and also be thankful to live in a country where the fear of war isn’t consuming people.

After the war was over, many people returned to Poland to see that their homes, farms, etc. had been demolished. This was due to the German soldiers who invaded Poland during WWII, and their heavy machinery which allowed them to have a lot of power/control over what they did to people’s property. Along with weaponry, battling occurred in Torun daily; bombs were set off, guns were fired, and many more horrible things that scarred people, including my grandmother who was just born when the war started. The German soldiers/Nazis invaded their area because they had an important goal of gaining total power over eastern Europe which includes Bulgaria, Slovakia, Hungary, and more nations. As mentioned in the first paragraph, my grandmother didn’t have much of a home to start with, and all she and her family had was a small, two-bedroom home on a farm. All the six children were forced to stay in one room during the war because it was the only room that had no windows and was completely enclosed. My grandmother’s parents would bring them food and take care of their other basic needs to make sure they stayed healthy even during times of distress. It was already hard living how they were, but once the only home they had was abolished, things became very stressful since they had to, somehow, rebuild their living space. “The German took everything,” my grandma says.

Life after the war was very difficult for Dybowski’s family, and most people including them had to struggle just to survive and acquire basic resources. I believe tough times like the one my grandmother experienced provided their family not only with obstacles, but also the opportunity to learn how to survive with the resources they had. Since their home and farm were abolished, my grandmother’s father had to work extremely hard to get the materials their family needed to rebuild the home, and although it was difficult, it taught an important life skill my grandmother was able to apply to her everyday life.

My grandpa and his friends were shot by an American fighter plan.

In the town my grandparents grew up, everyday life had become very dangerous during the war. Fighter planes from all different nations, including America, would fly over Poland to get to different destinations of attack, which made things would be very loud and chaotic in the area. My grandpa who just was 5 years old at the time had decided one morning that he wanted to skip school along with a few of his friends, so instead of

“You never know when something will change for the worse” Throughout the interview, my grandmother mentioned how difficult it was to survive as a kid during and after the war. This made me realize how she and her husband have gone through so many struggles in their lives, and I also believe it reflects her hardworking, persistent, and brave personality. Me and my family have always looked up to her for these characteristics, But as I was able to interview her about growing up during the war, I can better understand why she was able to develop all these traits. Her experiences show that we shouldn’t take the resources we have in our lives for granted because you never know when something will change for the worse.

World War two was driven by Hitler and the Nazis’ invasion of Poland in September of 1939.

Many people were killed over the course of the next six years, Jews being specifically targeted.

P a t h t o Su cce ss My mother reflects on how she struggled and worked hard to gain success in pharmacy.

By: Ave r y Ba ll

Cathy Ball was successful in her works of medicine and overcame the obstacles of her profession and her soon to come kids. Before she had kids, Ball was a pharmacist.

Ball worked hard to get where she was and continues to keep up with her education. She focuses on putting the well being of others before her own. This may be why she picked the job she did. As a child my mother had to take with her little brother. She would babysit and look after him. Also, Ball had an older brother, this taught her how to deal with situations when things were challenging. It also taught her how to take care of others.

She is very persistent due to being a middle child making her a very successful student. Because she was up late studying for her big exam, Ball overslept. She questioned if she should still go and went because she wanted to succeed. In a rush, she got there an hour later; she apologized to her professor, and he was very forgiving.

She took the test and didn’t need extra time in the end. Ball was so focused on her exam she did not realize that a person next to her was cheating off her. The professor came over and moved him. she ended up getting a great grade on her exam. Her professor that year was her favorite teacher ever and wrote her a really nice recommendation for pharmacy school. These traits are very important for her job as a pharmacist. She could easily learn how to deal with situations with her patients and became a great problem solver.

Ball always knew right away that she wanted to be a pharmacist. She always loved math and science making a pharmacist a great job for her. She at first wanted to be a marine biologist until she found out how much they made.

She investigated other things and instantly she connected to pharmacy.

She went to school for pharmacy in Chicago and worked hard to do well. On her first day of school, she had to excuse herself from lunch to go to the bathroom. She got sick due to being too nervous and being far away from home. She missed her family profusely, but She eventually made lots of friends to help her get through school. She worked many places to excel her experience during school.

When she finished school, she started to work as a pharmacist and took a bunch of shifts just to fill in for people who were sick or weren’t coming in that day. This is how every pharmacist starts off. She wanted to work as much as possible. She had to make very tough decisions on what would help the patient most. She said, “Working as a pharmacist and just…the responsibilities because making a

mistake could harm someone.”

She could have ment giving someone a prescription could change their life in a bad way. One of Balls experiment with this is when she had one patient who came in with the need for a medication to be filled. The medication made her lose an unhealthy amount of weight quickly. She mentioned that she had to make the hard choice of not filling the medication and the patient got very upset with her. She really cared for her job by helping and caring for her patient’s health, even if that meant not filling the medication for the patient. She was not only doing her job for the money she was doing it to help people. She continued to do this with all her patients.

Working as a pharmacist has a great responsibility over your patients lives. You are in charge of so many lives and if you mess up once there can be so many bad things that could happen to someone. This is the stress Ball delt with every day at work. She also has the responsibility to fix things if the insurance does not work with the prescription cause her to have to have a hard time with going back and forth between people. She says, “Having to be the go between the patient, the doctor and the insurance kind of put the pharmacist in a difficult situation.”

She struggled with making sure everything was okay with everyone and getting everything right can be stressful. This may have been adding on to the stress of the responsibility that also follows. It is hard to do your best work under pressure. This means you have to make everyone happy and not mess up what the patient needs.

This is also difficult because a patient can get mad due to the prescription being late or not being able to take the prescription due to the insurance. This means that the pharmacist must deal with how the patient reacts.

Ball had one bad experience with a guy who had an opioid addiction. He was asking for his prescription a day early, which was the first warning sign to Ball, she made sure to look deeper into the situation. Then she said, she would not fill his prescription until tomorrow. He got mad and said, so if I came in at 12:01 you would fill my proscription.

She agreed to this because that was the day, he was allowed to get it.

The next day Ball found out he came in, but he added a zero to the number he would get this making the number of pills 100 (that is a lot of pills). She immediately called the doctor that proscribed the opioids to him, and she said you are supporting an opioid addiction.

She then called the other pharmacists in the area to warn them about this person and told them not to give him

any proscriptions. She them called the patient and told him that what he did was very wrong and that she is not going to be filling any of his proscriptions and same with every other pharmacy in the area. When she talked to the doctor she said, “I refuse to fill a proscription for this person.”

This is a responsible move. It is not easy to tell a patient those things. This can be a big decision to take.

When she talked to the patient, he was first was difficult to deal with but later wanted to work with Ball and the physician and get him to a better place. She says, “He was very upset but became very apologetic,” She then later says, “I don’t know what happened to him, but I am really hoping he got the help he needed,” This shows that even the patients she struggles with she still cares about them whereas, some pharmacists are just doing their job for the money.

“I don’t know what happened to him, but I am really hoping he got the help he needed,” She talks about how much she needs to take care of people because other pharmacist would not take that job.

Most pharmacist would just do their job for the money and not care enough to take care of their patients. There is a lot of stress that goes into getting to were she was.

Ball retired after she had her first child. This is because of the stress that having a child, and the overnight worker was not cleaning the mess they made. Leaving her to have to clean it up so it would be more organized, so she didn’t mess up the proscription for someone else. She got tired of this, and she decided to quit.

She loved her job and considered going back but the stress was too much for her. She and I hope other pharmacist will continued to care for their patients and help to make someone’s life so much better. She loved almost every aspect of the job as a pharmacist. She had no regrets on her decisions on what school she went to and becoming a pharmacist.

She said, “I have always wanted to help people.”

Interviewing Robert Brehm and His Korean war experiences, and post-war reflections

By John Brehm On one dark and stormy night in November, there on the couch awaiting my return was my grandfather seemingly collected his thoughts and spoke. In 1950, North Korea invaded South Korea to unify them under Communism. America stepped in to try to halt the spread of the Red Star in South Korea. When the war was still raging in 1952, the Eagle (America) scooped in its wings a young man by the name of Robert. He was then dropped into a great ship, which traversed rough and stormy waters swiftly, making their way to Seoul. With great thought and a grim expression, he described his first time in Seoul: “When I passed by Seoul, the heart of Korea, it was a derelict and forsaken place filled with many forlorn and neglected buildings that have been seemingly forgotten…inside was nothing but sorrow and affliction, as I walked past the bleak and dismal buildings, which screamed a heart-rending cry of only death, horror, and vengeance.” Seoul was brutally attacked sometime during the Korean War and then mended. My grandfather while in Seoul was painting a dark and bloody picture of his perspective in Seoul. The way in which Seoul was described sheds light on my grandfather’s depressing experiences while he was deployed in Korea.

In 1953 the terrible scourge upon South Korea had ended in an armistice signaling an end to the bloodshed. And the start of a new future for the South Korean people one of which that was founded on the basic principles of hope, Justice, peace, and unification on the other hand North Korea was like a swiftly decaying corpse.

Watching thoughtfully seemingly considering every possible response he compared North and South Korea.

“Peace and prosperity flourished in South Korea while poverty, famine, and corruption took up roots in North Korea. A dictatorship and a democracy these are but 2 parts of the neverending cycle in which a great democracy slowly turning into a dictatorship and that dictatorship begins to slowly destroy itself making room for another to replace it thus repeating the cycle”

Robert speaks of a cycle in which the mighty seem to fall and crumble into dust. When comparing North and South Korea stating the possibility of an eventual downfall. Which creates a rather interesting perspective from a veteran on the idea that everything will eventually fall. Using this analogy, he gives off a foreboding future for both countries thus spelling their demise.

In the end the mission was a success but for whom? China? North Korea? South Korea?

America? or perhaps the United Nations? or in the end was it neither a success nor a victory for any of the nations moreover was it just a waste of money and resources that only furthered the country’s eventual downfall.

“War only breeds, Strife, agony, death and hatred, thus continuing the cycle of envy leading to war then war leading to death which leads to Agony and hatred thus breeding more wars in a never-ending curse”

Fix standout quote Zarina is being friendlybeing friendly was….

68 years later after the Korean war had ceased a simple but important question comes to mind, a question which has been asked countless times and is widely debated among people of all races, ethnicities, classes, and which still has no definite answer nor solution: Is war necessary and if not why? He proceeded to study my face intently and spoke clearly:

“War only breeds, Strife, agony, death and hatred, thus continuing the cycle of envy leading to war then war leading to death which leads to Agony and hatred thus breeding more wars in a neverending curse” never necessary we can always have peace talks” Robert uses an allegory that illustrates a world in which wars are never ending.

Through this it is evident that war is like a curse one of which will keep on ravaging the world till the curse is lifted from all of humanity. This allegory teaches us all an important lesson and that is hate and envy do not lead to peace and justice but instead it leads to the one thing we all have in common and have been fighting to prevent, war. Robert’s ideals on war appears to be that of a pacifist wanting to talk rather than fight furthermore he still retains such views even after participating in a war.

My mother (Burris) has had many interesting moments as a flight attendant. But people like me werent alive during 9/11. So, if you don’t fully know what 9/11 is that ok because you will learn about 9/11 throughout this article. But in my mom’s (Burris) perspective as a young flight attendant in japan 6,700 miles away from home!

P o s i t i ve , p o s i t i ve , p o s i t i ve

T h e Fligh t St o r y o f 9/ 11

Coming out of college Burris had no idea what she would do as a job. So, she would tryout at many different places but would never find the right job. As she said, “I never even thought about the possibility of becoming a flight attendant, until your cousin Jakita brought it up.”

Burris was basically lost and didn’t know what she would do for her life also it shows how friends could be used as good resources then this shows without Jakita she wouldn’t even have the job. This again shows how something can come from nothing.

Terror and worry started to strike. Now, she was in her hotel room staring at her TV, but she couldn’t understand anything because it was in a different language. Burris being curious she used her Blackberry phone; received a call from her husband Mr. Burris who had to explain the whole situation, but she was scared straight and just confused. The television in the

background with the reporter screaming out of the screen, the humans raging directly outside of her window. But her being the strong women she is, she said confidently, “I had to be positive, had to think positive, and well my whole mindset was positivity.” Even though Burris didn’t know how long she would be stuck in the airport; or if her family was ok, she had the right mindset. She started to workout, read, and listen to music to take her mind off the distractions.

Also, it shows the ability for her to keep calm during a tough situation as she was still very confused for those four days.

Burris was able to feel a lot of pain, then she would feel confusion. But as he stayed positive, she knew everything would be ok.

People halfway around the world were devastated after the attacks. It was around 5:00 a.m. in Narita International Airport Japan. When Burris looked around to see a lifeless Airport, and people continuing to stare at the televisions with a blank look on their faces. But she was still very confused about what was happening, as she says, “I said to myself why… why is everyone so dead, did they wake up on the wrong side of the bed?” The 9/11 attacks didn’t occur to her because she was in a completely different continent. Then keep in mind this is four days after the attacks, so this shows Burris’s confusion.

Burris has had a very interesting

experience as a flight attendant.

I now realize how crazy it was that even people who had zero connection with the attacks still felt the pain, and trauma it gave Americans. Then I would say always try to view things in another person’s perspective.

And finally, this shows that you can always make something from nothing, and you need to always maintain positivity. As Burris was clueless for a profession when she felt her life was going downwards.

My mother praying after working her first empty flight during the Covid-19 pandemic in mid-March 2020

A trip to Czechoslovakia By: Tari Castanien As the sun was shining into the room on the warm sunny day in September my dad told me of a story about how he had to deal with the struggles of Czechoslovakia.

His shirt was tucked in, and he sat upright as to look more professional. The mood was calm the day was going well. ‘’This is my experience is Czechoslovakia’’ With that the meeting commenced.

My dad’s trip to Czechoslovakia helped him to be more resilient and resourceful.

This trip would lead to some of the biggest adventures of his life. Let’s start at the very beginning and how this trip came to be. It all started when on of dad’s friends had a big project come up preventing them from going to Czechoslovakia to teach English at a school, because his friend didn’t want to let the school down, he asked my dad to volunteer to go for him, seeing as he had some experience teaching ELA. Of course, my dad said yes because, he had never been to Czechoslovakia and, thought of this a great opportunity. Little did he know all the troubles that would come along with it. ‘’I was completely out of luck, and it was definitely a big setback’’ After arriving because he had lost his stuff it made it really hard to find somewhere to go. He didn’t have time to panic about his situation he had to be resourceful so that he would be able to get back on

track. As luck would have it he had a bit of money and an I.D. which helped to get him to the train station that traveled to the school. It wasn’t easy to work in a new place and learn the language, and of course working at the school came with its own problems.

Students not listening, not always being able to understand the language and sometimes having to being stressed over trips the classes would take.

After this rough start things started to settle down and it wouldn’t be till half the year was over that my dad would receive some troubling news. ‘’ After about half of the year was over, I had learned I was there illegally, because I’d never gotten a work permit’’ Due to this big setback, he had to quickly and quietly get the right documents signed so that he wouldn’t get in trouble and the school wouldn’t be in trouble for hiring him. Luckily, they were able to get the documents signed swiftly and discreetly. Meaning the school wouldn’t get in trouble for hiring him and he wouldn’t get in trouble for being there.

Even though this was a rough patch in my fathers trip It helped him to learn more about the world and to be more prepared for what was to come. Not even a year later he went on a trip with one of his friends to Paris, unfortunately for him with was the night that he would be tear gassed and would have to find a way out of the crowd and the chaos. After finally making it out they were able to drive away

and get to safety. You would think that the craziness would stop there but no, there was still one more stressful adventure to come.

As my dad and his friends were hiking up the mountain one day, they walked into a bar. Seeing as it was cold outside, and they were hungry they wanted to go in for a drink and to take a rest. But as it turns out this bar was in Germany meaning they had illegally crossed over the border and needed to sneak back out without anyone noticing. Shortly after this experience it was time for my dad to go home, the good news is that he would never forget his crazy trip to Czechoslovakia, also that this trip helped him to be more resilient and solve problems.

assistant. She has always worked for what she has gotten, she a very outgoing person. It is an honor to be called her daughter. Soon after this job she married tony Ciaravino (my dad) and had me and my brothers.

“There was never a giving up point if it was hard, I would always push through but find some time to reflect.”

Ways of the Architectural Firm

My mom reflected on her feeling and her time in this architectural firm, based off her experience and her feeling because of it.

By: Mariella Ciaravino It is September 8th, 1998. Michelle (my mom) just started at an architectural firm as the receptionist. The building is beautiful the elevator right in front of you to monitor everything and to help customers know where they must go. Scared because it’s your first day, wondering what’s ahead of us. Ready to take on the day and start this wonderful job. Who is this person’s perspective? Michelle Ciaravino.

Michelle Ciaravino was and still is a hardworking loving person, who always cared for others. She was receptionist for a couple months before she got promoted to another job. She had 3 jobs in the building she worked in. she was receptionist, office manager, and then an

When my mom started out as the receptionist of course she was scared, but she soon became comfortable and met a lot of good friends till this day. There was one specific person who helped her the most and made her feel the most comfortable, John. “it felt like home and the people were so welcoming when I started.” As she explained the people at work helped her during the process of getting settled in. The building was beautiful building open windows, so she said made it even more welcoming. She worked there for a long time, so she made a lot of new friends. This is an event that happens with a lot of people they need to get more known and have friend to be their true self, and to know that you aren’t alone during the time.

So, when she explained it to me, I saw it and compared it to situations.

Although she had a job, she also had a boyfriend and had to balance out having a boyfriend and a big job she also was doing school, she had very good management on that.

As she worked, she took on the pressure of spending quality time with my dad and doing her school (college) and work. She said it was fairly easy because they didn’t live together so she would have time to herself most of the time but would also get to see him. “It was relatively easy because he gave me my time, but it got

confusing and hard at some points, but I would always get through it.” She showed diligent as she talked about it. she talked on about the experience and how she handled it and if it got any harder, she would take a quick moment on herself, then get right back on track. I reflect on that and sometime would do that to get a grip on things in my life.

During the job she soon get promoted from job to job at the same facility. She went from receptionist to assistant. She was a hard-working person, and it would get stressful, but she powered through. She has always showed skills.

When she was an assistant, she had 3 people she worked for. She said it wasn’t very hard at that time because she was so close to them. “There was never a giving up point if it was hard, I would always push through but find some time to reflect.” Obviously, there were time where it would be difficult but for the most part it was fine, and she flowed with whatever was happening. She shows everyday that she powers through because being a mom is way more work than the job she had, so even in present day she has the same mindset as when she had any job.

If I am, ever behind she recognizes it and gives me a day or longer if needed to get a hold of the thing that is bothering me and helps me.

In these it is showing the determination and skill my mom has shown throughout her life and with everything she has done. She will always be my hero and someone I look up to for advice, love, and as a role model. My mom is a person who will be there when you need her and someone who you can depend on and shows you it ok to not be ok but it not ok to just give up.

My dad and his company,

Grosvenor, are finding new way to work online and in person. Before COVID was going on, my dad never had the thought of working online, or going anywhere outside of the office. But when COVID hit it was very different for the company and my dad especially because he would always travel for work. During this time, he realized his company wasn’t doing so bad, because if he was out of town he would basically be working online because he’s not in the office.

COVID has affected millions of businesses around the world and one of those was my dad’s. My dad has always enjoyed his work this is his longest job ever (18 years). He had a tough time when COVID hit because he loved his work, and it just wasn’t the same.

My dad always went out of town for his work to have clients invest in the business, so it was hard to stay at home for him. But as COVID kept going on it started to grow on him, and he looked at it as a positive. “The experience for COVID at the firm, at the buisness has been ok, but what it has created is a whole new way to work,” Sean Conroy/Dad. My dad took the negatives of COVID and working into a positive of opening a whole new way to work. Instead, of thinking that COVID is restricting his work which it still is it can still be something good for the company. Now if someone has a little kid the parent can stay at home with them and watch them.

Or you could go into the office, and it will feel a little more normal. Also, you could stay home some days and go into the office some days at your choice. But of course, this is depending on what your business wants to do with the way they work.

“You don’t want your product to get stale; you would rather your products be new and exciting and be worthwhile in order for your clients to be in any way interested.” Sean Conroy.

People should be encouraged to find new and exiting ideas for everything in life even in the work life. My dad was talking to me about he always must please his client when he goes to them in person. The problem was that it was hard during COVID to please his clients because he was on zoom. So, it has been hard to keep his clients investing into Grosvenor, his company because, “You don’t want your product to get stale; you would rather your products be new and exciting and be worthwhile in order for your clients to be in any way interested.” -Sean Conroy.

COVID has made Grosvenor lose multiple clients because they weren’t allowed to be in person.

Recently Grosvenor has let the employees go back into the office and travel like my dad has been recently. Now he has the choice to stay at home and set up an online meeting or go in person and travel to meet the client. Also letting them back into the office helps the company with keeping their coworkers because they can see other people in the office. Also, they could get fresher and more and exiting ideas in person then online.

If businesses are working well online does the company even think of rushing back into the office? Or do they just stay online and work remotely? “If everybody can do their job from home, do we

even rush back into the office?” Sean Conroy. There are a few ways to anwser this question. The business’s employees could all stay remote and potentially get more work done because they are not distracted by other employees.

However, there are a few cons to doing this. People could become bored, lonely, stuck waiting for meetings to happen, or having internet issues. Another option is the employees could go back into the office. The benefit to this it that you can communicate more easily and see everybody.

However, the employees might become distracted by other colleagues, by going out to lunch, and waste time form the workplace. Finally, a third option could be to compromise. Some employees could stay online, and other could go into the office.

How COVID has Affected Grosvenor By: Kevin Conroy

COVID has affected multiple businesses around the world including Sean Conroy

Businesses learn they can learn turn something negative into a positive and how to be flexible. To be successful post COVID, businesses need to please their clients, find new clients, create new and useful products, improve current products, and put them in the best work environment for them to find success. I appreciate my dad for doing the interview because he took time out of his day to teach others about what he does and how his business has changed. I learned more about how the business side of jobs works and how he has been doing in COVID with his work at Grosvenor. My final lesson to anyone reading this is to keep your head up and always try to turn negatives into positives.

Official Workplace of Sean Conroy

The Power of Experiences By: Alex Cook

My mom reflects on how her choices as a young adult changed her life forever On a rainy Sunday night in mid-October, after a long day, Wendy Cook sits at a dining room table in her Chicago home - lights on, music playing and her kids in the background, talking about her life. Wendy lived in Georgia her who life up to her twenties. She

went to school in Georgia and attended the university of Georgia. She never really traveled, and all her friends were from Georgia. She thinks that past choices make a person who they are, after all I wouldn’t be around without the choices of my mom, Wendy Cook.

Wendy has always believed that traveling and meeting new people is an important step to growing up. Wendy Cook lived in Atlanta, Georgia for her whole childhood and didn’t have many friends from outside of where she lived. Thought she loved all the people she had met and loved Georgia, but she wanted to travel the world to meet new people, she started looking for somewhere to move to. Wendy had known people who moved out or traveled to Vail, Colorado. When Wendy was in her junior year of college, she decided to cancel all her classes for a quarter and move out to Colorado. Since Wendy had always lived in a warm climate, she hadn’t seen much snow before. So, she got a job at a ski hill to get familiar with the climate. Throught the few months she was there she learned to love the cold climate and snow. When she told her parents that she had moved out to Colorado. They didn’t want her to miss sight of her goal, to graduate college. So, Wendy got an internship at an insurance company. Wendy’s advice is that “you should live your life while your young and expand on your experiences.” It is important to live and experience new things. With new experiences you can learn more about yourself and others. It is important to do this while your young because you’re still figuring out who you are and what you want to be.

“You have to be able to take risks and try new thing out.”

Wendy has always known that no matter what you do you have to keep your goals in mind. Wendy’s goal was to graduate college from the University of Georgia and then move away from Georgia. In Colorado Wendy had amassed enough college credit from her internship at an insurance company that she was able to graduate from the

University of Georgia early. After graduating she started work right away so that by the time some of her friends graduated, she could travel. While traveling she met many people and she learned more about herself. When asked how all this changed her career and her life, she responded with, “The experiences changed everything, I was able to get away and work for a little, but I was also able to branch out and meet new people from all over the world.” Wendy’s hard work had paid off and she reached one of her goals, after graduating she wanted to travel. Knowing what your goals are in life is Important because you can always know where you want to end up. Wendy traveled and dropped school for a quarter, but it didn’t affect her because she kept her goals in mind and knew what she wanted to accomplish.

Looking back over Wendy’s life her choices and experiences shaped the way she and her whole family is. Without them Wendy is an entirely different person than who she is today. Without her experiences of traveling away from home she wouldn’t live in Chicago, she wouldn’t have her kids, and she wouldn’t have her job. When asked what her best piece of advice is she responded with “You have to be able to take risks and try new thing out.” Taking risks lets you live the life you want to live or a life you didn’t know you wanted. Taking risks lets you learn more about yourself. In my opinion without risk-taking you’ll have a hard time getting what you want in life.

The decisions you make when you are younger shape the rest of your life. I appreciate that Wendy took risks when she was younger so that she is the person she is today. I also appreciate that she made these choices because she is my mom and without her choices, I wouldn’t be alive. So, as you can see choices you make while your young shape your person for the rest of your life

The Cold War-From the Other Side of the Iron Curtain Julian Daniv My grandmother talks about what life was like in the Soviet Union during the Cold War.

Above: My Grandmother, Mariya Daniv Here in the Western World, we learn about the Cold War from an Ameri-centric and Euro-centric perspective. Rarely do we see the perspective of people living in the Soviet Union during the Cold War. Here, I attempt to bring light to the stories of people living in Soviet Russia under a brutal authoritarian system from 1922-1991 by interviewing my grandmother, Maria, who lived in the small town of what is now Kalush, Ukraine in the last 30 years of Soviet Russia. During this time in Soviet Russia, she lived through intense censorship, low pay, and nothing we consider commonplace today in the US such as cars. During the interview, she seemed upbeat and excited to share these details about her life.

Due to the policy of Communism, many things we take for granted today, like cars, were very rare and unaffordable. To be able to have a car, you either had have a high position in government or had to be at a very high management position at a factory or somewhere else to be able to afford a car or other luxuries. Strangely, you could not pay for a car in installments like you can today. That option was only available for things like furniture. My Grandmother said this, “In order to afford a car, you would have to be like, top, top manager.” One of the effects of communism, due to equal distribution of wealth, is that things like cars are only available to the people who have the best jobs, unlike here in the US where practically anyone can get a car. But their other transportation options, taking the bus was <$10 (In 2021 USD). Besides public transport, people also owned bikes, as well as walked, while this did not affect My Grandmother that much since she lived in a very small town, I can imagine that it was a problem for people in cities like Moscow, Stalingrad (Now called Volgograd) and Leningrad (Now called St. Petersburg).

When we in the Western World think of the USSR, we always think of intense collectivization policies and severe religion restrictions. These opinions are both right and wrong. While collectivization and religion restrictions were heavy under Joseph Stalin (1878-1953) throughout the 1920’s and 30’s, which lead to several famines in the country, the most famous being the Holodomor in present-day Ukraine (1932-1933), which historians estimate killed about 10,0000,000 people in Central and Eastern Ukraine, but towards the 70’s-90’s, after the death of Joseph Stalin in 1953, these intense collectivization policies were relaxed. Every family who lived in rural areas who had farms could keep all the food they made for themselves unless they decided to sell it. When asked about the collectivization policies of these times, my grandmother stated, “Actually, almost every family then had, like access to some kind of farming. It didn’t mean you were selling the produce you were growing, but mostly people were growing that for themselves.” Into the 50’s and 60’s, after Stalin’s death and the beginning of De-Stalinization under Nikita Khrushchev (1894-1971), the opinion of collectivization in the USSR among its leaders was starting to change towards a more open and free market agricultural economy. Even though collectivization was relaxed a lot, the restrictions on religion remained firm until the official dissolution of the USSR on December 26th, 1991. People were officially allowed to worship, but many churches were closed or demolished, and government policy remained that no one could open these churches or rebuild them. Also, worshipping in public was an option only available to people who had joined the communist party, but for people who chose not to, they had to worship in private or not at all. On the topic of restrictions, my grandmother responded like this, “Officially, you were allowed to go to church, but almost all of the churches were closed.” After the Soviets came to power in 1922, they started going back on their promises to only keep Church and State separated led to a higher rate of private dissatisfaction with the government for a lot of people as they could not speak out against the government with the new policies of Glasnost (Openness) and Perestroika (Reform) until the mid-80’s.

The Soviet Union and Warsaw Pact States, Circa 1960 In 1960, the USSR was putting more money than ever into its military and failing space program. The only real victories the Soviet Space Program achieved were the launch of Sputnik, the first artificial object in space, which can now be seen at the UN headquarters in New York City and the launch of Yuri Gagarin (1934-1968), the first man ever to be in space. Though the Soviets achieved these early victories, the Space Race was ultimately won by the US when Neil Armstrong was the first person on the moon in 1969.

After this, relentless spending on the Soviet Space Program was impacting the daily lives of Soviet Citizens everywhere. My grandmother experienced shortages of food in grocery stores and very low pay at work, saying, “We were not paid properly, the pay was very low.” Because of the relentless funding of the now obsolete Space Program and the military, that ordinary citizens are starting to suffer, rapid inflation takes hold and the Soviet economy, once the second largest in the world, only before the US, now was failing due to the opening of the People’s Republic of China, its Communist ally (Since the end of the Chinese Civil War in 1949, which saw the Nationalist Kuomintang government under Chiang-Kai-Shek flee to Taiwan) and the economic decline. This decline and a much larger amount of inflation led to side effects like huge price increases and people losing their savings almost overnight. Due to this, the Communist system was starting to fail after only ~60 years. This inflation led to more shortages of critical products like food and essentials like toiletries and other necessary goods, which fueled economic discontent when the press opened, and people saw how much worse off they were than their counterparts in the west, which let to further voices for economic and political freedom, and this desire for more freedoms was one of the main reasons for the eventual dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.

Above: Mikhail Gorbachev (1931-Present) At the White House library.

As premier of the Soviet Union, he facilitated the opening and dissolution of the Soviet Union.

Throughout our interview, my grandmother was very thorough in her description of the daily lives of our family and those of others in the Soviet Union during the Cold War. Her insight and wisdom provided me with a lens into what life was like from the other side of the Cold War. Our relationship as a grandmother and grandson also gives us the ability to share wisdom and insight about our experiences.

Tom Gilardi

How Foot b a ll ca n I m p a ct you r Life

By J a ck Gila rd i

Tom Gilardi’s experences on high school football and how it impacted his life and mine.

As my dad gazed back on his memories of high school football, he soon felt all the memories fall into his words. Gilardi explained to me all about his coaches, friendship, and the work ethic he had. He connected and showed me how the coaches impacted his life, how his teammates created chemistry and are some of his best friends today. He has talked about loving high school football a ton. His awards and his team winning the state championship as a sophomore has all impacted how he raises me. Hard work and a good mentality will get you as far in life as you want it to.

Tom Gilardi has talked about his high school coaches and how important they were to him since I was born. He often talks about them when he is in Glen Ellyn where he played football. This month (October) he went to dinner with one of them and still has a strong relationship. He was a great player, and my dad credits the coaches and the mentality that he was taught. When he was an 8th grader, he met some coaches in the school’s auditorium and fell in love with the idea of playing in high school football.

This led him to play in high school and earn a scholarship to play in college. He loves and admires them, and he said with passion, “To this day my high school coaches are some of the most important people in my life and taught me about life”. His high school coaches influenced his life for the better. They were leaders and taught my dad how to be a leader.

He still has relationships with them and has talks with them as much as he can. As you can see, his relationships with them are still going on, and they taught my dad about life, and it has influenced how he has raised me. They taught him a mentality and work ethic. He has raised me to work hard and to not be a spectator. Be involved, work hard, be a good teammate and have fun. I see this mentality everyday within him and I am going to teach my kids that one day. I also have coaches that have helped me like Coach Mack who has so nice and supportive to me during 4th grade basketball to 8th grade where I feel that a lot of people including me have a bond with him. In addition to Coach Mack, and I have been lucky to have several coaches who have positively influenced my life.

“To th is d a y m y h ig h s ch ool coa ch e s a re s om e of th e m os t im p orta n t p e op le in m y life a n d ta u g h t m e a b ou t life ” Gilardi also talked about the dedication of football and how it was special. At this time when he felt the dedication, he loved it, but he was a freshman just starting football. He was tall but not very big, so he needed to work very hard to gain more muscle, and more weight to be ready. He loved football and loved the work part of it. He would go early to school to work out almost every day. He made sure to eat a lot so he could gain more weight. He worked so much in high school to be as strong and as fast as possible. He shows this when he says, “There was a sense of dedication that made it so special”. This shows the dedication he had to football and how its special. The mood of this quote changes from hard work and dedication to a special moment. The sense means it was by him, his teammates, and his coaches. By saying it is special this means it is different from any other sport or thing he has done in his life. I can still see it is special to him because when I played tackle football for the first time this year, he wanted me to do my best and work as hard as I can. The most important thing he said is have fun and that is what made it so special for me. My insight is that Gilardi really loved football. He spent a huge part of his life on it and shows the dedication to a sport. I see that with football games on tv to my tackle games. He cares and shows his dedication to the sport even though he doesn’t play anymore.

In the end Gilardi had realized that he cared a lot more about winning then personal awards. He never talks about his personal awards and always talks about how he wishes he won the state championship. He won many personal awards, but I did not even know that until this

interview when I asked him about them. He keeps them at my grandparents’ house and a picture of him in his pads and a medal in his room. I have seen him talk about his teammates and coaches and the fun he had 100 times more than the time he got in a newspaper or best defensive player in the county. He shows this when he says, “Personal awards mean nothing unless you won [ State Championship]”. Even though he says unless you won the championship, he would care more about the championship then a newspaper article or an MVP trophy. He was a leader and showed he cared more about the team then his awards.

He was very unselfish. If you want to do your best for the team and not for awards, then you must care more about the team. People get caught up in trying to win awards that thye don’t build chemistry or be friends with their teammates. Team sports like football are about the team and how you work together because 1 player can’t win you a football game no matter who they are. You need to build chemistry if you want to win. My insight is I was taught to be unselfish and be a team player Throughout the interview, you can see my dad has been through a lot in high school, especially in football. He has done a lot to be where he is today and get to the level of football he wanted to play.

I realized how much work he put in to be one of the best. He still thinks about the mentality and work that his coaches taught him. I have looked up to my dad and how he works and his mentality. I appreciate the work he did because that mentality set me and my family up to be able to do special things. The bond between me and my dad being the only boys in the family has been special. Hard work and a good mentality will get you as far in life as you want it to.

job, successes) to today, and her relationship that had to maintained with my dad, During the time of moving from San Francisco she knew that it would be more important for her future to move with her husband rather than stay in that long distance relationship as well as her not seeing him in person which also could have strained their relationship. Lastly this event shows how if one of these events didn’t take place (getting engaged, married, moving out) how different my life would be. Some examples include how I may not have been born, moved to a new city, as well as a new school and new friends. It shows much she sacrificed for my dads’ career even though there was no clear vision of my dad’s success.

Life will always be able to lift you up to your highest points in your life, but it can also lead you to extreme lowest points like to depths of rock-bottom.

This was the case for my mother. I wanted to interview my mom because she was born in a foreign country, and I wanted to bring forth her experiences of another culture. So, I wanted to be able to ask my mom of what she found most important in her life. This topic came up because I was stumped on what an interesting topic as I was just flipping my pen over my fingers.

I wanted a topic that would give me something to captivate what made my mom who she was. Thinking about what she finds important in her kids, friends, and even family as different topics for interview as I was sitting in class pen in hand. I even thought about what if I asked her about what she thought of her parents. But I settled on what she found most important in her which was broad. In life, it can bring you to your biggest peak of experience or beat you down to where life seems like it’s targeting you.

Sharon Gomez Life’s Highs and Lows: By: Hamilton Gomez

My mom was an experienced mother when my siblings and I were born. My mom moved to the Philippines when she was a child with an older brother.

When they arrived in the United States there was a big culture shock for my immigrant grandparents. They were forced to work at an absolute 110% to make sure that their family would survive, and my grandparents had the immigrant hunger. At the age of 1415 my mom was forced into a motherly role. She had two new siblings, which were born in America, meaning that she had to take care of them when her parents were working most of the time. Her older sibling did not do as much as she would have liked.

My mom explained this on her experience, “In pre-high I was forced into a motherly role: Cooking, Cleaning, babysitting, laundry… it helped me navigate being a mother at an early age.”

It must have been to have difficult to watch over two siblings as well as cooking, cleaning, and doing the laundry. As for myself, I can cook, I thought that I would do my part for the household but seeing it now it doesn’t really compare to what my mom had to do at my age. But after, the experience helped her realize it was a real blessing that many parents her age didn’t have to help raise their kids. She had already done all the cooking and cleaning stuff prior to me and my siblings, and it helped my mom to know that what she was doing to raise us, was right.

Although you are visiting your native country, you can still face discrimination. Fast forward to my mother’s time in college. While Attending the University of Minnesota, she was able to apply for a program to be able to travel abroad to the Philippines. She was so excited to be able to go to the Philippines in college and as someone who is from there. A great welcome from the people living there is what she expected from the people of her ethnicity. But she was wrong as she states here “The most life changing event in college was studying abroad in the Philippines… I did feel the most discrimination in the Philippines.”

My mom was discriminated as due to multiple factors of being a visitor. The two biggest ones were because she was an outsider of the country was specifically an American.

Discrimination due to the tone of her skin which was slightly different than what they were accustomed to in the country is another thing she experienced. This must have felt counterintuitive because she was utterly confused because she thought that she would belong there. This experience was the complete opposite for my mom. Even though you are of a certain ethnicity you can still be discriminated for not being 100% a native of a country. This factor also applies to any corner of the world.

Being married is a very taxing. My mom is now past college and has moved to San Francisco and worked at a company that develops pharmaceuticals.

This was during the time when my mom met my dad, and they were doing a longdistance relationship while working their separate jobs in separate cities. In the span of this one special year my mom got engaged, had a long-distance relationship, got married, had a child (me) as well as having to move out of her dream city of San Francisco. This was my mom’s response to the interview question, most important events after college, “This was all in an effort to support your dad’s medical career, but I would do it all over again to get to where I am today.”

Although this took so much effort for my mom, the meaningfulness of it shows that my mom comprehended that these events were vital to how her life played out (friends,

“The most life changing event in college was studying abroad in the Philippines… I did feel the most discrimination in the Philippines.”

Being present in the interview, gaining so much new knowledge as she has talked about different experiences from her past that I did not previously know of. I really got to grasp a much larger majority of information as she was thoroughly answering the questions that were presented to her. I now have learned of her struggles she had coming as an immigrant, and I can more thoroughly appreciate the work that she has done for me as she seemed to have it a lot harder than I had as a child and going through to my age. I gained a new insight in what she sacrificed in herself for others.

This included some of her passions, dream city, friends, etc. If I were to tell you one thing that would help you long term is that always appreciate what your parents or grandparents have done for you. This is because there is a chance that they sacrificed a lot of what they have for you to have a more comfortable life. My mom even recognized this as she told me, “My parents sacrificed everything to come here.” Be grateful for parents, as sacrifice and hard work was necessary for healthy living of a descendant.

now apart of exec board and she teaches freshman.

As you can see, Brooke learned a lot from her exec board members and they were very helpful. Brooke is now an exec board member who teaches freshmen everything she learned.

Hesitant

Greer is very passionate about MUN. She has been in MUN at Ignatius for 4 years. Over the years, Brooke has grown a passion for MUN. For Brooke’s senior year, she is in the exec board in Model UN at Saint Ignatius. Greer is very passionate about Model UN and she would take this career further in life, ’'Model United Nations has been a great experience for me. I have met all my friends through MUN, travel a lot for conferences, and Model U.N. has taught me many things. Some things I have learned through MUN is how to talk and share my opinion, debate, collaborate, draft solutions, pass papers, and speak in front of hundreds about my opinion. I would definitely take this career further in life.’’

Brooke is very passionate enough about Model UN that she would do it later in life. This also makes me think MUN has helped Brooke learn many new things that are important in our world today.

Brooke Greer is great about Model United Nations.

Over the 4 years of Model UN conferences, she has succeeded in winning awards. She won an honorable mention at her first conference in Georgetown, DC, an honorable mention at BruinMUN 2020, Saint Ignatius outstanding delegate, and LYMUN VII 2021, and an honorable mention at ELAC. Brooke is a high achiever when it comes to Model UN because she is truly passionate and about Model United Nations.

Brooke enjoyed her first experience with Model United Nations, and she has learned many things from this club. Brooke has never heard about Model UN before her first experience. She never even thought of doing Model UN. When Brooke was 13, she took a SIMUN class at St. Ignatius, ‘’When I was in 8th grade, my best friend suggested we do a SIMUN class at Ignatius. At first, I was hesitant to go but, she convinced me to go. I ended up loving the class and I knew that I wanted to do MUN in high school and out in the world.’’

What is powerful about this is that at first, Brooke did not want to attend the class and she thought it was a waste of time. When Brooke got accepted into Saint Ignatius, her freshman year she joined Model UN. When Greer was a freshman, the exec board in MUN taught Brooke everything she knows about MUN. 4 years later, she is now a part of the exec board and she teaches underclassmen (freshman who are new to MUN). Brooke loves teaching the underclassmen. She states, ‘’They are a great group and they are so enthusiastic and as passionate as the exec board. I still remember my exec board members and everything they taught me about MUN. Without them, I wouldn’t be where I am today’’ Taking the SIMUN class taught Brooke that she should try things because she will never know if she will like it. Since Greer loved MUN so much, she joined MUN her freshman year. During her freshman year, exec board members teach Brooke everything she knows about MUN. Now in Brooke’s senior year she is

Brooke’s first experience in Model UN was a trip to Georgetown, Washington D.C. Brooke says the Georgetown trip was her first and favorite travel conference in Model United Nations. Over the couple of days of the trip, Brooke and her class have bonded over the whole trip. In D.C. Greer got a feeling of politics that inspired her for the conference, The bonding and location helped her team work together to win the conference. She says, ‘’My first travel conference with MUN was a trip to Georgetown. When I was in D.C. I had a feel of politics and diplomacy. Over the days, I met all her best friends and the whole group bonded over seeing monuments and statues. There were some very interesting topics in the conference and it was very fun and challenging. We ended up winning the conference, and I even got an honorable mention at my first conference!’’

This is significant because Brooke has loved her first experience from MUN. She met some of the most important people in her life her friends she learned how to do a conference, and she got an honorable mention.

Brooke has learned how at MUN, your team has to work together as a team to win the conferences.

Overall, it has been proven that Model UN has impacted Brooke’s life in a good way. It has made Brooke who she is today. MUN has given Brooke many skills that she needs later in life. MUN gave Brooke the opportunity to teach and learn from other people, speak in public audiences, and most importantly MUN has taught Brooke to try things even though you might not want to. Brooke says, ‘’I don’t know who I would be if I didn’t go to that class!’’

‘’Diplomacy

is working with others and bringing them together to deal wih issues of the world’’

Garcia didn’t like the idea of moving to the US. Ever since Garcia was 11, she had lived in Guatemala with her family.

When Garcia was a baby, her mom and her aunt moved to the US for better opportunities for their family. When Garcia was 11, her mom decided that it was time for her to move to the US so they could finally meet eachother.

Garcia, who had never traveled anywhere out of her hometown, didn’t want to move, and was scared to leave her family behind for a new lifestyle. She wanted to meet her mom, but she didn’t know anything about her. Garcia said, “I was leaving everything I knew. Everything I knew was being taken away from me.”

Garcia never wanted to move to the US. If she wasn’t forced to move, she wouldn’t have. Leaving her family and her home country was very difficult for her because she was leaving everything that she knew.

Learning about Garcia’s story helped me realize how much courage it really took for her to move and how much fear she felt.

If Garcia hadn’t moved to the US, where would she be right now?

Garcia in her graduation gown. She graduated from Morton High School in 2021.

Brendy Garcia: Journey to the US By: Isa Hughes

8 years ago, at the age of 11, Brendy Garcia was getting off a plane with no knowledge of the life ahead of her. Scared and confused, Garcia looked around the airport for her mom. She didn’t know what her mom looked like, where to find her, or what to do. Garcia was just beginning her new life in the US. Now at the age of 19, Garcia has graduated from high school and has started college where she is studying to become a pediatrician. Garcia went through a lot to get to where she is today.

Moving to the US and starting with a new beginning took a lot of courage for Garcia, but she shows that a new beginning starts with many more opportunities.

“I was leaving everything I knew.

Everything I knew was being taken away from me.”

Garcia explains how life in the US is different from the life in Guatemala and how kids have better opportunities in the US. When Garcia lived in Guatemala, she loved to learn, but she didn’t have good education or free time to learn. In Guatemala, kids are always helping their parents out.

Especially as a girl, Garcia had to work around the house, doing chores and helping other family members. Also, education in Guatemala isn’t as good as education in the US. Schools in

Guatemala don’t provide supplies for students, so kids must use their own money to buy notebooks and pencils. Many families in Guatemala don’t even have enough money to buy food, so their kids aren’t able to go to school to learn. Garcia said, “There are a lot of opportunities in the US. In Guatemala, kids don’t have many opportunities.”

Garcia came to the US for better learning opportunities, just like many other kids who come from different countries.

The learning lifestyle in Guatemala and many other countries are very different and a lot more difficult than the lifestyle in the US. Now in the US, Garcia has graduated from high school and has just entered college where she is studying to become a pediatrician. Learning about the education in Guatemala really changed my perspective on how I see my education. Not everyone has the same opportunities that people in the US have. There are many kids around the word who are struggling, so it’s important to be appreciative for the things you have.

When Garcia came to the US, it was a lot different than she expected it to be. Garcia first came to the US when she was 11, so she didn’t have any knowledge of the US when she moved here.

Living in Guatemala, strangers weren’t very friendly and there were many crimes in the neighborhood that she lived in.

Before she came to the US, she said that it was a lot different than she expected it to be. She said, “I thought people in the US would judge me for my backround.

When I came here, everyone was friendly.”

Garcia didn’t want to come to the US because she was afraid that people would judge her for her backround. She believed that others would make fun of her for her backround and for having no knowledge of the US. Instead, Garcia said that people were friendly and sympathetic. When Garcia asked someone for help, they would help her. Garcia

learned that the US wasn’t as bad as the thought it would be. Garcia spoke about how her whole perspective of the US changed when she met the people here.

“I thought people in the US would judge me for my backround.

When I came here, everyone was friendly.”

Throughout the interview, Garcia spoke of her experience traveling to the US and how her choices have affected her life today. I realized how Garcia felt and I began to fully appreciate her courage and bravery. Garcia has taught me to always be brave even in the toughest situations. It took lots of courage for Garcia to move to the US and begin a whole new lifestyle. She has been through a lot throughout her life, but she continues to be brave and courageous. Now, Garcia is happily living in the US with her family. Her life is filled with many opportunities and a bright future. Starting with a new beginning can take courage, but it will begin with many more opportunities. “It took lots of courage for me to move to the US, but it was all worth it in the end.”

The Woman Who Has Seen Everything Cheryl is a very adventurous woman who has had lots of fascinating experiences.

She has moved over ten times in her lifetime and in that time, she has undergone lots of career paths and important life adventures.

By: Stella J ashelski

On a rainy Sunday night, I sit with Cheryl Vidal in my dimly lit room. The room is a crème color with vines and lights hanging from the walls. On the other side of the computer screen, Cheryl is sitting in her brightly lit living room on a red couch, wearing a black sweatshirt with a smile on her face. Her backdrop is the beautiful Chicago skyline. Cheryl shared with me her adventures as a child and in adulthood. She moved a lot as a kid because of her dad’s job in the military. As a young woman, she taught grade school students in many different places around the U.S and Asia. Cheryl is a very adventurous woman who has had lots of intresting and intriguing experiences, and I’m so proud to call her my Nana.

Cheryl went on lots of adventures around the world and had many intresting jobs. She worked for the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration), at a casino, clothing store, caterer, KPMJ, and a as teacher. She experienced lots of fun and intresting things while she had these jobs. One job that Cheryl enjoyed was being a teacher. She was a teacher for ten years and taught in California, Nevada, Japan, etc. She taught in lots of different environments, including the countryside, cities, towns, and more.

Cheryl loved all the adventures from when she

taught, but she had the most fun adventures in Okinawa, Japan. She said, “Japan gave me another way to look at the world, and it helped me appreciate different cultures.” Cheryl knew that she wouldn’t be able to visit Japan on a teacher’s salary, so she decided to get a teaching job there.

She said that she loved the feel of Japan and all the food, people, landmarks, and activities. It helped her realize she should appreciate lots of different cultures. Cheryl is a role model for me, and this is because she traveled the world and went to Japan all by herself. She is very brave, independent, and very hardworking; I aspire to be all these when I’m older.

Cheryl moved lots as a kid since her dad was in the military. She never stayed at one place for more than three years.

Some places she lived included L.A, Nevada, Indiana, Oklahoma City, Japan, Kentucky, Austria, and ultimately Chicago. Her favorite place she lived was Austria, this is because it was a very special place, and it made her happy. She had a hard time making friends as a kid, this is because she knew she was going to leave them in a couple years. But she got to experience lots of different enviorments and had lots of amazing adventures on the way. She said, “If your

opened to things, you can have some really fun adventures.” Cheryl was never opened to moving, but she had to do it because of her dad’s job.

Looking back, said she wouldn’t have been the person she is today if she didn’t move as much.

Cheryl still thinks she would have liked her childhood a little more if she didn’t move so much, but she also loved all the adventures she got to experience on the way.

Cheryl’s parents rarely moved as kids, so they didn’t know what it was like to move during their childhoods. Her mother always tried to help make moving fun and an adventure, and not so much a negative thing. She said, “Wherever we hang our hat it’s home, and as long as we are together it’s home.” This helped Cheryl because she stopped thinking of moving as a bad thing and thought of it as more of an adventure. She knew that if she was with her family, that’s all that mattered. When Cheryl had kids, she didn’t move because she wanted them to be able to be with all their friends and stay in one place. Cheryl thinks that she would have liked it

“If your opened to things, you can have some really fun adventures.”

better if she didn’t move so much as a kid, but she wouldn’t be the same person she is now if she stayed put.

Cheryl has taught me to take adventures, explore the world, change yourself occasionally and appreciate the little things in life. Life is all about adventures, and if you never explore the world and just stay in one place, it can be boring. Every time I visit a new place or learn new things, I think about Cheryl. I take time to look around at my surroundings, and to share what new things I have learned with others. I’m so proud to call Cheryl my Nana.

hungry during the day, so the school had offered breakfast.” The school day must have been hard for my mom, because if I went hungry most days school would be the last thing that I would focus on. You are also a 13-year-old kid who has to get their younger siblings and yourself breakfast without any parental help or supervision, you will face many challenges. This is just one of the examples that will show how hard school is on zoom for the students and for the teachers. She also explained to me that COVID made her want to do better at her job. She understands how difficult it is for her students in the pandemic and wants to help.

Th e St r u ggle s yo u h a d t o fa ce w it h COVI D-1 9 in a Sch o o l Th e s t r u ggle s m y m o m h a d t o fa ce w h ile w o r k in g in a s ch o o l d u r in g co vid -1 9

By: J a co b J e lin e k In a sunny day in March, my mother, Nadia Jelinek thought that school would be cancelled for 2 weeks. Nadia Jelinek, being a school counselor had no idea that she would not return to school in on campus until the next year. Nadia Jelinek is a school counselor at Maria Saucedo Scholastic Academya CPS school in little village. Little did she know that two weeks would turn into the rest of school off; with a virus that would change the world. She and many would have to learn how to adapt to COVID-19 and would have to be prepared for anything that was thrown at them. It would change the way that we would learn and how to help.

My Mother usually explains how tough some of the lives of her students are, but never in full detail. When I got to sit down with her, on a gloomy and rainy afternoon, it really reflected the story of her year. I finally got to understand what some students have to go through. An area of Chicago that sees 22% poverty rate. The poverty rate at the school reflects it to, with 87% poverty rate. So, we are just this information about her school I was able to infer what some of the challenges that the students had to face during the pandemic. I got to realize and understand how much different my expierience was with COVID than with the students at her school much easier I am may have it than some people in Chicago. When my mother stated, “Many kids went

Another issue that my mom had to face is the problem of the students not having access to working Wi-Fi. Referring to the first paragraph where I said that my mom’s school has an 87% poverty rate. Many kids did not have the resources needed to functionally learn every day. When you have multiple people at home like siblings, parents, and grandparents. Even if you have Wi-Fi not everyone will be able to connect. When you don’t even have Wi-Fi it becomes impossible to stay active with class or you might have to go to a different building. Outside help had provided students and families in the school with hotspots. These hotspots were strong, but not strong enough to hold multiple students and people in a house. When my mother states, “Not many kids had Wi-Fi, so it made school difficult and sometimes impossible to do schoolwork.” This shows how difficult LOC was for the students at my mom’s school; and how LOC was a challenge for me, but nothing like her students.

“Kids had no motivation, or work ethic during school because they had no supervision.”

Another problem that my mom had to face would be the problem of attendance at the school during quarantine. Before COVID her school was seeing 96% attendance rates. Then during Covid the school saw 84% attendance on zoom. Although teachers tried to get kids to turn their camera on, many would not listen. Many kids didn’t have motivation to attend school, so that’s why attendance dropped. Also, many parents were not home to tell their children to get on zoom. Then you have to add the preschoolers, and kindergarteners that don’t know how to work it so their 6th grade siblings have to help them. When one thing would be of everything would be. So, when my mom stated, “Kids had no motivation, or work ethic during school because they had no supervision.” This quote really sums up the difficulty of COVID for many

kids at home during this time. This shows how unprepared many of the school, teachers, and staff were for the pandemic and now next time something like this happens we should be able to maintain a steady learning pace.

This year has been hard for many of us, some harder than others. But my moms expierience with COVID-19 in her school changed her as well as mine perspective on what some people had to go through. I got to also understand that many kids live change drastically for the worse. Although Nadia Jelinek had to work in a school during COVID, she still was able to adapt, too the hardworking environment that Covid brought. She had to learn to adapt to the obstacles of the pandemic, for the better of the students. She had to persevere through something that we have not seen in 100 years. That is why her expierience with COVID-19 is unique, because of the help that she provided.

Perseverance is the key to success; it shows your ability to handle stress and obstacles. This will show truly who you are as a person.

You m ust have what it takes to be an athlete, being fierce, strong, and com petitive will m ake you the right athlete. I wanted to interview NFL Player, J ason Davis to understand m ore of what it takes to be a pro, and a working athlete. My idea then led to m e asking questions about how his career went, and any regrets that he had while working hard, and having the com petitive m indset he had. He had also taken m e through on his work ethic and dedication, and how it m eans the m ost while becom ing a pro athlete. A lot of people need to take away from this, due to being a sports player and being dedicated to the sport that I love playing. J ason Davis includes a big part of his im pact for his NFL team s, and how his determ ination and leadership helped get to the Divisional gam e with his team .

The Career

Former NFL Player and Illinois Fullback By: Jacob Johnson

J ason Davis was an Am erican Football player, born in St. Louis Missouri. “It takes a lot of your tim e away. You have to be invested into it.” J ason Davis elaborates about your tim e m anagem ent in the NFL. Along with how you m ust use your tim e wisely, because of how the NFL is very tim e consum ing. Also, he talks about how he m issed events for the NFL, also with how you’re on their tim e. Tim e as an athlete is huge, and J ason Davis says that it is not to be wasted, and that it’s very different from when he played college Football. He also stated that the NFL is m ore tim e consum ing, due that you’re a professional and College is less because it’s still school, and it involves classes and things of that sort. This gives m e the idea that tim e is very worthy and involved in the sports, or activities that you are doing. He also talked about rookies and how the rookies m ust use their tim e wisely and getting used to everything is a challenge. Lastly, he said that the rookies need to stay focused and block out all the distractions while being a professional player.

He said, “I was nervous because I was undrafted, and worked m y way up to a starter.” J ason had a huge look on his face when I asked him this question, but he answered it in awe and joy. J ason had to work to where he wanted to get, to also accom plish the task. This connects to a lot of people because people play sports like basketball and you m ust work hard and do everything that people tell m e to get on team s, etc. because it can indefinitely effect athletes and regular people. Everyone needs to work to get som ewhere they want to be even if you want to be a painter, m usician, singer, and even an athlete you m ust work to the position you’re in. People should take consideration into working hard because som e people aren’t desired to be what they are, and don’t want to be hard. But som etim es you’re in that position for a reason.

He nodded and proceeded to say, “Without putting your effort in som ething, you won’t be good at it.” His words can definingly inspire a lot of people to try and work harder on different things, and the significance out of com ing from som eone who had to work hard to get where they wanted to be. You need to have dedication to do som e things and work hard towards everything you do. This gives m e the idea thar the hard work really does pay off, and everything you do m ust be done with all your sweat and blood put in it. How can the quote im pact others?

It can im pact the whole world, and I believe that it balances out your m ental state with sports. Although J ason had a lot of effort, he was forced to m ove down to practice squad. When I heard the

quote, I had a sm ile and started to think deeper into the quote and realized that it was a thoughtful quote, m eant for m ost. I also took into consideration that this is com ing from a pro athlete and that he had to put the effort in to get to the NFL, the top of the top and the best com petitive football in the world.

Since I was at the interview, I had taken a lot from what I had heard from J ason Davis, he had signific ally had som e good points while talking about your effort and how m uch tim e it takes to be a pro. I appreciate that he had com e forth and spoke to m e about his career, along with his up and downs. When J ason Davis was playing, he had som e regrets, and had som e ups and downs, but that never stopped him from his work and how m uch he loved playing Football. I have m ore insight on what being a pro takes, and how the process goes. One thing that I can give also to people reading, is that they should never be lazy, and you should always com plete things with the best effort. “You love it, you’re into it, but it can get hard som etim es” m y dad J ason Davis says about having a professional job. Whom ever reading this rem em ber, effort and hard work gets you to place that you want to get to.

“I was nervous because I was undrafted, and worked my way up to a starter.” zaZz

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Life in a Big Family

My dad describes what it was like to grow up in a big family and how it has affected him to this day.

By: Clare Kennedy

Would you survive growing up with ten older siblings? I interviewed someone who did, driving to my dance class with rain pounding down on us.

Talking to my dad was super interesting, and I learned a lot about him and his childhood that I hadn’t known before. He lived in Kankakee, IL, for a lot of his life. His family consists of his parents, his five brothers, and his 5 sisters, all of whom were older than him.

Growing up, he was closest to his twin brother Pat, but also to his siblings Sarah, David, and Michael, who he was closest in age. He attended 3 grade schools, high school at Bishop McNamara, a prep school in New England, and ended with Loyola University Chicago for college. He stayed in the Chicago area for

majority of his life, close to a lot of his family and hometown. He showed that childhood has a lot to do with who people become later in life.

Growing up in a small town had many advantages for my dad. He grew up in Kankakee, IL and lived in this small town until he went away to college. He lived in 5 houses, all in Kankakee, some in the middle of nowhere, some close to downtown. He also attended a few different schools there. A lot happened in these 18 years of his life. Reflecting on his time living there, he said, “Growing up in a small town certainly had its advantages, especially coming from a big family.” One of these advantages was that lots of good relationships were built and growing up he and his siblings had many friends. The big family aspect meant that there was always a friend of a sibling around the house, and big family games and events were common. Also, my dad’s father, my grandfather, was one of the only general surgeons in Kankakee, so lots of people came to him for help. So, there were more advantages than disadvantages, which allowed for him to be more positive than negative later in life. The small town influenced his life, and these advantages are part of what that effect was and who he is today.

“Growing up in a small town certainly had its advantages, especially coming from a big family.”

People had strong reactions learning about this large family. In this smaller town, many people already knew and were used to the big Kennedy family. But what about when people moved in or others visited? My dad explained that people thought it “was crazy, a little wild”, and two common questions were “Did you get enough to eat, and how does your mom go shopping for you?” These questions and more were asked numerous times to my grandma, grandpa, or any of my aunts and uncles.

People had strong reactions to finding out about my dad’s big family because the above questions aren’t asked normally. People were concerned about the kids because meeting all their specific needs is challenging, and parents can imagine the stress

involved, as they imagine running such a household.

However, the only reason is because it is a lot to handle and not everyone wants it. But it has nothing to do with kids not getting enough to eat or lots and lots of grocery shopping.

Growing up in a big family taught my dad a lot. He learned a lot of lessons growing up. He says, “Growing up in a big family taught you a lot…to have confidence, to be able to see situations that you can learn from” but what it taught him most was “to be kind, to respect people, to treat people how you would like to be treated, but then also to live life to its fullest and have fun and to enjoy every moment and the preciousness of life.” My dad learned a lot growing up like this and it had effects later in his life.

For example, his hospitality is something that he always has with guests. When people are over, he constantly asks if they need anything or if they are ok, sometimes to the point of annoyance, which is something he got from his experiences growing up.

And just like he mentioned, life is very precious. He lives life to the fullest every day of his life, working, but still making time to have fun and spend with his family.

My dad learned a lot and had great experiences growing up in a big family. I realized that a lot of what he is today is because of how he grew up. His childhood changed him for the better and now he is the best person he could be. I’ve looked up to my dad, and I now know that the reason it affects me is because of his childhood experiences. How he grew up comes back to him, even now when he is married and has kids because of how influential it was. Childhood has a lot to do with who people become later in life.

• It is a cold winters day in Minsk, Belarus, which was part of the Soviet Union at the time, as jack frost nips at your nose you and your family wait in line for necessities like bread and meat. There has been a shortage and because your government hides and keeps all outside goods away from you in order to keep total control. This was the experience or Mike Konstorum, my father, and thousands of other people who lived in the Soviet Union. Now adays, my Mr. Konstorum is a software engineer in Chicago, Illinois but to the age of 18, he grew up in the Soviet Union. During his time in the Soviet Union, Through his experiences, we learn the wrongs of history and through them, we must grow.

Having lived through the Soviet Union, Mr. Konstorum’s perspective was affected. When I asked him how Communism and the Soviet Union had affected him, he talked about how they didn’t really have anything. Although this may seem strange in today’s day in age in America to many of us, this was how it was growing up in Communism. This was because in Communism, everyone is the same and therefore no one has anything more then another person. For example, someone could completely fail in school while another person succeeds, but because of communism, they would both be paid the same when they got a job. Mr. Konstorum thought back to his experiences and said, “When I look back, I realize that we really didn’t have anything, but because no one did we never really noticed. In current times though, he realizes the disadvantages from communism that affected him and thousands of others. As stated, his experience shows the affects of Communism and the Soviet Union on the hundreds of thousand of people who were trapped in the isolation of the Soviet Union and describes situations that the younger generations luckily do not have to experience.

In the soviet union, religion was looked down upon. Growing up in the soviet union, Mr. Konstorum couldn’t openly follow his religion. This is because you could not openly follow your religion as the government would claim that it was going against the sciences. Because of this, Mr. Konstorum was never able to connect with his Jewish faith in Russia as if say you asked for a day off for Sabbath, you would face punishments. The government would attempt to push religion aside so much that my father stated that, “There would be propaganda on the walls of a classroom saying, ‘religion is opium for the people’. This shows how much the Soviet union would control every element of the people with everyone having to be the same. So, religion would then be looked down upon as it made you different. This is completely different then it is now in America. I believe that this shows the extreme negative effects from a communist society where everyone is the same.

Through this interview, we are able to understand and appreciate Mr. Konstorum’s experiences. I believe that we must appreciate this wisdom. Mr. Konstorum has seen and been through a lot throughout his life and growing up in the Soviet Union but has always followed his values of hard work and determination even through is struggles. I see Mr. Konstorum as a role model of a determination and through his knowledge, but now I believe that I am truly able to understand his wisdom and understand how we must use it to help create a better future. Learning from the past, we must continue to create a better future.

Whole New World My g ra nd fa the r tra ve ling a cro ss the w o rld a nd b e ing intro d uce d to ne w culture a nd d iscrim ina tio n.

By: Sophie Kasper Andrew Liu, also known as my grandfather, went through an experience only 1-6% of people of through: being a foreign exchange student when times were hard for him. I talked to Liu via Zoom in October, and he was sitting at his dining room table, wearing a white linen button down with a green sweater on top, he was right by his window and while it was sunny by me, I could see drops of rain on the window and the gray clouds above. Life was hard for Liu back in his home country, Taiwan, and living on the verge of poverty was hard during an economic depression. So, Liu decided to come to America to finish his education, get a job, and start a new life away from everything he knew. Along the way he realized the beautiful country that is America is very hard, yet exciting to navigate. Liu faced some very hard and difficult challenges and problems along but way but no matter what he persevered, which allowed him to become successful.

At a young age of 24 in 1960 my grandfather was a foreign student who came all the way from a little country in Asia called Taiwan, all the way to a big new country of dreams, The United States of America. When Liu came Taiwan was very poor and in an economic depression, so coming all the way from the verge of

poverty to a wealthy country like America was a big change for someone so young. My grandfather went to college in Taiwan and served in the military for two years before coming for more schooling. During his time here he received his master’s in statistics and PhD from Southern Illinois University (SIU). When he was talking about him first being in America, he described it this way, “When I came everything was so unknown, new, and exciting like a new world.”

Liu didn’t know any English, besides what he knew from mandatory grammar school English classes and didn’t know his way around anywhere. He also did not come through an exchange program where you stay for a few years a go back, no. He flew himself out with no intention of going back meaning he was all on his own. Liu had to figure out this new world without guidance which was exciting but also scary at the same time. Some ways it was scary for him is that he was illiterate in English, and he didn’t know his way around anywhere. On the other hand, he tried to focus more on the exciting part, so he didn’t have to miss his family and friends by embracing the new culture and the new world he was surrounding himself in. He was also describing how through the struggles and challenges he faced, he enjoyed every second of trying to figure out this strange new place he now calls his home.

My grandfather first came to San Francisco, California where he made his way on a bus all the way to Southern Illinois.

Since he didn’t have much money nor know any English, he relied on Americans to help him figure out the new place full of light and foreign languages. San Francisco is loud with the constant sound of cars and tour busses and the summertime sun rays casting down on your skin. The long journey Liu made would be covered over many days and would have to make many stops along the way and since he didn’t get off the ride, the bus would cover about 1855 miles which would take around 64 hours. Without knowing anything and relying on people he met along the way he said, “A lot of people helped me when I was at my lows and, you know, I cannot thank them enough.”

“Less than a month of my new apartment and I got kicked out because other residents didn’t like the way I looked.”

Since he was pretty much clueless to a new world around him and he missed his younger sister and two brothers, he made friends with others on the bus that filled a gap in his heart. He explains that on the bus ride he met some of the most amazing people and met one Asian- American person specifically who helped him learn English so he could talk in basic English and learned how to introduce himself and make basic small talk with people. Beyond the

bus ride, my grandfather had to attend classes, they were all in English. On the bus he learned basic words but taking a reading and writing (English) class was really challenging for him. He talked about how hard they one way that he overcame that challenge was by teaching American students Chinese and having them teach him English in return, which is a clever idea. Over time in talking classes, he finally learned to be fluent but that was much after he graduated, during his time in class he learned how to understand it and could speak a little by the time of graduation.

Lastly, my grandfather faced discrimination against his Asian roots and especially in the 60s when xenophobia (prejudice against people from other countries) was much more present than today in 2021 even though it very much does still exist. During this time period discrimination such as racism and xenophobia against certain groups were much more common and even normalized in these places and while southern Illinois wasn’t as bad as some places it was still more common compared to Northern Illinois. During the interview, my grandfather tells a story of when he was kicked out of his apartment because of his ethnicity when he says, “Less than a month of my new apartment and I got kicked out because other residents didn’t like the way I looked.”

Being kicked out of your home because other people had a problem with the way you were born shows how hard life was for him. He was so new to America, he thought it was a normal thing, so he just packed his bags and left. Although going somewhere new where he thought was a chance to start a new life wasn’t really as exciting as it sounds, it gave him a chance to branch out, but it shows that discrimination is almost always present in one way or another.

Facing discrimination against something you have no control over shows how ruthless this world can be and it was especially hard for Liu because he had gone through so much to be able to get an apartment in the first place, he had to make a very long trip to be able to come to the US and then make an even longer trip to come to Illinois and then on top of that he had to take classes in an entirely different language and was able to graduate even though the odds were against him.

In conclusion, Liu was a very hardworking man who traveled a long journey all the way from home to come to a completely new place at a very young age. In challenging times, you must persevere in order to find happiness and belonging. He was taking in this new place with was so different from his home, Liu didn’t have anyone to help him or “hold his hand”, and he faced unfair discrimination against something he had no control over along the way. Traveling so far to a new world is challenging but it was one of the best experiences of his life. He spent weeks wondering if he should have gone back but he persevered. While tough and challenging, little did he know that later what once was a strange new place full of people very different from him would also be the place he found true love, raised a family, met some of the most amazing people, and now calls home. Even though it was difficult and sometimes the odds were against him, he eventually figured out this whole new world.

I chose to interview my mom for this article, Maria Christopoulos Katris. Katris was at a young age taking on the risk of starting her career of being an entrepreneur/CEO. A finance major at the university of Miami of Ohio and going to Northwestern university for grad school was all it took for her to start making big dreams come true. She went through many ups and downs to get where she is now. From a small nanny agency company to a big tech startup, she has accomplished success so far, although her journey isn’t over just yet. She believes that “perseverance and resilience is key.” Through the rough patches and obstacles that are waiting to be overcome, perseverance is what is needed to ignite that flame of courage to continue on.

Mindset, Mindset, Mindset Maria Christopoulos Katris was an aspiring CEO on a journey to success.

In January of 2006, Maria Christopoulos Katris started her first ever company called, “Nanny boutique.” She started off by people telling her, “You can’t do this” and, “Your business will fail.”

Especially as a young female, she received many rude comments that she wouldn’t succeed.

Katris says that “You have to let people know that they can trust you.” When starting a company no one has faith in you, anyone can start a company so why would they trust you?

75% of CEO’s fail in their company’s. That statistic is extremely so it would obviously frighten many investors that would think about being a part of that company. Katris continued growing her company and slowly more people started to invest in Nanny Boutique which built up the company to gain more customers and investors. Proving everyone wrong really grew her confidence for her to continue on.

Although, this was just a starting point for her.

She always had known that her dreams were much bigger than this. That little trust the first investors gave her, ignited that spark to make her take action so her dreams could become a reality. She eventually sold her company in 2007.

Second body paragraph: Katris had finally started to develop the company “Built-in,” in 2010. She already had the site started by an

entrepreneur, Matt. She took it over by herself and started working, paying herself $25 an hour.

It launched officially in 2011 when Katris posted an add on a website and her first employee Adam was recruited from it. Starting this company with such little employees Katris has always said, “The do more attitude is really important for a company like ours.” This is significant to me because I have had experiences where I was given the opportunity to “do-more”, and then I just do the bare minimum. This quote has given me some really good learning advice by telling me that simply having the “do-more” attitude, goes a long way.

Katris had to build up the confidence to continue her journey and constantly perform the “do-more” attitude. Katris had to start out alone, doing everything and anything for this company to work. For a long time, Katris had very few employees and always knew that the “do-more attitude” was something she looked for in people. This quote really stood out to me because it shows what Katris looks for in an employee and what she sees in herself. Katris likes to say that no one in her company will ever say, “That’s not my job.” Everyone at the company may have a certain salary based off a specific role, although everyone will always step-in and help anyone. This is one of the main things Katris had to live by when starting her company and hiring more and more employees.

Running the company: Being a leader of a company where you manage over 200 employees isn’t easy in the slightest. When you’re are a leader setting the best possible example, you can be is your top priority. Every leader has their own specific strengths and weaknesses especially a repeating one as a CEO. The weakness of a big ego. The mindset Katris has is, “I don’t expect people high to do everything for me, and by doing that and them seeing that I do this stuff, it enables people to do the same thing.” Cleaning the table after the team has had lunch or doing favors for one of your employees is rare for a boss. But this is what stands out in Katris’s leadership skills. She

does this stuff. It doesn’t bother her one bit; she knows that setting this example WILL affect her employees and have them reflect on seeing this kind of leadership. This is significant because it brings out the leadership and humility Katris has. Katris always says that most CEOs are the people with the biggest egos. I absolutely love when she said this and look up to it because of the fact that my mom said it, her leadership has probably affected me more than anyone. This shows how Katris is a leader in ways that are very rare for people that have a role like hers in society.

Maria started this journey of being a CEO very uneasy and uncertain. All the hurtful comments and a long start until actually starting the company. Katris struggled a ton and had to find the strength to continue accomplishing her goal. She wants people to know that having doubt and no confidence is completely normal, you just have to push through. When one has a dream, they need to act on it and achieve their goal; you CAN NOT let the hate win. You need to be a leader. Through the rough patches and obstacles that are waiting to be overcome, perseverance is what is needed to ignite that flame of courage to continue on.

“Own your weaknesses, exploit your strengths”

a twin he needed to be supported and supportive. He needed to have a role model and be a role model; he needed to have someone there for him and that was his identical twin brother Tim. His brother was with him all while growing up and still with him to this day as they just celebrated their 49th birthday together.

Growing up the twins and many of their siblings went to summer camp in rural Canada. The summer camp(s) Chikopi and Akomak are primarily Swimming camps in Magnetawan, ON, CA on Ahmic Lake. Patrick (Pat) and his twin Timothy (Tim) went to that camp for 11 years along with some sisters who went to Ak-o-mak, the girls camp.

Many nieces and nephews went to Ak-o-mak and Chikopi, respectively.

What it’s Like Being a Twin Pat Kennedy grew up with a twin, among 9 other siblings, in a small town. He relied on his brother and his brother relied on him throughout life and even to this day.

By: Patrick Kennedy Patrick Kennedy grew up with 9 older siblings in a town called Kankakee, Illinois and, Tim Kennedy also grew up with 9 older siblings in a town called Kankakee, Illinois. Tim and Pat were twins. With a growing family, eventually 13, they needed rooms, moving them all around Kankakee and eventually with kids in college they moved to Long Beach in Northwest Indiana. As the second youngest of 11 and

They were very talented in all three sports focused on at Chikopi, Swimming, Running and Canoeing, largely in part to the camp. They became so good at canoe; they entered the Canadian National Canoeing Championships in 1988. In the end they finished 2nd and when speaking about that Kennedy said, “Sports is a metaphor for life, much like life, you have to deal with disappointment.” They also created a list that tracked who was better at each sport and each part of each sport which enhanced their competitive spirit.

“Sports are a metaphor for life, much like life, you have to deal with disappointment.”

This summer camp helped to improve their skills not only in Canoeing but also Running, specifically long distance, and swimming. They went on to run at every level of education. They used these life skills learned as campers and athletes to become better people and better siblings, and are better people.

Those skills and more helped prepare them for High School and College. They both went to Bishop McNamara High school, Suffield academy for a postgrad year. Pat and Tim went to Villanova University and Loyola University Chicago, respectively.

Being a twin, entails being there for each other and being a role model and supportive twin. Tim and Pat were always supportive and there for each other when they needed it most. They were even supportive to not only their older siblings but also to their nieces, nephews and eventually kids. They were there as role models for their nieces and nephews.

They have supported each and every one of their relatives no matter profession of line of work. They were there to give whatever advice possible when in need. They were there to lift you up when you are down and to reinforce you when you need it. They were there as not only brothers but twins to lift each other up “Very Supportive, always supportive, always having somebody there to support you”, Kennedy says about having a twin, Tim. He also mentions about his brother, “I know that I had a role model in my brother, and he is an inspiration to me.”

This details how he can have someone to look up to and to be inspired by.

Being a twin, entails sharing many things like clothes, not only because they were identical twins but because they were both boys. Although they shared many things, they also had very different personalities and traits. Tim was well more outgoing and liked to be a scheduler and was more organized while Pat just tagged along and was not very organized. Pat benefited from these traits of his twin when he tagged along and joined his brother.

Although they did not share personal items like a toothbrush, they shared clothes including underwear and socks. The first time they had to separate their wardrobe was when they went to a post-grad high school year in Connecticut at Suffield Academy at age 19. After they had lived together for their whole life, 18+ years. As a high schooler, Kennedy mentions, “Clothes, yeah … It was all about clothes [growing up].” For the twins they grew up their whole lives sharing clothes.

Patrick Kennedy became a better person, brother, son and uncle because he was a twin. Pat is an example that being one half of a twin can really change your outlook and impact of life. He learned, was taught and eventually shared how to be supportive, how to be a role model, how to deal with disappointment and so many more life lessons and mantras.

A New Chapter

Grace Kiesewetter (my mom) holding Harrison (dog)

The story of how moving here to American many have changed someone’s life in big new ways.

By: James Kiesewetter

So many people can tell you about their experience with at some point in their life, and they can tell you that it may be one of the biggest impacts on your life. Having to adjust to a new home, get familiar with your new surroundings, and in some cases, learn new cultures and languages because of just how much different your new surroundings are. My mom is no stranger to this new experience, for she was born in the Philippines and lived there until moving here to the U.S. . Her life wasn’t much different here in her daily life, but what was my mom and my sister wanting, ‘to come here just to see what it’s like to be here in the states.’ showed a whole new light to my mom and her sister’s lives’. With what must be so much weight being carried on my mom’s shoulders as she says good-bye to the family and friends she knew, how did this one change impact her life?

Why/how would this big change alter my mom’s life in even bigger ways?

My mom was born in Manila Philippines in 1969 and has lived there since she was 13 with her several family members. Things weren’t too different from how things are here.

My mom and her family would celebrate holidays we have here such as Christmas, New Years, and Day of the Dead. She would hang with friends, play sports, spending time with family. It was great. But despite being able to spend time with her family, there was a family member who was missing from the picture, my mom’s mom, who was living in the U.S. at the time. One day, when my mom was 13 years old, she and her sister were invited over to their mom’s house in the states. My mom said, “My sister and I came to the United States in 1983. We came here because my mom wanted us here to see… we wanted to come here just to see what it’s like to be here in the states.” My mom was only 2 years old when her mom left to live in the U.S. . Having someone that supposed to mean so close to you live incredibly far away from you and the rest of your family can be hard for someone at such a young age. And because of this, it may have led to the

decision in which my mom decided to stay here to America with her mom. While moving meant she got to be with a family member she almost never see, it also meant that she would be moving away from the rest of her family.

Moving is a big step in someone’s life. Living in an area that you aren’t very familiar with and having to adjust to your new surroundings. People can move for different reasons.

My mom moved here because she wanted to be able to live with her mom, who she almost never got to see, and because of this, her and her sister found lives and families. These impacts gave happiness to them, but it unfortunately came with a price. While these changes have shown to lead to help her in the future, moving here also had a very big negative impact; that was her almost never being able to see the rest of her family, because of how far apart they were. Because of this, my mom and her sister couldn’t just see them whenever they wanted. My mom said that “We couldn’t just see them [family], you know on weekend or every other weekend, so it was hard not to see them.” My mom had to face the choice of living with her mom in a new land that promised new experiences or stay where she was with the rest of her family. She unfortunately is hardly ever to the rest of her family in the Philippines, for she was too far away to simply drive a car to see them. This would probably be one of the biggest obstacles that my mom had to face. However, in the end, she still was able to find joy in this at the end, and she is content with how things have changed and the new joyful things that were brought into her life.

Not being able to see loved ones because you live so far away from them might be one of the hardest things someone has to face. My mom saw the hardship of this, and she had to say good-bye to almost all of her family in the Philippines so that she and her sister could live with their mom in the U.S. .

My mom has said that it was a really tough decision she had to go

through with. Soon, through all the days spent adjusting to her almost completely new life, my mom eventually was able to fight through the hardship. Because of this, she has now found has a loving family and a good job because of this decision. Because she moved here, she was also able to learn to be independent with very little help from those around her. She and her sister eventually found happiness in the end of all the new experiences.

My mom has said that “I’ve enjoyed growing up here [America], making friends, meeting my husband, having you [James, son] and Alexa [daughter]. It’s a true blessing.” Moving away from your home, having to say good-bye to the family and friends you spent most of your life with is something very hard to move on from, and it can stick with someone for a long time. But when my mom faced these challenges, she and her sister still found happiness in the end because they decided to move with their mom in the U.S. .

My mom wouldn’t change a single bit about where her life has gone since she moved, and I can see why. In the end, she found a loving family, and she found the life for her.

Moving is a hard and difficult thing a lot of people might experience, and thankfully, I had my mom to interview about her experience with moving so I could get some better information on what my mom’s life was like. My mom was able to show me that moving can be hard, and you can come face to face with all kinds of new things and experiences that you have to get used to and adjust to. But she also showed me that experiences like this one led to all kinds of new and positive things. Because my mom moved here to the U.S., she met my father and had a family, meaning me and my sister were born. My mom shows that moving might be difficult, but once you’ve managed living in your new home, it can lead to great things.

Life in Hawaii By: Sebastian Kim Linda Ling reflects on her life in Hawaii as a young child.

On a cold day in October, Linda Ling sat in her chair wearing bright-colored clothing with a cheerful, calm smile on her face. Ling was born in Ohio Michigan on January 6th, 1976.

She lived with her grandma for a short amount of time before her grandparents took her to live in Hawaii. Her island is called Oahu Island, which is in Honolulu County. She moved back to Michigan later when she was 6 years old, but Ling went back to Hawaii where her grandfather lived many times after. She went once with a friend to a different island on vacation. The Hawaiians were very welcoming and helped her adjust to their traditions. It can be hard to move to a new area, but Linda Ling adjusted easily and loved her time in Hawaii.

Ling experienced many things in Hawaii, but there was one thing she enjoyed the most. She lived with her grandmother and grandfather, and they did many activities. The weather was very hot. People would joyfully play on the beach, and everyone swam when the weather became unbearably hot.

A popular sport was surfing; there were always many people surfing on the calm waves in the water. She went to beaches very often, where she would swim and play in the warm sand.

She also went shopping at outdoor markets which she enjoyed.

A Luau was an outdoor party where people played vibrant music, danced Hawaiian dances, and feasted on a roasted pig along with other foods. She went to many of these. However, her view on the best part of living in Hawaii was, “I guess the best part is the perfect weather and the beaches, I loved going to the beach and playing in the sand.” In Hawaii, a very popular thing was going to the beach, because everything was surrounded by water. She enjoyed the beach, where she experienced the great weather and clear skies. It was always sunny and warm, and rained very little. Playing in the sand was something she remembered for her entire life. I can see why Ling loved this, because I also enjoy going to the beach and swimming in warm weather. I wonder why the beach was her favorite part because I believe a Luau would be more enjoyable.

An important part of Ling’s love for Hawaii was the mountains, and there was one specific mountain that was most appealing to her. She lived with her grandmother and grandfather. Her grandfather loved to shop at the outdoor markets and malls, where cheap items were sold. He loved everything about living in Hawaii. Although Ling moved back to Michigan, her grandpa stayed there by himself. He lived there for the rest of his life, during which Ling had visited many times.

Ling saw many mountains; she described the landscape as being filled with beautiful and green mountains and hills. Everything was surrounded by clean, blue water. She recalled from when she visited after the death of her grandfather, “My grandfather has died since, but he’s buried on top of this mountain overlooking the ocean, and it’s one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been.” That mountain is her only memory of her grandfather. She had a great relationship with him and cared for him deeply. Also, the mountain itself had a great view of the blue and calm ocean. She had seen many sights before including the Grand Canyon, but she still thought of this mountain as a more incredible sight. Ling’s experience with her grandfather differs from mine because my grandfather was buried in a regular graveyard. I wonder why her grandpa was buried atop a mountain instead of in a grave, or if it is a Hawaiian tradition.

Hawaii had many properties like the beach, the warm weather, Luaus, shopping, music, and dancing that made it enjoyable. Oahu has a popular Chinatown, where Ling and her grandparents would eat. The people in Hawaii were very diverse, causing their food to be influenced by multiple cultures.

This caused Hawaii to be an especially enjoyable place for Ling.

The Hawaiian people were very kind and welcoming, always willing to help. This was comforting for her because it was easier to live in such a different area. Many years later, living in Chicago, she still remembers her island as an amazing place. She

said about the island where she lived, Oahu, she explained, “The island itself is probably my favorite place in the world out of all the places I’ve traveled.” All the aspects of Hawaii like the activities and the people made Hawaii Ling’s favorite place. The things she got to experience while living there must have been very memorable. Ling’s thoughts about living on the island contrast with my experience, because we have traveled to many places including Dubai, Korea, South Carolina, and more. It shows how great of a place it is to live, because she loved Oahu more than any other place she has gone.

“The island itself is probably my favorite place in the world out of all the places I’ve traveled.”

Ling had many memories of her experiences and what she loved about Hawaii. I was impressed with her ability to remember what she saw and did so vividly. I also appreciate her bravery in what she did in Hawaii, like swimming in the ocean, trying different foods, and climbing mountains at a young age. It is admirable that she was able to move from one place to another place that was extremely different for multiple years.

She also said she wanted to visit again with her family. Linda Ling thrived in Hawaii because of the kind people and her experiences there.

Mountain in Oahu, Honolulu

Zarina Mason’s Childhood By: Oliver Libke

Did you know I interviewed Zarina Mason in my house? the subject was about “Zarina’s Childhood”.

While I was asking Zarina questions for the interview, she had her eyes, and ears on me the whole time, and was sitting up straight the whole time listening. Zarina has black hair, brown eyes, and was wearing a purple shirt that day. Also, `during the interview of her Zarina’s tone, and voice sounded like she really wanted to be here and was having a great time.

Zarina grew up in Memphis Tennessee, and born in 1973, so she is 43 years old. Zarina was the first child, so she was determined to set an example to her three younger siblings Charlie, Bill, and Melisa. It was

difficult for her because she had to do a lot of chores and help around the house. But there was one thing she enjoyed the most and it was. “School, when I was in high school my favorite subjects were math, and science, and by the time I got into college my favorite subject was English literature”. This shows how much she loved school when she was younger. Another thing was that her mentor growing up was her boss when she worked at a hardware store, because she was always very positive to everyone including her.

Being a social and caring person led Zarina to made good friends easily, from Zarina being the caring person she is she help her siblings, on homework and other things that they did not understand when her parents could not help it would take a long time for Zarina’s siblings to take care of themselves, and not need to much help.

Zarina had friends that did similar things like her.

They always used to hang out at each other’s houses and did thinks like cooking, and dancing for a long time until they changed schools. “I was friendly to everyone we all shared similar interest that were cooking, and dancing”.

“I wanted to set examples for my siblings since I’m the oldest” Zarina cares about her siblings and wanted them to follow her. This compares to me because I also want to be an example for my siblings while they are growing up so they would know what to do, and what not to do. “I wanted to set examples for my siblings since I’m the oldest”.

Zarina is friendly because she can make good

friends no problem. “I was friendly to everyone we all shared similar interest that were cooking, and dancing”. The text introduces that Zarina was very kind to everyone, and how Zarina got along well with others. Also, that Zarina was a very caring person for others, and especially her siblings. “I wanted to set examples for my siblings since I’m the oldest”.

Zarina is an awesome person, and mom. She was a blast to interview! and I would love to do it again sometime. Zarina really is great because, she spoke, and gave me a lot of information to use for my interview.

“Life is so much better when you can make someone laugh or you can laugh at yourself” -Zarina

Small Town Girls Can Grow Up To Do Big City Things First Lady Amy Eshleman accomplishes big things on her road to becoming who she is today

By Vivian Lightfoot Photographed by Heidi Zeigler

Before Amy Eshleman became the first lady of Chicago in one the most monumental moments in our city’s history, she created one of the best resources for kids to have a great future. Eshleman’s path to first lady began 30 years ago when she came to Chicago hoping to begin a new life in a new city. Her journey is testament to the power of creating opportunity, the power of mentorship and the understanding that public service can transform the lives of those around you.

I talked to Eshleman about her job before she was the first lady. She had many jobs before but one job stuck, and she still tries to pursue till this day. She talked about how she worked in Washington DC for 7 years before moving to Chicago in 1991. She first worked for a large law firm where she met the person who would become her mentor, Mary Dempsey. Dempsey and Eshleman began working at the Chicago Public Library where Eshleman first developed a passion for kids and creating a future for them through after school programs and summer programs.

When I asked her why she chose this path for her work she said, “Sometimes I think I chose this path and sometimes I think this path chose me.” I love this quote; I think it’s insightful and inspiring because it shows her love and determination to keep doing what she loves. It also explains how she feels as if this job was her calling, which is helping kids that might not

be as fortunate as others to have opportunities to do amazing things in our world.

Eshleman spent 18 years as Assistant Commissioner at the Chicago Public Library where her favorite project was the design and creation of YOU media, a digital media and learning space for teens.

It was her favorite project because she could see how this new space could transform the lives of young people. “In particular I enjoy helping young people, because they are so smart, creative, and need every opportunity to succeed.” At YOU media, Eshleman saw high school students come in to learn skills like music, photography, spoken word, gaming and podcasting. One student in particular, named Chance, came into YOU media almost every day to be with friends and a mentor named Brother Mike. And now his name is Chance the Rapper.

Eshleman talked a lot about the importance of mentors in the lives of teens, but also in her own life. It was clear that mentors played a big role in her success at work, especially at the Library where she worked closely with the Commissioner Mary Dempsey.

“My mentor is Mary Dempsey and she taught me how important it is to be professional, generous, to mean what you say and say what you mean, and to act ethically and honestly.” This speaks to who Eshleman strives to be as a person in the world and wanting to be the best person she can be. Eshleman

added that her mentor Mary put a lot of expectations on her which challenged her to do the best job possible at the Library and beyond.

I learned a lot from listening to Eshleman talk about her passion for young people and the way she continues to “pay it forward”. The mentors in her life gave her a sense of responsibility and she feels that responsibility in her role as First Lady. In conclusion, Eshleman loved her work before becoming First Lady and wants to continue this focus even after she isn’t First Lady anymore. She really is committed to helping kids and giving opportunities to kids all over the City of Chicago, especially to those less fortunate.

“there are creative and inspiring young people in every neighborhood of our city, they just need a chance to succeed”

It was a warm summer night, sitting at his black marble kitchen island, computer open and working when we started our interview. My Dad, Joe “The Shark” Lopez is a very big lawyer and one of the city’s best. He was born on September 10th, 1955, in Chicago Illinois. Lopez is one of Chicago’s most famed lawyers, he has defended many clients and has met many people My dad, Joe “the shark” Lopez is one of Chicago’s most famed lawyers and is one of the most well-known lawyers in the country in the over 60 category he has been on the news a lot of times, his most famous interview was with Nancy grace when she hung up on him because he pressed her very hard. When I had asked him how he felt about this, he said “it felt good to press he like that and make her so mad she hangs up on you” he was very proud of this moment when this happened. When I heard this, I felt like it was moving moment Lopez grew up in Chicago and Addison IL growing up was hard for him, he moved to Addison when he was in high school and then moved back 4 years later. Lopez grew up on Taylor Street in Little Italy, if you don’t know little Italy around that time was one of the

toughest neighborhoods to grow up in., he told me “Even though it was a rough neighborhood, we always had fun on Taylor Street” when Lopez told me this it shows that he had a fun childhood, his mom and dad were still together. His Father, Joe (whom he is named after) worked in the typewriter business, he had his own shop in Hyde Park, on 57th.

Lopez has had many clients, from the ones who don’t look they can hurt a fly to the ones who look like major criminals. One of his most famous clients is Frank Calabrese from the family secrets case. Frank was a major loan shark (a very sketchy was to get money fast) frank had over 20 murder charges and most of them were people who didn’t pay him back (that’s why a loan shark is sketchy) When he had to defend Frank, it was a very hard job. Frank is a man who wants things done his way and won’t let anyone tell him what to do, Lopez told me “Frank was a stone-cold killer who wouldn’t listen to anyone”. When Lopez told me this, I was very surprised to hear that my dad defended the Chicago outfits (mob) Chinatown boss.

Frank even knew that he was going to jail, he already had a lawyer who couldn’t defend him because the job

was too hard. Frank was accused of killing over 20 people, which he did and even he knew that. This is significant because frank was a very big player in the Chicago outfit (the mob).

Throughout my interview with my dad, he was very informative of what happened in his life and how those experiences affect his life this way.

After interviewing him, I had found out things that I’ve never know about him and some of these things have changed the way I see him and think about his job. When I learned about what my dad has done over his life it affected me, I don’t know about you, but it has affected me. When I heard that my dad defended someone in the mob, I was very surprised to hear what had happened to frank calabrese. After writing this I appreciate my dad’s job much more and all the hard work he puts into his job. Now I realized how hard it is to be a lawyer and all the work and hours you must put into it. If there was one thing that stuck with me it was “if you put your mind to something, you can achieve it

competition wins, Danielle Day had to

later told she had a 4.6 GPA saying,

decide whether to stay in Iowa and go to

the Midwest

fantastic athlete with many scholarships.”

really changed the way I assume peoples

a steady career in modeling. When telling

Hearing this changed my view of my aunt

past. While interviewing her on her life of

her parents her decision, she said it was

totally. When I was growing up, I didn’t

moving around the world she told me how

nearly impossible,

think of her as somebody who could have

hard it was for her when he brother was

been a professional athlete or a doctor, I

diagnosed with bipolar disorder and that

that me going to New York and modeling is

thought of her as an aunt or as a model, but

even though it was a sneaking suspicion

the right path." The choice she made now

I never knew that she was so much more.

with her family the physical proof changed

has changed her and dozens of others lives

After hearing about this I realized that I

her life, she then said that if she didn’t

as a daughter, as a mother, and as an aunt.

should asking my family more about their

know what bipolar disorder was like

This decision may seem like not too big of a

past I learned even more from family and

because of her brother she probably would

deal but after I asked her why it was so

about my aunt midway through the

have never mentioned to my uncle that his

important, she told me about how grade

interview kind of like how she is yet to go

sister Lisa could be bipolar and after getting

based and academic her parents were. At a

10 years without a pet she also had 6 pets

the tests done she was found to have

young age, my Aunt wanted to be a doctor

from when she was born to being 18 years

almost all signs of bipolar disorder which

or a surgeon so when she had to make the

old.

made it so she could take meds and have

decision between modeling and her dreams

Robert Loquercio My aunt moving around the world for modeling and finally settle in the city she now calls home November 8th, 2021

I’m sure as that anybody and everybody likes to hear stories about your aunts and uncle’s life, but have you ever heard a story that changes the way you think of somebody totally.

At a young age, an 11year-old Danielle Day signed up for a youth modeling competition, hoping to do well. 6 years later, with tens of modeling

live in a big city lifestyle until the age of 18

college or move to NYC in hopes of finding

"Trying to convince my parents

The Other Side of

“I got great grades and was this

scares me so hearing that my aunt didn’t

While speaking with

another 9 good happy years of life.

it also meant she had to give up on her

my Aunt I asked her questions on what it is

dreams of being a doctor or further

like living with kids in Chicago, she

alive hanging out with my Aunt has always

education to be something that she had no

responded with telling me about how while

been a favorite but something I like even

clue whether she could succeed at but

living in Chicago she had been living this

more is learning about her and going

taking this seemingly untrustworthy

new lavish lifestyle that she was not used to

through this interview I learned so much

decision has changed all our lives it has

and said that “ I traded in trucks and

more that truly inspires me to go out and

resulted in a happy marriage and two kids.

tractors for a Mercedes and private school”

learn about this world that I have been

as somebody who did grow up with a

oblivious to my entire life.

After finding about my Aunt’s hopes to grow up and be a

Mercedes and private school hearing how

doctor when she was young, she told me

somebody like my Aunt who also now lives

about how when she was entering her

a lavish lifestyle now once came from a

sophomore year as a high school student,

farming town of 9,000. As somebody who is

she had 7 soccer scholarships which

such a Chicagoan that I get confused when I

obviously meant she could get into which

don’t see a 50-floor building thinking about

ever college she wanted with ease, I was

the possibility of not being in a city honestly

Throughout my years

“ I traded in trucks and tractors for a Mercedes and private school”

A Journey Across the Border My aunt shares her experiences crossing the border of India and Pakistan during the split of India.

By: Leena Manadan My Aunt, Mrs. Kapur was very hopeful and resilient in a time when she was a refugee. In August of 1947, a war between the Hindus and Muslims happened splitting India into two different countries, India, and Pakistan. Mrs. Kapur and her family lived on the border of what is now Pakistan and because she and her family were Hindu, their home was no longer safe to live there. This was a very traumatic and scary time for Mrs. Kapur because everything was up in the air and she was separated from her family, but she never gave up. Even in tough situations hope and resilience will help you pull through.

My Aunt, Mrs. Kapur, was very resilient during a time when she had to flee from her home. As the fighting between the Hindus and Muslims reached her home, it was no longer safe to live there. Mrs. Kapur did not have time to pack a bag or find her parents, she and her sister, Mrs. Kansal, just ran. They had to leave behind everything except the stuff they had on. Mrs. Kapur, at age 16, and her sister, Mrs. Kansal, at age 15, had to just run from their home and try to find somewhere safe to stay moving around from house to house with nothing, just trying to survive. When my Aunt talks about this time she says,” Everyday was a struggle and we had to fight to survive because we had no clothes, no food, no water, just each other.” They were alone fighting to survive for over 6 months with almost nothing and no permanent home and they only had each other.

This also shows Mrs. Kapur, resilience during this time, that she did not give up in the face of a challenge. But she figured out how to survive every day for many months and take care of her little sister with no real place to live. This makes me think of how I have learned lessons of resilience and determination through mistakes or small misfortunes. While my Aunt learned this same lesson while going through a very diffcult and a traumatic expercience. This is powerful

because it shows my Aunt’s resilience even in the toughest of times While having to live in a temporarily with an Uncle, who was a very bad person Mrs. Kapur never gave up hope. After fleeing her home, she and her little sister survived for around 6 months alone.

Until, they found an Uncle’s house to temporarily stay at. However, this Uncle was not a good person, but they had nowhere else to go.

He made Mrs. Kapur and Mrs. Kansal do all the chores like cooking and cleaning. They did not know how to cook anything except basic stuff and the food was very limited, making every day harder and harder. She stayed with their uncle for about 4 months and when Mrs. Kapur talked about this time, she explains how they coped with the everyday challenges. Saying,” We prayed every day while living with my Uncle, we also found this little Ghandi book, and we would read it every day to help us find hope and strength for the next day.”

This shows that their situation living with their Uncle was a very bad, but they did not lose hope or give up. When Mrs. Kapur says she prayed everyday hoping something what get better this shows how she never gave up. We can also see how she never gave up on hope because she would read a book, every day to try and find hope for the next day.

This is powerful because it shows how my Aunt never gave up hope even after losing everything and being in such a dire situation.

Everyone has been in many tough situations throughout their life, for example, I have been hard situations and from these experiences we learn important lessons. These lessons stay with us all throughout our life and have and will help accomplish everything that we have and will do. The lessons that Mrs. Kansal learned, of never giving up and never giving up on hope in this situation, helped her throughout her whole life to accomplish everything she did. Like, getting into one of the best medical schools and universities in all of India after missing over a year of school and rebuilding her family and life after losing almost everything. This shows Mrs. Kapur’s determination and will to not give up on hope and how it helped her through one of the toughest situations in her life but also helped her accomplish much more too.

“My Aunt was very resilient during a time when she had to flee from her home.”

When Mrs. Kapur talks about fleeing from the Pakistan to Delhi, she talks about how journey was and how diffcult and scary it was.

After Mrs. Kapur and her sister, Mrs. Kansal, fled from their home and survived alone for many months, then had to live with an Uncle who was not a good person. After surviving almost a year without their parents, they were later reunited with their dad. But they needed to travel from the border of Pakistan all the way to Delhi (Delhi was in the middle of India and the captial) to try and find their mother. Walking all the way to new Delhi would be very diffcult and dangerous and it was a hot summer day with the temperture over 93 degrees. So, they had to ride the trains coming into the city.

When my Aunt speaks of riding the train, she explains how dangerous and scary they are. Saying,” The trains came into the city

full of dead people, so we had to ride on top and everyone was always fighting over supplies and what your religion was. It was a very scary time.”

This expercience was very dangerous because riding on top of a moving train is not safe. This situation is also very scary because everyone was fighting, and Mrs. Kapur could have been in the middle of the fights at any moment. This situation is very powerful because it shows how important family was to them because they were willing to risk so much to try and find their mother. This quote is significant because it shows how dangerous and scary fleeing from the border to Delhi was, but they were willing to cross because they cared so much about their mother.

As Mrs. Kapur shared her experiences, I realized how much my Aunt has endured in her life and the many qualities and values that helped her. During the interview she talked about fleeing her home, living with an uncle, and fleeing from the border of Pakistan to Delhi.

Not only did I learn about everything she went through after she left her home, but I also learned what helped her survive. As Mrs. Kapur shared her story, I saw her hope and resilience shine through and help her the most. Even in tough situations hope and resilience will help you pull through.

the athletes he coached. Sometimes this could mean staying longer at a practice to help a kid learn a new takedown or drill, and sometimes it just meant being there for them as a person to rely on. Whatever that meant he was ready to help anyone out and get to know them better. McCann said, “It was the richness of the relationships that I enjoyed the most, with the athletes I was blessed to coach.”

He understood that teaching and coaching wasn’t just his job, it was a training for life. The people he met helped shape his positive mindset and his hardworking personality. Dennis had a successful career, and many long-lasting relationships because he was able to see the positive in everyone, and he brought it out. He never gave up on any student or teacher because he believed he could always help them. Coaching was similar. A small kid that didn’t have much talent but worked hard could make the big play for the team. He liked to say “I was just the right guy in the right place” when discussing his relationships with the athletes he coached. Dennis knew it was in their control to get better at something, and if they desired to become better with sports or schoolwork, he could help them. My Grandpa always had the mindset of helping everyone and forming powerful relationships with every student and coach.

Dennis McCann: The Coaching Career of a Hall of Fame Inductee My Grandpa reflects on his forty-five-year coaching career and gives us meaningful life advice on the journey of being a high school coach and teacher.

By: Colin McCann It’s a late November day in 1995. The air is crisp, and the afternoon sun fails to give off enough warmth. No one in the stadium seems cold. It is the fourth quarter in one of the greatest Illinois State Championships ever. Maine South and Mount Carmel are tied 28-28. Maine South has the ball at Mount Carmel’s twentythree-yard line with eight seconds left. A field goal here will seal the game for Maine South. The fans sit in uneasiness; they know that Maine South’s kicker had missed a field goal to lose the game in the playoffs last year. Coach Dennis McCann signals for the kicker. A thirty-seven-yard attempt. This field goal could end the game or send Maine South into an unfavorable overtime. The kick is up, and its good. The Maine South crowd stampedes onto the field. Game over, Maine South wins 31-28.

The decision of going for the field goal was not an easy one. It was Coach McCann’s trust in his players and other coaches that won him his first state championship at Maine South.

My Grandpa, Dennis McCann, created long lasting bonds and relationships with people that helped him through his career and life. In 1970, Dennis began teaching and coaching at Gordon Tech High School, now known as DePaul College Prep. At Gordon Tech, Dennis was a Social Studies teacher, a football coach, and a wrestling coach. While coaching, Dennis quickly learned how important strong relationships were. He also learned how important it was to have strong bonds with

“I was just the right guy in the right place” Part of why Dennis was so successful is that he believed in every student and player. He understood and respected that different children needed different amounts of assistance to reach their goals and dreams. He was respected amongst his students because they knew he was trying to bring out the best in them. Coach McCann believed in them when they might not have believed in themselves, which is why he made such an impact on so many young students and athlete’s lives.

Believing in them motivated them to practice the extra couple of minutes each day and have something to look forward to the next day. He motivated them to work harder and push them to go do something that might be out of their comfort zone.

Dennis said, “I think when someone believes in you, you know, thinks you can do it, it really helps you.”

Believing in someone can really have an impact on how hard they work, and it can give them motivation to accomplish their goals. When talking with my Grandpa, he said the students he taught that became better, were often the ones who didn’t take days off. They were also the ones who worked hard every single day.

This meant putting 100% into their schoolwork and athletic journey. Dennis often said with a smile on his face, “You can’t be afraid to fail, or be judged, you just got to keep giving it your all.” Coach McCann mentioned a story about when he was in his first season of coaching at Maine South. The football team was not the most talented group of guys, but they learned to work hard, and they believed in each other. When everyone has a strong trust in the team that makes them unstoppable.

This team ended up winning the state championship in 1995 on a game winning field goal.

Throughout Dennis’s career he learned to never give up. Sometimes that meant never giving up on a student or teacher, and sometimes that meant never giving up on a goal. He realized that not everything he did was going to be an easy task. Never giving up was a big part of his career because it was something that he learned from his coaches and wanted to pass down to his players. There were times where he felt like quitting, and times where he motivated students to keep going. “I found out that when things go wrong, you lose a game, make a bad play, get pinned

in a match, or something screws up, that a lot of people crumble or falter. If they had just stayed a little longer, you know a few steps more, they might have been able to win it,” said Dennis.

Coach McCann acknowledged that there were many people who felt like it was too difficult, and he even admitted that was him sometimes. The reason he stayed with coaching was because he knew he was making an impact on someone to keep going. He knew that giving up, no matter how many bad things happened to him, only stopped him from getting to where he wanted to be. Never giving up was difficult. There were games that were lost by one point and matches that came down to the last second. However, there were also games where it did go his way, and the team won by one point, and that was motivation for him to keep going and stay the course. “I almost quit” those were his words when discussing his college wrestling career. He was having a difficult year wrestling and wanted to give up. His coached talked to him and said he wanted him to stay. That moment had an impact on the way Dennis coached. He taught students and athletes to never give up or quit on something even when it was difficult or challenging.

Throughout this interview, my grandfather has shared his career stories that helped shape his life. The relationships he created, the lessons he learned, and the things he believed have helped him reach so many accomplishments. He was inducted into the IWCOA (Illinois Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association) in 1997. At Gordon Tech he was named “ Coach of the Year” and was inducted into the Chicago Catholic League Hall of Fame in 2005. In 2014 he was awarded the IWCOA Lifetime Achievement Award. One of his most recent accomplishments was his induction into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame on October 17, 2021.

Dennis finished his wrestling and football careers as a coach with over 500 dual meet wins and 6 football state championships (Maine South and Gordon Tech). Even after all this, Dennis believes his proudest accomplishment was mentoring two National Wrestling Hall of Fame Medal of Courage recipients. One of them was his son who passed away in 2004. Dennis still attends football games and wrestling tournaments and continues to help young students and athletes be the best person they can be.

Coach Dennis McCann during his last game in 2014.

divorce are validated. Some may be happy, some may be sad, and some are completely and utterly confused. My mom was very nervous to begin this journey of her life but knowing that the next chapter was waiting for her helped her push through this difficult time.

The Reality of Divorce My mom reflects on what having a divorce was like and uncovers the true reality of a divorce.

By: Gabby McDermott Not all divorces are the same. Not all divorces are bad. Divorces aren’t talked about enough and are always seen as something terrible. In reality divorces can be different for anyone no matter the situation. My mom touches on this topic very lightly with me and my siblings, but as we get older and become more muture its time we learn more. On this warm September evening I sit with my mom, Bridget Daley, and interview her on my parents’ divorce.

Bridget is very open about how a divorce can be overwhelming and most times, if not all, a roller coaster of emotions. The legal process is grueling, intimidating, and extremely stressful for all parties involved. Both parents need to find a divorce lawyer, you have to interview the lawyer to make sure they are the right fit for you. Once you find a lawyer you feel comfortable with you can begin the process. The entire journey is very scary, but there’s always a light at the end of the tunnel.

Each divorce is unique to itself, and my parents were very lucky to be on good terms then and now. Bridget talks about the different emotions you can feel, “Um, it’s extremely overwhelming. Um, you have tons of different emotions from being overwhelmed. Um, also excited to start a new chapter in your life.”

Every person’s emotions throughout the

Bridget explains how getting a divorce can have many different emotions, but a new chapter is always waiting for you. Sometimes getting a divorce can be the best option, regardless what everyone else thinks. It can help give your kids a better environment. It can help them get away from the fights and the tension. Divorces can also be very beneficial to the parents; you are building a new foundation for yourself and for your family. The divorce can help get rid of stress and can help you mentally and physically. “Once you rip off the band-aid it’s time to heal.” Bridget expresses how healing can be the most important part of a divorce. The healing process can be different for everyone, but every way of healing is acceptable. My mom took her healing process very seriously and wanted to make sure that she was the best version possible of herself.

“Once you rip off the band-aid its time to heal.”

Bridget has never backed down from anything and never will. My mom is an entrepreneur, a parent, a daughter, and a loving person. During the divorce she was worried about how me and my siblings would react and how everyone else would, but that never stopped her from becoming who she is today.

“I have no other option than to succeed. I will not fail at this because I have three kids to take care of.” Bridget won’t let anything stop her from becoming what she wants to be. She wants us to realize that too. My mom has always told me to strive to do better and I always try to do my best. After hearing this quote, it made me think more deeply about why she’s been telling us to do better than we did before all these years. It’s so we can succeed and achieve all of our goals and to never settle in any aspect of our life’s.

Throughout my interview my mom was open as she spoke about her experience of a divorce and how it has only made her stronger. I appreciate everything my mom has sacrificed to get to where she is today a mom, a daughter, a friend, and a business owner. My mom has been through so much in her life and continues to do more and more each day. I have always looked up to my mom, but after hearing this interview I am beginning to look up to her even more. She showed me how strong of a person she truly is, and I strive to be just as strong as her.

My mom taking photos for her business.

A 9-11 Hero My dad talks about how he saves his coworkers on 9-11.

By: Regan McDonald On a cold October night, I sat down with Paul Alan McDonald, my dad, to talk about his 9-11 experience. The interview started by talking about how on December 12, 1967, a 9-11 hero, my dad, was born. On September 11, 2001, he was living in Manhattan. Every morning he would cross the bridge to go to work in New Jersey. The morning of 9-11 started out as a normal morning, with McDonald dressed in his fancy work clothes going to New Jersey to meet with clients from all around the world, until planes started to crash into the Twin Towers. McDonald, 33 at the time, knew he had to do something to help his coworkers. He decided to put his own safety second and focus on his coworkers first.

When the planes crashed into the Twin Towers, McDonald took action to make sure his coworkers were safe. On September 11, 2001, planes crashed into both Twin Towers. McDonald, living in New York at the time, knew that he had many younger colleagues. Him nor his coworkers knew what was happening at the time. Since they were working close to the Twin Towers, McDonald realized that it was his responsibility to keep his coworkers safe. He said, “Nobody is going to leave the office until we [McDonald and his coworkers] know it is safe to.” McDonald, knowing the risks, wanted to make sure that everyone was safe, and would do anything to keep them safe. During this time, many of McDonald’s coworkers were saying that they wanted to go home. Since he and his team did not have enough information, he made the decision to keep everyone in the office to ensure that everyone was safe and could go home to their families the next day.

McDonald made another decision to keep everyone safe by putting their saftey in front of his own. After the towers were destroyed, a lot of his team were suck in the office with nowhere to go. This made a lot

of people anxious that they were not going to be able to get home and have nowhere to go for the night. During this time, there was still no information saying that there were no other planes out in the sky, and no one knew if there was another target going to be struck and where it might be, so McDonald knew that he had to do something to make sure that his coworkers had somewhere to go for the night. The company he worked at, Accenture, already had a few rental cars. He asked his team members, who did not live in New York, to get into groups based on where they lived. He assigned each group to a car. There were cars going to places around Atlanta, Chicago, and Florida. He still had people who were living in New York who had nowhere to go. Since it was a weekday, no one had checked out of their hotel rooms yet, so McDonald asked for the people who did not live in New York for their hotel room keys. He then sent those people off to their destinations. McDonald was left with a big stack of hotel room keys and a lot of people who had nowhere to go for the night. This made them anxious. McDonald walked around the office and handed out hotel room keys to the stranded people. As he handed out the keys, his coworkers faces went from a look of worry to a look of relaxation because they knew that they had a place to stay for the night. McDonald didn’t even think of himself and that he too could not get home until, “I [McDonald] got to the end of the pile and has one key left. I [McDonald] said, okay, this one’s for me.”

McDonald put all of his coworkers in front of himself even though he could have given himself the first card to make sure that he was safe, but he did not. Instead, he made sure all of his coworkers were safe before even thinking about himself. McDonald putting his coworkers in front of himself reminds me of how he does this with our family. McDonald in normal everyday circumstances, always puts his family before himself.

This is the same thing that he did with his coworkers. Even during a dangerous situation, McDonald puts his coworker’s safety in front of his own.

Even though he saved his coworkers, he does not think of himself as a hero. He came up with an idea that allowed his coworkers to be able to have a roof over their heads. He was the only one of his coworkers who came up with the idea. No one else was able to come up with this important idea in a time of need except for McDonald. He and his coworkers experince could have been a lot worse if it were not for him. Even though he helped give his coworkers a place to sleep for the night, he does not think of himself as a hero. He said, “I don’t think that it [providing shelter for his coworkers] was heroic. I am just happy I thought of it.” McDonald stays humble no matter what. Most people would call him a hero because he helped his coworkers. If he did not do that then who knows what would have happened that night of 9-11. McDonald’s team could be sleeping out on the street if it was not for him and sleeping on the street is dangerous in New York - anything can happen to you if you sleep on the streets.

McDonald providing his coworkers a place to sleep for the night makes me think of him as a hero. Is McDonald’s actions heroic when you look at what other people did on 9-11? Is providing a roof over people’s heads the same as running into a collapsing building to save people?

McDonald not calling himself a hero reminds me of my life with him. Even on an everyday scale when he would help me or anyone in our family with anything. No matter if it was fixing a broken cabinet or getting stuck toast out of the toaster. McDonald would help, and he would not look for any credit. He would just do it out of the kindness of his own heart.

“It reminded American how we can all come together to fight a common enemy.”

After 9-11 McDonald looks for the good that came out of it. A few weeks after 9-11, once everything started to calm down, he was still living in New York. When he would go out to eat at a restaurant, he would realize that the atmosphere was very different. Normally the restaurant was loud with music playing and people talking. There would normally be loud honking on the streets. This was not the case after 9-11. After 9-11 there was very little to no music playing. The only talking was in whispers, and there was no honking. Another difference that McDonald saw after 9-11 attacks is that “It reminded American how we can all come together to fight a common enemy.”

McDonald was able to take a negative event and find something positive out of it. Obviously 9-11 was a bitter and grim event that happened in US history. However, 9-11 did not only have bad things come out of it and McDonald noticed that. When riding in cabs, he noticed how the cab drivers, from different faiths, were saying how much they love America.

Another thing he noticed is that Americans came together to help clean up after 9-11. Americans came together to help support 9-11 victims. These are all positive things that came out of a negative circumstance.

McDonald told his perspective of 9-11. From talking with McDonald, I realize that he did everything in his power to keep his coworkers safe. I have always thought of McDonald as a helpful person. I never realized until now that he made life changing decisions. This new information makes my understanding of all that he does stronger. I now know that he helps people out of the kindness of his heart and does not look for credit. Talking with my dad makes me recognize that by putting others before yourself can make a life changing difference.

The Interesting Life of Victor Ryder by: Cooper Meno.

This is the life of former high school football player, grandpa and more.

always be there for people.

Oliver and him are buddies and By: Cooper Meno go everywhere together, he says “dogs will always be there for I sat down and talked with my you”. He also loves my dog darth Grandpa (Victor Ryder) who was who are buds. But me and him always super interested in have a great relationship in fact football and was the best on the while I’m writing this, we are team! Also, in his high school going to go to the bulls’ game years he played and was the #1 tomorrow. We always have a quarterback! He even said, great relationship and I want it to “Football kept me motivated.” In stay this way. high school he experienced the My Grandpa mlk riots, which changed his life has a lot of stories, some that I a lot. baseball, football, would never have in a lifetime! basketball, and hockey were He is a very good dad, Grandpa, some sports that he was big fans dog owner, Sport geek and most One time in of. Even though he did not play importantly role model. I wish I his high school they had a school basketball and hockey he still more time to talk to him watched them, and we bond over invasion for the movement. He had because everyone can learn told me that, “a bunch of students it currently. Something that was something from him and his cool for me as a kid was how his from different schools came stories.

This was a fantastic time charging in saying black power, brother worked at the bullpen at talking to him and loved this black power!”

So, he exited the guaranteed rate field. rd project.

Thank Poppie, for This allowed building on to the 83 street bus the informationyou, and support. because the one before was me to see all my favorite pitchers closed.

A bunch of men charged and players (Chris Sale, Luis in punching the person ahead of Robert, and Eloy Jimenez).

Victor Ryder was an awesome him in the face and they ran out role model who was not only to of the back side. He went home me but also my family, He also nearly getting jumped by many was A awesome Dad, grandpa, men. This was all after Dr. Martin Luther King’s assassination. dog owner, and person.

One more His football thing was his life retired.

His life life was very big in high school and was a very good player. He retired is awesome he gets to lay played Quarterback and had the with his dog Oliver watch sports, aim of a sharpshooter. He loved see me and most importantly his teammates; they formed their own squad that would go everywhere together, He said that “I would walk through the hallways with my teammates”.

He was skinny but very athletic.

He would watch the bears and would go to games and loved it!

One thing I thought was so cool is that he made the newspaper as a freshman!

“Football kept me motivated.”

The Struggles of COVID Through a Buisness Perspective Bonnie Micheli describing her struggle running a buisness through COVID.

By: Sam Micheli I first talked to my mom in October of 2021 in person.

We were at home, in Chicago, and she was wearing a red wool sweater and was very excited to talk about her experience as a buisness owner. Running a buisness may seem easy to some but it actually isn’t, especially during a worldwide pandemic. My mom has worked very hard for her whole life, and I have always admired it. After interviewing her I admire her even more. My mom has shared her struggles running a buisness during COVID and it has really showed how hard she works and what she had to go through. My mom went through a lot with her buisness during covid and instead of giving up she tried harder to make her the strongest she has been.

In March of 2020, COVID hit and affected many small businesses, one of them being Micheli’s. In March of 2020 Shred415 (Micheli’s buisness) shut down. Micheli describes Shred415 as “a family-friendly, athletic environment where

people of all fitness levels can come together.” Micheli and her co-owner, Tracy, started this buisness in 2011 and she knew that she had to balance out her home life and her career life.

Although it was difficult balancing out starting a buisness and having two kids at home, she managed to do it. Never in the years that she has owned this buisness did she think that anything like this would happen, until it did. Once it shut down, they lost many clients and instructors and it was hard on everyone, “COVID was a hard time mentally and physically for everyone.” COVID was mentally hard for everyone because many people had to be away from their family, couldn’t see friends, couldn’t do the things they loved anymore, and I think that was hard mentally. I also think that it was hard physically because many people couldn’t be as active as they wanted to be and many lost all motivation, and I think that effected many people. This is significant because Micheli is showing that everyone had a hard time in COVID and that no one was alone during this time, and we were all in this together.

Since all gyms shut down during COVID, that included my mom’s, so no one was able to go workout. This I think effected a lot of people because like I said in the last paragraph, many people rely on working out for stress relief, just to take a break from things, etc. So, when gyms started to open again, some people were very ready to go back but others were scared. But when covid cases started to die down and less people got sick per day, many people started to come back, “We had people coming back that we had not seen since the pandemic started.” Many people were very scared to come back to gyms and to be in a space with many people. But some people did end up coming either right back and or later.

“Covid was a hard time mentally and physically for everyone.”

Shred415 is a very upbeat place and its very energetic.

That all changed when the pandemic started, and classes had to be smaller, and everyone was going through a hard time. This changed the mood because “At Shred415, the energy is brought by a full class of people, music blasting, it’s a ton of fun, high energy instructors.” Shred415 runs on everyone’s energy to

create more energy and when covid hit not as many people could be there so there was less energy. So as people come back many people notice how much more energy there is and what a great enviornemnt it is. Shred415 also had to cut their classes in half for a while so when people started to come back it wasn’t all back to normal at first. Many people were unable to come back because they didn’t want to or because they were too scared due to covid. So overall Shred415 is a very upbeat and exciting high energy place and covid really had a big imapct on that energy but as people start to come back and full classes are back the energy has skyrocketed upwards. Finally, people are starting to bring the energy back in and it is starting to get back to normal.

Throughout my interview, my mom was very informational when telling me about her buisness and how it survived through COVID and how it has affected her buisness today. When times are hard you have to persevere and work harder. My mom has gone through a lot with her buisness and has always worked her hardest. I have always looked up to my mom for being so kind, caring, hardworking and so loving. Now I am able to learn about what she has to go through when running a business and it’s not as easy as it seems. I really admire her for being so hardworking and never taking a break. I am extremely grateful that I had the opportunity to learn about my mom and her business through the struggles of COVID.

A Journey Of A Medical Superhero My dad’s current career values the thought of being selfless. He opened companies to cure depression, PTSD, anxiety, and trauma. However, the journey wasn’t always easy to get to where he is.

On a calm Sunday, Dr. Guriqbal Nandra is sitting with me in our living room in a building on Lake Shore Drive. He is sat very comfily on the black faux leather couch with legs rested on a leopard print ottoman. Nandra has a relaxed face, thinking about his answers in a composed way. He, who is also my dad, moved all around the world. He was born in India and made his way, stopping at multiple countries, to the United States.

Him and especially his dad are great doctors. Dr. Nandra received his medical degree at University of North Dakota School of Medicine. He later opened a few of businesses Metro Anesthesia, Metro Health Solutions, Metro Continued Care, IV Solution, and Serenity Foundation. Dr. Nandra is represented in a few podcasts such as WGN Radio and Forbes Publishing. Guriqbal Nandra values to help others and our family are excited to see what he does next.

My dad’s parents moved all around the world, but they always wanted to live in the United States. Dr. Guriqbal was born in India, but when he was a baby, they moved to London at two years old for six years. During the last year of the six years his father moved to Canada to see if it was the fit for them, and it was.

The Nandra family moved to Canada and lived in a very small trailer, once they made the money they moved to a smaller house, then a bigger house. Then his dad got an invitation from a senator in North Dakota to get a job as a doctor there since there was an outage. My dad stated, “We ultimately wanted to move to the United States. That’s where my dad’s dreams were, my mom’s dreams were.”

The Nandra’s got to fulfill their dream by moving here and get a great education in medicine. It helped our family grow success and come to where we are today with businesses that are beneficial to others. Looking back, this was a great move for the Nandra family to do and I can’t help but root for them through everything they go through.

Moving all around the world wasn’t always easy. Like I stated, he spent six years in London and left in sixth grade. Just imagine all the friends you make in sixth grade, in middle school, and you just must leave them to all the way

across the globe. Then you move to Canada, which the weather is different compared to London. Finally, you move to North Dakota, you live there for the longest so far, after all those years you leave across the country. That’s what my dad went through. He had to leave all his friends, but in the end, it was worth it. He stated, “But when I lived in England, that was very hard and scary moving to a place like Canada where winters are bad, and you don’t know what the kids were like..”

My dad got a wife and two kids and one puppy, with a happy ending. He owns several companies: Metro Anesthesia, Metro Health Solutions, Metro Continued Care, IV Solution, and Serenity Foundation. All of which help others either with anxiety, depression, PTSD, trauma, not great healthcare, and going across the globe as a med student to train more overseas. I believe he is the most helpful person I know, and I love to support him as his business start growing.

“It was always very hard for people to visit us in North Dakota. And there were no people in our Indian and Sikh community.”

Moving around, you might not always feel included or comfortable with the new people around you. Like Dr. Guriqbal stated, you don’t know what the kids are going to be like.

Think about that nervousness you have going to a new school; you don’t know if people will like you. You don’t know if you’ll fit in or stand out. It’s all new people. Now think about the same thing but moving to three different countries throughout your childhood or when you’re a teenager. You move away from family.

My dad’s family is all the way in India, across the globe once he moves to Canada.

They don’t have much family around and no one apart of their communities. Dr. Bal

states, “It was always very hard for people to visit us in North Dakota. And there were no people in our Indian and Sikh community.”

Because he moved all around the world, he might’ve not felt comfortable and included, but once he moved here in Chicago, my dad felt way more included and comfortable. I always wondered if immigrants ever regretted moving, or they moved to a play that they never fit into. My dad was lucky since where we live right now has plenty of Indians and Sikhs around us.

Throughout the interview, my dad passionately talks about his businesses and his past that came up to where we are now. My dad works very hard, and I understand how hard he works to get to where he is now. He’s been through some tough times, but he pushes through. After the interview, I’ve appreciated all the work Dr. Nandra has done and put into his life. He uses inventions like ketamine and other drugs that have been “lost” in the medicine field to his advantage by making them cure depression and other mental illnesses. My dad is happy to be in the United States and around family. Like he said, his parents wanted to be around our Indian and Sikh community. Dr. Nandra followed his dreams of being an anesthesiologist and worked very hard for these opportunities.

One only gains success by working for it, not just standing by.

Ru n n in g Ch ica go

Interviewing my mom, Megan McDonald Paulson, about working at the Mayor’s Office.

By PJ Pa u ls o n

With all the political drama nowadays, it is difficult to see a government office as anything but just one entity. People often forget that, to function properly, every large political figure must have a large and competent administration backing every move they make.

This is the untold story of someone who has worked behind the scenes before. This person is my mom, Megan McDonald Paulson, who kindly let me interview her about her 15 years helping plan events and working for the Chicago Park District under Mayor Daley.

She started her work for the mayor as an intern in college.

After she graduated, she realized what she wanted to plan events for a living. After a few years, she became the executive director of special events at the Mayor’s office of Chicago. In her 15 years there, she helped plan a lot of important events, such as the 2016 Olympic bid, Taste of Chicago, many concerts, and several Lollapaloozas.

She’s also met many important people, such as Oprah Winfrey, Stevie Wonder, and many others, including a not-sopleasant encounter with Kanye West. However, the encounters she enjoyed most were ones with people who weren’t so fortunate. She recalls that, “it

was fun seeing people who had life challenges and watching them slowly overcome them and become something for themselves”. It’s truly an empowering experience to see someone overcome life challenges, considering that many are unfortunate to never grow out of them.

In her experience with the celebrities she’s met, she’s found that most haven’t let their fame get to their head, and are wonderful, splendid, down-to-earth people. She recalls that “there are all these stories and rumors about celebrities – that they’re rude, they’re nasty, that you can’t make eye contact with them, the list goes on – but [she] found that [she] had the exact opposite experience with most of the people like this that [she] met”. This proves that, metaphorically speaking, you can never judge a book by its cover. Someone that looks charming and friendly on the outside may be a terrible person, and vice versa.

As I’ve mentioned before, it’s sometimes hard to see a government office as anything but just one person. There’s a complex team working behind the scenes of everything that’s important, and government offices are no different. Work behind the scenes isn’t easy, having loads of work equal to or

above what the elected official gets. Mrs. Paulson can attest to this, as for around half her life, she’s planned events for large organizations such as Lurie Children’s Hospital, St. Ignatius College Prep, and of course, the Mayor’s Office. You need good coworkers to get the job done, of course, and Mrs. Paulson states that, “A good coworker will always ask someone, ‘what can I do to help?’”.

Someone who is willing to help others, no matter their position, is always a big help in the workplace. Her experience with these co-workers must have had a lasting impression on her, as she mentioned that she would happily work in this position again, given the chance.

While interviewing Mrs. Paulson, it became way clearer than it already was to me that work behind the scenes at any workplace should not be taken for granted. Megan worked very hard in her time at the mayor’s office and continues to do so today as an event planner and a mother alike. Make sure to never judge anything by just first glance alone, whether it’s a person, organization, or all else.

traveled often once the Spanish Civil War and WWII ended, and she was always interested in exploring the world with him. She explains that “it was a privilege to see so many different places and have the chance to fall in love with them.” When I ask her which places, she would like to go next and which countries are non her bucket list she tells me there are too many to count. That is Grandma Gemma’s magic: she is always willing to travel anywhere, always excited to try new things – even if it means having to speak a language she was never really taught – and happy to share her learnings and joys with anyone who will listen.

•

The Journey to Myself The life and journey of Gemma. The unfairness and the fairness, the sadness and the happiness.

By Ilde Pons The sun is setting in Spain as the afternoon barely starts in Chicago. The time difference makes it a bit difficult to talk to grandma, but she still tries, having a hard time flipping around the phone camera for our video call. Out of the entire family, she was the less surprised and phased when we decided to move to the United States. “I will have the perfect excuse to go visit,” she would say, trying to tease my grandpa so he buys plane tickets. My grandpa complained they didn’t know English and my grandma would say they could “make do.” Grandma Gemma was born in a small village in Valencia in 1941, when travelling was harder and you could not usually go beyond the outskirts of the neighbor towns. Her father

There are many things that have sparked joy for Grandma Gemma; Painting, math, good food and her extensive family. She married young and was not allowed to study the mathematics degree she wanted too. After getting married, Grandma Gemma stopped painting. But even though her family made her happy, she had always wanted a girl as her daughter. After she had her first baby, she wanted to have at least one daughter, given the fact that she was born in an extensive family full of girls. She wanted to buy dresses and bows for her and call her daughter Gemma like herself. She just wanted to be able to treat her well and raise a beautiful daughter. (Grandma Gemma was the first called Gemma in all Valencia) Sadly she wasn’t able to have a daughter, but she did have three really nice and caring boys that are now my uncles and my father. After a while she discovered one of the things that truly made her happy and that she was able to do. “One of the things that I enjoyed the most on my life was traveling and learning about new cultures on my travels” In my family we always had a passion for traveling, we have always believed that Grandma Gemma was the one who created that passion by telling her stories and sharing the amazing things she has done.

Grandma Gemma was and is always willing to learn

more, and her travels were the perfect places to do so.

For her, traveling is a way to see and feel new experiences. It is a way to understand others and their perspectives. Every time Grandma Gemma traveled somewhere, she would bring a magnet to put on the fridge so she never forgets the place and the things she has learned there. Each time she sees the magnets and there is someone in the house she would tell them stories about what she learned in her journey. Last time I checked she had more than a hundred magnets on her fridge! “I think the cultures are defined by their people, their foods and their monuments.” She thinks and believes that by traveling, meeting new people, seeing their culture and their monuments, and tasting their food you become more open minded and that makes you kinder. Grandma Gemma’s favorite part of traveling, she tells

me, was listening to the stories locals told. “And now I can tell them to you!”

• “I think the cultures are defined by their people, their foods and their monuments.”

Grandma Gemma is a leader. Even after having a lot of obstacles in her life she has managed to worry and take care of the people she loves and still do most of the things she enjoyed in life. This kind of mindset makes her who she is and her kind actions towards the people she has met no matter if they are strangers or close to her makes her a leader.`

college and beyond”. Rotter took all honors and AP courses, and he was awarded the top grades for various subjects. Additionally, Rotter expressed that the numerous opportunities and resources was one of the many ways the school pushed him as a learner.

Rotter shared that the biggest challenge in the transition between middle school to high school was not knowing anyone at Central Catholic. This pushed Rotter to meet new people by getting involved in various sports, clubs, and other extracurricular activities. This was a significant learning experience for Rotter socially, one that he would learn to carry throughout his life. I think this learning environment was especially important for Rotter because he was able to learn from it and take different lessons and experiences throughout his life. It was also a great benefit that the high school was the right fit for him.

A Chapter to Tell My Dad reflects upon his school and extracurricular experiences and draws information conclusions about how our experiences form our identities.

By: Giulia Rotter As I was interviewing Joseph Rotter, my father, many stories and experiences were shared that he has never truly reflected upon before. Rotter is currently a hedge fund manager and has two children, a son in his sophomore year of high school and a daughter, me, in eighth grade. Going back in time twenty-eight years ago, Rotter attended an all-male high school, Central Catholic, in his hometown, Pittsburgh, PA. After graduating high school in 1993 he attended college at Duke University.

Rotter has always been one to take his own initiative and push himself to his greatest potential. Therefore, him being able to reflect upon his journey was remarkable in many ways. Personally, hearing about Rotter’s school experiences allowed me to reflect on my current school experiences which made it even more important to listen to my Dad’s journey. In this interview, as spectators, we are able to view through a perspective the impact our journeys have on our identities and futures. On a cool September night, I interview my Dad about the in-depth truth about his academic career.

Joe Rotter truly enjoyed his high school experience as a scholar and for his social development. He attended Central Catholic High School. Rotter was excited to push his abilities and talents by learning many new things going into high school. As Rotter reflected upon his experience at Central Catholic it was determined that it did just that. Rotter commended his high school for, “being a great challenge for me and prepared me for

As I am going the high school application process currently, my advisory class has determined how important it is to make sure it is the right school for you. I have learned that a way to determine this is to make a list of non-negotiables; essentially non-negotiables are specific qualities that are essential in a high school for you. Therefore, Rotter is able to be proud of his high school experience and reflect upon it with gratitude because it met his non-negotiables.

Rotter also dedicated his time to competing in various sports. He played on the basketball and football team for Central Catholic. Rotter always strived to be the best he could be, whether that meant academics, hobbies/clubs, and especially sports. Therefore, sports were a great way for Rotter to push himself because of the core values they included. Such as teamwork, learning to compete, and most importantly having fun. Rotter’s grade school was much smaller than his high school. It was stated that only a handful of kids from his grade school ultimately attended Central Catholic. Although the transition to his high school was a challenge socially, he stated that, “being a part of the football team made it [his challenge of not knowing anyone] a lot easier.” Due to the football team starting before actual courses started, it allowed him to meet new people; meaning when it was time for classes to start, he knew everyone on the football team.

He played on the football team all three years of his high school career. Rotter intended on having a remarkable last year of playing high school football.

Unfortunately, that was not the case, Rotter broke his arm and was unable to finish the season. Due to his senior year of football being cut short, he was not done playing organized sports and was something he was looking forward to doing in college. He ended up playing on the football team for Duke University.

His team was so successful that they earned the

opportunity to play in the Hall of Fame bowl, a significant game in college football. Not only was this an experience unlike any he had experienced before, but it was also one memory that Rotter will never forget. Rotter’s his friends drove to from Durham, North Carolina to Tampa, Florida to watch and support him, which made it even more special for Rotter. Rotter’s father and best friend, Joe Rotter, never missed any of his games and was there to cheer him on in such a memorable part of his football career. Reflecting on my Dad’s athletic career, I am now able to identify the impact sports had on his character.

Specifically, Rotter’s tone of voice when talking about such a memorable point in his life shows the true happiness it brought him to be a part of that experience. I can partly relate to Rotter’s passion for sports as I play volleyball and basketball. Although my experiences may be different from my Dad’s, I understand the significance of the core values and how sports are truly a learning experience and acquire a myriad of important skills.

Therefore, Rotter’s experience is an example of this.

While attending Duke University, Rotter was able to explore the various unique courses and found them very interesting. Although Rotter’s start to college was a new and uncomfortable time, since he missed his family, he loved his experience at Duke. Rotter is able to reflect upon it with great admiration. Rotter explained that he really loved college because of the freedom. This not only meant outside of school, but also when it came to his curriculum and what he was learning. He loved that the students were able to customize their curriculum according to their various interests, classes they succeeded in, classes they were challenged in, and especially classes that were specifically special to Duke University. As Rotter reflected, he shared his thoughts and experiences about the courses Duke had to offer he said, “they were very interesting and vigorous.”

Rotter enrolled in a course called American Dreams, American Realities. The course was organized by a professor who had published a book, the course was very competitive to enroll in. It covered seven deeply rooted American dreams, including different things our country was founded on. Rotter not only found this interesting, but it was unlike any course he had taken or was available to him in high school. This made it particularly interesting to him. As I was interviewing Rotter about the various college courses he took, I was able to understand why Rotter found these courses interesting. Specifically, American Dreams, American Realities was one example that demonstrates what makes college so special or perceived to be the perfect utopia for ambitious students. College has acquired this reputation because it is a learning experience, as it is unlike any other scholarly environment. It allows students to apply their own knowledge and talents, to find their own definition of creativity. In other words, college allows students to break the standard notion of school we’ve known and followed all of our lives. Rotter mentioned an

example of this during the interview as he loved how much freedom he gained while in college. This allows students to acquire a new definition of school. This is significantly related to Rotter’s college experience, in which he admires, because it was so different and unlike anything he had ever experienced.

“ If I had to go back in time , I wouldn’t change a thing.”

While interviewing Mr. Rotter, my Dad, I was able to understand more closely how important his school experiences were to him and his life. I have always admired my Dad as a determined, thoughtful, and loving person. Learning about how his academic career helped characterize those traits, makes me reflect upon my own school experiences and what I want for myself when looking for a school or any learning environment. I think these various communitites, environments, and experiences helped form his character because they were all new or unlike anything he had experienced, at those specific chapters of his life. Throughout me interviewing my Dad, I learned that the communities and environments we’re surrounded by, help shape and form our character.

In 1995, this photo was taken of Joe Rotter with the Duke football team.

Coming to the U.S a story about immigrating to the US in the 50’s

By Sarah Sandoval

with working class immigrant parents is different, she stated, “My mother was very caring, and she was always with us. And our [Her siblings] father worked a lot and was never home with us” Her relationship between her parents might have been different than a relationship someone else might have with their parents, whose parents were born in the country they currently live in. Women of color were and still are discriminated against, so finding a job that should be “for a man” might be harder . While this, at the time, was a more traditional way of running a household might have taken the toll on my grandmother and her siblings’ relationship with their father because since he was working so much the relationship might not be as strong. Though the relationship was existing it was different than the “norm”.

“My mother was very caring and she was always with us. Our father worked a lot and was never home” – Ortencia Ledezma-Martinez

Ortencia and her Daughter Ortencia Ledesma-Martinez is an inspiring immigrant and a now entrepreneur . Over her 66 years of life, she has experienced many events in her life changing, and making her the amazing mother and grandmother she is today. Living the immigrant dream as one might say immigrating to the United States in 1957 growing up in three different states and living in Illinois. She owns an auto shop on the southside of Chicago with her son . She is a strong woman who is inspiring and well driven.

Growing up with immigrant parents and being an immigrant, yourself is a different experience than a relationship compared to those with parents that are not immigrants or were born in the place that they live in currently. My Grandmother, Ortencia Ledesma-Martinez was someone who immigrated into the United States at just the age of two years old. In 1957 Martinez immigrated originally to Texas living out her childhood with the rest of her 8 siblings and her two immigrant parents. Growing up

Living in the United States as an immigrant your experience might be different then a “American Born Citizen”. Martinez in her young adult years in the 60’s and 70’s when migrant workers received their rights and proper working standards, Martinez growing up in this time feared the bigotry that was upon immigrants and migrant workers.

Martinez said, “If you got into an argument with a white person at the time, they would call us spics.” Displaying the disrespect that society gave people of color and immigrants.

Spic is an ethnic slur that is used in the united states, regarding people from Spanish speaking countries, especially those in Latin America. Although this behavior was unacceptable then, people from similar backgrounds unfortunately still must endure similar circumstances .

Immigrants, and Migrant workers still receive the same treatment. While Martinez had not had any run ins with these types of people, others shared an experience similar to the ones described before. Martinez was raised by two parents who kept her, and her siblings isolated from people who did not look like them to avoid her and her siblings being racially mistreated.

Trying to find work and trying to thrive in the U.S as an immigrant can be challenging. It was during this time that Martinez was looking for a job to support herself and those whom she loved and cared about. There were many obstacles that got in her way when trying to thrive in the U.S, one of them being the racial discrimination that was targeted towards immigrants and Hispanics at the time. As a Citizen , and an immigrant, it is difficult but essential to find a job. Martinez states, “What motivated me was to get a job and help my parents out to get money and to put food on the table.” Martinez was brave and caring enough to get a job being the second oldest in her family and understanding that this was necessary for her to do and stepping up to do

the task. This is an admirable thing to do, because not everyone can know the same struggle, making this something selfless and giving us a look into what life might have been like. Knowing that she has other siblings to take care of gives her incentive to work and get money showing that she is a very caring person who values the wellbeing of her family.

Being an immigrant is a difficult and unique experience . I really appreciate how Martinez gave an honest perspective and continues to show the traits that are admired in these paragraphs today . Making this interview so special so I can learn where I have come from and the story of how my family has gotten to where we are today.

Writing this piece has made my grandmother even more of a role model and someone to look up to, showing all the courage she still has today. Looking back onto this interview I think we can all learn how important it is to be brave and to pursue what might seem scary even though you might be the only one.

Ortencia and her two Granddaughter's

The Path to Success

My father reflecting on his experiences with his partner in creating a successful business.

By: Grace Sawicz An idea can create a successful business that can help people every day. It just comes with hard work. Rain was falling from the sky on the chilly fall morning when I interviewed Rich Sawicz. Even though I wasn’t able to do our interview in person, I could still tell how Rich was talking passionately about his job. Rich was eager to provide me with all the information I needed and more. He helped me understand what he does every day.

Rich Sawicz, my dad, a co-owner and administrator of SeniorDent along with his partner Frank C., have been running SeniorDent for 21 years. SeniorDent is a company that was thought of in 1992 and was established in 1995. The company provides onsite dental care to residents in nursing homes. Rich and Frank have worked together for many years and have developed a company that is now in 14 states and has more than 50 employees.

Their revenue, membership, and product offerings have grown every year. The company has grown from ideas, feedback, and trial and error to make it what it is today. Rich had helped run a dental business before SeniorDent, so he had previous experience with dental insurance.

This helped SeniorDent build and improve.

I have learned many things from our interview, that an idea can help people, teamwork is essential, and there are always challenges in success. But most of all, I have learned that it is important to inquire about these parts in others’ lives.

Rich and Frank needed each other to make their company successful. In 1995, Frank C. thought of an idea to have a company that provided Onsite Dental Care for nursing homes. Rich and Frank joined together and that’s when the idea grew and formed into a company. It was important for the two to join as partners, because if they didn’t, SeniorDent wouldn’t be what it is today. “It was just an idea back in 1995, and

it really didn’t go anywhere until him and I joined as partners,” Rich said. This represents how important teamwork was when creating a company. This also depicts how strong the partnership is between Rich and Frank. They had been working together for many years and continue to do so today.

They both have their own strengths that were beneficial and essential. Frank worked with sales and communication, and Rich worked on finance and procedures. Them knowing that they have these qualities that benefit the creation of SeniorDent is what would make the company successful. The two complimented each other greatly, and their teamwork is what established SeniorDent.

Challenges were expected when creating a company, but they were still frustrating. For example, since the concept of mobile dentistry was the first to be introduced by them, it gave others the chance to take the idea and copy it. “Seeing somebody stealing our ideas, and then taking some of our clients was a bad thing that happened,” Rich exclaimed. There of course, were challenges throughout the process, especially since it was a completely new idea. There were many difficulties like having people take their ideas, their clients, and more, but through it all they have shown determination and didn’t back down against the competition. Rich also mentioned in the interview how if he could do anything differently it would be to protect their trademark. This would keep people from stealing their concept. There were all kinds of different frustrating struggles when creating SeniorDent, but the two partners never gave up.

Although there are challenges running and creating a company, there are many rewards in the process of developing something new. Since the company is helping nursing home residents medically, it was even more rewarding. For example,

when Rich and Frank got new business at a new nursing home, they were able to help more people. They’ve gone to many conventions and have gotten to make friends throughout the years. They get the reward of knowing they are making the residents quality of life better. “It’s helping people who can’t get something, and we help keep them healthy,” Richard said. This shows how helpful the company is to people, and it shows their purpose, to keep the people in nursing homes healthy. Their purpose is also to bring their service (dental care) directly to the clients, because the residents of nursing homes cannot get it themselves. They know that they can help others, which not only would make you feel satisfied by your job, but you would also feel great about what you are doing every day. This is rewarding Rich and Frank, knowing that they are helping so many people and keeping them healthy, just by doing their job.

Throughout the interview, Rich Sawicz was very helpful while he was talking about his experiences with creating a company with his partner Frank C. I have learned from Rich’s insightful interview and work experience, that teamwork was incredibly important. Challenges came, but that it was always rewarding. Through it all they always enjoyed what they do throughout everything. One question I asked Rich in our interview was: what his favorite part of the job was. He replied, “The freedom to try new things, we’re always trying new things, it’s never boring.” It is always important to try and understand what others have done, so you cannot only learn from them and what they have experienced, but also to point out their accomplishments.

“The company probably would not be as successful with just one of us” - Rich Sawicz

Matt smith

In 2 0 0 3 m y d a d (m a t t s m it h ) g o t t o ca t e r t h e g o ve r n o r ’s b a ll w h ich is t h e a f t e r p a r t y f o r t h e Aca d e m y Aw a r d s . He g o t t o m e e t a lo t o f ce le b r it ie s s u ch as Ba r b r a St r e is a n d a n d Pe n e lo p e cr u z a n d m a n y o t h e r s . W h ile m y d a d w a s t h e r e , h e a ls o h a d t o p r o b le m s o lve m a n y t h in g s . An o t h e r t h in g h e h a d t o d o w a s

On e e xa m p le is h o w h e t o ld m e t h a t “Ba r b r a St r e is a n d w a s r e a lly n ice ; s h e d id b r in g a n e xt r a p e r s o n t h a t s h e d id n o t r e s e r ve f o r , s o w e h a d t o m o ve a r o u n d s o m e t h in g s a n d g e t a n e xt r a ch a ir and s t u f f ” t h is quote is s ig n if ica n t b e ca u s e it s h o w s ju s t h o w m u ch p r o b le m s o lvin g m y d a d h a d t o d o w ile h e w a s a t t h e g o ve r n o r ’s b a ll W h e n I a s ke d m y d a d w h a t h is f a vo r it e p a r t o f w o r kin g t h e g o ve r n o r ’s b a ll w a s , h e s a id , "m y f a vo r it e p a r t w a s g e t t in g to meet a ll the ce le b r it ie s “h e g o t t o m e e t m a n y p e o p le s o m e b e in g Ba r b r a St r e is a n d , Pe n e lo p e cr u z a n d An je lica Hu s t o n and many o t h e r s . M y d a d s a id t h a t it w a s co o l t o m e e t t h e s e p e o p le b e ca u s e h e h a d s e e n t h e s e p e o p le in m o vie s a n d n o t , h e w a s s e e in g t h e m in r e a l lif e M y d a d h a s a ls o d o n e m a n y n e w s s e gm e n t s w h ich ca n b e f o u n d o n Yo u Tu b e .

W h e n I a s ke d m y d a d a b o u t it , h e s a id “it w a s a r a lly f u n I a ls o g o t t o s e e w h a t g o s e in t o cr a t in g t h e n e w s ” h e a ls o t a lke d a b o u t h o w s o m e t im e s t h in g s g o w r o n g like w h e n h e t r ie d d o a co o l t r ick, b u t t h e p a n w o u ld n o t

ca t ch o n f ir e like h e w a n t e d Fo r my dad ca t e r in g t h e g o ve r n o r ’s b a ll w a s a co o l e xp e r ie n ce , h e g o t t o m e e t a lo t f a m o u s o f p e o p le .

Als o , h e h a d t o t h in k o f s o lu t io n s t o p r o b le m s w h e n s o m e t h in g w e n t a w r y. He a ls o s o m e t im e s g o t t o d o co o l in t e r vie w s

Discovering mathematics was pivotal to Browne’s dreams of being a teacher.

Catherine Browne is a force to be reckoned with.

After being a caretaker for the retired nuns all throughout high school to becoming a banker right out of college.

When she started pursuing a career in teaching, Browne told me she realized that one, she didn’t want to be a high school math teacher because she doesn’t like geometry and two, helping people will reward you greatly, later in life.

Catherine Browne is my godmother. Along with that, she is one of my mother’s best friends. She met my mother in high school, even though their parents knew each other longer.

Browne is a 7th and 8th grade math teacher at St. John Fisher. Browne is even more important as a teacher because learning from our teachers will help us excel in school and in life.

“Being a teacher has its ups and downs.”

Browne’s first job was helping to take care of the retired nuns at her high school Mother McAuley. Her first job out of collage was working as a merger at Continental Bank (that is not a thing anymore). She then started teaching after Continental Bank went out of business. Since she is a teacher in 7th and 8th grade, graduation is a huge part of her career. “Graduation is a big deal. From preparing to actually walking up to get your diploma.” What is powerful about this is that we are going to be graduating soon. The amount of stress and pressure that not just the students but the teachers go through to make

sure that graduation is perfect, from the moment you sit down, to when you are receiving your diploma. It’s important because you are starting the next chapter of your school career. Because of this, Browne, and all teachers, play a big part in our success.

“In the end I wanted to teach to help students and kids.”

Now that we have looked at graduation, let’s take a step back Browne started out as a banker, before she was a schoolteacher, she worked at Continental Bank, as a merger.

A merger is in control of two banks assets and liabilities.

Throughout her time there, she says that she had worked for three different companies before the bank went out of business. Now she teaches 7th and 8th grade math. Discovering mathematics was pivotal to Browne’s dreams of being a teacher. Let me tell you, she has a ton of funny stories. One was about her 8th grade boys thinking it was funny to put dissected frog parts into the girl’s lockers. Sure, enough they all found parts and pieces of frogs in their lockers. She revealed, “Being a teacher has its ups and downs.” Being a teacher can be very hard and stressful. One thing she does enjoy though, is have the summer off, and not having to travel a lot like at her old banking job. This makes me really think deeper about what it is like being a teacher.

Teachers aren’t perfect when we expect them to be . Another story that she shared with me is about the time that they

were having a school dance and 5th grade students ended up making a mess of her room and spilling goldfish crackers everywhere. That is why she now hates Goldfish. And frogs.

Why not talk about why she chose to become a math teacher and why she likes helping and serving her community. What do you think about helping and serving others. “In the end I wanted to teach to help students and kids.” She told me. Browne has a really big impact on all her students that she has taught and is teaching now. I know that a lot of teachers don’t have easy teaching careers between balancing their normal lives and their school lives. I think that she has a positive impact on all her students that she has taught. I know that one of FXW charisms is the help and serve the community through service hours and other activities. Browne is a person who took big risks to get rewarded greatly.

Browne has spent part of her life devoted to being a schoolteacher. I have learned so much from her and continue to use it in the future. Throughout this interview, I have learned so much more about her, that I thought I already knew. One piece of advice she gave me, was to be more patient. I have then gone on to try and be as patient as possible. It is a challenge for me personally, because of how little patients I used to have. Furthermore, Browne can teach us all a lesson. (Literally!) If we work hard and do good, life will reward us greatly.

On a cozy and crisp autumn afternoon Mannan Kagdawala, my maternal grandfather, sits down and reflect on his journey and immigration to America, and what life was like for him entering a whole new world. His immigration may have been what felt like lifetimes ago, but he still remembers his first years in America like it was yesterday. My grandfather was born on March 1, 1946 and grew up in the state of Gujrat in Dahod, India. He spent most of his younger years dreaming and planning to move to America. At the age of 19 he moved to the United Sates all alone in 1968. The only belonging he brought was seven dollars, and a whole lot of perseverance. To get to America he took a plane that went from India to Hong Kong, then another plane to San Francisco. This was about a 10–12-hour flight. When he first arrived his impression of American was everything he had hoped for and better. Throughout his journey the many obstacles and struggles he faced did not stop him from achieving his one goal and purpose in life, becoming an engineer in America.

Journey tothe UnitedStates Mannan Kagdawala reflects on his immigrant experince to America, a lifelong dream fulfilled!

--------------------By: Sarah Thason

My grandfather’s parents did not know that he was planning to move halfway around the world to make a life for himself in America. He did as much research as he could with the limited resources he had access to. My grandfather chose not to tell his parents until he got his visa to go to America. He feared his parents would discourage him to move to America. When Kagdawala finally told his parents, they were nervous for him and sad to see him go, just as he anticipated. However, in the end they knew that this was the only way his son’s dreams could be fulfilled. My grandfather felt sad and guilty for leaving his family and home behind, but he too knew this was the only path to fulfill his lifelong dream. In the interview he said, “the main thing I did not want to worry my parents, so that’s why I did not tell them what I was doing, coming to America.”

“My grandfather had a goal he wanted to achieve and did everything he could to follow it” his parents’ fear and worry were one of his biggest challenges he needed to overcome. This realization surprised me, I had no Idea he did not tell his parents until he had his visa and plane ticket

in hand. It amazes me how my grandfather had a goal he wanted to achieve and did everything he could to follow it even if that meant without having the support of his parents.

The transition from India to American was not easy. There was a huge change in culture, launguage, and customs that he needed to adapt to in order to survive and be successful. Kagdawala studied at Heald Engineering in San Francisco, California. He also worked a full-time job to pay for his necessities like food, rent, and school fees, he worked tirelessly day and night. Kagdawala would attend classes during the day and would work full 8 hour shifts at the end of the day. He adapted to this new life by learning the English launguage and culture from his friends, coworkers, and classmates.

He also studied English in libraries whenever he got the chance. Overall, it took him a couple of years to learn and master English. This journey was not easy, my grandfather stated that there was a “huge change in culture, Indian and American culture. I had to adapt slowly, slowly... It’s not easy, first time coming here it’s a totally different world.”

It was not only difficult to leave his home and family to move to America, but it was also difficult to adjust to the new American way of living. This was a life changing event for him and not something that one can adjust to in a single day. I have experienced some changes in my life, but nothing that has been that life altering. I can imagine that adjusting to new cultures, customs, and language is like starting a whole new life and would be a lifelong process for anyone.

During the interview he was asked if he can tell his past self any advice what it would be? His response was “I would give the advice to be strong, and focus on what you want to do, the goal of your life…you have to be brave to travel…always stay positive in your thinking no matter how many obstacles come. Don’t worry about it. Keep moving.” Although Kagdawala faced many obstacles throughout his immigration in America, he still kept moving forward and was always willing to stay positive in order to achive his dreams and plans for his future. Coming to America was a bold step that took a lot of courage. Kagdawala grew up in a small town where people can only dream of achieving ambitious goals, such as coming to America. He faced difficulties throughout his whole

journey, but the one thing that kept him moving forward was his perseverance, and determination to achieve his goal.

My grandfather’s experience of immigrating from India to America was a huge obstacle he overcame, and it was an accomplishment that changed his life. My grandfather is a huge inspiration for me when I think about my life, and my future. Just as my grandfather had moved to America to pursue his dream in becoming an engineer, I want to move to France, a new and unknown country, and become fashion designer.

His immigrant experinces are motivating and his perseverance is inspiring to me and to others who learn about his life. Throughout this interview I have gained so many insights, and wisdom of what perseverance was to him and how his obstacles and experinces made him who he is today. I am truly grateful that my grandfather took a bold and brave choice so many years ago so that I can have unimaginable opportunities today. Although this interview was just a school assigment, learning about my grandfather’s history, experinces, dedication, and resilience taught me so much; he is such an inspiration to me, and my hope is that he inspires you too.

Three years later Mannan returns to America to marry my grandmother. This photo captures the first flight to the United states as a couple.

Making a Dream a Reality A s t o r y o f h o w a 1 9 -y e a r -o ld t r a v e le d t o Am e r ic a w it h n o t h in g a n d c r e a t e d a fu t u r e fo r h im s e lf a n d t h e r e s t o f h is fa m ily .

By : Is a b e lle W a ls h It’s Ap r il o f 1955, a n d Ro s a lio Mo is e s Ro s a le s Se r r a n o s te p s o u t o f h is h o m e in to th e s u n ’s r a y s illu m in a tin g th e w o r ld b e fo r e h im . He c a r r ie s h is lu g g a g e , e v e r y th in g h e o w n s p a c k e d in to a s m a ll b o x. A lo o k o f c o n fid e n c e s p r e a d a c r o s s h is fa c e , o b s c u r in g th e fe a r a n d u n c e r ta in ty o f le a v in g h is fa m ily , h is h o m e , h is life , a ll fo r a b e tte r fu tu r e . Se r r a n o m u s t h e a d fa c e fir s t in to th e b lin d in g b lizza r d o f Am e r ic a . All o f th e p o s s ib ilitie s r a c e th r o u g h h is h e a d , h e c o u ld b e k ille d , n o t m a k e e n o u g h m o n e y to s u r v iv e , n e v e r s e e h is fa m ily a g a in , o r h e c o u ld g e t a g o o d jo b , r a is e h is c h ild r e n in a lo v in g e n v ir o n m e n t, g iv in g th e m a b r ig h t fu tu r e . Be fo r e h e c a n e v e n th in k a b o u t h is fu tu r e fa m ily , h e m u s t m a k e it a c r o s s th e b o r d e r , le a r n En g lis h , a n d g e t a jo b . He ta k e s a s te p a w a y fr o m h is fr o n t d o o r , d is m is s in g a ll h is fe a r , k e e p in g h is m in d s e t o n h is d r e a m , th e r e ’s n o tu r n in g b a c k n o w . Se r r a n o , a n in e te e n -y e a r -o ld y o u n g m a n , w ith a n e d u c a tio n o n ly to th e th ir d g r a d e a n d v e r y little m o n e y , m u s t tr a v e l to Am e r ic a to s a v e h im s e lf fr o m th e p o v e r ty h e h a s liv e d w ith h is w h o le life in Fr e s n illo , Za c a te c a s , Me xic o . Th e r e w e r e m a n y c h a lle n g e s h e h a d to o v e r c o m e , b u t e v e n tu a lly h e a c c o m p lis h e d h is d r e a m s a s I, h is g r a n d d a u g h te r , liv e in C h ic a g o , Illin o is p r e p a r in g to g r a d u a te m id d le s c h o o l a n d s ta r t m y h ig h s c h o o l c a r e e r . Se r r a n o m a d e th is d r e a m a r e a lity b y w o r k in g h a r d e v e r y d a y , n o t le ttin g a n y s e tb a c k m a k e h im lo s e fo c u s o f h is d r e a m .

Se r r a n o h a d e xp e c te d a n d fa c e d m a n y c h a lle n g e s in Am e r ic a , b u t th e h a r d e s t to o v e r c o m e w a s n o t k n o w in g a n y En g lis h . Lu c k ily , h e s ta r te d o u t w o r k in g in th e la b o r p o o l in Ea s t C h ic a g o , In d ia n a , w h e r e h e w a s g iv e n s im p le ta s k s to c o m p le te . Th is w a s a m a n a g e a b le jo b w ith th e little e d u c a tio n h e h a d , b u t it s till r e q u ir e d h im to k n o w s im p le En g lis h , s o m e th in g h e h a d n o e xp e r ie n c e w ith . Ev e r y d a y life in Am e r ic a w a s d iffic u lt n o t u n d e r s ta n d in g w h a t a n y o n e w a s

s a y in g . Ho w w a s h e s u p p o s e d to g o to th e g r o c e r y s to r e , p u r c h a s e c lo th in g , o r g e t to o ls h e n e e d e d fo r w o r k , k n o w in g n o En g lis h in a w o r ld th a t o n ly s p o k e En g lis h ? Se r r a n o ’s fir s t s o lu tio n w a s ta k in g c la s s e s a t a n ig h t s c h o o l to le a r n th e n e w la n g u a g e , b u t it w a s n o t v e r y o fte n , a n d h e o n ly le a r n e d b a s ic v o c a b u la r y w o r d s , s u c h a s s h o v e l, d ir t, o r p a p e r . W h ile w o r k in g in th e la b o r p o o l, Se r r a n o , h a d jo b s th a t c o u ld b e a t a n y tim e o f d a y , m o r n in g , e v e n in g , o r m id n ig h t s o it w a s d iffic u lt to a tte n d s c h e d u le d c la s s e s a n d le a r n a n y En g lis h th r o u g h e d u c a tio n . Be c a u s e Se r r a n o h a d v e r y little e d u c a tio n a l e xp e r ie n c e s to le a r n En g lis h , h is o n ly o p tio n w a s th r o u g h r e a l life e xp e r ie n c e s . He d e s c r ib e s , “I g e t th e e xp e r ie n c e b e c a u s e th e jo b , it’s te llin g y o u w h a t to d o , w h a t n o t to d o . I le a r n e d a lo t. I w a s a lw a y s p a y in g a tte n tio n s o th a t’s h o w I p u s h e d a h e a d .”

Se r r a n o d id n ’t b a c k d o w n fr o m th e c h a lle n g e o f le a r n in g En g lis h . Ev e r y d a y w h e n h e w e n t to w o r k , h e w a s p u t u n d e r p r e s s u r e to le a r n En g lis h q u ic k ly a s h e w a s e xp e c te d b y h is b o s s to u n d e r s ta n d e v e r y ta s k h e w a s a s s ig n e d , e v e n o n th e fir s t d a y o f h is jo b . O b v io u s ly , th is w a s im p o s s ib le w ith th e g iv e n c ir c u m s ta n c e . Ev e r y d a y h e w e n t to w o r k h e le a r n e d fr o m th e m is ta k e s th a t h e m a d e , s lo w ly le a r n in g b a s ic w o r d s th a t h is b o s s w o u ld r e p e a t w h e n a s s ig n in g h im ta s k s a n d c o r r e c tin g Se r r a n o ’s m is ta k e s .

Ev e n tu a lly h e w a s a b le to le a r n e n o u g h En g lis h to u n d e r s ta n d w h a t p e o p le s a id in d a y -to -d a y e xp e r ie n c e s .

Se r r a n o w a s p u t u n d e r p r e s s u r e b y h is b o s s , b u t Se r r a n o k e p t h is h e a d h e ld h ig h a n d h e “p u s h e d a h e a d ,” n e v e r b a c k in g a w a y fr o m th e c h a lle n g e . Th is h a r d w o r k th e n g a v e h im b e tte r jo b o p p o r tu n itie s a s h e c o u ld u n d e r s ta n d m o r e o f w h a t h is b o s s w a s te llin g h im to d o , le ttin g h im d o m o r e ta s k s c o r r e c tly .

Ev e n th o u g h Se r r a n o w a s g a in in g e xp e r ie n c e in w o r k in g in Am e r ic a , h e s till fa c e d c h a lle n g e s o f d is c r im in a tion . Alth o u g h Am e r ic a is a d v e r tis e d a s a d iv e r s e a n d o p e n c o u n tr y fo r im m ig r a n ts , a n d th e m a jo r ity o f p e o p le liv in g in Am e r ic a a r e im m ig r a n ts , th e r e is a lo t o f u n to ld tr u th s o f d is c r im in a tio n a n d in e q u a lity w ith in th e la r g e c o u n tr y . Be fo r e Se r r a n o m o v e d to Am e r ic a , h e h e a r d s to r ie s o f p e o p le b e in g tr e a te d d iffe r e n tly a s Me xic a n s , Pu e r to Ric a n s , o r C u b a n s . Se r r a n o h a d a lw a y s liv e d in Am e r ic a le g a lly . W h e n h e fir s t m o v e d to Am e r ic a , h e h a d th e g r e e n c a r d , a c a r d w ith a ll o f h is in fo r m a tio n th a t le t h im liv e a s a Pe r m a n e n t Re s id e n t. La te r o n in Se r r a n o ’s life , h e a p p lie d a n d g a in e d h is c itize n s h ip in Am e r ic a . Th is d id n ’t e xa c tly tu r n a w a y d is c r im in a tion th o u g h . Pe o p le d id n ’t c a r e w h a t Me xic a n ’s a u th o r itie s w e r e , th e y s im p ly h a te d p e o p le lik e h im ju s t b e c a u s e o f h o w th e y lo o k e d . Afte r Se r r a n o ’s m a n y y e a r s in fa c in g d is c r im in a tio n , h e r e fle c ts , “Yo u ’ll fin d th a t a lo t o f p e o p le d o n ’t lik e y o u b e c a u s e o f w h a t y o u h a v e , w h a t y o u a r e , w h a t y o u ’r e w e a r in g . Th a t’s o k a y , d o n ’t w o r r y a b o u t it, ju s t d o n ’t g e t e n g a g e d w ith th e m .”

Ev e n w h e n fa c in g lo ts o f d is c r im in a tion a s a Me xic a n im m ig r a n t, h e w a s n ’t p u t d o w n b y th e p e o p le th a t d id n ’t lik e h im , h e g r e w a n d le a r n e d to u n d e r s ta n d th a t s o m e p e o p le w ill s im p ly h a te h im , b u t h e c a n s till a c h ie v e g r e a t th in g s in life . Alth o u g h in s o m e in s ta n c e s d is c r im in a tion h in d e r e d h im fr o m a c h ie v in g h ig h e r p o s itio n s in w o r k , Se r r a n o n e v e r q u it. He c o n tin u e d to s h o w th a t h e is s o m u c h m o r e th a n w h a t o th e r p e o p le m a y th in k , th a t h e c a n g e t b e tte r a t h is w e a k n e s s e s to g e t w h a t h e w a n ts , a n d th a t h e w o n ’t le t p e o p le p u t la b e ls o n h im .

De s p ite a ll o f th e c h a lle n g e s Se r r a n o fa c e d in m o v in g to Am e r ic a , h e w a s a b le to c o n tin u e liv in g in Am e r ic a th a n k s to h is fr ie n d s . Am e r ic a is a v e r y in tim id a tin g c o u n tr y to s o m e o n e lik e Se r r a n o th a t d o e s n ’t k n o w En g lis h , d o e s n ’t h a v e m u c h o f a n e d u c a tio n , a n d s o m e o n e th a t is v u ln e r a b le to d is c r im in a tio n . De s p ite a ll o f th e fe a r s o f Am e r ic a , Se r r a n o w a s c o n fid e n t w ith h is m o v e to Am e r ic a s a y in g , “I k n e w th a t I w a s c o m in g to a g o o d p la c e b e c a u s e I h a v e fr ie n d s , I h a v e p e o p le th a t w ill h e lp m e a n d s u p p o r t

m e . I w a s n e v e r a fr a id fo r a n y th in g .” An d h is fr ie n d s d id e xa c tly th a t, h e lp in g h im in m a n y w a y s .

To illu s tr a te , b e fo r e h e c o u ld o ffic ia lly m o v e to Am e r ic a h e h a d to w a it in a r o o m in Al La r e d o , Te xa s to b e c a lle d to b e a n e m p lo y e e in Ea s t C h ic a g o fo r th e s te e l m ill.

Da y a fte r d a y Se r r a n o s a t b e tw e e n th o u s a n d s o f p e o p le ta lk in g o v e r e a c h o th e r , b u t h e h e a r d n o th in g m o r e th a n a h u m o f v o ic e s . His o n ly th o u g h t w a s o f w h a t h is fu tu r e w o u ld b e , it a ll d e p e n d e d o n th e w o m a n in th e fr o n t o f th e r o o m .

Sh e c a lle d th e n a m e s o f p e o p le e v e r y s o o fte n to ta k e te s ts a n d g e t in te r v ie w e d to g e t a Pe r m a n e n t Re s id e n ts in Am e r ic a . Se r r a n o c e n te r e d a ll o f h is c o n c e n tr a tio n o n th e o n e v o ic e , p r a y in g th a t h is n a m e w o u ld b e th e n e xt o n e to b e c a lle d . O n e b y o n e p e o p le le ft th e la r g e r o o m , a lr e a d y h e a d e d to th e s te e l m ill, le a v in g Se r r a n o b e h in d . Afte r 28 d a y s o f w a itin g , h e h a d n ’t g o tte n c a lle d . Se r r a n o lo s t h o p e o n a c h ie v in g th e ‘Am e r ic a n Dr e a m ’ a n d s p o k e o f g o in g b a c k h o m e to s e ttle fo r h is life in Me xic o . Se r r a n o ’s fr ie n d s w o u ld n ’t le t h im g iv e u p s o e a s ily a n d c o n v in c e d h im to s ta y a fe w m o r e d a y s . Th e v e r y n e xt d a y , h e w a s o ffe r e d th e jo b a n d o f c o u r s e , h e a c c e p te d . No w th a t Se r r a n o w a s a b le to c o m e to Am e r ic a le g a lly a n d b e g in w o r k in g , h e h a d to g e t a h o m e to liv e in , b u t d id n ’t h a v e e n o u g h m o n e y to p a y r e n t.

His fr ie n d h e lp e d h im o u t a n d in v ite d h im to s ta y w ith h im a n d h is fa m ily u n til Se r r a n o h a d e n o u g h m o n e y to b u y a h o m e a n d s u p p o r t h im s e lf w ith h is o w n fo o d .

W h e n Se r r a n o m o v e d to Am e r ic a h e w a s n ’t c o m p le te ly a lo n e , h e m o v e d a lo n g s id e th e fr ie n d s h e g r e w u p w ith . Th e y w e r e a lw a y s a s s is tin g e a c h o th e r in a n y w a y p o s s ib le a s th e y fa c e d c o u n tle s s in tim id a tin g c h a lle n g e s .

Th is g a v e Se r r a n o a s e n s e o f s e c u r ity a s h e k n e w h e h a d p e o p le th a t w o u ld h e lp h im th r o u g h c h a lle n g e s a n d lift h is s p ir its to e n s u r e th a t Se r r a n o w o u ld n ’t th r o w h is d r e a m a w a y .

Se r r a n o r e fle c ts , “I w ill n e v e r fo r g e t m y fr ie n d , th a t h e a s v e r y p e r s is te n t, a n d th a n k s to h im I’m s ta y in g h e r e . An d fin a lly , I s e e th e lig h t, b r ig h t, a n d I fe e l m ig h ty h a p p y .”

“I will never forget my friend, that he was very persistent, and thanks to him I’m staying here. And finally, I see the light, bright, and I feel mighty happy.”

Se r r a n o ’s d r e a m s o f a fu tu r e in Am e r ic a c a m e tr u e .

He w a s p u t d o w n s e v e r a l tim e s a n d th r e a te n e d to g o b a c k to h is s im p le life in Me xic o . He k e p t h is d r e a m o f p r o v id in g a fu tu r e fo r h im , h is c h ild r e n a n d g r a n d c h ild r e n , a t th e fo r e fr o n t o f h is m in d k e e p in g h im c o n c e n tr a te d o n w h y h e to o k a ll o f th o s e d a n g e r o u s r is k s . No w , in 2021 a s a n 85-y e a r o ld , fa th e r , g r a n d fa th e r , a n d Am e r ic a n c itize n h e c a n fin a lly liv e o u t th e s a tis fa c tio n a n d h a p p in e s s o f a c h ie v in g h is d r e a m . Afte r 40 y e a r s o f b lo o d , s w e a t, a n d te a r s , h e c a n “s e e th e lig h t”. Be c a u s e o f a ll o f th e w o r k h e p u t in to m o v in g a n d s u r v iv in g in Am e r ic a , h e w a s a b le to w a tc h h is c h ild r e n a n d g r a n d c h ild r e n g r o w u p to b e c o m e e xa c tly w h a t h e d r e a m e d o f. Se r r a n o n e v e r le t s e tb a c k s d is tr a c t h im fr o m h is d r e a m s , le ttin g h is d r e a m s g r o w in to a r e a lity , a n d in s p ir in g o th e r s to n e v e r le t g o o f w h a t th e y tr u ly w a n t s im p ly b e c a u s e o f fe a r .

Se r r a n o a n d h is g ir lfr ie n d , Yo la n d a Ro s a le s Villa s a n a w h e n th e y h a d b o th o r ig in a lly m o v e d to Am e r ic a in 1956.

My father always preaches about being independent, and I never understood why until he explained his life story. Nnamdi Agbakwu grew up in Lagos, Nigeria he loved his time there, and goes to visit very frequently. When he was about ten, he had to move away from his home to live in a boarding house. Later, he went to high school in Nigeria, then later moved to college in the US when he was 19 years old. Then, he got a job in Colorado, and met his wife Uju, and had his first born. He moved to Chicago and had a second child. But he wasn’t always this successful.

“I think I cried everyday for like a year.”

Image of interview subject Nnamdi Agbakwu

Nnamdi Agbakwu went to a boarding school In Lagos, Nigeria. He talks about his experiences and his struggles.

Nnamdi Agbakwu went to a boarding school when he was 10 years old. In that time, he really struggled and had so much time to himself. had to learn to be independent when he was very young, and started doing his chores by himself, such as laundry, dishes, and keeping his room clean. Moreover, he had never really been away from home before, except for weekend trips to his cousin’s house, which he emphasized how much he enjoyed. However, he didn’t like it the first year and wanted to come home.

In boarding school, you have a lot of time to yourself. You are forced to talk to others to make friends, and he really didn’t enjoy that. He hated it so much that he said, “I think I cried every day for like a year.” This quote is significant because it shows his hardships there. People often think that being away from home is easy, when its extremely hard. His parents helped him through that time, and really taught him that perseverance is important to for any goal that you are looking forward to.

Although he struggled his first year, he started to really enjoy his time in boarding school, it was very beneficial to him and his success. Soon, started to make friends and do activities. However, he got to a point where he didn’t want to go home, but once he did, he didn’t regret it. At this point he had built a strong routine that worked for him.

A typical day looked like this, he woke up at around 5:30 to 6:00 am and got ready for the day, whether that meant to shower or brush his teeth.

Likewise, shared a dorm with almost 5 other people, so

this was always a struggle. After that, he went to get ready for inspection, the prefects, (which are kids who have high ranking or exemplary grades) checked you to make sure you looked presentable. If you didn’t look the part, you could get points taken off, and you had to go back until you looked good. After inspection you would go eat breakfast, then go to class. After majority of your classes were finished, you had a free period, which was also a lunch break for about an hour. You would finish the rest of your classes then go to your dorm for siesta.

He says, “I had siesta, which is where you can’t move from your bed for an hour, the first year I really struggled with this, but I soon got the hang of it” A Nigerian school day is so much different from a school day in America. It taught him to be patient which is always a key to success when in the modern-day world.

Even though he had a hard time at first, he continued to work at to get better. often took naps or slept before he had to get up and ready for dinner. You would eat dinner at around 8:00 pm, then go to a study hall. Study hall is about 2 hours, and you finish all your homework. After study hall, its about 10:00 pm, and you are exhausted so you would get ready for bed and go to sleep, then get up and do it all again in the morning.

Creating this schedule was very beneficial for him because of what it did to his accountability. Being ready on time was a challenge on time, and go to sleep early, all while doing his chores and homework. As far as I can remember, my father has always been a hardworking person, and his time in boarding school helped with that.

Every spring there was a mini- “Olympics” where everyone is his dorm house would compete in games such as, long jump, sprints, and pole jumps. It was very competitive but also a way to bring people together. Often, he tells of stories, with him thoroughly explaining how he felt when he won. Likewise, he describes this but also describes another part, architecture.

Architecture has always been a big part of my father’s life and personality, when he sees a building or a structure that looks in anyway appealing, he’ll talk about it. In boarding house, he did something very similar. He says, “I not only had the school and classes, but it was also very hands on. You and your friends would gather the materials to make a hangout spot, and whoever won got to use the hangout for the rest of the semester.” He seemed to think about this in such a passionate way, that helped him remember it in such as good light. This quote is significant because it shows just how passionate he was. He still cherishes many of his boarding school years to this day and doesn’t seem to be letting go of them anytime soon.

My father is very hardworking, patient, and successful. He is always sharing his stories with

others. I learned about him and how he got where he is today by learning about where he came from. Boarding school is a big part of his life and shaped him to who he is today. He built indepence through a hard struggle.

Hard work always leads to success, and it doesn’t matter what the process is. Perservance is difficult but pushing through is always worth it.

A picture of Sarah in 2001

The New York Marathon Of 2001 Remembering The new York Marathon of 2001 from Sarah Marsh’s perspective.

By: Alice Ahern

There are many people that impressively demonstrate dedication. But no one demonstrates it like my mom, Sarah Marsh.

Sarah was born in 1969 which made her around 32 years old when she ran The New York marathon in September 2001. Months were spent training for the marathon that came to be so meaningful for not only Sarah, but the whole United States.

On October 10th, 2021, Sarah Marsh rewinds back to her life in 2001, and thinks back to the time that her boyfriend at the time came and suggested the idea of the two of them running the New York marathon that was scheduled for November 4th, 2001. Sarah and her boyfriend would run with eatchother often and they both enjoyed it. A couple years back, Sarah had even run the Chicago marathon as well. At first when her boyfriend Ed came to her with this idea, she was hesitant and was dreading the amount of training that it would take, but she ultimately decided that it would be good for her and might be good experience, so she said yes.

So, she began training. Running was an activity that Sarah enjoyed anyway, so training wouldn’t be very difficult to get started on, especially with her dog, buddy, by her side. She recalled, “I trained all week for months running up and down along lake Michigan while I would throw a ball in the water and have my dog swim beside me back to the other end of the peer” Sarah made so much out of needing to tirelessly train for a marathon by running alongside her best friend, buddy. She made a perfunctory activity so much fun and different every time. This should be applied to any activities that someone might not have the motivation to do.

After months of hard work and training, it was September 11th, 2001. In the back of Sarah’s living room, the news was playing on the television thoughtlessly when the first tower in New York was hit.

The news headline caught Sarah’s attention from the corner of her eye.

Her jaw dropped in shock as she watched the tower on fire with smoke escaping from the shattered windows. She mindlessly watched for a couple minutes before realizing another plane heading towards the second tower. Then it happened. The second tower was hit only minutes after. Sarah sat there observing the walls burning and crumbling down as the world trade centers finally collapsed. Her face blossomed with red in terror over what she had just saw. it happened so fast. The world trade centers were now just a pile of concrete and debris.

As America was trying to get over this terrible attack, Sarah just continued working with even more determination than before because she wanted so bad to be able to have taken power from this tragedy rather than giving into the weakness that the attack put upon the United States. until her boyfriend confessed his feelings about competing in this marathon. He didn’t want to run it anymore. He was worried about the air in New York being bad for their health. This left Sarah heartbroken.

She said, “I was just so upset because this marathon was going to be so important for me, so I told him I was going to do it anyway and stayed by my decision.” Sarah didn’t let anyone else affect her decision and she also wasn’t going to let months of training go to waste, she also wanted this so bad, and she wanted to feel impowered after an attack that was such a big tragedy to her country.

Now, the moment that Sarah had spent months training for, it was the day of the marathon. Even though she had less time to train than most, she was ready for it. a couple days after Sarah got to New York ready to run. It was November 4th, 2001, she got ready and went to the marathon.

When she got there, the mayor of New York at the time gave a big speech and talked about the tragedy of 9/11 and mourned the loss of all the people that the attack killed. this speech just empowered Sarah so much, she even started crying. The marathon went through all five

boroughs, Staten Island, Brooklyn, Bronx, Manhattan, and queens, and it starts at 10am in Staten Island. Sarah then started running, she recalled seeing people with their loved ones lost in 9/11 and it made her feel so impowered by the way that people were mourning the loss of almost 3,000 people from this terrible event.

After 4 ½ hours of running passed, Sarah finally finished the New York Marathon and she felt better than she has ever felt. She said it was the best day of her life. with small tears forming in her eyes, she said, “I was so happy that I got to mourn such a big loss of our country with so much purpose” She wanted this, and this day was important to her. Often, people who weren’t alive during 9/11, can forget the importance of this event and how much it even effected people who weren’t there directly.

Its extraordinary how Sarah came back from such a tragedy to the United States and mourned the loss of thousands of people with such purpose by running with her country alongside her. This story really told me so much about how much 9/11 effected the whole country and how much it even effected people that didn’t have family lost in the attack.

Sarah demonstrated how to do good with such a big setback and how to get success out of it. seeing how emotional Sarah got just by remembering the attack showed me how big of a deal it really was to our country because I feel sometimes, it can go unnoticed.

Picture of people new York marathon of 2001

Brian Ahern An evolved outlook on success and sportsmanship

By Charlotte Ahern

Brian Ahern’s baseball card when playing as a pitcher for the Appleton Foxes in college in 1990 and 1991. He played for other teams as well such as the Royals, the Harwich Marines, and the Eugene Emeralds.

What do you think sportsmanship is?

Does it hold importance to you? There are many different outlooks on this idea of sportsmanship and one outlook I want to focus in on, is the theory of my dad, Brian Ahern. His viewpoint has roots coming from all the way in the 1980s when Brian went through a small experience that gave him a whole new outlook on sportsmanship. This story is only about a wooden bat and my dad’s reckless decision to play against the rules, but don’t go too soon because there is more to it than just a plain wooden bat.

In 1980, on a bright summer day my dad, Brian Ahern, was about 12 years old. He was living in the south suburbs of Chicago where baseball was a very commonly played game by the other kids his age around him. The sun was always shining in the suburbs with the sun bouncing off every batting cage. To fit in and become friends with other kids around him, he decided to start playing baseball, and got pretty good after a while.

One day, he found a wooden baseball bat, a Louisville slugger, that he started to use when playing games with his friends. He eventually started to use this bat in his little league games. It was practically the gift that kept on giving due to the increased chances he had of hitting a home run, so this was a very valuable idea he discovered in order to do better at his baseball games.

My dad explained with a smile, “Stupid, right? It sounded like a great idea at the time.” My dad pointed out how he truly does think it was a stupid decision, but with the mindset of winning on your mind constantly as a 12-year-old, having ideas like this is way more common than you think. I bet that most would regret decisions like this every time looking back at it as an adult. I bet cutting corners to win does seem sweet in the right state of mind because, I mean, who cares? But there is more to it once you escape this mindset and mature.

Or at least that was my takeaway of course.

One afternoon, during one of Brian’s little league games, he was up to bat and had his wooden baseball bat in his hand ready to hit another home run. It was so bright the sun was bouncing off the metal of the batting cage. It was just his luck, given that the umpire squatting behind him was a coach of the team that my dad was going to play the next day.

The umpire did not find anything on Brian’s bat that showed any signs that it was little league approved, so he waited until his team was playing his team to rat Brain out.

The next day, when Brian was about to bat for his team playing against the umpire’s team, he got pulled out of the game by his coach. Brain got kicked out of the game and humiliated because of the coach of the apposing team. He explained how furious he was and talked about how he threw his helmet

on the dirt and stormed out of the field.

“To this day, I can’t grasp how angry I was. I mean, I saw it coming,” my dad said with a faded laugh. Brian really went into detail about his regrets and different views on this experience comparing now to when he was a kid.

Looking through two different versions of yourself can be very weird when the versions contain your younger, punctual self, and your older, mature self.

You can clearly see my dad’s shift in opinion looking back at the mistakes and thought process he went through in the past, compared to the future. When one’s sportsmanship is being tested, not many pass. If you’re thinking about karma, I am too. Brian did in fact see it coming and dealing with the consequences.

Brian carried his anger home and made the reckless decision to use his brothers wood burner and his good penmanship to carve “little league approved” into the wooden bat, planning on continuing to use it in his baseball games. His mom however caused a shift in plans when she came home and smelled burned wood that led her to seeing Brian in the basement, planning to continue using the bat in his games. His mom with slight, hidden anger in her voice told him that if he carries on with his plan to use his wooden bat, that she will pack all her stuff and walk out of the game. She placed this threat, but the outcome was up to Brian and his moral compass, faced with a competitive 12-yearold mind.

“To this day, I can't grasp how angry I was. I mean, I saw it coming.”

The next game rolled around, and Brian was up to bat. There he was, standing at home base with the wooden bat gripped tight in his hand. He swung at the ball and hit a home run, and as he was running and celebrating his home run, he looked at the stands to see that his mother stayed true to her promise. She picked up all her stuff and walked out of the game. His mom’s sheer disappointment led him to have no choice but to stop using the bat and come to terms with his mistakes.

“Let’s be real,” my dad said with a faint laugh, “if I still continued to use that bat, I would have gotten nowhere.” That sentence stuck with me. Hearing my dad

say that made me start to see into a bigger picture about how even though that wooden bat was a miracle worker at the time, that in the long run, he knew that the bat would no longer be a dream, yet a nightmare.

I thought it was similar to how exercise works compared to rest. Even though a nap sounds absolutely amazing, exercise is way more beneficial in the end.

Exercise can help you continue to grow, push your limits, and improve your strength, while rest keeps you hovering at the same strength and skill level forever. If my dad continued cutting corners and using the clearly easier bat, he would have never become the baseball player he is today. My dad’s choice to stop using the easier option kept him challenged and improving. I thought this was super beneficial to be aware of when choosing how you want to spend your life, either cutting corners and never improving, or choosing the more challenging road that will grant you a more beneficial outcome.

This small experience Brian had when he was 12 was found to not only extend further than his future in baseball, yet his future in success within his company, and work. Brian continues to use this experience to remind himself that the hard work that he dreads so much is what is causing his success and skill improvement in life. Not only does he use this experience to inspire him, he also choses to let this story inspire and encourage others to use his experience to teach yourself a lesson about sportsmanship and the importance of it. hearing this story offered a whole new outlook on being an honest team player and what it truly means. I am very appreciative of my dad for letting me hear and share his story so it can hopefully inspire others the same way it inspired me.

The main piece of advice I can share with whoever happens to be reading this is to take the long road and be a good sport because even though the walk will not be as delightful, the outcome will be worth the struggle. Here I bring up again the ringing question, what does sportsmanship mean? And what importance does it hold?

And the short, truthful answer is, sportsmanship is to believe that the game is not about winning. To just play with intentions of growing instead of winning. If you play an honest game and always focus on improving your sportsmanship skills, that is all you will ever need to become a good player and achieve what your version of success is.

Shauna Boliker: A sneak peek into the story of the first Prosecutor on the Robert Kelly Case.

Shauna during a press conference post verdict reading

You have heard about Robert Kelly, the award-winning rapper and revered musician.

Although recently he was convicted and sentenced to multiple years in prison for Racketeering, sexual exploitation of a child, kidnapping, bribery, sex trafficking, and violation of the Mann Act. Although he was convicted now, it does not mean he was never suspected of things like this before. He had been accused of the same things since the early 90s. It only took 30 or did it. In 2007 The Chicago police department found a child pornography tape of Robert Kelly with an underage girl. The CPD then brought this to Shauna Boliker, and her team at 26th and California.

The second her unit saw this tape, they got on the case right away. The Sex Crimes Unit started searching for people that could identify the girl in the tape. About 25 people identified the girl by her name and said she was between the ages of 11-14 years old. With this information they could legally take this case to a jury since the evidence could prove that Robert Kelly committed a crime. So instantly, they took this right to a jury that could hopefully understand exactly what they saw.

Although they had all of this, the jury was not convinced.

Then of course after a whole 14 years since the original case. Robert Kelly was found guilty. After the “me-too” movement which Boliker says, “I believe that a lot of what we did helped usher in the “me-too” movement.” She and her team in my opinion highlighted a subject that was hidden for years by powerful men, this in turn caused a chain reaction that made women all around the world have courage to come out and speak. Although this trial made her feel as though she made a difference, she still felt as though she let down her colleagues and the worlds victims of sexual violence, but she would “do it all over again.” She would go through the turmoil, angst, and the frustration that it all caused to put this man or any man like him behind bars.

the other hand, it felt different, like a halffinished film, and with people who did not believe the beast was evil at all.

I hope this article has informed you about the life and work of Shauna Boliker, the first prosecutor on the Robert Kelly crime case. I also hope that you now understand how hard she worked and tried to prove what she knew and what she saw, proved to her and the world that Robert Kelly was a monster. “I just want this story to show that things like this have not been going on for just a couple years, but it has been the reality for half the population.” She wants to give courage to the voiceless.

Shauna Boliker worked as a prosecutor for Cook County for 25 years, The First Assistant to Anita Alvarez, The Head of Sex Crimes for 11 years, the head of criminal for 4 years and currently a Probate Circuit court judge at the Richard Dally Center, also a breast cancer survivor.

She was very motivated, throughout day and night she worked on what she would ask witnesses to get answers that would make the jury know that what Kelly did was a crime. “I had 100 percent proof that this was a crime.”

This is coming from a woman who has done 90 murder trials, 30 sexual violence trials, and years of experience in the criminal field.

“I would do it all over again”- Shauna Boliker

Although she felt as though she had Kelly dead to rights, “Celebrity definitely came into play,” and no victims came forward on the stand. During this time, she constantly had panic attacks and had trouble balancing her work and her 2 kids at home, this caused problems at home for weeks, but she and her family prevailed. The only person that came forward and “Made a difference” were the Girls Pastor, a man who confirmed the age of the girl in the video. Not only her pastor but 2 pediatricians who also confirmed the age of the girl in the video, 11-14.

Th is is a co u rt ro o m sk e t c h of Sh a u n a sp e a k in g to th e jur y re g a rd in g th e tria l.

-D ra w n b y St e v e n Nile s

During Shauna’s 25-year career in the government (current) the trial of Robert Kelly was just like any other horror film. It had an evil beast wreaking havoc on others, and people coming together to bring an end to the evil. On

What is Going On? An inside and informational view of what it was like experiencing the Cuban missile crisis.

What was going on?

Clare Barnickol ELA Class- 8-1 Investigative Journalism 10 November 2021

It was October of 1962, and Evelyn Lippold was pulled right into the Cuban missile crisis. Evelyn, goes

by Evie, was a military wife. Her husband was a part of the U.S Air force. Along with that, she also had three little boys. I know all of this because Evelyn is my grandma. She told me all about what happened in this month of 1962 regarding the Cuban missile crisis and what it was like.

World news had spread that Russia was planting missiles in Cuba.

These missiles were not just pointed anywhere. They were directed towards the United States of America. “This was a very serious offense against our government,” said my grandma.

During this time, my grandma, Evelyn Lippold, lived in Bossier City, Louisiana with my grandpa and three uncles, who at the time were around the ages of four. My grandpa, Jerry Lippold, was a part of the United States Airforce, so they lived very close to the Barksdale Air force Base.

“We had no control.

Just had to listen”

This is a picture of my grandma Evelyn Lippold, the person I interviewed for this story and her point of view and experience from the Cuban Missile Crisis.

On October 14th, 1962, my grandpa got a call After a couple of days, they put families of those from the Barksdale Air force Base telling him he had to in the military on military alert. Families got warnings to pack a bag and go to the base. They would tell him where pack up their cars and be prepared to drive as far away as he was going once he got there. While on the phone, they possible from Louisiana. This was because these missiles in did not tell him any information, so my grandma had no Cuba from the Russians aimed at the United States were idea what was happening, all she knew was that whatever it close to the base they were located at, and the base could be was, was a big deal. one of the first targets.

So once my grandpa had packed his bag, my grandma and uncles drove him to the base without really knowing what was happening. She said, “We didn’t know where he was going, didn’t know when he was coming back,” … “We could see an airplane bomber and an air force tanker one after another taking off from the base. No one knew where they were going until they got into the air.” My grandma was feeling very anxious. She did not know when my grandpa would come back, if he would be okay, and what his assignment even was. From the point she saw which direction they went after takeoff, she figured they were headed to look over Cuba.

The Air force flew B-52 bombers and KC-135 tankers, which was what my grandpa flew. These would fly This is a diagram of where these missiles in Cuba would have up around 20,000 feet and the bomber would line up behind been shot in direction of the United States. As you can see, the tanker to refuel in the sky so they wouldn’t have to Louisiana is in range of the closest missiles. land.

This whole issue lasted for about two weeks, the 14th of October to the 28th, because the president of the United States at the time, John F. Kennedy, told the president of Russia, “there would be major retaliation from the United States if he (President of Russia) did not withdraw his missiles from Cuba.” According to my grandma, “JFK (John F. Kennedy) was a very powerful president, and Russia did not want to face the U. S’s worldwide military power.” The U.S had allies and agreements with other nations and Russia was aware off that which led them to back down.

The image above is of a what a KC-135 tanker looked like, and the image under is of a B-52 Bomber.

This is a newspaper article from this time explaining JFK’s move towards Russia.

Before Russia had backed out though, my grandma and uncles, along with several other military families, had to pack their car just in case. When I asked my grandma how she would talk to my uncles and explain what was going on and where their dad/my grandpa was, she said, “they would ask where’s daddy, why did he have to leave in such a hurry, and when is he coming back, and

I tried not to scare them because I was already scared for us and the country, and I did not want to scare them as little children. All I did and told them to do was pray a lot and hope it would be okay.” It was already scary enough for her individually, but she, like tons of other moms, also had to take on the responsibility of little kids, as well as make sure they were not super worried about where their dad was and what was going on.

Similar to what was mentioned before, after JFK threatened Russia and explained how strong the U.S was, Russia eventually decided to back down. After a long two weeks, my grandpa returned to my grandma and uncles in Louisiana. “We were very grateful and happy he was home and okay. We were very grateful for JFK being able to save our country from going to war,” said my grandma. They were so glad that my grandpa was home safely, and that they were able to prevent a big war happening with Russia, which makes me realize how big of a deal this really was.

The Cuban missile crisis was a huge deal for our country. It put several families and individuals lives in danger.

Hearing my grandma’s story really shows how caring, kindhearted, and courageous she really is since she had to manage and make sure three little kids were okay while carrying the worrying thought of not knowing where her husband was, and if he was okay. From hearing her talk about the situation, it really introduced the whole thing to me, as I did not know almost anything about it or how serious it was.

“We had no control. Just had to listen,” my grandma told me. Hearing that really makes you think about how stressful and alarming it must have been for those being sent on this assignment, and all the families as well as loved ones involved. It also is a good reminder that in any intense situation, it is important to make sure others are okay.

A different way of helping people Levoi Brown the head of the Economic Equity Advisory group at BMO is helping the community day by day.

This a portrait of my father.

Wow I never knew that the banking world could be so resourceful is what I thought when my father was telling me about his occupation. Listening to my father, I was in my room hearing him passionately talk about his job. My father is Levoi Kinsley Brown. He was born in Galveston, Texas. His date of birth is August 3rd, 1977. When a business is minority owned it is much harder for them to receive funds than big brands like Amazon and Disney. This is where my father comes in, he helps the companies get the resources they are not able to get on their own.

committed 3 million dollars to his fund to provide capital to small companies.”

While life in the workplace can be seen as difficult, my father has found a way to find a bright side in the jobs he occupies. Specifically, he has found the bright side to the job he has currently. My father has been working at BMO Harris bank for 6 ½ years. While there he has experienced multiple different jobs in various parts of the bank from commercial bank to wealth management.

Life is never as bright and happy as it seems in the movies.

The tv show “The Office” did not tell us the truth about business and life in the workplace. In my fathers’ job he tries to help everyone. While this is a noble gesture, its not possible because at the end of the day you can’t help everyone.

This is a image of a product from a company that my father supports.

“The former CEO of McDonalds has created a 2nd private equity fund to raise 70 million dollars to fund businesses on the south and west side of Chicago. BMO has committed 3 million dollars to his fund to provide capital to small companies.”

By: Kelsey G. Brown

In his current job he enjoys it very much. His current job is the Head of the Economic Equity Advisory Group. One may be curious as to the responsibilities the Head of Economic Equity Advisory. His job is to help diverse communities and businesses get the capital that they need. By diverse communities I mean black, brown and Latinx along with women owned businesses.

He said that “The former CEO of McDonalds has created a 2nd private equity fund to raise 70 million dollars to fund businesses on the south and west side of Chicago. BMO has

This demonstrates how my father helps companies get the resources and money they deserve to use it for good things. The south and west sides of Chicago have been historically underprivileged communities. Giving money to businesses in these communities help improve them as a whole. This is what I believe gives my father the happiness he has while doing his job.

Occasionally, my father comes across a company that is requesting help, but their needs can’t be met. He said, “You can have a great concept but not have a good enough operating history to qualify for bank debt, so you turn them away.” This makes me think that being in a business where you can’t help everyone is a sobering experience.

My father helps people by giving them the business resources and opportunities that are necessary for them to achieve success. Since my father works with undervalued businesses, they don’t get the attention or recognition that big brands like Nike or Apple get. Instead, they are the underdogs and barely get noticed. This means that they must work multiple times harder to receive even the smallest amount of funding for their business.

That’s where my father comes in, he looks at the financial state of companies. While doing this he looks at what the company is requesting and looks at their needs. He said, “For the last several years I’ve had the opportunity to provide capital to help that business grow to help the business achieve their dreams and make a meaningful difference in the lives of owners and operators of their

companies.”

What makes this powerful is the fact that it shows us how my father has been using his platform to help people. He gives the money to the businesses that will really do good things with it. This money helps businesses grow and achieve their dreams.

Seeing that my father helps underfunded companies get to the places that they want to go to makes me feel proud.

This sets an example for me, showing me that helping people is a good thing to do because it gives you a good feeling and the other person benefits as well by receiving something that will help them too. I feel good about myself knowing that my dad goes to work every day and helps disadvantaged businesses get the help that they deserve.

When you help people you both gain something from this action. I have learned that helping people isn’t easy. To really help people there is a process involved. You can’t just help people by performing one simple task, you must take a step further. When taking the next step, you really analyze their needs and see how you can help them. While living everyday life you should think about how you can help others.

He explained that , “I’ve always had a need or desire to do a little more than earn a living in my job. In this job, I have an opportunity to finance projects, work with developers, and operators of companies. This job was compelling to me because it allowed me to influence by providing capital to much needed businesses to ultimately help them grow to something that could be great for their communities, but also great for their employee base as well.” At the end of the day when you help improve the overall quality of lives and communities.

This is another picture from the same company that my father gives assistance to.

A doctors story The story of Doctor William Kosmala

“Medicine is like a box o’ chocolates, you never know what you are gonna get.”

By: Owen Kosmala He thinks it is hard because, “There is lots of hard work involved in being a doctor, he went to med school for 4 years after college then 6 more years of training after that until I made my own practice. I woke up at 6 or 7 every morning and work until 6, then once I’m home the work is not always done, ¾ the time I must create notes on the patients.” This relates to it not always being easy on the body. Also, “theres the mental feeling of when you go in and you could possibly put someone in harm or distress.’’

What is it like being a physician? When interviewing my dad, he was very calm, and almost too comfortable sitting on the couch with his night gown pulled gently over his shoulders.

We were watching the baseball playoff game of his favorite team, the Orioles. The crisp sounds of the wood hitting the hard, leather ball, for it was heard in the back. The thought I had was this was funny. It felt weird because I already knew all this information and the quotes he had before.

Well, I interviewed my dad and in this you will be getting a glimpse of everything about him. My Dad is a very well respected and highly intelligent doctor with tons of knowledge in the medical field as a Gastrointestinal specialist. He was born in Chicago, IL. And majored in biology at University of DePaul. Bill is very dedicated to his two kids and his wife. He loves to go hiking up treacherous mountains and play sports such as hockey and more. He tells me that being a physician is hard but at the same time an honor.

It’s not easy to become a doctor. Even after getting there its especially difficult because of everything that happens in his day. In addition to seeing patients in the office and the hospital, his day if full of what he calls, “Unnecessary things like paperwork and extra work to meet requirements.” Secondly, he mentions that he does approximately, 10 procedures a day, 50 procedures a week, and for a year it varies but the highest he has ever done was 2500-3000 medical procedures.

“theres the mental feeling of when you go in and you could possibly put someone in harm or distress.’’

What is powerful about this is the very long hours that can tire the body and the brain.

Also, to add on he must go see patients, the stress of the outcome makes this tense but especially when you are tired anything can go wrong. Lastly, many people would be happy when his day is over at work, but my dad still must drive an hour to get home, take us to our sporting practices, and then do dictations, or notes on the patients he took care of. This is from the quote “Unnecessary things like paperwork” This makes me think what its like being a doctor and what an average day looks like for Dr. Kosmala.

Why did he become a doctor in the first place? In college he studied biology and was interested in the human body and how it worked. He told me he really liked classes like anatomy and physiology. He became a GI doctor because of one of his mentors named Dr. Ali Keshavarzian, from when he was in training at Rush. He fostered my dad and, “taught me about training and helped me persevere till I found out where I was going with this.” My dad said that he enjoys being a doctor the most because “of the excitement each day,” and “the ability to help out thousands of people each year.”

Some people are curious about how my dad does these procedures; does he teleport inside the patient’s body to see whats inside? No, For the procedures my dad uses a 3ft long camera that he inserts from the top of the patient or the bottom. This equipment piece goes for 25000$. It takes so much training to use due to it being manually controlled. Also, it has a camera that allows them to see what they need to take out or monitor inside the patient’s body. This camera is called an endoscopic camera and it can insert stuff and remove stuff, such as polyps and cancers and stop bleeding in the inside too. “This usually takes most of my day or at least 2/3 of it.” As you can see from this quote the procedures are important, due to it taking up most of his day. Without this fiberoptic camera my dad would not be able to conduct his job properly.

Lastly. What I appreciate about my dad is that he can balance family time but also still do amazingly well in the medical field. As his kid, I even learned a lot about him, such as why he became a doctor, I thought it was just to get money, but I learned from him theres more to a job then money. From this I would just say, “do what you want in life, no matter what it takes to get there, once your there it can be the ride of your life.” “At the end of the day I put everything aside and look at how far I came, and I’m honored to be able to make a difference in people’s lives.” My dad quotes.

A hAll of fAmer’s Learning Mentality Adam Drake ventured through football and learned valuable life lessons along the way.

Lukas Cherian

Adam drake making a great catch in a crucial game against St. Thomas University

The logo of the Football team that Drake played on in college, Easter Illinois university

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to play football professionally and the impact it has on your life?

If so, you’re in luck because Adam Drake not only learned how to be a better football player, but also, he learned many important life lessons. Drake was a great football player. He made it to the NFL and was just recently inducted into the Hall of Fame at Eastern Illinois University. At Drake’s college, EIU, Drake did not play at all in his junior year, and this really got to him. Drake’s coach, Coach Dino Babers, did not think he was good enough. Adam worked very hard to prove Coach Babers wrong. Drake practiced whenever he could; He would practice for hours: catching the ball, lifting weights, doing drills to strengthen his weaker aspects of the game. He even trained in the coldest of winter with white snow on the ground or in the hottest of summer with sweat dripping down his neck. This effort was all to prove his coach wrong. This is how Drake learned one of the valuable life lessons, how to overcome adversity. The other life lesson is how Drake learned how to work well with others.

Adam Drake practicing on the Kansas City Chiefs, the team which he was drafted to in the NFL

My uncle, Adam Drake, learned how to work well with other people in the beginning of his football career.

In fourth grade, Adam started playing flag football and then in sixth grade he started playing tackle football because his mom forced him into it. Drake grew up in Charleston, Illinois, on a lake, so he was a kid who liked to climb trees, go fishing, and drive his fourwheeler. Drake did not like football at all, and he would always complain and beg to quit.

Eventually, his mom told him that he could quit. Drake quit for about two weeks and then got back into it because he could not stand the fact that he was a quitter. After that, he never stopped playing.

At Charleston High School, Adam Drake played football and tennis. In football, Drake played several positions. He played wide receiver, defensive end, defensive back, punt returner, and the field goal kick holder. He learned how to work well with others by playing all of these positions, but especially he learned it by being the field goal holder.

Drake says, “Being the field goal holder was my favorite job. It taught me how to work well with others, especially the center and the kicker. I wanted them to know that they could always rely on me to not fumble the football and I could rely on them to do their jobs.”

Drake needed to collaborate well with the center because they had to work together to come up with a signal that shows when the center should snap the ball. In practice, Adam had to work with the kicker to figure out how he wanted the hold to be: if it should be angled a certain way, which way it should face, how far away Adam should be when he takes the snap, etc.

After Drake or one of his teammates would score a touchdown, he would run over to hold the field goal. He would get ready to take the snap as he breathes heavily, his heart pounding like heavy rain drumming on a rooftop. He is still recovering from the last play.

Some fans are cheering, and some are booing. This puts pressure on Drake, but he has to concentrate on not fumbling the ball. Drake does the signal, and the ball is snapped he catches the ball, puts the ball down, and spins the ball so that the white laces face outward. By the time he looks up, the kicker is already there, and he kicks the ball. The field goal is good! You need to work well with other people to be successful. You have to collaborate well with your teammates if you want to win games, make the playoffs, and win championships. You can’t just do everything on your own. You need to rely on others, and they need to rely on you.

Have you ever wondered how to learn how to overcome adversity? Adam Drake learned how to overcome adversity through the middle and end of his football career.

Adam drake graduated from Charleston High School. He had from multiple offers from different schools, and he chose to go to Eastern Illinois University, his hometown college.

Drake had a lot of familiarity with Eastern Illinois University and the town it was in. Adam continued to play wide receiver and kick holder in college. Adam redshirted in his first year of college. This means he could practice with the team but couldn’t play. This allowed him to have one more year in college which means he could play his fourth football season when he was a bit older. In his sophomore year, Drake played just a little bit but did not start. In his third year, as a junior, Drake didn’t play at all because EIU hired a new coach, Coach Dino Babers. Babers did not think Adam was a good player. Convincing Coach Babers that he was a good enough player, Adam Drake earned a starting spot throughout his fourth and fifth years of college. Babers even apologized to Adam in front of the whole team for not playing him in his junior year. Drake felt very respected to be there standing up in front of his team, his coach right next to him, his teammates and other coaches standing on the practice field, acknowledging how good of a player he was. A smile spread across Drake’s face. He was very happy to see his hard work paying off

Drake says, “I had a love-hate relationship with Coach Babers. In his mind, he didn’t think I was a good enough player and that really got to me. I worked really hard to prove him wrong and I had earned a starting spot the next year. I hated Coach Babers at first, but he made me a better player than I ever could have been. He motivated me to be the best player I could be, and I wouldn’t have been the same player without Coach Babers.” Drake went from not playing at all one season, to starting the very next. He did this by working hard to overcome the adversity caused by Coach Babers. Babers was Drake’s motivation to work hard because Drake was determined to prove Coach Babers wrong. This is very important to Adam Drake, because with hard work he became a better football player than he ever could have been Everyone will encounter very difficult challenges sooner or later in life and they will have to overcome them. Football is a great way of practicing how to overcome these challenges and obstacles by working very hard. Adam Drake worked very hard in his football career, so he was successful in overcoming adversity. In fact, Drake worked so hard that he even made it to the NFL. He was on the Kansas City Chiefs for a short time before he had to have surgery and he was cut from the team.

Have you ever wondered how football can help you in life? If so, Drake does a great job explaining how lessons learned from football prepared him for his life after football.

At first, Drake’s life after football was “really weird.” Football is all that he knew for most of his life, so it was weird for him to not be playing anymore.

Drake wanted to be back on that green field with the white stripes, with the breeze on his back, the bright sun shining down of the field and the sweat pouring down his face. Drake wanted to have the feeling of leaping into the air, feeling the football go into his hands, and catching the ball. In addition to not playing anymore, Adam had to figure out who he wanted to be which is probably stressful. Drake eventually got out of this challenging time.

Adam moved to Scottsdale, Arizona, got a job there, then he came back to Illinois (Elmhurst), got a new job, and got married.

He used the lessons he learned from football in his life after football, in the challenging times and the successful times.

Drake says, “In playing football nothing was ever given to me. Whereas prior in my life my parents and my family and my friends made everything cushiony and easy to get through. In football I had to prove myself over and over again without much help. Like I said earlier, I had to overcome adversity. That is the same for life after football, especially as a sales consultant. I have to prove myself over and over again to many different people while working.” Drake explains that he had to learn how to overcome adversity so that he could do well in his job. Imagine you are a sales consultant, and you are trying to sell a product to someone. You need to prove yourself to the client that the product is worth buying. If you are facing adversity

than you have to be able to overcome that adversity. And you can practice doing that by playing football.

Also, Adam used other lessons that he learned from football in his life.

Drake says, “From football I also learned how to collaborate well with other people.

This is also helpful for life. In my job, and really almost any job, you have to work well with your colleagues and clients. You often have to work well with others in order to be successful in achieving your goals.” The lesson of how to collaborate well with others is used in life. It can be used to help you achieve your goals and to help you be successful in whatever it is you are doing. These skills are applied in real life. These skills are valuable to have, so it shows that I should learn to develop these skills.

We can see that Adam Drake had great football career and that he learned many valuable lessons along the way.

People admire how Drake always works hard at whatever he does. Also, he plays football and other sports with me, and I like how he always has a great sportsmanship when playing. Drake has the perfect amount of competitiveness and sportsmanship. Drake taught me how to have good sportsmanship, how to work well with my teammates, and how to get past certain challenges in sports. It doesn’t seem like learning these things in a sports game is very valuable, but this is all practice for real life. Readers can also learn and practice these lessons by playing team sports such as, football. Drake still unpacks lessons he learned from football today.

Drake says, “When I have ‘successful’ experiences in life, I often trace them back to behavior I learned from my time as a student athlete. And it is very humbling when I do.”

“In playing football nothing was ever given to me. Whereas prior in my life my parents and my family and my friends made everything cushiony and easy to get through. In football I had to prove myself over and over again without much help” – Adam Drake

Adam Drake catching the ball and running up field

Adam Drake waving to the stands after being inducted into the hall of fame at Easter Illinois University

The outcome of a dream

Ashley came to the interview and sat down smiling, the light reflecting of her glasses. Through her interview she made jokes and was sarcastic. Her personality shined through while she retold one of her fondest memories. Ashley Hoffer Corotis was born May 25, 1977, in Cincinnati Ohio. She went to Ohio State University and then went to law school at DePaul University in Chicago. After a few years she went back to DePaul and was the head of service for students and alumni who wanted to go into public service. Then she was a lawyer but decided to leave to become my mother. Ashley has always followed her dreams, and worked hard to, so she made sure to follow her dream to go to Africa.

Ashley spent a lot of her childhood at the Cincinnati zoo. She always dragged her family to see the animals on the weekends. On her third birthday she brought a cake to feed to her favorite animal CJ the llama. She did everything from programs to camps to volunteering. She would spend most her free time at the zoo. She spoke about how the zoo felt like a home and a safe space. Then she revealed why she loved animals so much, “It’s like they were little ambassadors from where they were from”. What she loved about the zoo was how much she could learn from just the animals. The animals gave a little insight into a part of the world she could not see.

Ashley Corotis fulfilling her lifelong dream to go to Tanzania

By Stella Corotis

“its like they were little ambassadors from where they were from” When she was eleven, she was assigned to pick a topic to reaserch. She decided on Jane Goodall and her journey to Africa. It was in this project that her love for Tanzania and Africa flourished. She was inspired by Goodall’s bravery, but mostly she was inspired by how out of her comfort zone it was. She recalls thinking to herself “If she could do all of that just think of all the things I could do”. Jane Goodall made her think of all the things she could do. Jane uprooted her life to do something she cared about. Ashley decided right then and there to not let boundaries confide her.

Fast-forward a couple years she is an attorney and working hard, spending a lot of time at the library studying. She is married to Brian Corotis. A large part of his job is traveling, so he was racking up miles that they

could use on a trip. Together they decided that they would do a big trip with those miles.

Brian promised when they got married to bring her to Africa, but they had always planned to fulfill her dream of Africa when they were retired, but they decided why not do it then.

Ashley loves to plan her travels so she can get the most out of it. She spent a long time planning her trip. She had every day of her two and a half trips planned to a tee. She found a safari company called Access to Tanzania. In order to go , they both had to receive many vaccinations. She took three flights to get there and five to get back. When she arrived, she was met by Said their safari guide.

Said stayed with them for the entirety of their trip. she got to meet Saids family and see his village. they traveled through many national parks like Serengeti, Ngorongro Crater, and Lake Manyara. They would wake up early and spend 10 hours a day on safari looking for wildlife. She recalls said radioing to other guides communicating about which spots had exiting events. She loved seeing angelic animals in nature how they are normally. To see creatures in their natural habitat fulfilled that passion and curiosity that she had for so long.

Ashley retold one of her fondest memories that she had on safari. There was a dead baby hippo in a pond and three alligators were trying to get it for food. The mother hippo was defending the baby and did not let them take it. She spoke about how even though it was sad, and she would think she would not want to see that “it was so true the wild of the animal kingdom”. She loved how what she saw on her safaris were things that could never happen at the zoo. And events that only could happen in nature. To see animals that she grew up loving how the are normally was breathtaking for her

The next day they went to an elementary school. They got to visit different classrooms and meet with teachers and students. They got to ask students questions and they got to ask them some. It really stuck with her how hard the students worked to receive education. Some 10-year-olds oversaw candle and could not go until it was taken care of. Some had to walk miles to get there. It was inspiring for her to see how important education is to the students. Her visit changed how she wanted to donate. She realized she needed to help solve basics like uniforms, school supplies, food, feminine prouducts.

Ashley at a Masai village school outside of arusha When she returned home, she decided that she wanted to help others get the experience that she had. That is when she decided to join Embark. Embarks purpose is to help people in Chicago with lesser opportunities get to experience things to help them grow.

Experiencing new things and getting out of your comfort zone can impact everything about you. Ashley’s trip allowed her to see the things she has always wanted to see but also allowed het to grow as a person.

She got to discover new ways to help others, get others to get experiences, and help make others change. My mother inspires me to try new things and never let comfort zones define you. She said “that’s what I love about travel, there is something about your five senses experiencing a thing that is so different then anything you could read of watch about”

Ashley in the Serengeti pictured with wildebeest Ashley as raised that it is always important to help people in any way that you can. And education had always been important to her. Brian and Ashley’s mothers were both teachers, so they had a perspective on education. With access to Tanzania, it is mandatory to spend a day of your trip doing some sort of service. They day before they raised money from other travelers and spent the money on school supplies.

s t e

“that’s what I love about travel, there is something about your five senses experiencing a thing that is so different then anything you could read of watch about”

Ashley Infront of the pane she rode in the Kmanjaro airport, from Dar Es Salam

Brian Corotis and Said Kambelenje Infront of Ngorongoro Crater

Ashley when she met Jane Goodall

Brian and Ashley Corotis Infront of Ngorongoro Crater

In 1997 my mom Flavia Duffy moved from Sao Paulo, Brazil to Chicago, IL. As you might know Brazil is very different then Chicago, In Brazil it’s warm and there’s beaches. Chicago is very cold and snowy which was a big change for my mom. It was very hard to move away from her family and where she grew up and she took many risks to move here.

My mom came here not even knowing English and today I’m going to be telling you about when she was coming here and what it was like for my mom to move from Brazil to Chicago.

Coming to America The journey of Flavia Duffy moving from Brazil to Chicago.

By: Nick A. Duffy

It was a warm day in Brazil when my mom Flavia got a job offer from a company in Chicago. My mom knew immediately that she was going to take the offer because she and her sister always wanted to live abroad. “I think I knew right away because everything about the offer was positive.” What my mom meant in this quote was that she knew right away she wanted to accept the offer in the U.S because she knew it would be a good job opportunity. My mom also thought it would be good to start a family there and learn English. Chicago is a very big change from Brazil, my mom was used to the warm weather of Brazil and not to the cold winters of Chicago. Another thing that my mom said was a change that she missed was the food from Brazil and told me how exited she was to go back to Brazil to have the food.

“the plane ride to Chicago from Brazil is about 10 hours and the sadness I had from moving from my home and family took over the excitement I had to move to ChiCago.”

The plane ride from Brazil to Chicago is very long and my mom was thinking about how she was moving away from all her family and her home where she had all her friends. “the plane ride to Chicago from Brazil is about 10 hours and the sadness I had from moving from my home and family took over the excitement I had to move to Chicago.” This quote is very significant because from when she got the job offer, she was so excited to come to America and move to Chicago which is such a wonderful city but, on the day, when she had to go, she was very sad to leave her family and where she grew up. Since my mom moved here not speaking English it was very challenging to work in a foreign language all day. “I would come home with headaches because I didn’t even know English and having to work all day only speaking English was very tough.” What my mom meant in this quote was that working all day in a new language was very hard. My mom came to the US not knowing English so when she was here, she had to start taking English lessons. Since my mom didn’t know any English, she would come home so tired from speaking it all day. Additionally, my mom being a Latina Women had many disadvantages in the work office.

My mom has worked so hard since she moved to the US, she came here not speaking any English and She has achieved so much like being the Vice President of Operations at Blue Cross and Blue Shield. My mom took so many risks moving to the US and her family and had many disadvantages while working as a Latina woman. My mom works very hard for me, and my brother and I am so thankful I have her as my mom.

A picture of my mom Flavia Duffy.

My Grandpa’s Hidden Story On His Experience In Hong Kong

As l sat down in my room on a gloomy Sunday afternoon, I picked up the phone and called my grandpa to talk to him about his hidden story. My interview subject sat at his desk on the other side of the phone smiling on FaceTime. The person l was interviewing was my grandpa Frances Macknica or as l and many others call him, Frank. My grandpa grew up in Buffalo, New York and he moved many times throughout his life. I met him when l was young when he and my grandma met. He has lived in places all over the US in the time l have known him like Chicago, South Haven, and St. Charles. During his life he has experienced living in many places, but today l wanted to interview him on his time living in Hong Kong.

Have you ever desired to live in another country with different practices and cultures? Maybe somewhere across the globe? My grandpa’s desire to travel started at a very young age when he around 10 years old. He didn’t travel to other very often at a young age, but he immediately became very interested when he would look through books and textbooks reading about other countries and seeing their flags. While reading his history books, my grandpa was able to see the colors of red, green, blue, and orange all over the flags and it inspired him. When my grandpa was growing up, he always wanting to travel someplace else and experience something new.

When he interviewed for the job, he checked the box that he would be willing to travel for work. He was able to do a project for two months in Indonesia. After some years had passed by, he was asked to do a project in Hong Kong but this time, he would have to bring his family. At first, he was unsure if his family would agree to come as they would have to drop their lives here and start a new one in Hong Kong. When he came home that day unsure if they would do it, but he was really interested so he asked them. He stated, “The family was all in favor of it. There was no hesitation or trepidation.”

Finally, my grandpa would be able to achieve something he wanted to do when he was young. His family agreeing was the final step. Before asking his family, he was very worried he would get a hard no, but he was pleasantly surprised that his family was really interested in this experience. His family was in the mood to try something new and to go into something that was unknown.

When he asked the question, he was planning on some speculation or hesitation as they would have pack everything up and leave to somewhere, they had never been before.

Next l asked about the start of his experience, he said he noticed some things right away he was pleasantly surprised about but many things and there were also some things that felt weird to him. At the beginning of his time there he immediately noticed that the people there were very friendly. He figured out that if you really tried to be friendly and talk to them you could establish a trustworthy and valuable relationship with them. He talked about how he needed to establish cultural patience to get relationships as sometimes it was harder to make better relationships as they had different cultures than you would see in the US. Some other things he noticed included that the Hong Kong government seemed to have a good control on things like construction. They were able to renovate and build a whole new airport in less than a year. You

would rarely see something built this quick in the US. He stated that there was also some things he didn’t enjoy, expressing that there was an obvious control making him feel limited. He expresses the joy that the US is a very free country with very limited government control compared to some other places including Hong Kong with a big emphasis on government control.

He implied that “You might be taking a public bus and it would be pulled over and every passenger would have to show their Hong Kong residency.” My grandpa also brought it up a few times that sometimes he felt “very controlled”, and “very intimidated” at times. Sometimes in a new environment a feeling and a sense of unknown as things like this would come up giving him a bad sense of intimidation. He had to adapt to a different lifestyle and this adaptation helped him really get an advantage in life. He learned how to adapt to an unknown and different environment.

At the beginning he was only planning on a two-year experience here, but he and his family enjoyed it enough to stay and extra two and a half years. Throughout his time, he had established some relationships with the locals and even kept in touch with them after. He was able to go to many different countries that he wouldn’t have before like Thailand, S. Korea, Singapore, and China without this time here.

After he reflected on his daughter’s school experience, he said that it was different from what it was like in the US. There was less of a sport and club program than in the US. Although they enjoyed it, they felt like they wanted the high school feeling of home. My grandpa at that point was willing to leave if the family really wanted to. In the time that he was there he had felt that he had gotten a lot out of this experience and his family felt it was time to go.

He said that “My daughters wanted to leave for the more American high-school experience.” They left when they were in 9th grade. My grandpa and his family loved it there for the time being but after some time they wanted a sense of home that they had when they were younger. He felt he had gotten more than enough then what he expected out of the experience, so he was totally ok with him and his family leaving.

When looking back at the experience my grandpa had learned a lot of lessons. I asked if he would do it again and he said yes but if asked to do it know he would decline because he likes his life here. It also seems like it is more controlled in Hong Kong now than before. He looks back and he says that he learned a lot about new cultures and practices that he would have never seen before.

One key lesson he has learned is the way to adapt to a new place and new cultures teaching him a lot of things that he uses today.

Without the experience he would be lacking some of these skills.

I asked him to give one answer for what one lesson did you take away from this experience and he said, “the acceptance of other cultures”. The main takeaway my grandpa had from this was to learn and how to grasp the acceptance of cultures. He went into there with no idea of anything and he learned to adapt and accept their different lifestyle. The many lessons he learned has been taken and used in his life.

My grandpa had a great and valuable experience living in

Hong Kong. Not only did he learn these lessons he helped me learn these lessons through interviewing him. He helped me learn a lot of new things about different environments and cultures all over the world. Not only did the interview give lessons it was also enjoyable to the fact that l could sit down and spend time talking to him about something for thirty minutes. I think that it was a wonderful experience to hear about as not many people can say it has happened to them before. Knowing this story l can now learn about some of the experiences that has made up who he is as a person now. The real lesson he expressed at the end and the theme of the interview was to accept other cultures because you might think it is odd or different, but they might feel the same way.

Picture of Kai Tak airport before it was renovated

My grandmother, Priska Peirce, is a woman of many amazing abilities. When she first immigrated to the U.S. looking to learn English for her new job, it was very difficult at first. Along the way, she experienced many challenges and hardships.

There are many differences between Rikinba and Chicago. Priska Peirce, my grandma, grew up in Zurich, the biggest city in Switzerland. Later, my grandma moved to Iba which is also in Switzerland. She and her family moved one last time to Rikinba, a small mountain village in Switzerland with about 300 people.

In Rikinba all the houses were very old, it was such an old village there were old castles in it.

My grandma decided to move to the US, at the age of 24, so that she could learn English.

When she moved, she was still working for the Swiss Consul. It was extremely difficult for her though because she had to communicate with people even though she did not know English, so she had to use a dictionary and point to the words that she was trying to say, also she did not know English people in the Swiss consul often tried to take advantage of her, so she decided to leave the Swiss consul and work at a nursing home. It was not just the Swiss consul they tried to take advantage of her many other people tried too.

The journey By: Joshua Glenn

What was is like growing up in Switzerland?

Life in Switzerland was very different from life in the US, some of the big difference school. Kids in Switzerland have school five days a week. Kids went to kinder garden when they were six. They have no school on Wednesdays and Sunday but other than that they have school every other day of the week. The school day went from 8-12 then everyone went home for lunch then they were back in school from 2-4 pm Unlike our school days where we are in school from 8 am to 3:30 pm and we eat lunch at school. Another difference is sometimes in the morning they would here the alp horn and the cow bells.

This happens when is gettes to cold in the alps, so they bring down all of the cows. One more big difference is that instead of them having big cities they had little villages in Rikinba. People took advantage of her because of lack of knowledge towards the English

language and her gender. Her gender because especially back then people took advantage of women and treated them unfairly compared to men, this is even still happening today’s world. It could also be lack of knowing English because she did not know much, they would just say something, and she would think its true.

What are some major arctecture difference’s in Rikinba compared to the US? My Grandma said that the US compared to Rikinba was a little overwhelming because where she grew up there was no big buildings or big skyscrapers there was just little cottages. All the houses in Rikinba were older than the houses in the US given that Rikinba was just all around an older place then the US. Also, in Rikinba there where old historical castles that people could go and see. “We would go on field trips to see these big castles.”

My grandma loved to go on field trips because she got to experience her culture more in depth. “They have a lot of tradition and a lot of old houses, old castles, old history and here in the U.S.A a lot of stuff is much, much newer and is much of a younger country compared to Rikinba.” In Rikinba they did not tear down all the old buildings and kept the village filled with history almost everywhere you walked.

advantage of her. From this interview I have learned that there are many differences compared to Rikinba and Chicago. One of those differences is school, school in Rikinba is different in many ways such as the ages you are in each grade, the days you have school and the time that school starts and ends. I think that each is unique in its own way, and I think that ether way would be a good way to go to school. I think it just depends on what you like. Another difference is the Arctecture. It is extremely different compared to Chicago in many ways. One being the building sizes.

In Chicago there are big skyscrapers and cities, but in Rikinba there are just small villages with not a lot of people and there are huge castles and mountains. I think that one thing that is similar between Rikinba and Chicago is just jobs in general, but one thing that can be different about jobs is how you get them because in Rikinba if you have no job after a while you will get retrained and get a job. But in Chicago you have to go to school and everything if you want a good job, and if you go homeless, they government won’t retrain you.

If you were put in this situation and people were taking advantage of you what would you

Some of the bigger difference between Rikinba and Chicago are scenery, cost of items, and the governmental system. The scenery if way different from Chicago because instead of waking up and seeing big skyscrapers, you just saw big mountains and small houses. The cost of items is way different because if someone is gave birth, they wouldn’t charge them for their stay in the hospital. But on Chicago every seacond you are in the hospital you are charged more and more money. On the other hand in Rikinba the taxes are extremely high compared to Chicago, and in the long run was a lot of money.

One thing good about Rikinba is that if someone does not have a job and they are homeless then after a little while the government will have to retrain the person for a job, Having this system in society would help because after a period of time had passed people could get support to put their life together again.

My grandma had a hard time when she first got to the U.S from not knowing English and her job taking

“They have a lot of tradition and a lot of old houses, old castles, old history and here in the U.S.A a lot of stuff is much, much newer and is much of a younger country compared to Rikinba.”

Priska Peirce

My Dad on 9/11 John Higgins was on a plane when 9/11 happened this is his story about what happen on that day and what he was doing on this day and for the next couple weeks.

By: Jimmy Higgins

On September 11, 2001, it was a rough day in America; almost 3000 people were killed in the United States when planes were hijacked by terrorists. Two planes, both headed out of Boston, were heading west. These planes were hijacked and changed course to New York aiming for the World Trade Center. Another plane heading to San Francisco from New Jersey was hijacked. The brave people onboard fought for America and crashed the plane, so it would not hit anything important. One last plane, heading out of Washington D.C. to Los Angeles was hijacked and crashed into the Pentagon.

It was an early morning on September 11, 2001. My dad was in Chicago. He was hopping on a plane to go to Louisville, Kentucky. He boarded the plane and took off. Nothing seemed fishy just a normal flight. He walked off the plane and he thought it was regular day, until he saw everyone crowding around one TV. He walked closer and saw that a plane had hit a tower, the World Trade Center, in New York City.

He was thinking it was an accident. He was already on the phone with my mom because he called her to tell her he was ok. Then another plane was flying over New York and hit the other Twin Tower. Everyone was going crazy and in his head he thought, "Something terrible is happening; this is an attack.”

At this point he didn’t know why, but he knew we were being invaded. He thought it was like in World War 2, when Pearl Harbor was attacked.

Right after my dad saw the plane crash into the second tower, he knew he had to get home. He ran right to the rental car place and rented a car. When he was in the line, he looked back and there were 100 people behind him. As

he got in the car and started to drive home to Chicago, he became very scared. He said, “You just didn’t know what is going to happen next.”

He was so confused because back then the radio stations only worked in certain areas, and he didn’t know what station would work where he was driving. The radio stations also did not know what was happening. A bunch of people were asking questions and sharing theories, so you didn’t know what was actually happening. He was scared the whole car ride home, and he was wishing and hoping that everyone was ok.

He finally got home and was back with his family. Again, they did not know if it was over or not so they felt very on edge.

He said, “You didn’t know if it was going to keep on going.”

He was very happy he was back to his family and they were all safe.

My brother, Jack was only three weeks old, so my dad wanted to be with him and my mom. Luckily, nothing happened but for the next few days there were many police on the streets. His office was closed for a while, but the world went back to normal about a month later. It doesn’t matter where you were on 9/11, just that everyone will always remember this day.

As you can see my dad was very confused on this day and he was very scared. He was confused and scared because of all the rumors that were going on. At the time he did not know if his family and friends where okay. Luckily, everyone in his family and his friends were okay but still a tough day in history. A lot of people lost their family members and friends. 9/11 will be a day that will be remembered fore

“Something terrible is happening; this is an attack.”

Mike Roach was riding up a rugged mountain with his team. Tired from the journey they had already made, the team struggled to pedal up the steep slope. Smiling, Mr. Roach told me, “What comes up must come down.” His team reached the top of the mountain, admired the gleaming sky, and started rolling off the edge.

They all went flying down, the fastest any of them had ever gone on their bikes.

Mr. Roach grew up as the youngest child in his family, with one older brother and one older sister. He was raised in Evergreen Park, Illinois. Mr. Roach has participated in Coast to Coast for Cancer a total of three times, in the years 2018, 2019, and 2021. Coast to Coast for Cancer is a bike ride where volunteers make a 6,000-mile journey across the United States, starting in Cannon Beach, Oregon, and ending in Long Branch, New Jersey. The organization’s goal is to raise donations to fund cancer research. Initially, Mr. Roach had difficulty in committing to the program, but once he began, he was very excited by how rewarding the experience was. Taking on new things can be challenging, but with the motivation of helping others, it would most likely be very worthwhile in the end.

Headshot of Mike Roach

Riding to New Heights Examining the Coast to Coast for Cancer experience through the eyes of Mike Roach.

By: Ava Hirschl

When Mr. Roach was first debating over signing up for the program, Coast to Coast for Cancer, he had a lot of worries about whether he could complete the bike ride. He struggled with self-doubt and other hardships, but was encouraged by family and friends, so he decided to sign up. Once his name was selected, he started training for the bike ride, but it was difficult since he wasn’t in tip-top physical condition. Mr. Roach told me that training can be enjoyable when training with other people. However, he said that it was usually more difficult when training on his own. When describing some of his challenges, he said, “Sometimes, if it’s very hot and humid, you start thinking about every mile, and that gets frustrating.”

Overall, I would imagine it would be a very strenuous journey to prepare for something like this and, of course, there are going to be many challenges along the way. This may even inspire

some people to get in the best shape they can, but it takes courage and confidence to overcome the doubts everyone experiences when starting something intimidating and new.

“You don’t realize how much you can impact people by doing something you consider to be very simple.”

During the bike ride, Mr. Roach felt that there was a great team effort behind what he was doing. He said everyone encouraged each other, knowing that they were all working to fight cancer together. He felt supported by all the people who committed themselves to his goal, both financially and emotionally, even if they weren’t necessarily biking alongside him. In order to cross the finish line, Mr. Roach explained how his team pushed each other forward. He said, “I’ve ridden with people from every walk of life… they all have unique stories, and they all have unique motivations.” The personal bonds created throughout his training and the cross-country bike ride have resulted in making lifelong friendships After Mr. Roach had finished the ride, he described his feelings as very “rewarded,” because he felt like he had accomplished something special. There were many people who contacted him to thank him because they were so grateful for his participation in this bike ride that raised funding for cancer research. It was quite personal for many people. He commented, “You don’t realize how much you can impact people by doing something you consider to be very simple.”

I could tell that he was extremely

grateful for the chance to challenge himself and make a real difference. There was gratitude for the people he met through the experience, as well as hopefulness for all the people he has encouraged and affected in other ways through this great program.

Mr. Roach did something difficult for the sake of others. Training for and completing a cross-country bike ride is not easy, but Mr. Roach did it so that there could be more research to help people as they fight against cancer. Mr. Roach’s example encourages me to look around and find people who may need my help. Taking on new challenges can be difficult, but with the motivation of helping others, it will most likely be very worthwhile in the end.

Mike Roach, teammates, and trainers ready for the bike ride.

When the Heart of the City Died The fear and horror felt at a terrorist target By: Brandon Ellsworth Johnson

I could hear the and sat down at a around. A mortified crashing and laden, a Muslim man shaking in his voice round table at the and innocent Ronald explosions erupting did this to our city. as he started to center of the room. He got chills as he saw from the TV. The awful This was the default recall the events one sat in front of the his world shatter scene of bodies and for about the next by one… The flames widescreen tv hanging around him. The tv was ash falling from the couple years.” It can and the mayhem that in the center of the shuttering and once shining star of be inferred that 9/11 fell upon New York room and started to buffering isolated New York City. would cause charged city on September eat. sounds of screams and emotions and it is 11th, 2001. The cries filled the close to obvious that escalating rumors in That’s when he heard office. “People were people would have a very loud explosion crying for their the office and the these feelings. But from what sounded like buddies and family who increasing threats not to the extent of the heart of the city. were probably dead or across the country. running away from a “It was one All from the firstclose to it.”

People fake threat.

Feelings of panic and of the worst person account of my dismay filled the that lived in father and best friend office to the brim. apartments and days of my Ronald Johnson. coworkers that were “I saw blank faces Once a place life” near the buildings filled with horror of life and Joy, the most likely did not -Ronald spread across the most productive place cafeteria,” Johnson make it or were left on the east coast Edward recalls. Then rumors forever scarred by turned into a place of Johnson came in about bombs in these events. The trauma and fear over Waking up and the streets. Which did amount of grief and the course of three going to work was the not help the panic suffering was hours. The fact that easy and perfunctory levels of the office. inconceivable. something tragic and action the 30-year-old Especially them being life changing could Banker as he made his a terrorist target happen in such a short After the evens way to his white BMW being the backbone time period is Ronald was surrounded to drive to 345 Park street of new your with strong Feelings unbelievable. But the Avenue to get to JP At this point I economy wise. inevitable happened on of Islamophobia From Morgan bank there could hear his voice, colleagues and peers, 9/11 2001 and that’s which he was employed.

Him reliving the utter “I would be walking why it is most He rode the elevator shock and that he felt into my building and remembered to this up to JP Morgan on the EVERYONE WAS PALE. on this tragic day. see a Muslim guy with day. The events will 44th floor and walked Panic and fear flooded His voice shaking, he a brief case and my stick in the minds of across the granite the office as a second said “It was one of friends would start to Americans forever. office floor to the boom Shaked the whole the worst days of my panic or walk away, cafeteria. life, I kept on office. Screams that was the case when panicking as I heard we heard Osama bin Ronald grabbed a Bagel erupted from all

The beginning

Aftermath

Emotions

Panic.

This is a portrait of my grandfather in present day

What makes a success story worth telling your grandchildren?

Muhamad Qamaruz Zaman Graduated from university in 1970, he studied at the University of Engineering and Technology Lahore, in Lahore, Pakistan, where he was born and raised and lived with his family.

“Lahore is the second largest city in Pakistan, it is a very lively city, a very social, cultural city, a lot of life is here, a lot of things to do here.”

During his time studying in college, he realized that he did not want a desk job, working in the same place until retirement. Mining Engineering was not even his first choice; after starting the job, he was enjoying it tremendously. However, this job required being miles from home and living in the mining areas...

“Mining areas in Pakistan are very remote areas, very tough areas. There was no social life, nothing to do in the evening, no friends, no family.” After graduating college, my grandfather left to start a new life and occupation. He would have never guessed the impact he made.

In the U.S. it may be common for children to leave the house after graduating and find a job far from home. However, in Pakistan, during the 70’s especially, it was common for children to live with their parents until marriage and even then, stay close by. So, you can imagine how when my grandfather wanted to be more than 800 miles from home, his parents were not exactly enthusiastic about it. Of course, they were encouraging and were immensely proud of him, but Mr. Zaman revealed that at one point, when his parents came to visit him, they begged him to come home and find a job in Lahore. Although who can blame them, communication at the time was extremely poor, no internet or phone calls. He tells us that... “Back then I could not get a flight, I couldn’t reach in time to see my dying father” “When my parents visited me, and they saw me-that I have been living all alone, and there is not much to do there... So, they thought it fit to marry me.” Mr. Zaman was married about three years after his graduation when he was 26, to Razia Qamar Zaman. All four of their children, including my father, were all born and raised in those remote areas.

Qamar Zaman

A reflection of raising his family remotely and the impact he made on the company.

By Alizay Kashif]

“One of the good things about living in remote areas is that the jobs are highly paid, you get a lot of money, second I had very good time with my family, in the evenings I got to spend time with my children, we were all together, under one roof.” In the Pakistani culture the number one thing is family, and yes, that meant your children and your parents, but it also meant your neighbor's and your friends, family time was crucial and a blessing. Living in remote areas back then meant that a part of you, and your family, was cut off from the world. This was a disadvantage, but it was also a blessing.

When asked about how he felt raising his family in a remote area, my grandfather responded, “I got to bring up my children according to my wishes.” Meaning that there was no pressure from society on which ways to parent, and how to raise your children, it was what they believed was right. Both of their eldest children completed high school from Quetta, once the time came for their universities, the family had to shift to Lahore.

“The people, especially the real minors, they are very rough people” Living in this area was no walk in the park. During his time on the field there were strikes, and because of his authority in the field he was found on the wrong end of the stick most of the time. “They were saying that everything was happening due to Qamar, so they were saying let's beat him, lets abuse him, or let's damage his house.” They were forced to take precautions since things started to get violent. His eldest son, my father, was almost kidnapped on his way to school. Mr. Zaman tells us that when my father saw the masked men carrying guns, he started crying. And when my grandmother found out, she started crying.

It is safe to say this was an extremely dangerous and emotional moment for the Zaman family.

“The people, especially the real minors, they are very rough people” Years later, he modernized the accounting system so that everyone makes more money using contemporary methods of labor management. “Since that day, there has been no strike, because I did so much for the workers and the company. Everybody is earning a very handsome amount, with the methods that I accounted there, they have very much respect for me.” The labor contractors who were behind the strikes and against my grandfather, now have a profound respect for him.

They respected the Zaman family so much they even went as far as to attend my father’s wedding.

Mr. Zaman is now working as a consultant engineer; he lives with his family; he works from home and visits once a month for four days. I hope that one day I could tell such a success story to my grandchildren. With about 40 years in the field as a chief engineer, Mr. Zaman tells us a message, and that is, “Fix your target and reach it.

Don’t ever stop in the middle because there is always room at the top”

Qamar Zaman is on the far left of this image. This image was token in past day .

My mom had just run the Chicago marathon yesterday, October 10, 2021, but she was full of energy and happy as ever. She couldn’t stop talking about the marathon and how excited she was. I knew that this was the perfect topic to interview her on. We sat down on our grey, leather couch and I asked her all the questions that I wrote down in my worn-out composition notebook. I fully expected to run out of questions halfway into the 30-minute interview but to my surprise, my mom had plenty to talk about and she seemed to really enjoy it.

My mom, Marisa Perez-Reisler, was born in 1977 in Evanston, IL. In 1979, she and her 2 other siblings moved from Evanston to Puerto Rico. There, her parents were teachers, and they bought a dairy farm with around 100 cows. She continued to go to school in Puerto Rico and her and her family of 8 milked cows each morning.

Later, she applied to college, she decided to leave her family in Puerto Rico, and she went to college in Cambridge, MA. During college, she decided that she wanted to be a doctor and she got into medical school. She moved to New York, NY for residency and in residency, she had her first baby, me. Soon, she moved to Baltimore, MD. After that, she moved to Hawaii and had her second baby, my brother. Then, she moved to Puerto Rico to be with her closer to her family and after Hurricane Maria of 2017, she relocated to Chicago.

She is currently working at Lurie Children’s Hospital as a child psychiatrist. She just completed the Chicago Marathon of 2021, and she is proud to call herself a marathoner.

When I sat down with my mom to interview her about running the 2021 Chicago marathon, I expected her to tell me about all her training and her process. She surprised me when the first words out of her mouth were, “I never thought I was a runner,”. This quote is significant because it shows how with a mindset, you can turn your life around.

During her childhood, my mom always hated running. She barley finished the mile in gym class and was always exhausted and out of breath. She had a hard time pacing herself and couldn’t endure the distance. It wasn’t until her mid 30’s that she started running.

First, the runs were short, she went on quick 20-minute runs around the neighborhood. Little by little, she increased the distance and along with that she was becoming a stronger runner, day by day. She ran the Great Aloha Run which was an 8.15-mile run, her longest yet.

After the sucessful race, she signed up for the Hawaii half marathon.

And she was able to complete it. Many runners start out young, but my mom discovered her calling later in life, and that’s okay.

Running the Chicago Marathon My mom spent many years of her life running and completing the Chicago marathon has been her biggest accomplishment yet.

By: Lara Kho-Perez

Left to right: My little brother, my mom, and I. My mom loves running but she is sure to keep a balance between family and running

“Life’s a marathon, not a sprint.”

As much as I can remember, my mom has always loved running.

Especially with marathon training, she has been running most weekday mornings and every weekend. I never really understood why other than the obvious fact that running is a healthy practice. I asked my mom why she liked running so much and what she “got out of it”.

She told me “I think running was a really helpful way to maintain routine”. This quote is important because it finally made me realize how important running was to my mom.

I’ve now realized that running isn’t just something you

have as a hobby, it can be a stress reliever, a helpful outlet, and much more.

Finding a community of people who share your interests is always important. It keeps you accountable on your goals and allows you to develop a deeper connection with others. My mom said, “Finding other people who have similar goals keeps you accountable”.

This shows that when you share your goals with others, you are more motivated. My mom finds purpose in running and she keeps it challenging by setting different goals. Running a marathon was a big commitment and challenge and the running group really supported her along the way.

Something I’ve always admired about my mom is how she respects quitting. I don’t mean just giving up right away or putting yourself down or convincing yourself you aren’t good at a specific skill. I mean trying out something, realizing that it just “isn’t your thing” and letting it go. Over the years, I’ve tried out countless different activities and I’ve quit more than I can count on one hand, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. My mom showed me to change your mind after giving something a shot.

I asked my mom what advice she would give to someone who wanted to start running or even just tryout a new hobby. She told me, “If you’re gonna start running, just get some running shoes and go out and try it”. I think this quote is significant because it just sums up my mom’s mentality and the way she sees running and hobbies.

As much as she loves running, she balances it out and doesn’t take it too seriously. By being casual with your hobbies or sports, you can associate that thing with a positive feeling rather than a negative one.

My mom has taught me a lot about running, training for the marathon, and setting goals. The marathon was an incredibly positive experience for her as she improved as a runner and was able to apply what she learned in running to her daily life. I really appreciate how much my mom endured through running and training and at the same time I admire her ability to relax and take breaks. In the whole interview, my favorite quote my mom said was, “Life’s a marathon, not a sprint”. I think this important because it shows the significance of living in the moment. It’s so easy to get caught up and always be thinking about your next activity but remembering to take it slow at times is very important, especially in our daily lives.

Left to right: Me, my mom and my aunt. This photo was taken around the time my mom started running, in her 30’s

Above: My mom posing with her medal at the finish line after completing the marathon

My grandfather in his house

The Problem with War By: Joel Kumar Silvio Tiseo explains the effects of war on families and children.

My grandfather experienced war at a young age, that impacted him for the rest of his life. Silvio Tiso was born on a farm in 1942 in Pignataro Interamna, Italy. He was only three when the war ended. He remembers a lot about the post-war years (1945-1951).

Imagine being five years old during World War II, you walk outside of your rickety house and see gunshots in the distance, you run back inside but the gunshots are only getting louder.

This is what my grandpa had to deal with at a young age. My grandfather, Silvio Tiseo was born in Pignataro Interamna, Italy in 1942. He was only three years old when World War II ended, and this impacted him for the rest of his life. Since then, he has moved to three different countries. He was a part of a large family, and they didn’t always have enough money to go around. My grandpa showed how you should persevere through tough circumstances.

“The fields were full of unexploded bombs, landmines, and gunpowder. It was very fun in a nasty way.” My grandfather had fun playing in the nearby Monte Cassino with gunpowder and fuses. He used to gather friends and siblings to blow up rocks, traverse around the mines, and play fight. My grandpa knew this was dangerous, I would never attempt anything like this, but he was just trying to have fun.

Though the post-war years were tough my grandfather found the fun in a bad situation.

The Monte Cassino Abbey after the allied campaign in Italy.

My Grandfather was born in 1942, and the allied campaign in Italy began in 1944.

This caused my grandpa to see a lot of disturbing things such as dead bodies, fighting, and constant attacks nearby. More recently there has been major conflicts particularly in the Middle East involving two powers and the civilian population. “So, I can sympathize very well with countries like Syria and lately Afghanistan.” These conflicts leave children without homes, food, or family. These current events are very similar to what my grandpa experienced in Italy. Though my grandpa didn’t have the same experience he knows how these children feel.

Overall, the war affected him by forcing his family to leave due to poor economic conditions. For my grandpa there were many reasons to leave Italy, such as “the disrupted economy or the destroyed economy and the destroyed infrastructure and economic infrastructure, and because of the contagious illnesses.” Including the fact that “there was no more health system.”

These quotes show how not only the buildings, farms, fields, and cities were destroyed, but the economy, government, and systems were in chaos. This was a major cause for many to leave Italy. Around 6,712,000 persons left Italy between 1945 and 1970, and only around half of them returned later.

“The fields were full of unexploded bombs, landmines, and gunpowder. It was very fun in a nasty way.”

My Grandfather explaining his experiences on leaving poor countries.

My grandpa had a tough early life.

From Italy he moved to Chile for eight years which then their economy failed, so he moved to Canada. He was constantly moving around, had to work on the farm, and he also was under constant threat of attack. Even though these conditions were tough my grandpa made the best out of his terrible situation. He played war games with his friends, watched the powers fighting, and eventually moved away to safety. This shows that despite the situation, you can thrive throughout a difficult experience.

Growing Up a Military Child The childhood of James Douglas Lowery, my father and the only child of a single, military father.

By: Anniston Lowery

On a warm October evening, Doug settles into his chair, in the kitchen of the brick house that him and his family have lived in for seven years. My dad, Doug Lowery, was born December 23rd, 1970.

Doug was born in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina to a 22-year-old father and an 18-year-old mother. Since birth, my dad was the child of a military father, but it was not until his kindergarten year that his parents divorced, and his father got custody. Doug’s father, Jim, joined the Marine Core at a young age and wasn’t honorably discharged until his mid-thirties.

“When people ask me where I grew up, I say I grew up all over because by the time I was in High School, I had moved six times.” My dad had spent the first six months of his life in North Carolina then moved to Okinawa, Japan for two years. He then lived on the marine base in Twentynine Palms, California until he was five, Chattanooga, Tennessee until he was seven, and back to Okinawa until he was ten and his dad was discharged from the army. From there, Jim went back to college and my dad lived in Tuscaloosa, Alabama for two years until they moved to Birmingham, Alabama.

He finished college in Alabama and moved away to Chicago with my mom. Moving that many times at a young age had both positive and negitive effects and overall, they shaped who my dad is today.

To some people moving around that much as a child seems like it would be hard. I personally couldn’t imagine making new friends and then having to leave them in a year or two. For my dad, there were a lot of positives. Doug stated that he didn’t dislike moving around, and for a long time, that was all he had ever known. He got to experience a lot of things other children, and many adults could never even imagine. For instance, he climbed Mt. Fuji at ten years old and lived in cities, suburbs, and everything in between.

When I asked about his favorite place to live, he promptly responded with “Okinawa”. He described Japan by saying, “It was beautiful. The water was crystal clear; the beaches were crystal clear… we lived a really easy life.” Only a small number of people get the chance to go to a country as magnificent as Japan and my dad experienced it at a young age. Living on a military base didn’t take away from the beautiful scenery and overall lifestyle of the places he visited.

Not only did Doug get to experience amazing places like Japan, but he also really enjoyed living with his dad. When Doug’s parents got divorced his father got full custody. For a long time, he only got to see his mom once or twice a year. Even though this was hard on him, he became really close with his dad and they still have that tight-knit relationship today.

One childhood memory Doug recalls is when he was in the third grade and his dad was thinking of buying a dinning room table. At that point, him and his dad lived in Japan, and every night they would eat dinner on trays in front of the TV. When Doug’s father

brought up the idea of a dining room table my dad responded with, “I was in the third grade and I said, ‘you know I think that would be a terrible idea. I think we should buy a motorcycle instead.’ He was like ‘yeah sounds great.’ So, we didn’t get a dinning room table, we got a motorcycle.” Doug. This story is just one glimpse into the life of young Doug.

A picture of the flag Doug and his father received when reaching the top of Mount Fuji, in Okinawa, Japan.

Doug didn’t really have his mom present, so his life was different than other kids. Those differences didn’t make his life worse and there were some things he really enjoyed.

There were many positives in Doug’s childhood but there’s no denying that there were some negatives too. My dad did really enjoy spending so much time with his father but living so far away from America separated him from his mom and other family members for a long time.

Doug said that as a child he only got to see his mom once or twice a year until he was out of highschool. When asked what the hardest part of living with his dad was, he responded with, “I didn’t see my mom for almost 3 years, from second grade until the end of fourth grade.” As someone who sees both of their parents nearly every day, I couldn’t possibly imagine not seeing one of them for such a long period of time.

Growing up with just a dad was fun, but there were sometimes when my dad had wished for a more traditional family life. Doug explained that as a kid only having a dad didn’t bother him so much. As the years went by, it started to. He said, “When I got to Birmingham and I met these kids who had two parents and a mom who was home when they got

home and a lot of stability, I realized, I kind of wanted that.”

The military bases Doug lived in had kids that all had a pretty similar experience as him but in Birmingham the kids there had lived in one place their entire life with their mom and their dad. Neither experience was good or bad but, they were just different.

Another negitive with living on a military base is that things were constantly changing. It’s hard enough to make friends as a kid but it would be even harder having to make new ones all the time. Before highschool, the most time Doug spent in one place was the few years he had spent in Okinawa. He recalled, “I’d finally get use to a group of friends, and we’d know eachother and then a year later, I’d be gone.”

In the Marine Core, and pretty much every other military branch, people are always getting moved around from place to place. In that time, there was also no cellphones, and many kids didn’t really have a home address so there was no way for Doug to keep in touch with his childhood friends. He remembered their names and what they looked like, but they’d probably never see eachother again.

Everyone remembers their childhood in different ways. Some were good, some were bad, and none of them were the same. Growing up is tough, and it’s a lot harder when everything is constantly changing. My dad’s childhood was definitely different than most. The type of childhood my dad had shaped the way he is today. As a successful businessman and a great dad, he has good and bad memories from living all over the world.

Doug’s school photo in 4th grade in Okinawa, Japan.

“When people asked me where I grew up, I say I grew up all over because by the time I was in highschool, I had moved six times.”

From Small town New Jersey to a World Class City Christopher Mallette tells viewers about the small things in life Written by: Levi Mallette

If you had the option to move from your home to a world class city, would you do it? If you did, how would you feel? Scared? Excited? Nervous? Maybe all of them?

Christopher Mallette had all the same questions since he had the choice to move to Chicago and enjoy life like he never had before. That is what he talks about in this article, and this is just a small piece of what he told me about his experience moving to Chicago.

Christopher Mallette came to Chicago in 1993. He has quite a lot of thoughts about the city, and he really wants to express how he feels about them. Here are some. In 1993, Mallette came to Chicago for a mentor/tutoring job doing a fellowship with the Ariel Foundation. He also shared his desire to raise a family. He traveled to and from Chicago many times throughout 1994-1997. He did this because he and his wife moved there, and he was at law school, at the University of Pennsylvania after going to Princeton.

After living in Chicago for a while, he started to realize how great the city was. He started thinking about how he could see himself there, and he said about the topic, “It can feel like small town America, and yet you’re in a world class city.”

This has so much significance to the big story, that of Christopher Mallette, because it’s how he truly feels about Chicago, and it gives him that home sweet home feeling, and a new world feeling at the same time. He is expressing his opinion about Chicago and how it makes him feel. It really feels like his home in New Jersey, but also a new life where he can progress at an even faster rate, all at the same time.

My dad has always worked with young people, in one way or another. He’s worked as a mentor, lawyer, coach, educator, counselor, etc. He has run the Juvenile Intervention Support Center, he was the Director of Youth Violence Prevention for Chicago, he has had many coaching jobs, and he now works at Chicago Hope Academy, as the Director of Community Outreach and Engagement, and the head football coach.

“It can feel like small town America, and yet you’re in a world class city.”

Having experienced all these jobs in Chicago, he has had to drive all around the city. This means that he has a lot of experience with the scenic parts of Chicago, and this is what he has to say about it, “The back ally’s, the streets, the one-ways, the high-rises, Chicago housing authority, just the very rich and vast culture that’s very vibrant when you’re in Chicago’s neighborhoods, in the heart of neighborhoods, I would say that’s the most appealing thing, it’s an authentic city.” This quote shows that my dad has experience in the city of Chicago and just how enjoyable it can be if you really try to notice every little thing. He will never stop enjoying every moment he can, and just living his best life.

My father is a very wise, thoughtful, and inspirational person, who should be appreciated for all the work he’s done for small families, schools, and the city. He taught me to know when to take things slow, and when I do, just pay attention.

Some advice I would give to my readers is to appreciate what you have now, because you never know when it could disappear from your life, whether it’s people, free time, anything and everything should not be taken for granted.

Andres Mendoza Pena – taking lead A picture of Andres at 47, 26 years after the event

The smell of burning asphalt and rubber penetrated his nostrils as he got off the bus, shocked from the sudden impact of the crash against the mountainside…

By Tomas Mendoza Pena When the bus got to a full stop, he could see that the other vehicles from Piedra del Aguila had crashed and collided with each other.

Stepping off, he saw passengers from other buses severely injured. People were laying on the road, crying for help, asking for food, begging for water, anything that would help. I asked him how he felt when he saw these people, he said “There was no time to feel much, it was just a matter of how we could help.”

As I sat down with my father, I realized that this interview was going to be more than just a school assignment. It would be a glimpse into the life of my father before I was born - something that doesn’t always happen. It would be a look into who he was apart from being my father, who he was as a person. With this excitement, I pressed record and started my questions.

My father got off the bus, surveying his surroundings. He walked around with his friend, seeing grave images that will never be erased from his mind. Too many things were rushing through his head -What happened? When will help come?

How can I help?

Andres Eduardo Mendoza Pena was born in 1974 in the city of La Plata, Argentina, a small city near Buenos Aires. He grew up there and got his engineering degree from Universidad Nacional De La Plata and then moved to Boston where he got his MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management.

Looking around, an idea formed in his mind.

He saw the windows of a bus that were fully intact and realized that they could be used as a sort of stretcher to move the gravely injured. He was aided by his friend and many others were helping out in other ways. Some gave water to those trapped, others calmed those who were injured, and some medically-experience people tended to those who had the most critical injuries. There were no ambulances, no firetrucks, no police, just people helping other people.

This story is about taking charge instead of waiting for someone else, a lesson that everyone should learn.

He was going to Bariloche, a popular ski city in the south of Argentina, by bus for a trip with his friends. It’s a 24-hour trip, so most of the trip was a boring stretch of time, interrupted by only a small farm or insignificant mountain view. However, on the last leg of the trip something terrible occurred.

The bus stopped before dawn at Piedra del Aguila, a typical stop frequented by people traveling to Bariloche. It was a small stop and many other buses were already parked there. After a small breakfast, he got back onto the bus and continued the long journey. Because of the early hour, he fell asleep almost immediately after getting on to the bus. No sooner than 30 minutes in, he awoke to the shrill noise of metal scraping on asphalt, like a cat yowling at midnight. He opened his eyes to the driver frantically trying to steer the bus to the safe side of the mountain. A thin cap of ice developed on the road and since it was so early in the morning, the sun didn’t come up to melt the ice in time. The bus slid across the route, crashed into the guardrail of the cliff and collided with the inside of the mountainside.

The story of a traumatic event that changed his outlook on life

When I asked him what he thinks about when he looks back, he said, “Your life can change drastically at any moment, be mindful of how lucky you are.” If his bus had departed a few minutes earlier, or if he had boarded one of the earlier buses, he would be one of the passengers injured, calling for aid. However, ambulances and police soon arrived and started taking proper care of those who needed it the most. After the sun rose and the ice melted, he boarded his bus again and continued on his way to Bariloche, leaving behind something that he would never forget.

“SometimeS you are the person who has to take action”

When I asked my father about reflecting on this event and thinking deeply about what happened, he told me a lot of things.

One thing was that this experience helped him find a new way to overcome obstacles in his everyday life. Having a traumatic event occur can change many things in someone’s life, and for him it changed the way he approached problems.

Being forced into a situation where you need to figure something out can really help form the way you do things. When I asked him to expand on this, he responded, “You don’t have to assume that there is always someone else who has the answer or solution or knows what to do. Sometimes you are the person who has to take action or come up with a solution.”

This affected him deeply, giving him a life lesson that would lead him to success in college, his MBA at MIT, and his current job at AT Kearney. This one realization was a major part in his success at many things, showing how important life lessons are.

Another lesson he took away from this was that sometimes you have to realize and be grateful for how lucky you are. You have to stop and acknowledge that anything can happen, and you have to be thankful for all the opportunities given to you, and that nothing bad happened to you.

To conclude, this event had a major impact on my father and he way that he lived the rest of his life. It let him realize that he needs to take charge sometimes instead of waiting for someone else, that he has the ability to be the one with the answer.

He also realized that you have to be thankful for everything you were given in life, and both of these lessons are great advice for anyone in any circumstance. This can help people push themselves to their full potential instead of waiting for someone else to do it for them.

This inspires me and it can inspire others to never give up because we have the power to do what we want to if we try hard enough.

We can do what we want even if someone else is telling us we can’t.

Pamela Partenheimer dressed for work as an immigration attorney.

In a panic my mom ran down a hill after witnessing a bird fly into her house in Japan. As she ran into her boss’s house, because he was the closest person near her, “調理済みの鶏肉が私の 家に飛び込んできました!” she yelled.

This directly translates to, “A cooked chicken just flew into my house!” which was said in a very serious and anxious tone. Of course, her boss was a bit confused as chickens can’t fly, much less a cooked chicken. My mom was not in the calm head space to figure this out, however, as there was a bird flying around in her house. Using arm motions and a bit of back and forth between the two he figured it out, a bird had flown into her house. They both rushed back up the hill to rid the bird from the house and were a bit flustered from the interaction.

“調理済みの鶏肉 が私の家に飛び込ん できました!”

Translation: “A cooked chicken just flew into my house!”

Culture Shock My mothers experience studying abroad, and the struggles that come with it.

By: Ryan Mick (He/They)

Pamela Partenheimer (she/her), my mom, visited Japan for two years.

Partenheimer was completely alone in a foreign country as a young woman in the nineties. Pamela had no idea what to expect but was enthusiastic and pleased when she found out what Japan had to offer. My mom also said her motivation for going was because she saw a once in a lifetime opportunity and took it. Lots of her friends were going to Europe for a semester abroad, but she found Japan and China more interesting due to her years of studying these countries. At the time this opportunity was proposed Tiananmen Square had just occurred in China. Japan had a reputation for being safe, so she decided to go to Japan for her study abroad. Pamela’s dad had been highly encouraging in pushing to go to the safer of two countries.

She smiled and said, “I had no idea what to expect, but it didn’t take me very long to figure out. I had to be more thoughtful about what I represented and truly believed in.” As

Pamela said, she received an opportunity, and knew she should take it not knowing why. In addition, she said that this was an ‘amazing’ and ‘impactful’ experience. This made her more insightful about how she presented herself, because many of the people she met in Japan, hadn’t met a foreigner before. In America she lived differently.

There wasn’t a pushing need to say sorry for bumping into someone in a moment of shock, and she could to the grocery store in sweatpants because she was a college student. In Japan, however that wasn’t proper etiquette. If she forgot to bow and apologize after bumping into someone, and if that person had not been exposed to many foreigners, she knew that that could breed a belief that Americans are rude or unkind.

While she said overall, her experience was incredibly positive, Pamela was still self-conscious about how she presented herself and what she represented. This also impacted how Pamela acted in America, she started being more aware of her surroundings and how she was presenting herself. I believe that this was an experience that was beneficial for Pamela to have.

Especially while living in America because many people here experience this alienation. My mom was able to have this experience in Japan and live it which developed her perspective toward incoming immigrants.

Partenheimer also believes this experience shaped her view as an immigration attorney. Although, Partenheimer was already planning to become an immigration attorney this trip made her more empathetic and understanding toward immigrants. My mom understood Japanese, she could speak at around a 4th grade level and understand other people speaking.

However, there was still a great language barrier between my mom and native Japanese speakers. Some people also just wouldn’t be open to having a discussion with her because her Japanese was at a basic level, so which was difficult to deal with. The way people acted toward her when she was speaking Japanese was as if Partenheimer were speaking Klingon.

Language wasn’t the only barrier, the culture is completely different between America and Japan,

and learning how to act differently was also, a struggle. Speaking on this Partenheimer stated, “It opened my eyes to particularly being more empathetic to other cultures. I think it’s one of the reasons I think so highly of immigrants who come to this country, because I know even in the best of situations how incredibly difficult it is to function in a different culture and society day in and day out.”

My mom visited Japan with an amazing opportunity in a positive light, and still had these difficult struggles.

Furthermore, this also helped expose her to how different cultures could be and taught her that the differences were beneficial. Growing up in my mom’s southern small town there was no exposure to other cultures. This trip showed her that everyone from every country has different perspectives to bring to the table. Knowing these struggles helps me, and her understand that anyone willing to go through that or does go through that experience and still wants to stay there is a positive asset to said country.

Partenheimer views this as life changing and an educational experience. This experience taught her a lot about different perspectives and how interactions work in life. Pamela also learned about differences in cultures, and that differences are beneficial for growth and development. In addition, she said this specifically helped shape her view of immigrants, and the struggles they must endure. This was beneficial because Pamela was in the process of becoming an immigration attorney.

Partenheimer saw how the people in Japan reacted to her, many of them, again had never met a foreigner or spoken with one. So, when she would speak with them, she said a lot of the time it would be a learning experience for them both. The natives to Japan were going out on a branch and interacting with a foreigner, which was new. My mom was speaking Japanese a lot of the time and speaking with someone who has different rules/customs, which was my mom’s way of going out on a branch.

Speaking on this She said: "You can try new and different things and still be okay." This can mean many different things to so many different people, for my mom this meant going to a foreign country. For the people she met it meant being comfortable enough to meet someone new and different, and for my grandfather it could mean trying Mexican street corn. For me I think this means to try and take on challenges and new experiences, so I can learn and grow like my mom did.

Going abroad gives you so many opportunities and experiences, it’s worth going out on a limb and trying something new. It won’t be without struggles, and it won’t be entirely perfect, but you could learn things that you would never have learned otherwise. You’ll learn things that you can always carry with you. Previously I had always thought that my mom's visit to Japan had no imperfections, and that the only things that ever went wrong were the hilarious misconceptions we laugh at. Clearly, this isn’t the case, and it can be a struggle. But what you gain is amazing. Pamela felt so deeply on this that she went so far as to say: “I believe that visiting a different culture should be an experience that every American has.” Like I said before, there are negatives in going to another country, but clearly the amount you can gain by doing this is far more. I also think that, specifically, Americans should have this experience because America is a melting pot of cultures. A lot of the time we can forget that, and think there’s one American experience, but there’s not. There are so many experiences and visiting another country can highlight that in our own country.

Pamela Partenheimer positioned in the middle of the students she taught English to during her study abroad in Japan.

Suzanne Yoon

Founder and CEO of Kinzie Capital Partners

An immigrant, a Korean American, a business owner, a mother of three children: Suzanne Yoon is many things, but all these things have made her influential and revolutionary in making the private equity industry a more diverse and inclusive sector of business.

My mom, Suzanne Sunhee Yoon, was born in Seoul, South Korea. She moved to the USA when she was just a baby and grew up in various neighborhoods in and around the Chicago area. Currently she works as the CEO of a private equity firm.

Suzanne Yoon was born in Seoul, South Korea. Her parents brought her to Chicago as a baby, where her father owned various stores. At the age of 10, her dad was tragically shot in an armed robbery of his store, “After my dad’s death I was forced to grow up extremely fast, and I had to care for and watch my 3 other siblings because my mom was busy working 2 jobs.” Her father’s death was a tragic loss for Suzanne and her family. This loss resulted in Suzanne having to grow up extremely quick, to take care of her 3 siblings at just the age of 10, while her mom worked 2 jobs.

By: Max Molloy

After high school Suzanne Yoon received a full scholarship from University of Iowa where she studied economics and English. Suzanne took internships every summer and waited tables by the night. “The internships opened up a lot of opportunities for me, and also gave me valuable experiences.”

After college Suzanne received a job at ABN AMRO as a banker, later she went to an accounting firm. After taking up different jobs in various places, she was recruited to a private equity firm.

She then founded her own private equity firm in 2017, Kinzie Capital Partners, where she works today. Many of her experiences and jobs earlier in life have made Suzanne who she is today.

The Life Of A CEO: Suzanne Yoon Suzanne Yoon started in banking at a Wallstreet bank over 25 years ago in New York City. After working there and other places including a private equity firm in Philadelphia for almost 20 years Suzanne decided to make one of the biggest decisions of her life. She was going to start her own private equity firm. “I wanted to control my own destiny, and I knew I had the skills to do it, and the third being I knew if I didn’t do it, I would regret it” when asked on what inspired Suzanne on why she decided to begin her own company. Suzanne entered an industry dominated by males, with only less than a handful out of 2500 plus private equity firms being owned by women and has risen to founding her own private equity firm. even against all odds Suzanne had founded Kinzie Capital Partners.

“Being the CEO of Kinzie is the hardest thing I’ve ever done because I’m responsible for the livelihood for other people, and their families. Also, private equity is an extremely hard business and if you make a single wrong decision. No, we have to make the correct decision every time,” (Suzanne’s response to what make her job so hard). Suzanne has also been a pioneer for diversity in her industry. The private equity industry is dominated by white men. Suzanne is at the forefront for equality and is attempting to create a more diverse industry.

Although more than half of the country are women, only 8% of Senor Investment Teams in private equity, which are at the top of the company, are women. In the private equity industry only 1.6% of all people on the senor investment team are Asian Women. And out of the 2500 private equity firms in the USA only 2 of them are owned by women. Suzanne is one out of the two women in the country to own and run a private equity firm.

Against all odds and against all types of adversary Suzanne rose to the top of her business.

Suzanne didn’t reach success all by herself though. She’s had many mentors who have helped her and guided her through the male dominated industry of private equity. “I was grateful for the opportunity to work for my mentors, who took me under their wing, invested in me, coached me, and taught me the fundamentals of investing. More than anything I had someone who believed in me and focused on the progress I made.”

Without her mentors to guide Suzanne through the complex and confusing industry, Suzanne certainly wouldn’t have been able to rise to the top of the private equity industry.

After a tragic childhood, and against all odds Suzanne has risen to the top of her industry. Suzanne has faced all types of adversary to in order rise to the top of her industry and has become a beacon of hope for minorities and women. She continues to thrive in the private equity industry and is creating an even more established and diverse company through hard work, making private equity more inclusive and welcome for all.

“I wanted to control my own destiny, and I knew I had the skIlls to do It”

Logo of Suzanne Yoon’s Company, Kinzie Capital Partners

The Egyptian Dream

By Zain Moustafa

My Grandparents’ Journey from Egypt to America and Back Again Early in the morning, I booted up WhatsApp on my phone and went on a 9:30 am video call with my Egyptian grandparents, Teta [my maternal grandmother] and Gedo [my maternal grandfather]. It wasn’t 9:30 for them, however, or even 10:30. They divide their time between Cairo, Egypt, and Ann Arbor, Michigan. They were in Cairo at the time, meaning that for them, it was approximately 4:30pm.

Both had grown up in Egypt and almost all their family lived there. But they had left the country in the ‘70s to come to the states. Then in the ‘90s, after having children, they returned. Although I had a lot of questions for them, I mostly had three big ones: “Why did you leave?”, “Why did you come back?”, and “What are your thoughts on the new [present day] government?” The sky was a bright, lazy afternoon blue that was darkening quickly. My two grandparents gingerly sat down in their chairs, paused for a second to allow the memories to flow, and, in a gentle, but firm, voice began to answer my questions and tell the story of their immigration from Egypt to the US, and back again.

(Above and Below) My grandparents, Teta and Gedo

Both Teta and Gedo grew up in Cairo, Egypt, which at the time had a population of 3 million. It now has a population of 21 million. Teta grew up in a neighborhood of Cairo called Al Daher, which is one of the oldest neighborhoods in the city. Her father owned the apartment building she lived in, and it was very diverse. There were tenants from all over Europe and Asia, and she commented that she was the only Egyptian family living there. Gedo grew up in a neighborhood of Cairo called Hadayik al Qubba, which is about ten minutes away from Teta’s childhood home. One of his most vivid childhood memories was biking to school and going through green fields. These were most likely the grounds surrounding the famous El Qubba palace in Cairo.

In the 1950’s Egypt had partial independence. However, many young Egyptians, who were sick and tired of the British ruling them, felt like a revolution was necessary. Eventually, an Egyptian group called the Free Officers staged a rebellion against the British in June of 1952. Everyone, from university students to peasants working in the fields, joined them. At the time, the city of Cairo was in so much unrest that Gedo’s family temporarily rented a house in the port city of Alexandria and stayed there. The revolt was successful, and there was now a new democratically elected president. The revolution was incredibly popular among all Egyptians, Teta and Gedo’s parents included, and Gedo remembers his dad and uncle being very excited that their revolution was finally taking place.

But the shock and delight of the Egyptian people at the success of the revolution, for some people at least, began to taper off. Egypt’s new president, Gamal Abdel Nasser, shifted the once civilian-led movement into a military government, and began making unfair amendments to the Egyptian constitution. This was a huge let down for many Egyptian citizens who were hoping for a democracy. “When the revolution ended in success, everyone expected the soldiers to go back to the barracks. But it didn’t happen. There was no government… It was really disappointing because every part of the democratic system was abolished.” This summed up the response by some Egyptians, including Teta and Gedo’s family, who were in shock at the vast and sweeping changes of the new, post-colonial world around them. Although the changes were mostly fundamental shifts in how Egypt ran its country, there were some changes that affected everyday lives. Most shockingly, Gedo recalled a massive change in the education system, with proBritish textbooks being altered, changed, or simply cut out

(Left) The first democratically elected president of Egypt, Gamal Abdel Nasser, giving a speech

All together. By 1962, there were no doubts about the system in Egypt: this was no puppet government Teta and Gedo spent their childhood living in 60s and 70s Egypt, one of the most tumultuous periods in Egypt’s history. Egypt had, for the first time in over 600 years, been fully ruled by Egyptians. But this came at a price. Teta and Gedo, who had recently graduated from architecture school, felt like there was no future for them and their potential family in Egypt. They recalled that, “if you wanted to buy a car [as a graduate student], you would have to save for 12 years.” This provides a snapshot into the main problem of the new system in Egypt: an unstable economy.

The nationalization of most industries in Egypt caused rapid inflation, and the Egyptian pound had ballooned to over twice its pre-revolution rate, making it much harder for the government to take out loans and help its own people. The disastrous 1967 War was still going on in Egypt, and many more young Egyptians had become distrusting of the Egyptian government. For many of Egypt’s graduating generation, there was only one option left: leave the country.

There was a mass exodus of Egyptian law, medical, and architecture students who felt their talents would be more appreciated overseas. Teta remembered, “In our graduating architecture class, there were 30 or so people. At least 20 of them left [immigrated] to the states or to Europe.” This exemplifies the response by many of the graduating generation of Egypt to these new situations: disappointment and, ultimately, abandonment. After leaving architecture school, Teta and

Gedo went directly to the United States, with Teta going to Columbia University, New York, to accredit her architecture degree, and Gedo going to the University of Georgia. They met up a few years later in Athens, Georgia, and eventually went to the University of Michigan for their PhDs.

and the muezzin (man that calls people to prayer) began to give out the booming call to maghrib, or dusk, prayers. After getting Teta and Gedo consent to record, [the Egyptian government has a long, timehonored tradition of listening in on phone conversations], I asked about their opinions about the state of modern-day Egypt. They both had a lot to say. “Some people were happy After leaving Michigan, they when the revolution of 2011 traveled all over, and started a happened, but the Muslim family. Gedo took several Brotherhood had redirected it to impressive jobs in the Middle East, with one at the University of what they wanted… [in all of the revolutions] the people there Riyadh, as well as a United had high hopes, but it was Nations job. Eventually, after diverted to something that was finally settling down in Ann not in the interests of the Arbor, the two did something unexpected: they moved back common people.” After witnessing three revolutions over to the country they had left so the course of approximately 70 many years ago. Why? It was mostly family reasons, with Teta years, they seemed to have sensed a pattern of the citing the importance of an education for their children that revolutions and were almost disappointed in the fact that was close to their roots, as well each revolution failed because as a valuable opportunity to they strayed away from being a meet up with many of their people’s movement. The current family members, who had government, led by a man remained in Egypt. named Abdel Fattah Sisi, has Many hoped that, after a few helped some Egyptians by decades, things in Egypt would privatizing businesses and get better. It sort of did. After lowering the exchange rate for Nasser died in 1970, the new the Egyptian pound. However, president cut ties with the Soviet he has clamped down on any Union and ended the 1967 War. form of press freedom. When However, he was assassinated asked about whether they eleven years later, in 1981. Hosni wanted another revolution, they Mubarak, a new president, said something surprising: “I came along, but he was hope not. Every revolution has a incredibly power hungry. He price.” stayed in power for almost 30 years, and it took another revolution, this time during the Arab Spring in 2011, for the president to get out. An election was held, and the Muslim Brotherhood, a religious based political party, came into power. Almost the entire future of Egypt was being bet on this one man. He completely failed, and in 2013 a third revolution took place.

Sunset was now approaching,

“In our graduating architecture class, there were 30 or so people. At least 20 of them left.”

Egypt’s second deposed president in two years, Mohamed Morsi, gives a campaign speech to a gigantic crowd

The Inner Workings of a Large Family A relatable traumatic experience of a large family that has been through so much.

Michael Nelligan, part of a large family that has been through so much and still persevered

By: Rhys Nelligan

On a late October afternoon, when the days were just starting to get shorter, my dad, Michael (Mike) Thomas Nelligan, told me about his experience being part of a large family. He had so many stories to share right on the tip of his mind.

The 20 plus years that Mike lived at home with his family in Saint Joseph, Michigan, gave him hundreds of stories both traumatic and kindhearted. His four siblings, Jack, Katie, Maureen, and Tim, each gave him separate experiences that shaped him to become who his is now. His mom, my nana, Denise Nelligan raised him, therefore affecting his whole wellbeing. All lives are filled with traumatic experiences, but when someone is taken from your childhood it is an even more of a disruption on your life.

Whenever stories are all that you remember, it tends to cause the distinction between fact and fiction to become harder.

My dad has lived a long life, one that included a lot of hardship. His life, like many, was shaped by the environment and family that surrounded him. Growing up, he had the love and support of his mom, but he was always missing an important figure in his life. This figure was his father. John (Jack) Joseph Nelligan was a supervisor of maintenance and planning at the St. Joseph division at Whirlpool. He was born on August 5, 1940, to John J. and Geraldine Nelligan.

His father was a captain on the Chicago police force. He was a graduate of Christian Brothers College in Memphis, Tennessee, where he got a degree in mechanical engineering.

During a normal workday, the lid of a pressurized tank blew off and struck Jack in both the face and chest. Before the tank lid flew off, Jack had been loosening the bolts on the tank unaware that the tank was still under pressure.

Jack was rushed to Mercy Hospital in Benton Harbor. Sadly, he died the next morning. With his death he left his five children and his widow, Denise Nelligan. Jack is now buried in Saint Joe, Michigan at Resurrection Cemetery.

All his children were under the age of seven at the time of his death. This greatly traumatized his entire family and caused them to be ridden with grief. This particularly affected the love of his life, Denise Nelligan. When Mike Nelligan was asked about his mom’s reaction to Jack’s death, he recalled, “Mom was so devastated, in a deep depression for a least a year. She couldn’t function for weeks.” Even though he was at the young age of four at the time, Mike was able to recall the horrific impact on his mom. The death of Jack devastated her because he was the love of her life and the father of her children. Jack’s death likely affected Jack’s children as well. They, from a young age, had to grow up and live without a father. Only having one parental figure can take a large toll on

the way that children act. This makes me think that the death of their father caused a lot of built-up trauma that was never addressed. Even through this trauma Denise made sure her family felt loved and protected through some of the most traumatic years of their lives.

The death of Jack Nelligan also affected the family’s financial situation. The finances of any family can be complicated, but when there is only one parent or guardian’s income stream that can be even more dire, The situation is especially dire with five children that needed to be educated, clothed, and fed without breaking the bank. When questioned about his family’s financial situation, Mike Nelligan shared, “Mom didn’t work until I was a freshman at Notre Dame.” This was able to happen by Denise only spending about ten thousand dollars per year total. This worked by having about ten thousand dollars coming in from multiple streams of income. Denise not having to work until Mike was a freshman in college was mainly attributed to Jack being killed.

Jack had a life insurance policy for about a thousand dollars per year. The social security was given to the family as a lump sum when Jack died and put toward the total ten thousand dollars used each year as well as college funds for the five children. Another income stream was the social security paid each month because there was not someone with an occupation income in the household. This as well was put toward the total spending amount for the year.

The last income stream was from the company Whirlpool. Since Jack’s death was attributed to a malfunction in the workplace, the company set up a trust for the family. The trust had about fifty thousand dollars in it that largely supported the family for multiple years.

With having these incomes, they were not rich but never worried about putting food on the table or about having new school shoes. Since they didn’t have a parent working, school expenses also needed to be put into account along with the other necessities. When Mike and his siblings were younger, school only cost about two to three hundred dollars per year for grade and high school. College was a different story because it cost a lot more money. Denise chose to set money aside for the kids’ college every month. The children also had scholarships at their respective universities. For example, Mike started his freshman year with a full ride by enrolling in ROTC. ROTC was preparing future air force reserve officers at the time, and they had incentives like full rides to universities. Mike dropped out of ROTC after freshman year which caused him to have to take on student loans.

Unlike some he was able to pay off his student loans five years out of college. The financial story of the Nelligan family is complicated and was not

always easy, but they were able to persevere to provide for each other.

Living in one house with six people seems like complete chaos, but the Nelligan family had a system for organized chaos. They mainly did this by having strategic living arrangements in the house, getting the most out of the space. The house originally had four bedrooms with kitchen, living room, two bathrooms and an unfinished basement. With there being five siblings so close in age, it made sleeping arrangements simpler.

Jack, the oldest son, had his own room, Katie and Maureen shared a room, and Mike and Tim also shared a room. In the mid-1970’s Denise made multiple renovations on the house to better accommodate the family. The renovations added a living room on the first floor and another bedroom in the newly finished basement. The new arrangement allowed Jack, Katie, and Maureen to all get their own room on the second floor with Denise. This left the new basement bedroom to be shared between Mike and Tim.

“The traumatic experience of family is filled with laughs and tears.”

Sharing a bedroom can have a large impact on a sibling dynamic. For Mike and Tim this was a positive and exciting bond. They were close enough in age that their relationship was full of playing sports and practical jokes. One of these being to hit a beehive with a baseball bat and see what would happen.

As it turns out Tim was allergic to bees, which they didn’t know, and this caused an allergic reaction for Tim. That was just one of many interesting/questionable choices of these brothers.

Their family dynamic was very loving, and Denise was always there for her children. While having five kids is a lot of people to look after, Denise was able to give undivided attention to each of her children. When I inquired about family roles, Mike said his role was “The standard middle child way, being a connector for the family. I was always scheduling family plans and plans with friends.”

It is often said that the average middle child is neglected by the parents.

This wasn’t true for this family, even with only one parent’s attention. Mike felt equally treated and didn’t feel like he had an insufficient amount of attention.

Having a big family often affects the people in the family. Mike said that it helped him to be able to relax and schedule plans with his friends more easily because it was similar to his home dynamic.

A big family will always have its ups and downs, but as long as they stay together, they will persevere. Mike Nelligan is a hard worker and learned this from having to take on his middle child role of planner. He also learned a lot from the stories of his hardworking father.

Having six people in one house was a lot, and with this interview I now have even more admiration for Denise. This is because she was the glue that held this young family together even when she lost her husband. Denise’s familial actions show that if you work hard and work through the good and bad, you can keep your family together. This is because above all else, family needs to be cherished and protected at all costs.

John(Jack) and Denise Nelligan on their wedding day

The childhood house of the Nelligan family depicted in watercolors

“All families have problems, but as long as they persevere, they will make it through the hard times.”

The Nelligan family; (from left to right) Front row: Maureen, Jack Jr., Denise Back row: Tim. Katie, Michael

Michael Nelligan with his daughters on the Navy Pier Ferris Wheel

A Leader’s Experience

Pier Paolo Noventa

“Being charged with leading the team evokes a whole new level of responsibility, for the leader is as important as the team itself.”

By Luca Noventa

My father’s take on being a part of a team, as well as leading one.

My father has an incredibly difficult job.

Every day, he works tirelessly to accomplish very difficult things. Although this employment is thoroughly taxing, there is one aspect of it that helped him persevere. That is his team, which works constantly alongside him, facilitating the organization and workload and making it possible to accomplish larger tasks that any one person can achieve. However, his team also requires leadership, which incorporates a degree of additional responsibility into my father’s job.

Paradoxically, the teamwork aspect of my father’s employment walks the fine line between burden and savior.

Pier Paolo Noventa, my father, has had a series of interesting jobs over the course of his life. His first job was also the job that caused him to travel to America. He first worked at this job in Holland, where he was a business manager and consultant for a company that produced software used to automate processes such as customer service and repair. However, once he moved to America, he decided he wanted to work as a strategy consultant.

To accomplish this, Pier went to the University of Michigan to get his Master of Business Administration degree, and then he went to work for a company called Booz Allen Hamilton. Later, this company was incorporated into Pricewaterhouse Coopers (pwc). When my father began at this job, it was much more challenging than his previous one, and he had to learn and adapt to remain in it. He works there to this day.

Of the two jobs, he claims that his current one is significantly more complicated and challenging.

However, he elaborated on two aspects of his job that helped him grow more experience and become better at what he does. These two aspects of his job are how essential and helpful his team is and how he efficiently leads his team to accomplish all they need to do.

One of the interesting points my father discussed relates to the profound help his team is. Pier spoke of the many challenges faced in his new job, and he enthusiastically began to retell an interesting tale about the thoughts developed when he first joined his current job. When beginning to work as a strategy consultant, many things changed.

In this new employment, my father was confronted by countless challenges he never faced before in his life. The pressure of working in a job where the gravity of each situation could either make or break his career was stressing, and there was one thing that made his work bearable to him. It was during this time that he gained a team which would work with him to accomplish the same goal, being a tremendous help to my father and alleviating much of the pressure in his job.

Pier said, “Let’s say that if you didn’t have your team, you wouldn’t be able to do anything.”

Pier’s experiences prove just how vital it for him to efficiently perform his job and how thankful he is to have a group of other skilled people working side-byside as one every step of the way. This makes me think that, even as skilled as my father is, his job is so challenging that one cannot accomplish everything necessary without the help of a team.

Another intriguing topic of was how much of a role leadership plays in his job. My father has had his current job for a long time now, and, years ago, he reached an important rank within the company. This rank gave Pier a whole new level of leadership, for it gave him the ability to lead a team during a project.

With this newfound task at hand, he possessed a great deal of responsibility among his team, as he was the one in charge, vigilant of what everyone else did and spearheading efforts to accomplish important goals. He was responsible for assigning specific people to specific tasks and assuring that the

team ran as efficiently as possible. Through trial and error, my father developed extensive leadership skills that he elaborated on in the interview. Previously, his team was a crucial factor in how he would accomplish things, but now his team needed leadership from him.

He described how delicate and difficult it is to lead such an important team.

Pier said, “It is also important to encourage them (fellow teammates) so that they feel useful and important. And if they make a mistake, you need to tell them so in a way that they do not feel offended. In other words, you need some coaching skills.” Since I do not work for my father, I have never exactly seen this aspect of him, and I though it very interesting when he elaborated on just how difficult it is to manage a team efficiently and masterfully in this job.

His insightful comments led me to think that, although a team can be a greatly needed help, being charged with leading the team evokes a whole new level of responsibility, for the leader is as important as the team itself.

Overall, the experiences my father has amassed over the years yield results more captivating than anything I would have thought. Pier provided insightful comments on two aspects of his job that I could not have worded better myself. Since a major part of his job is leading his team, doing so makes the employment that much harder. On the other hand, his team also facilitates his job, which presents an interesting conflict in the benefits and detriments of a team. This presents a perplexing notion that a team can be a burden, however necessary it may be, even to its leader.

Pricewaterhouse Coopers Pwc is a multinational accounting company that spans 156 countries and has many firms operating under it.

My father, Pier, is a strategy consultant and partner at Pricewaterhouse Coopers.

• The year was 1989, my mom was around the age of 15, and her parents were around 50. My mom’s father got very ill. Her dad was in and out of the hospital and everyone was very stressed not knowing what was next. My mom did not know who to talk to these problems about. Although she had lots of close friends, no one was going through the same problems that she was going though. These were very tough times for my mom and her family, and she had to persevere through these problems.

ANGIE SCHNEIDER By: Jacob Schneider

My mother reflected and shared her thoughts on how it was growing up as an only child and having her father die at a young age

• My mom grew up in a town close to New York city but more specifically in New Jersey, she was an only child, and she got a lot of attention as an only child. “I was always the center of attention in the house I never had to compete, did very well in school because my parents gave me so much of their time.” Her Mom grew up in Columbia and then moved to the suburbs later when she had my mom; her dad grew up on a farm in Minnesota and had German roots. For my mom, being an only child was also very challenging in some cases, for example sometimes when she had a problem going on that she couldn’t tell her parents she never had that one sibling that you could tell everything. However, she had lots of close friends that she would often talk to.

• My mom’s biggest inspiration was always her dad because of his accomplishments. She reflected on him and said, “When I was a kid, I looked up to my dad a lot. I think a part of it was he was very smart. He was someone who grew up on a farm. Most of his

family has never been to college and he worked hard, got himself through college, and got an engineering degree which was a very big deal at that time.” how hard working my grandpa was and how it translated to my mom because when she was in high school about to go to college, her school that she always wanted to go to but never thought she would get into was University of Illinois.

But she worked very hard and got into her dream school that she never thought would happen to her.

Real estate so much is because I feel like what I am doing is what is not only making money like a normal job, but my job mostly revolves around helping other people and that is what I love to do the most.” Someone that my mom looked up to as a father figure after her dad died was her father-in-law, Larry.

Larry was someone who she saw as a father figure a lot because she gave her lots of company, he also resembled her own father a lot because he was funny but quiet.

• As time went by her father started to get very sick. By the time my mom was around 15, he had become very ill. This was all because he smoked cigarettes for a long time. Going through all of this was very hard for my mom as a kid because she was an only child. She also didn’t have many people that she could one, relate her problems with, and two to just talk to it about it in general since she was an only child. Since then, her father was in and out of the hospital for about 15 years and she didn’t know what was going on untill years later when she got the news that her father was diagnosed with lung cancer.

• As a daughter, only child, wife, and mother, my mother faced a lot of challenges growing up because of her ill father like losing her inspiration and not having people to talk to about her struggles. But she did manage to graduate from Illinois with a degree in marketing and later taking real-estate as a job. Was then very happy with a husband and two kids living in the city.

One thing to keep in mind is to always look forward in life no matter what is going on at that moment.

• A few years later she found out that her dad had died. This was very sad, and she didn’t really know what to do after that feeling stuck in a way.

“When my dad died, I spent a lot more time with my mom and became a lot closer to her. She was someone that was going through the exact same thing as me and she knew how to deal with.”

• After her dad died, she graduated collage with a degree in marketing but then later realized that real estate was the way to go. “The reason why I love

“The reason why I love real-estate so much is because I get to benefit myself while helping other people with their needs”

Prahlad Patel retired and living financially confident.

Making Money While You Sleep

The life of my Grandpa, Prahlad Patel and his experiences to coming to the United States with Eight Dollars to retiring financially confident.

By: Ari Patel

Imagine making money while you sleep, imagine putting in a thousand dollars and in the next month that money turns into twenty-five hundred dollars. My Grandpa came to this country with little money, to retiring comfortably.

Some people don’t know what the stock market is, my Grandpa was no exception. He learned the stock market and made money his whole life off it. Can you make money like my grandpa? Yes! Is it easy to learn? Yeah! You like my Grandpa can make money while you’re sleeping.

My grandpa Prahlad Patel grew up in poverty, and he lived in India for most of his life. Patel started a family and grew up in India. Fifty-Three years ago, in 1968 my dad was just born, and Patel was getting his Visa so he could come to the United States. Soon after Patel made it to the United States and stayed with some friends. Before immigrating Patel was born in India. He grew up there with his family and lived an everyday life. He met His Wife through an arranged marriage, and they had my Dad and my Uncle. When my Dad was growing up, they didn't have the appliances and advancements that we have today in everyday households.

They had to drink their milk from a cow they owned. My Dad told me a story about how they had a real cow in their house that supplied their milk. There was no refrigeration, and you could barely run a stove. My Dad said “Your Grandpa is a very successful man. He grew up in the heart of poverty where you had to go walk 5 miles to get water, where there is no air conditioning.” My Dad grew up in this poverty, so he as seen it as well. He lived in a small village that really wasn't that advanced. But to think about how my Dad lived back then and how they came to America and sought-after new opportunities to how they are now is incredible. Even thinking back to before these advancements in the late 1900s, think about when my grandpa was born the 1930’s, they didn’t have these advancements like they had way later in the 1900s.

Think about living in poverty and not having the access to things a lot of people have today such as health care, and appliances. Patel didn't let growing up in a poor area stop him from achieving the best for his family.

Even though Patel grew up in poverty and had nothing, he never gave up and got to a great place today.

Patel was in the process of getting his visa to come to the United States. At the time his son, my dad wasn't even born yet. Soon after Patel’s Visa got approved and he hopped on a plane, not even a few days later my dad was born. Patel came to America $8 in his pocket. Patel stayed with some friends; He found a job at a factory where he didn’t get paid that much. Patel saved up his money to eventually do great things with it. My Dad pointed out “Your Grandpa was a very wise person. He learned completely new things about investing money and made money off it. He invested smart and not just to make a bunch of money to spend it in one year.” When Patel came to America, he got his first job and saved up his money. Prior to that Patel was a chemist for a long time in India and later in the United States, and later invested in real estate and started his own business. Patel invested in real state as a source of income, he bought an 11unit Condo. Patel saved all that money from the condos and

used it to open an account so he could start investing in the Stock Market. Patel was very wise about what company he should invest in. Overtime the money grew, that's how he was able to start his own company and send his children through College. It also helped him retire financially confident. From being a very poor kid growing up to a successful person later it's such a big accomplishment. Patel had to learn everything there is about the Economy and Stock Market. Patel learned how to buy real estate and how to invest in Companies in the Stock Market.

Patel was never afraid of new things. He learned tons of stuff about how to make money in the United States.

Making your own money like my Grandpa it's super easy if you're smart and strategic about it. Investing in the right company is the best thing you can do to make money and set up your future. You're basically making money while you’re sleeping.

“The best thing you can do to make money while you're young is to invest early and wisely.”

Many companies such as Fidelity are starting to allow parents to open an account for their children so they can start investing. Investing may seem like a big and confusing topic but once you really understand the basics it becomes clear. Investing is essentially making money while you're sleeping, you get to really think about what companies you want to invest in, and about how they will succeed in the future. You can also check the Stock Market every day to see if there are any updates on the Stocks you would like to buy or ones you already own. Buying stock may seem expensive, but stocks vary between the size of the company. For example, a smaller company that just went public, they can have a starting price of $20, but bigger companies such as Amazon have a Stock Price of $3000. Some people might not have $3000 just lying around to be invested, that's why you can buy fractional shares of company. While you're making money on the fractional shares of the company you can take that money that you make and invest and save up to buy a real share.

The economy is a big part of living in this society today. People have tons of money in the stock market, and in businesses. Making money is easy, you just must be wise.

There are many ways you can start investing, Buying fractional shares, or whole shares. You can make money while you're sleeping. it may seem like this is impossible and you're just going to be out thousands of dollars, but it really works if you are wise and know what you're doing.

Imagine moving across the world at the age of eleven. Monika Tripathi moved to America from India because of her dad’s job. Her dad is metallurgical engineer looking for a job in the steel industry. She was Born in Kanpur, a city in northern India that was packed with people, triditions, and culture. She is very grateful for her life in India and America. Even though she was fortunate to spend her early years in India, she was able to have many important opportunities in her years that she lived in America.

Moving to America was not only because of her dad’s job. Monika feels moving to America gave her many education opportunities. In India she went to a convent school. But she says she prefers the public schools in America.

Even though she felt that the school in India was great, she thought that the way America taught school was more efficient. Monika was given many opportunities in America that she never got to experience in India. One example of this is she took part in a spelling bee. She said that these opportunities came with challenges that helped to shape her into the person she is today.

She mentioned that if she never had moved to America, she doesn’t think that she would end up where she is today. She said, “In the U.S you have a better quality of life. More liberty, more equality, and more opportunity.” This is very powerful because she is listing all the ways America positively impacted her. Monika Tripathi is a graduate from the University of Michigan, and now she is a successful physician working as a hospitalist in Chicago. She thinks that without moving to America she would not have ended up as successful as she is today.

Monika Tripathi is now a doctor working in Evanston, IL.

Moving Across the World Monika Tripathi moved from India to America at the age of eleven. This move has given her many opportunities and helped her become the person she is today.

Along with feeling that she has more opportunity, she felt a sense of liberty and equality. In India she said that there is a lot of poverty. In India it was a custom for people to have house servants, that clean and cook for you, even if you are not in the upper class. When she came to America, she realized that only the wealthy had servants. That showed her that there is a lot more liberty in America because you have a choice. In America people are not willing to do the work because they don’t have to. This is because in India the population is larger than America meaning that more people need jobs.

Pier. Also, she spends her Diwali, the Indian festival of lights, with family and doing puja, a way of praying in Indian culture. She says, “Even if I’ve lived in America for 30 plus years I am still in touch with my Indian culture.”

Along with celebrating the classic Indian Holidays, she indulges in delicious Indian sweets. She says that in Warren Pennsylvania she was not able to get Indian groceries compared to Chicago where she had access to many Indian grocery stores.

Over the years in Chicago, she is still celebrating her Indian culture.

She can get in the car and drive to Devon, a neighborhood in Chicago with endless Indian restaurants and stores. Devon has helped her stay in touch with her Indian culture because the food and clothes all remind her of India.

Along with staying in touch with her Indian culture in America, she can go back to India. Travel has gotten cheaper and is more accessible. Since she can travel to India, she has taken that opportunity and has gone to India numerous times.

Overall, change is something that is so important to your life. Moving to America has opened new doors, given my aunt the opportunity to be the person she always wanted to be, and made her face new challenges. My aunt has taught me to appreciate what you have, and to never take what you have for granted. Change will help you overcome previous challenges and face new ones.

America’s flag

“Even though she has spent more than 30 years in America, she never forgets her Indian culture.”

Monika came to America without ever visiting. When she came to America, she saw all the snow on the ground and smelled the crisp winter air.

She had never had that experience before since she had lived in India. Living in India for her 11 years she didn’t even know what it felt like to be so cold. “In India it was always hot,” she said. Since it was winter in Pennsylvania, she needed to buy a winter coat. They were new to the area so her and her mom did not know where to go.

By: Shaili Peters They ended up at the World Trade Center, the largest shopping mall in New York at the time, when she walked in the door she was amazed. When she walked in the bright lights and the bright storefronts were new to her. It was almost like she was in a different world. “Such a cultural shock with all these stores and all these items,” she says. She thought that seeing the World Trade Center for the first time was such a cultural shock because in India she had never seen that many stores. Also, she expected the stores to be like the stores in India.

In India at the time there were no malls just small retail stores. My aunt says that she was glad that she was able to see the mall because if she had not have moved to America, she would never had been able to see a mall that big.

Even though she spent more than 30 years in America, she never forgets her Indian culture. From celebrating Indian holidays to speaking Hindi, an Indian language, in her day-to-day life. She feels that she can celebrate her Indian culture in America. Monika spent Holi, Indian festival of colors, at Navi

India’s flag

The struggles and blessings of being a student athlete Injury is one of the hardest things to overcome when playing sports.

You put in so much extra work to get your body healthy, but you don’t play.

It's frustrating being held back and watching your team excel while you sit on the bench unable to contribute. Being a student athlete is hard enough as it is, but it’s all worth it when you get to play the sport you love. For my dad that sport is basketball but imagine not being able to play. Imagine what it's like to fear for your spot on the team. Imagine what it’s like to sit on the bench seeing your team grow and excel without you knowing you might never recover, and the scholarship you were granted could be taken away.

Imagine what it’s like to be Jermond Remmer.

The process to heal from any injury is complicated but it was especially complicated for my dad. His patella tendonitis was special, it was on a bone spur. My dad was presented with two options to fix his injury.

Option one was to get surgery. Option two was to just simply rest. My dad was very conflicted about what to do. His coaches wanted him to get surgery. It made sense, the recovery time was slightly faster, but there were risks. There are risks any time you receive surgery. It took my dad some time to realize what was best for him, and once he did, he didn’t have a single doubt in his mind.

He chose not to get the surgery and realized that “the team’s best interest might not be in your best interest I simply felt the risk was not worth the reward.” Going agents his coaches was hard, but he knew he made the right choice. A part of being a good athlete is knowing yourself and what's best for you. My dad felt punished for the decision he made but, in the end, he did the right thing and prioritized himself.

He knew that even without an injury he might not make it to the NBA, so he made good grades and performed well in school. He knew that “if I wanted to be successful, I had to focus on other things.” My dad never expected an injury to keep him out, but he was prepared for it. My dad didn’t just rely on sports and base his whole life around it. He made a life for himself and became successful at many things because of it.

If my dad had the opportunity to do it all over again, he would, but if he had the opportunity to go back and change things he wouldn’t. Playing sports taught my dad many valuable lessons and without those lessons he wouldn’t be as successful as he is today. Playing sports shaped my dad into the person he is today.

Many people might have regrets and if they could go back and change their past mistakes they would, but my dad doesn’t. He has no regrets. For as long as he can remember sports have been a huge aspect of my dad’s life, and not being able to play made him see the world from a new perspective. He saw there was more to life than just sports. He realized he could be successful at many other occupations. He later became the president of an independent real estate firm. He now lives a very successful life and learned many valuable lessons along the way.

As I said before, injury is one of the hardest things to overcome while playing sports. You might argue that some injuries are worse than others, but in reality, it doesn't matter. What does matter is how an injury prevents you from playing your sport. My dad, Jermond Remmer had two injuries. The first was a concussion and the second was patella tendonitis.

The concussion was worse. It affected him the most. “Concussions are strange because there is nothing physically wrong with your body, but when you get migraine headaches that almost paralyze you can’t move and that kept me out.” Not being able to play was one of the worst feelings my dad experienced being a college athlete. He had to watch his team get better without him as he feared for his spot on it. He knew he had to recover fast, or his full ride scholarship would be taken from him. The one thing he was sure of had changed and he couldn’t do anything about it. He knew he was still a part of the team, but he didn’t feel like it. Luckily, his team supported him through every step of the way, and they got him back to where he needed to be.

My dad could always see himself as a professional basketball player, but he could also see himself in a stocks career. Some basketball players don’t have a plan if they don’t make it to the NBA. They neglect their duties as a student, and when they don’t make it to the NBA, they don’t know what to do. However, my dad was not one of those people.

The manipulation of athletes Sports coaches don’t actually have the best interest for there players.

1994-95 Men’s Bas ketball Roster- Creighton University Athletics. Number 32 Jermond Remmer was a guard/forward.

By: Peyton Remmer

After he recovered from his concussion his knee started bothering him. He got it checked out, and it turned out to be patella tendonitis. Patella tendonitis is an injury to the tissue connecting the kneecap to the skin bone.

As a basketball player your patella tendon is very important, it allows you to jump.

“I simply felt the risk was not worth the reward.”

Jermond remmer has over 15 years of expiriance in private equity. He led in overseeing the Trading Desk and has played a lead role in the designing and evaluating of complex deal structures .

Leaving In Search of Success By: Maggie Robinson

Traveling to a place completely, alone, only having the strength within.

Big changes are always extremely hard to make especially if you are leaving people, you love or going somewhere completely new. Nobody knows what it is like better than my mom. Marla Rae Robinson is a exceptionally accomplished woman working as an occupational therapist for the University of Chicago where she works treating burns. She is also the assistant director for in-patient services, managing inpatient therapy for adult and pediatrics.

Although Marla has lived in Chicago for 27 years, she was born and lived almost half her life in Canada.

grade. The French immersion teaching went on through junior high, which is grades seven, eight, and nine, but ended when Marla went off to high school, which is only grades ten, eleven, and twelve in Canada.

Marla, born in Sudbury, Ontario, moved with her whole family to Edmonton, Alberta after she completed preschool. In Edmonton, she lived, went to school, and worked until she was 24 years old. My mom is a very strong women who earned great achievements through perseverance in the face of adversity.

In 1994 after she graduated, the Premier, or Governor, of the time was trying to balance her province’s, or state’s, budget which made all government employees take a 10% roll back on salaries. Medical workers, teachers, professors, and others took the salary cuts, and all “new jobs” were considered temporary with contracts that had to be re-upped every six months.

During her early education, Marla took six months leave from school, in sixth grade, to travel the world with her family when her dad took a sabbatical from work. On the trip they landed in America for three months traveling to different places such as California, Arizona, and Hawaii. She says, “Traveling allowed me to see many different places and experience many different cultures.”

Given that Marla traveled a lot when she was living in Canada, it exposed her to how others lived, supplying her with multiple perspectives and a certain appreciation of other cultures.

The United States of America, however, had a lot of open opportunities for OT positions, and one of Marla’s previous professors, who had moved to America, told her about a job in Columbia, Missouri. Given that she was living in Canada at the time, her interview was over the phone, so when she got the job, she had to move to America to accept it.

Marla attended the University of Alberta for her college education. She originally studied for a bachelor’s in science before switching to OT. She graduated from the university with a bachelor’s in Occupational Therapy in 1994 and later went back to achieve her Masters of Science in Health Promotion.

Marla says it was hard to leave Canada at first, but one day she loaded all her belongings into her car, put her bike on top, and left when her parents were away.

The reason she up and left one day wasn't because anyone disapproved. Marla thought that she was only going to be gone for a year, so the time would fly, and Marla attended a French immersion school, which means all classes besides soon enough she would be back with her language arts were taught in French. This family again. It was the plan originally to stay for only a year, but then one year allowed her to go to France in ninth

turned into two years, and two years turned into five years, and now she's been here for 27 years.

Marla says she doesn't regret making the decision to move to America. Rather, she misses a lot of things that Canada had. “I think there’s some times I miss the simplicity of Canada,” she mentions.

Marla wasn’t used to the culture of America at first, which is partially why she missed how simple her life once was.

She also says, “I am sure when I first left, I did have doubts if I was doing the right thing or making the right decision. It was kind of an adventure.” Leaving Canada brought her many mixed emotions of sadness, curiosity, and independence, and today, she says the greatest thing that happened to her after moving to America was finding her husband and having her kids.

Marla said that her early experiences in America allowed her to be prepared for the challenges she faced in Chicago, and she doesn't think she could have reached the same potential had she stayed in Canada. So even though these new challenges were hard at first, they pushed her to improve. “I think I was in the right place at the right time to have this and to have some really great opportunities,” she says. When she originally left Canada, she wasn’t entirely sure about the idea of leaving, but the experience allowed her to be in the right place to get the best opportunities possible and eventually become successful.

The hardest thing my mom admits to facing was finding friends and meeting people, but eventually she found a good group of friends in Columbia. Without them, Marla says her transition would’ve been a lot harder.

She talked about how the professor who had originally mentioned the job to her ended up becoming like another big sister to her.

Another one of her very hard challenges in America was dealing with COVID and not being able to see her parents or her sister who still live in Canada. Living in America had never stopped my mom from visiting her parents, and she has gone to see them every year at least twice a year. Marla said, “The last year and a half has been really, really challenging with COVID having not seen my family.” Despite the challenges, Marla has come up with good solutions to last her until the chance comes again to see her family in person.

Currently, my mom still works on accepting new challenges, and she believes that her everyday life still pushes her to be better than when she first came to America. “I think I have become a stronger, more independent, and more resilient person,” she says.

Marla Rae Robinson, first of her family born in Sudbury, Ontario

My mom has worked very hard to get everything she has earned, and she always does the best she can. “If you are thrust into an unknown situation without any support you have to create it,” Marla said. Not only did she create her support when she first came to America, but she continues to grow and succeed in the face of new difficulties. I hope to emulate Marla Rae Robinson and everything she has made for herself.

“If you are thrust into an unknown situation without any support, you have to create it.”

Empowering refugees around the world.

BY COLIN ROSS Michelle traveled all around the world to empower refugees. She works with refugees till this day.

Imagine leaving your home country and being forced into a new country with nothing. What kind of people would you hope to see there? Michelle strives to be a person who empowers refugees that arrive in the Chicago area. She gained all this appreciation from traveling abroad to South Sudan and Honduras. Over Michele’s life, she did a lot of good in the world devoting a lot of her life to studying refugee resettlements and traveling around the world for many years. Through her travels, Michele wanted to make a difference and change the system. Living in a world where doing the right thing is not always the easiest, Michele Amatangelo shows that in life doing good is possible. You just need a love and passion for it.

After living in America and studying at Boston College, she pursued a graduate degree at Georgetown University and traveled to Honduras for two years. Later, Michele traveled and studied refugee resettlements in South Sudan after she graduated.

Michele wanted to go to Africa because she was always interested about all the other countries abroad and what life was like there Michele said she wanted to go to these places for many reasons, she said, “I have always been interested of what was happening abroad and how life was different in all these different countries…I wanted to try to make a difference and change the system.” It really shows how Michele wanted to go to these places. She wanted to go there for good reasons, to try and make a difference.

Which is empowering to us all.

Michele said that life in Africa was simply distinct from the American way of life in many ways, from government to economics to enviroment.

Michele talked about how life was like in these places, and she said, “Well, It’s different in many ways. For example, they have a very different government. They don’t have the right to vote or the right to freedom of speech which is a contrast from America. It makes me feel very fortunate about having the recorses and rights we do in the United States.” That really shows different places abroad are and how you feel very fortunate after seeing the different living conditions of other people.

Michele felt fortunate and just overall different after going to these places. She went to Africa and felt different after going there.

Did she feel different? The same? Did she feel bad for these places? Her feelings are mixed.

She felt fortunate for having the recorces we do here. She said that it was hard to see this happen though her feelings changed throughout the years. Many kids are born into these camps with thousands of people, and they live there for years upon years and years. This is hard to see happen as this doesn’t happen often in the U.S.A. These people don’t have a choice to go these camps, they obviously don’t want to leave all this stuff behind at their homes but if they don’t flee, they would die. To see people like this is hard, she said, “Well, many people live there for years, and they would hope and pray that they would be able to leave and return to their homes and some people didn’t have hope which was hard to see.”

She added, “It was definitely just hard in general to see this, but I think you have to go into these places trying to empower people and to make their own path and change their lives for themselves. They are human beings.” It shows how there are many hardships in these camps, but it is important that we have compassion without pity.

Every country has different norms and different traditions, but just because we live in the U.S doesn’t mean that everything, we do is right. Many stereotypes are formed in the U.S.A about other countries. Many people think that Africa is all poverty, but many places are, in fact, beautiful.

Michele went to Africa to see what life was like abroad and to make a change in these places. She is very inspiring and to see what she did and what she did it for is very moving to many people. Michelle gained lot of knowledge about certain stereotypes: and what life is like and how it’s different.

Would you spend some part of your life in a foreign country? What about a country where many people had to evacuate their houses? How would you respond?

Michele’s response was that she was going to help. She continues to empower refuges to this day in her daily life.

“Living in a world where doing the right thing is not always the easiest, Michele Amatangelo shows that in life doing good is possible.”

A picture of the camps that the refugees lived in. This a picture of the tent a family lived in.

A photo of Michele next to the Nile river in Africa.

COUNTRY ROADS AND DRIVING ACCIDENTS A fun story of how not to crash your car

By Sienna Sawyer

she and her friends waited longer and longer, were going to be way too late” Paige told me. that seem less and less like an actual answer, Almost crashing and dying isn’t normally and more of an (obvious) dead end. At this She turned on the engine to the car, took a what you expect on your drive home. But that point, her friends were getting more and more deep breath, and stepped on the go pedal. She was exactly what happened one night to Paige nervous. They kept talking about silly things sped towards the deer in the car, and when it Cureton. Coming home from a party with to hide their rising anxiety about what was seemed impossible, at the last second, it friends, just driving home on the road. But happening. Paige was becoming more and leaped away. They were safe. But Paige would what she saw completely changed her life, the more afraid, the deer was still as a statue, not always remember this, almost dying, feeling it only question is; who cares? Well, you’ll see. moving, not blinking, nothing. It didn’t even in the back of her thoughts while driving One night, Paige was driving home at night look like it was breathing, just staring, dead down highways, making her way through dark with some friends. It was a cloudy night, for eyed at the car like one of those chucky paths, and even late at night in bed when she the horror movie cliché, and almost pitchcheese animatronics that small children adore couldn’t seem to fall asleep.

Finally, the black because of the moon's absence. She was for some reason. answer to the question of why you should on a secrete road next to the woods, when all even care; this is a lesson. Anything can of a sudden, she saw something. A deer. happen at any time, to anyone. You never Shocking, I know. She slammed her foot on “I knew that deer wasn’t know if you’re going to get home safe or crash the breaks. “I really thought we were all going going to move, it never brutally in a car, so it’s always good to stay to die just then” She thought about her friends, and remember to appreciate the people was. I had to do something safe, her family, and her future all in a flash. you have in your life, and even the people you The car screeched to a halt just in time. or else we were going to don’t. Or don’t. I’m not your mother, do what Her heart was racing from the near-death you want. be way too late” experience and almost hitting an animal, she and her friends expected the deer to just run Paige decided to flash her light at it too see if off after she stopped, but it just stood still.

Paige was extremely freaked out from almost it would move, but that didn’t work, just like crashing, and the deer not moving probably every horror movie ever. She thought about didn’t help, as it was never natural for a deer how she hadn’t seen her parents or brother in a while. Paige wasn’t that connected with her to just not move. Maybe for the first few seconds, but after that, they usually rushed out family, after moving out she mostly just drifted away, and she realized that wasn’t of the road. This deer was built different, it just wasn’t like other girls. But Paige was too what she wanted. She stared at the deer and kept noticing extremely strange things about afraid to notice that, still shaking from the it. “The deer had extremely long legs, and you almost-crash.

She decided to just wait it out. It was could see its bones through the skin, like pitch-black outside and the idea of getting out maybe it was starving. It just didn’t look of the car was not inviting at all. At least she right.” The other girls in the car were just short of having panic attacks, mumbling was in the car, Paige reasoned, instead of nonsense about how they needed to get home getting eaten alive by mosquitos and who knows what else in these woods. Maybe, the in time and texting their parents and friends.

Paige made a decision. deer would just leave in a few minutes, “I knew that deer wasn’t going to move, maybe, she should go investigate a dark basement and see where that gets her. But as it never was. I had to do something or else we

Growing up in America through the eyes of an Immigrant Helena Schabes experiencing life as a polish immigrant in Chicago.

By: Audrey Schabes

This is a photograph of Helena Schabes and her mother Teresa Bartczak in Germany

As a survivor of WWII and the Vietnam War, Helena Schabes, is living happily in Chicago, Illinois with her two sons and four grandchildren.

My grandmother had a very difficult life growing up. It all began when she immigrated to the U.S. as a child and experienced the effects of multiple wars. This is a story about strength and motivation.

Growing up, my grandmother had a very different experience than most families. She was born in Poland in 1946 and lived through hardships caused by WWII. In 1950, when she was just four years old, she immigrated to the U.S. because Poland was a war-torn country. There was no economic way of surviving in Poland, so her parents, Adam and Teresa, made the decision to move to Chicago because they had friends living there. My grandma described it as an “exciting and new” adventure.

Adam travelled to the United States ahead of Teresa and Helena to find work. When it was time to join him, Helena and her mother travelled by boat from Germany to Ellis Island.

Once they reached New York, they continued their journey by train to Chicago. Once she arrived in Chicago about a week later, their friends provided her family with a place to live, and they helped her parents begin a new life.

Adjusting to her new life in America was challenging for Helena. When she started school, it was very difficult for her at first. There was a language barrier because she did not know any English. Yet, she picked up English very quickly because some of the nuns teaching at her school spoke Polish along with her.

As she described her childhood, she says, “Immigration played a big part in my life.” She described this in the sense that she would most likely have not survived living in Poland due to WWII. It was a very frightening time for her family because of the German persecution of the Polish and being forced to move to a new country.

They did not know what to expect when they moved to the U.S., and they went there with nothing. So, they had a fresh start. This makes me believe that she would not have met her husband and had the life she has today if she did not move to the United States. Immigrating also provided her with a better quality of life to go to school and receive an education.

As a child, she had many responsibilities that included helping her parents. In order to survive, one of her parents worked during the day and the other worked at night. This was due to the fact that there was no day care. They lived in an apartment building filled with many other Polish families, so she had many friends in her

neighborhood. They would go downtown to the theaters, and they loved getting lost in books at the library. In fact, as she got older, she worked as a bookkeeper.

In college, she had to find ways to provide for her family because she did not have much money. She attended junior college for two years and then she went to the University of Illinois circle campus. Shortly after she finished college, she married her high school sweetheart, whom she met when she was 13 years old.

However, there were some difficulties that came along with becoming a family.

She says, “I was always responsible for helping my parents, especially because of the language barrier.” There was a cultural difference between both families because my grandpa’s family was born in the U.S. and my grandmother’s family was born in Poland. Her parents had a tough time adjusting to speaking in English, so it was hard for her parents to communicate with my grandfather. However, they soon found ways to make the best of it.

“ImmIgratIon played a big part In my lIfe.” - Helena Schabes

After about a year of her being married, my grandpa got drafted to the Vietnam War. They moved to Washington D.C. because he was stationed there by the Army. It was scary for them because it was a very gruesome war, and they were afraid he would have to be sent overseas.

She says, “Here again, a war that has had a large impact on my family and me.” She has made many sacrifices in her life due to wars.

For this war in particular, she had to sacrifice her job. Luckily, because of my grandpa’s computer science skills they moved to Arlington Virginia (a suburb of Washington D.C.) to work at the Pentagon. Since this drastically effected my grandmother’s job in Chicago, she had to apply for a new job in Washington. She ended up applying for a government job.

Since she was an immigrant and applied for a federal job, she was required to complete a countless amount of paperwork. Additionally, people in the government had to fly to her family in Chicago and interview them. After 9 months of trying to get her clearance, she finally got a job working at the Pentagon. It felt like an interminable amount, but right after she got the job, she became pregnant. When she became pregnant, she had to quit her job to take care of the baby. This was very exciting to begin a family, but also was very scary because they did not know what to expect. Once my grandfather served his time, they moved back to Chicago and raised their family.

Overall, you can see how my grandmother had to fight to survive in this country. She had to face many challenges but managed to find ways to work through them. The decision her family made to immigrate impacted her life in a positive way and allowed her to live a happy and fulfilling life in America. In the interview, Helena says, “My life was forever changed the day I set foot in America.” This shows the impact immigration had on her.

Pioneering Neonatology A story about the pioneer in neonatology: Augusto Sola. Paving the way how babies are treated in the ICU. Written and designed by: Delfi Sola Dr. Sola’s story is that of a neonatologist that with passion and compassion has transformed the care of pre-mature babies and their mothers not only in the U.S., but also globally. This is a story of resiliency, motivation but most importantly vision and love.

Augusto’s love for medicine started at a young age as he was faced with the death of multiple family members, “I found my love for Medicine very early on in life.” Having many family members that passed away or suffered from pre-maturity and its side effects opened his eyes to a side of medicine that is often forgotten: Neonatology. As a young graduate of the University of Buenos Aires Medical School, he immigrated to the United States to pursue his passion for Neonatology. This specialty in pediatrics wasn’t available in any developing countries such as Argentina.

Once in the U.S., Augusto Sola completed his general residency at the University of Massachusetts and then completed his training in Neonatal medicine at the University of California becoming an avid teacher at universities such as Emory University and The University of California. He published over five neonatology textbooks and has written 130 medical articles. He has also delivered over 4000 lectures, teaching and providing research around the world. His lectures have been given all over the world in countries such as South Africa, China, Japan, North Korea, Italy, France, Peru, Brazil, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Argentina. But Dr. Sola’s most remarkable accomplishments are discovering the negative effects of oxygen on premature babies (main cause of pre-mature babies’ blindness), the founding of the non-profit Siben and his commitment to family.

Augusto Sola posing in a pressconference wearing his iconic Siben pin.

Therefore, his approach to medicine was more holistic, not only focusing on the baby’s survival, but on the well-being of the mother.

As a pediatrician, Dr. Sola stated it was very difficult, emotionally and physically. He often cried an interminable amount as he suffered for the lost babies.

Especially while watching the mothers burst out into tears when the news was announced. He often described how painful it was to watch babies die hopelessly.

Therefore, his approach to medicine was more holistic, not only focusing on the baby’s survival, but on the well-being of the mother. For example, during the Corona Virus Pandemic, a lot of mothers couldn’t see their babies. So, Dr. Sola worked to give the babies rights in order to see and feel their mothers, increasing survival rates.

With experience and over time, Dr. Sola was perplexed by the privilege gap that the U.S had to the Ibero-American countries. Babies born in the U.S were more likely to survive than any other country. “It was heartbreaking to see how many mothers around the world suffered for their deceased baby, when in many instances through education and proper resources, they could have been prevented.” These are the bare bones of what Siben stands for today.

.

“When i discovered Masimo I felt joy, I thought this small piece of technology could drastically change the industry.”

- Augusto Sola

Dr. Sola at a press conference for Masimo, after finally announcing his contributions to the Oxi-Meter

Siben stands for The Ibero-American society of Neonatology. Siben’s goal is to make the survival rate of premature babies higher by avoiding deaths that could have been saved.

“Siben improves the life of Newborns and their mothers, saving lives and setting up successful deliveries.” Siben’s goal is to save the lives of premature babies through education, not only of the doctors but the registered nurses (RN) who in many instances are the silent hero.

Today Siben works with over 2,000 healthcare professionals touching the lives of tens of thousands of babies.

Augusto made incredible advances, but he is convinced that the recipe for his success lies in being humble throughout his career. “If I wasn’t as humble as I am, I wouldn’t be where I am today or made it nearly as far.” Dr. Sola thinks that going through such a competitive workplace being humble isn’t your priority, but it was his. Because he was humble, he was able to be openminded to failure, and not gloating on one’s success. Therefore, he was able to focus on the baby and the mother, not on “name” or fame.

His advances in medicine opened the doors to the Pioneer Award given by the American Academy of Medicine. The Pioneer Award is an award that is given to an individual scientist or doctor with exceptional creativity who proposes pioneering and highly innovative approaches to change the industry that they are in. Dr. Sola was awarded this in June 2020. He was awarded the Pioneer award because of his contributions to the Pulse Oximeter made by Masimo, allowing for blood oxygen to be read. Masimo is a medical tech company which develops non-invasive patient monitoring devices. Dr. Sola remarked, “When I discovered Masimo I felt joy, I thought this small piece of technology could drastically change the Industry.” He was so drawn to the technology of the invention that he started contributing to its research. He felt how powerful this research could be, he could feel it through his entire body, feeling the positivity this could bring to new mothers.

So, in conclusion Dr. Sola worked extremely hard to get to where he is. He worked on inventing theories and creating a new world of possibilities for pre-mature babies.

He improved the life of so many babies and their mothers. Dr. Sola is proud of the change that he made.

Not because of global recognition or the awards, but the impact that he made on other people’s lives. As Dr. Sola likes to say, “The most rewarding part of the job isn’t the money or the fame but being able to watch a mother with their baby go home after a long fight for their lives.”

“the most reWarding part of the job isn’t the money or the fame but being able to watch a mother with their baby go home after a long fight for their lives.”

The Rise and Fall of a Mining Town Patricia Todorovich Stark, my grandmother from the rural mining town of Anaconda, experienced mining in the west from many perspectives.

Have you ever wondered what it was like back in the early 1900’s out in rural Montana when mining ruled everything? My grandmother, Trish Stark, experienced the rise of a mining town. Would you like to know how a teenage girl had to shovel lime powder every day for the summer in the heat of the factory, sweat dripping down her neck, just to have a chance to go to college? She had to do all of this in a world where mining is life and where women are overlooked. In this world my grandmother experienced something that 99% of others could not tell you, how she lived, experienced, worked, and saw the end of a rural mining town in western Montana.

My grandmother’s father, Thomas, was born in the United States, unlike many others who came from Serbia or Croatia to Montana. She stated, “They came for a new way of life.” Like my Grandma said, people mostly gathered for a new life, many from Serbia and Croatia to work in the mines. The town that Thomas settled in was a rural town in Western Montana called Anaconda.

thousands of people extracting straight copper ore and shipping it to Anaconda to smelt it.

When these towns were most popular was just before and during World War II. Currently copper was very valuable in order to make slugs, and cartridges for bullets. Everyone in the west was looking to make profit off this. It was a battle between the companies to see who could be on top. As she stated, “It was mainly motivated by the industry for profit, and who could be the strongest. Who could own the west.” Back then mining was life, these companies were so greedy and wealthy that they had an indescribable drive that not many know of. I think that she really highlights this drive, and she really describes how dramatic the mining was and how important it is. It really was about “Who could own the west.”

“It was mainly motivated by the industry for profit, and who could be the strongest.

Who could own the west”

Many people were going to the west for mining, so companies were taking advantage of this. One company, Anaconda Copper Mining Company or ACM which was a new company at the time, was looking for profit. They colonized Anaconda solely for mining copper, which was in high demand at the time. In these early 1900’s mining in western Montana was just getting started, and what it would become would end up exceeding everybody’s expectation. I think that the power of this story is how a community was able to come together in a foreign country to make something special. How a company revolutionized copper mining and “hit gold” in the mining industry. Western Montana has a huge story of the people, the land, and the mining! What I have found from my interview is truly mind-blowing and will forever change my view on my family, and Montana.

Now that you know how these early mining communities started let me tell you what it was like when they were booming. Anaconda was a huge part of the “circle of copper mining” in Montana. Near Annaconda there was another town similar to it that was another huge part of the copper industry, Butte, Montana. Butte was very well known for the massive pit left from the mining through the 1900’s. It was the place where the actual copper was found and

Picture of the ACM Mining Company located near Butte and Anaconda

The Berkley pit located in Butte, Montana

Now that you really know the history of this mining community let me tell you a little of how my Grandmother lived it. How she experienced it. After WWII, my grandmother was a teenager in 1972 looking to find a job to pay for college. She had lived in Anaconda her entire life experiencing the mining community from the outside looking in. Her entire family had worked in the mine for as long as she could remember. Her father, an experienced and well-respected miner, and her many brothers who had done mining when they were looking to pay for their colleges. Her father had just died after working there for 38 years as one of the most respected miners in the city.

Besides the fact that she was the daughter of Thomas, the company had to hire a certain number of women per year by law.

The first time she ever worked in the mines she shoveled raw copper ore onto a conveyor belt which she described as “Just so physically hard, I was not prepared for it.” Her second job was much harder as she had to put lime powder, a substance used for construction and cooking, into these huge containers which was very dangerous and required much physical effort. Working in the mines is one of the most dangerous and physical jobs anyone could do. I hope that people can appreciate the courage it takes for these brave people to risk their lives, just so you can have jewelry. I think that this is so strong because it reveals what it really felt to work in the mining industry, what it really took.

All the mining that was done in Butte was in the Berkley Pit. All the copper ore from here went straight to Anaconda to be smelted. The Berkley Pit is a Popular tourist attraction that I have seen in real life, it is truly on of the biggest pits in the world

Learning about what it really was like to work in the actual mines is a crazy thing, so much hard work, sweat, and perseverance. But since you have learned about the rise of this town and how this town has flourished, it is only fair for you to learn the ending. There was many rough patches as the years went on in Annaconda, the pay went up and down with the value of copper. As my grandmother put it, “It was like a see saw, the company went up and down a lot.” This angered many as the years went on leading them to have a mining union that fought for the pay of these workers. It was very hard to argue with the company because as my grandmother put it, “The company made a good life for the people in a time in our country that was really hard.” The company

made huge public parks for the people, shops, restaurants, and other accommodations that the people loved.

At this point in the early 80’s, copper prices really started to drop. Butte was heavily mined with not much ore left, that left the town of Annaconda with not much to do.

At this point the town thought of it as another drop in pay that will soon rise after the union was done, but they later realized it was a bigger deal than that. After they realized this the company sort of packed up and left. They left the mines, the smelters, and other parts of the process. This left many people of the community with little money and no jobs. The community was devastated. Soon the “once great” town of Anaconda was just a ghost town that everyone left behind. I feel like the importance of this ending is how nothing lasts, and that at the end of the day the company was never trying to help the people, they were just using them. When they left, they hadn’t a second thought of what they left behind.

Mining out west is a bumpy ride.

You never know how it’s going to end, but you must know that nothing lasts forever. But what mining does to the community, the good and the bad, does last forever. Without my grandmother, this story would not have been revealed. We wouldn’t know what it was really like being there and experiencing the triumphs and the struggles. I know that I have learned something from my time interviewing her, I really feel like I myself experienced this just from the stories she has told. My job as a journalist is to give you the opportunity to feel that yourself. As my grandmother said, “It was like a see saw, the company went up and down a lot”. What my grandmother is trying to say is that mining has many triumphs and struggles, which I have said before. Mining isn’t just about the triumphs and the struggles, it’s about what it can bring together.

“It was like a see saw, the company went up and down a lot”

Jacey signing papers to leave the hospital

Jacey spending time with her family outside of the hospital

Jacey during treatment with a friendly nurse.

Jacey fought a long battle against cancer. Jacelyn Ann Herman Walsh was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in 2013. Jacey was born in Park Ridge, IL and is currently a mother of two girls, Ellery and Emersyn. In the past, she has worked in investment banking and pharmaceutical sales.

She now works as a stay-at-home mom for her two daughters. This sudden diagnosis completely changed the lives of the Walsh family, turning their everyday routines upside down. They were shocked and scared of this deadly disease, but they persevered and fought as hard as they could. Not only was Jacey a fighter, but she is an inspiration to all fighting cancer or going through a tough time.

In April 2013, Jacelyn Ann Herman Walsh was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. After suffering from bruising, extreme fatigue, shortness of breath, and excessive bleeding from small cuts, she went to Northwestern Hospital in Chicago, IL She immediately started a 30-day hospital plan where she got chemotherapy multiple times a week. After her treatment, she was cancer-free for 1 ½ years. Unfortunately, the life-threatening disease returned.

She was in and out of the hospital for multiple years, getting hundreds of chemotherapy doses, but in 2017, she received a transplant for new, healthy cells. This transplant, along with a new chemo drug called Inotuzumab, worked like a charm to keep Jacey cancer-free for another year. But, yet again, the cancer soon returned.

Eventually, she transferred to the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) for a new treatment and to join a clinical trial. She was cancer-free and then sick on and off for a few years, but in June 2020, she got a bone marrow stem cell transplant, where they put healthy cells in her body.

She has been cancer free ever since.

After her treatment, Jacelyn describes chemotherapy when she says, “I know what it’s like to receive chemo and radiation, so it’s very challenging to think about just how much it depletes your body, and how hard it is physically to get through all of that.”

This represents how hard chemotherapy is to endure and the toll it takes on a person. Jacey is a true warrior for being able to make it through that treatment, and the fight was worth it, because as of today, she is still cancerfree.

Not only is cancer hard on your body, but it is also a battle for your mind. Every day during treatment, Jacelyn had to deal with the thought of cancer winning

her battle, or in other words, not surviving. She was in the hospital every day, so she couldn’t be with her family and her support system. She felt like a bird without wings.

Especially because of the COVID-19 pandemic, there were a limited number of visitors in the hospital. Sometimes, she even had to quarantine from her family and kids when they got sick, because with cancer you need to avoid common diseases that will weaken your immune system.

When asked what her experience with cancer was like, she said, “There’s always the fear of what could happen if treatment and chemotherapy doesn’t work.” Jacey was constantly thinking of the endless possibilities of what could go down with this disease. She feared that Leukemia would win the battle her body was fighting so hard, and what makes that fight even harder is not having your loved ones able to be around you, which was something she had to endure throughout her treatment.

“This sudden diagnosis completely changed the lives of the Walsh family, turning their everyday routines upside down.”

Jacey during her chemotherapy treatment in the hospital

A mother of two battles cancer over the course of seven years.

By: Julia Steffen

Throughout her cancer journey, Jacelyn had to get 3 different stem cell transplants.

Transplants are when doctors replace different body parts with donor parts. For Jacey, she had healthy cells transplanted into her body to help fight off the cancer and to replace the cells killed throughout her chemotherapy treatment.

One of her most recent transplants was in July 2020, and she was given bone marrow cells by a man from Portugal.

This man saved her life, allowing her body to be flooded with healthy cells. When she talks about her transplant, she says, “I think that was the most amazing gift that anyone can give, it’s the gift of life at the end of the day.” She talks a lot about how grateful she and her family are for this life-saving transplant. One day, she wants to meet the man that saved her life, but unfortunately, that may or may not happen.

According to the rules with international transplants, the recipients of the donor must wait 2 years until they can meet the donor to keep the process sterile. Even after those two years, the donor can decline the meeting and choose to keep their

Jacey being comforted by a nurse.

information private. But the Walsh family says that they would love to meet this Portuguese man, as he is now a part of Jacelyn. They want to meet him and say thank you to him.

Jacelyn is a resilient figure that should be admired by all. She should be recognized for all the hard work she put into fighting off cancer. Not many people can survive this traumatic disease, but Jacey has been cancer-free ever since July 2020.

Not only is this impressive, but it’s also inspiring. Learning about her experience can be motivating to all those struggling with cancer, or even just people going through a tough time. She shows us that anything is possible, and you should fight the fight. Jacey’s message for others fighting cancer is, “You can beat it. You can get through it.” Be strong, fight hard, and appreciate those around you – just like Jacelyn does every day.

Jacey getting her blood drawn at Northwestern Hospital in Chicago.

The Restaurant Business Josephine Manasses opened many restaurants and was very successful.

By: Jacqueline Stojka “Grandma, can you tell me about your restaurant?”

“Yes, of course what do you want to know?”

As 72 years old Josephine Manasses, my grandma, sits in her basement with her granddaughter she looks back to a time when she was successful, accomplished, and happy. She tells her grandkids stories of the times she struggled, and how she succeeded. With 20 years of hard work Josephine learned a lot. Reflecting on the ups and downs and all the things she learned she wouldn’t take back a moment. She has taught her grandkids a lot, but the most important is she taught her granddaughter that family is everything, and that to succeed you need to struggle.

Josephine Manasses sits in her basement in November 2021 getting ready for her interview.

In 1981 Josephine Manasses opened her very first business. Josephine Manasses grew up working in restaurants. My great- grandfather owned a restaurant and my grandma grew up helping her dad with his restaurant.

When my grandma was little, she graduated from St. Pat’s school which is now the location of Francis Xavier Ward school. Later all her grandchildren followed in her footsteps and attend that school too. My grandma’s first real job was working at the Wall Street journal. She worked there for five years and learned a lot from her first job experience. She learned how to be responsible and organized, which are traits she took to her restaurant.

Later, my grandma married my grandfather in 1970. My grandfather had just moved from Greece to Chicago. My grandfather first had a hot dog cart and went on to be very successful with opening restaurants. In the meantime, my grandma took care of her 4 kids and watched my grandfather run his successful business. It wasn’t until her kids were old enough that she decided she

wanted to work for herself . “One day I just said to myself, well I am married to a Greek man that came from Greece and I have watched him open and close restaurants, why can’t I do it, I was born here.” What’s powerful is my grandma’s motivation for opening her restaurant. This is where my grandma got her determination from, and why she was so successful with these businesses. My grandma, with her background of growing up around many restaurants, went on to open her first restaurants in 1981.

My grandma felt a huge amount of pressure with opening the restaurant and knew she could not do it all by herself. So, she found a partner. She opened her restaurant called The Mart Deli. “It was right in the heart of the Merchandise Mart, so I had all the business.” The location of the restaurant was one of the reasons the business was so successful. The Mart Deli sold all kinds of sandwiches, which included the customers and my grandmas favorite corn beef sandwich.

My grandma ran this business with all her family supporting her. Her 2 brothers worked the restaurant with her, one made the sandwiches and the other made the soups and salads. My grandma enjoyed working in the restaurant, and eventually she was able to buy out her partner after ½ of a year. She renamed the restaurant Josephine’s Mart Deli. This was a huge accomplishment for my grandma to have a restaurant with her name on it. “After a lot of hard work and planning it felt like a huge accomplishment to open my own business especially as women because back then there wernt a lot of women owned businesses.” It was hard for my grandma to open her own business, which made it such a huge part of her life. However, owning a restaurant

without a partner was different because she had to make all the decisions by herself.

Josephine made many friendships with her coworkers and costumers throughout the many years working in restaurants. My grandma told me she had many people that worked with her that spoke Spanish and was able to share that connection of speaking to them in Spanish. Josephine’s grandma came from Mexico and while my grandma was growing up, taught her the Spanish language.

This is a shirt from The Mart Deli. Everyone who worked there had to wear one of these shirts.

She also had her family helping her, which was a big part of enjoyed in life, something that made her happy, and made her her success. She remembers that they were all there supporting learn a lot. My grandma’s motivations came from her family her at the opening of the restaurant. As Josephine was talking and still comes from it. Even when she is retired, she still to me, she described the restaurant as having beautiful black wants to help her family in any way she can. That is why and white strips, which made her restaurant very welcoming, everyday my grandma wakes up to see all her grandchildren’s which is what my grandma always dreamed her restaurant pictures on the wall and realizes why she is here. “I wouldn’t would be. be here without family.”

In the meantime, she also had to take care of her kids. She had her four kids involved in the restaurant. “My kids were growing up, and it was a little rough because they were still young .” It was a struggle for my grandma to own restaurants and work at them constantly and take care of four kids. After school days they would get picked up from school and come to the restaurant and wait for their mom to be done working. My grandma cleared out an empty room in the back of the restaurant, so that the kids would have an area to do their homework and watch tv. Her kids learned a lot from watching their hard-working mom work for hours serving customers and managing a business. On weekends her daughter Nicole came to help her mom. She would wake up at 5:00am just to get there on time. My grandma taught my aunt a lot about business, and when she grew up, she went on to owning a successful business with her two sisters.

My grandma worked hard to make sure that her customers felt they were in a welcoming and happy environment. “I had a lot of customers; I knew a lot about them.” My grandma’s restaurant was very personal, she new most of the costumers who came in and knew their order already which made the restaurant all more special and good environment. Many people came into the restaurant but on of Josephine’s favorites was this lady who would always come in for lunch. And every day she would wait for my grandma to have her lunch break so they could have lunch and talk together. My grandma would take time from her workday just to have lunch with her.

Later my grandma decided it was time to move on. After 5 years of owning Josephine’s Mart Deli, Josephine wanted a change, but my grandma enjoyed the restaurant business so much, so she opened a new restaurant. She opened it with her brother-in law. It was called Boppers she sold hotdogs, hamburgers, and fries there with her brother-in law. After about 5 years of selling hotdogs, she decided to start managing restaurants for other business owners. She worked managing a pancake/breakfast place called Lum’s. After 10 years of managing different restaurants, Josephine decided to settle down. She decided to become a nanny.

In the interview my grandma told me something very important; “If you want something in life go get it because life goes by way too fast to just be sitting there wishing things would happen.” My grandma found something that would make her happy and something she really wanted, to own her own restaurant. My grandma chose to do something that she

It was right in the heart of the Merchandis e Mart, so I had all the business.

Leonora gets her taken photo at her architectural firm.

Overcoming Uniqueness in Different Environments By: Alexia Suarez Leonora’s birthday in Campania, Italy

On a cold day in early December, my mom, Leonora Georgeoglou dwells on her past, filling with awe as she thinks about the things she has overcome. She has learned from her past, lived in the present, and thought about her future. Living in Uruguay for half of her life and moving to the U.S. for college, she has always separated herself from the rest. In a world where many were the same, she was always different.

Leonora grew up with two younger sisters in a very loving household.

She explains how she had a lot of fun growing up with her sisters since she would also do many things with her mom, who didn’t work outside of the house.

Leonora grew up with two younger sisters in a very loving household.

She explains how she had a lot of fun growing up with her sisters since she would also do many things with her mom, who didn’t work outside of the house.

Leonora was always a little bit different from the rest, especially growing up. In Uruguay, everyone was from a similar background. Most people in Uruguay were of Spanish descent and of the Catholic faith.

Many families had also been living there for hundreds of years.

However, Leonora’s parents had recently immigrated, her family was Greek, and they spoke Greek at home. “That was a big challenge because you always felt like you were different. But, coming here I learned that being different is cool and it’s a gift that you have. People always found me interesting because I had a different story,” she explains. Moving to the U.S. changed her perspective on so many different things.

Leonora attended the British Schools of Montevideo in Uruguay. She did many extracurriculars, including field hockey, swimming, tennis, and more. Leonora really enjoyed her experience at the British School because the classes were a good challenge for her, and the school was bilingual. She was able to learn English at school, which continued in her future when she moved to the U.S. for college. Her school also had a dual curriculum, which meant that they did the international baccalaureate and the Uruguayan curriculum.

Growing up, Leonora had to go to school until about 4:00pm every day.

She would get home at around 5pm every day, since the bus ride home for her was an hour long. The journey she had to make every morning and afternoon for school was very difficult for Leonora. It was an hour long and she would usually get carsick.

In school, Leonora really enjoyed taking different forms of art and language. She spoke many different languages growing up and they always came easy for her. She also enjoyed writing. These likings eventually carried onto her college and work experience.

Leonora experienced the ability to meet people from all over the world.

She attended the international program at Cornell University. It was during this time that she made some great memories with some of her closest friends from all over the world. Her experience in the international program, has influenced her still to this day. “That was really an amazing experience, to be able to meet people from everywhere, practically every country,” she says. She was able to experience being around new people in a completely new environment.

In Uruguay, Leonora was surrounded by people who were the same as her, who spoke the same language, and had the same nationality.

Leonora also explained that it is very difficult to compare her life in Uruguay to her life in the U.S. This is because she grew up as an adolescent in Uruguay, and when she moved to New York, she was an adult.

Leonora and her two kids, Elia and Alexia

Leonora’s experience in middle/high school and in college were very different. The classes she took in high school were challenging for her, but they weren’t nearly on the same level as the type of classes she took at Cornell University. She was a very good student in high school, and she even excelled and scored higher in many of her classes. When she went to college, there were so many people who were excelling, and it was much harder to get good grades and score at the top of her class.

During her time at Cornell, the things she learned influenced her in the future. Being able to see diversity in nationalities and ethnicities, instead of the education she experienced in Uruguay, opened her eyes. This carried on into her future here in Chicago.

Leonora had a difficult time keeping in contact with her family across continents. While she was abroad in New York in the U.S., her parents and family were in Montevideo, Uruguay. Leonora was only able to see her family on holidays, such as Christmas. This is because she had a long break and was able to fly over to her home country. She talks about how she was only able to talk to her family over the phone about once a week because there were no cellphones, only landlines, and calling abroad was very expensive.

This was a difficult time for her because she really missed her family. “So that was really hard and lonely,” she says. She goes to explain how you had to call a central number through AT&T and they connected you. There was also no FaceTime or anything similar on the computer. Leonora was also fortunate that her dad was able to travel to New York for work, so when he travelled for business, she would take the opportunity to go to New York from Ithaca, which was about a four-hour drive. She was surrounded by many of her friends, but it was very hard for her to just ignore the fact that she missed her family so much.

Throughout her lifetime, Leonora has been through a lot. She had the experience of always being different from the rest, even when she changed her environment. She has influenced so many people throughout her lifetime and she continues to do so. She was always unique, she just had to learn how to embrace it.

Leonora laughs with her loved ones around her

Leonora completes her hike on a mountain in Cinque Terre, Italy

“But, coming here I learned that being different is cool and it’s a gift that you have. People always found me interesting because I had a different story.”

Shad Thaxton during his time at Northwestern as a student.

The Lessons of a Doctor

By Marin Thaxton Shad Thaxton shares his lessons as a doctor. How he persevered, didn’t quit, and took responsibility to be the best person and doctor he could be.

“The way forward is to really face the problems and come up with solutions.” Shad Thaxton is a surgeon, professor, and medical researcher at Northwestern University.

Every day he has to face many challenges and hardships with still, a smile. He had to come up with the strength to tell people that their loved one would not be able to make it. He worked hard every day to make a life for himself and his future family that would be significant. He made mistakes although he never quit. He helped others in and out of surgery. He learned many lessons that I think need to be shared.

And most of all, I’m proud to say he is my Dad. My father grew up in a small town called Las Animas in Colorado. Las Animas only has a population of about 3,000 people. As you walk down the aisles of the only grocery store in town, The Thaxton’s Market, everyone greets each other and knows exactly who everyone is. Even where they live and their occupation. My Dad lived in Las Animas all the way until he graduated High School.

My Dad’s smarts were so beloved, he got to choose whatever college he wanted to go to in Colorado. He chose the University of Colorado in Boulder. He majored in environmental biology and biochemistry, then he graduated college and attended medical school at Northwestern University. Then he received his Ph.D. (Doctor of Philosophy) in biology and chemistry, and then he did his residency training in urology. Afterward, he got his MD (Medical Doctorate) and pursued surgery. After performing many surgeries, he decided to spend most of his time now being a cancer and Covid-19 researcher to make time for his family.

My dad worked very hard to get to where he is today. As I said, he grew up in a small town where the things he accomplished are very uncommon. Most people where he grew up are lucky if they even move out of the town. Most people are lucky if they own a successful farm. My dad on the other hand was an outlier.

While in college my dad took responsibility to be the best he could be as a person, doctor, surgeon, and student. Even through doubt he never quit. In the interview I asked my dad if he ever wanted to give up, or if he ever wanted to change his major while in college. His response was, “Absolutely. School was stressful but often times it was stressful just because I put a lot of pressure on myself to do well.” What is powerful about this quote is that my dad is portraying the image that no one forced him to work hard, no one forced him to be stressed, no one forced him to choose biochemistry and biology as his major, but instead, he chose this lifestyle for him. He took it upon himself to be stressed- to be good stressed. The message that we should be receiving, and what my dad realized, is that you can’t wait for someone to give you a push on the swing. You have to swing yourself, even if your legs get tired.

“The most important thing for a doctor to do is listen. That’s probably one of the most difficult things to do sometimes because they are so busy, they feel like they don’t have time to listen.” When asking my father about advice for doctors this is how he responded. If you’re not a doctor though, why is this important? Well, this can relate to your life as well. For example, when you are 2 years old, you’re not going to know as much as you do when you’re 10, and then 20, and then 30. We learn new things every day, even the slightest things. We also learn by making mistakes. Sometimes mistakes are bad, but we do gain a lesson. Just like my Dad learned from his errors when he was a surgeon. He can now use these mistakes to give others advice and guidance down the big path of life, just like we can and should.

My Dad had to tell people every day some good news, but also bad news.

He had to show consolation and be there for all his patient’s families. Do you think that would be hard to do? Me too. “And of course, yeah that’s very difficult. You become used to it, so to speak. Although you never become all the way comfortable with it. Even though it is just a fact of being a doctor and a surgeon.” In life, do you ever become all the way comfortable? No. And that’s okay. Being comfortable with where you are in life can mean that you should put yourself out there and take risks.

Those risks could lead you to be very successful. The uncomfort just comes with.

We all have to do some things that are out of our comfort zone once in a while.

Except the difference between us and my father is that we get to make the decisions

of when we can step out of our satisfaction zone. But he was deprived of that choice. Rather, when a patient was dying… he had to help save them. When a patient died, or was having a tough time after surgery, he still had to stay strong and help their family. Either way, he lent a helping hand.

Shad Thaxton working with nanoparticles for his lab’s developments.

“You become used to it, so to speak. Although you never become all the way comfortable,”

In conclusion, life as a doctor is not what it seems. Dr. Shad Thaxton changed his profession multiple times because of the new people and things that came into his life. He started as a surgeon and is now a cancer and Covid-19 researcher to make time for his family and friends. Every day, just like my dad, we change our perspective, knowledge, and that later affects our choices. We just have to know when that point in time is, when to keep going, and why. When you continue to work your hardest and be the best you can be at the right time, it will pay off. So don’t quit, work hard, make good mistakes, be uncomfortable, and after all of that, help others.

It is September 11th, 2001, when my mom is starting her walk to work. It seemed like one normal day, until she arrives at her office. My mom, Noelle Toney, moved from Boston to New York after college and lived in the lower east side of New York. The day of September 11th changed not only my mom’s life, but everyone that was alive in the U.S. Once I found out she was in New York, on that day, it made me ask – how did it feel to be there during that exact moment? As I sit down and begin my interview with my mom, I found out a lot more about 9/11, but also my mom.

Walking to work from the subway on September 11th, 2001, it appeared to be a perfect morning. It was gorgeous outside, sunny, clear, and not too warm. A perfect September day. As soon as my mom arrived at her desk in Rockefeller Center, American Airlines Flight 11 hit the North Twin Tower. At first, my mom thought it was a horrible accident, but soon realized it was much worse when a second plane, United Airlines Flight 175, hit the South Twin Tower. My mom realized that it was a terrorist attack after the second tower was hit. After the realization that other airplanes were attacking Washington D.C., the office manager started sending everyone home from the office. My mom was scared to get on the subway after the terrorist attacks and started walking down Sixth Avenue towards her apartment at 14th and Avenue A. “Unfortunately, I watched the Twin Towers collapse right in front of me on my walk home.

The closer I got to my apartment the more sirens there were heading south, the ambulances, the police trucks, and the fire trucks. I started to see people walking north that were just covered head-to-toe with dust.”

Through the Eyes of Someone Effected by 9/11 My mom reflects on what it was like to be in New York on 9/11 and how she recovered after that horrible day.

By Maggie Toney

After the towers fell, many people were covered head to toe in dust.

My mom lived near many hospitals on First Avenue in New York’s lower east side, and she noticed none of the ambulances were going north returning from the World Trade Center, they were all heading towards the World Trade Center. It was very upsetting for her not to see any of the emergency vehicles returning to the hospitals. It became clear that not many people survived the terrorist attack.

My mom’s parents who were living in San Francisco weren’t awake, or aware of what was going on due to the time change in California. My mom woke them up when she called to explain she and her brother, who was visiting from California, were safe.

What was powerful about this day was that this was the most traumatic moment of my mom’s life as well as the rest of the United States of America. Over 2,000 people passed away and it was the biggest terrorist attack on American soil.

“I really try to block that day out of my mind because some of the visuals I have in my head I will never forget.”

9/11 memorial in New York commemorating everyone that died on 9/11.

September 11th, 2001, will forever be a traumatic day in U.S. history but getting a deeper insight from someone that was in New York, helps me understand how people recovered after that day.

Understanding and listening to someone tell their story, especially my mom, is super inspiring that throughout all the trauma people went through, the country did everything they could to help. “I’m still traumatized by it, but I remember as a country and New York Community and in the face of all that trauma, and all of that terror, everyone came together. As an American society we are so divided right now and it’s frustrating that we have this political division going on. I remember how beautiful it was that so many people came together to help and assist and do anything they could.” I have not only learned more about my mom’s experience on 9/11, but what the country did to help anyone they could. In such a divided world that we live in currently, learning about what the country did to help is very important to remember.

Later that day, my mom, her roommate, and brother went to hospitals to donate blood and save as many people as they could. Many lives were taken that day, so to try and help was the least they could do. “It was really inspiring of the Manhattan and New York burrows surrounding communities that day because every hospital we went to, to donate blood had lines around the block. Every single person in the city, on that day had the exact same reaction. Everyone wanted to help and do something because for many it was the biggest trauma of their lives.”

Not only people in New York, but around the world wanted to help in any way possible. Seeing all the community’s willingness to help lift my mom’s mood even through all that tragedy. Knowing that people were drawn to help makes me feel glad to see that through these hard times, everyone came together.

After the day of 9/11, it was hard to go downtown for my mom and many other people. Seeing all the tall buildings and memorials was probably the hardest thing for my mom because she tries to forget the day as much as possible. “I lived in New York until early 2004, and I really did my best to avoid downtown around Wall Street after 9/11. I have not been to the memorial; I really try to block that day out of my mind because some of the visuals I have in my head I will never forget.”

Avoiding downtown New York and the memorial has helped my mom recover a little more because of all the trauma of that day. The sirens, ambulances, dust, and people will never leave her head.

A Story Of Change By: Nariana Briggs Starting at the beginning and now making millions

When you are a little kid and have only known one place your entire life, moving to a new home can be confusing and nerve-racking. Add more stress like going to an entirely new school on top of it. This quickly became a reality for Brittini Flatley. At only five, she moved away from her mom and her whole life in southside Chicago to Streeterville in the heart of downtown Chicago.

At the time, she lived with her grandmother in Calumet Heights and had moved because her grandmother had sold her home, and she wanted to get closer to her job as a Program Director of Catholic Charities located at the time on W. Lake Street. They also wanted to move closer to their family because they lived on the north side at the time. Brittini’s family had always been deeply religious. So, the school they chose needed to be a Catholic school. At the time, The Frances Xavier Warde School was wholly new and innovative. No students had attended yet. The office that her grandmother worked in was only a block away from FXW’s Desplaines Campus, Brittini was registered, and the rest was history.

In 1989 Brittini started FXW. She attended FXW from preschool to eighth grade, giving her the title of the first-ever graduating class and alumni at FXW. Brittini explained how her FXW experience was quite different compared to current-day FXW. She explained how nuns roamed the halls of the school, and HNC had not yet been built. There was only one building, and the first-class met in the church basement. In addition, her class and grade were exceedingly small, and she did not get very many field trips like the current set of students.

For my mom, FXW also helped her find God and achieve her current relationship with God. She explained that FXW showed her old school Catholicism and old school values, teaching how to honor God and put him first. She explained that if she had not seen the old way of learning about God and the teachings, she would not have had a relationship with the Lord today.

Brittini was one of only two black kids in her class. With that, there were many struggles that she faced when it came to diversity. She recalled that some did not know or understand the plights children of color face at that time. At that time in the world, students and teachers could not relate to her.

She defined it to feel very isolating and lonely at times. She could not fully express herself. It was tough. However, through that, my mom said that it helped her throughout her teenage and adult life because “that small portion of feeling out of place or isolated was only a taste of what life gives you. It is all about the way you handle it.”

“In life, you need diversity; you need difference to learn to understand, and so when you have the same things, you don’t learn anything. I think it is our differences that help us grow, learn, and evolve.” -Brittni Flatley.

My mom expressed that she loves how FXW has grown and changed as a school since its creation. The school is a safe and creative place for all. “I think what I love seeing at FXW is that they have created an environment that is not only creative but diverse. It forces you kids to see outside yourself.”

Brittini is now 35 years old. She is a member of various National Broker Associations, the Chief Financial Officer at minority-led development BNR Group, Inc., and lives in Lakeshore East in Chicago, IL. From this story, one can learn the beauty and value of change and evolution in a school. I could connect with this story because I can imagine and visualize what the Francis Xavier Warde School used to be and what it is now for me and this generation of kids.

Marcia Brooks is a diligent woman who will always get things done, no matter the obstacles being faced. My mom sat down on the leather couch next to me. She began to get herself comfortable by fixing the pillows. I told her she should get comfortable because, she would have to think exceptionally hard. I started the voice memo recorder and began to ask my mom a series of questions about her childhood and her life in the Navy. Throughout the process of me asking her questions, she took a quick swig of water which indicated to me that she was about to say a good deal of information, and I was right. My mom gave me tons of knowledge which helped me understand the big picture of her experience in the Navy.

Living in the same place for your entire childhood and then moving to a different country can be nerve-racking but, if you have the right resources everything will be fine. My mom, Marcia Brooks, was born in Kingston, Jamaica on October 19. She lived with both of her parents, but mostly spent her time with her mom and maternal family.

As a kid my mom, loved to read. She was really into mystery books at the time. Series like, Hardy Boys, and Nancy Drew. She mainly enjoyed reading the genre, mystery, because she liked to see how peoples mind work when it came to crime. Reading books was her idea of fun, and sometimes she would read to pass time. My mom would never spend a lot of time outside playing, instead she would stay snuggled in a quiet corner reading a book. Sometimes, she would even read instead of eating dinner, definitely a true bookworm.

In 1990, she moved to the states. When she moved, she stayed with her paternal aunt in New York. Then, in 1991 she decided to join the military, and the Navy was her first choice. My mom was 19 when she first joined the Navy.

My mom had many reasons for joining the Navy such as: wanting to be able to travel and to do something relating to service because her dad was a cop. When asking my mom what her main reason was for joining the Navy, she said, “Joining the navy would give me some kind of security, so at least I wouldn’t just be out in the world on my own.”

Based on this quote, it’s clear my mom values being with others and feeling protected and/or safe. It also explains why joining the navy was such a big part of her life, and how it impacted her. This quote tells me that my mom liked knowing there was someone/something that could provide her protection and not feel alone at the same time. This quote is significant for me because I value those same things. Which shows how her values kind of shifted towards me.

Joining the military is such an intimidating and challenging thing for people, you never know what you’re getting yourself into, but if you do, you’ll enjoy yourself. My

mom faced countless challenges. When she first joined the Navy, she first had to take an exam which determined if she could join or not. This exam consisted of a paper and pen test, and a physical test. She passed the exam, and after that she had to get her medical shots, do paperwork, forcefully and unexpectedly get her hair cut, and take a drug test. Then finally, she got flown out to her base in Florida from New York. She eventually was stationed in Norfolk, Virginia.

While in the Navy she learned many things such as learning how to march, do bedding, stand watch, learned how to swim, wearing boots etc. When learning how to march there was many different chants and footing, she had to practice and perfect. My mom wore boots a couple of time in New York, Although, she still wasn’t used to it because she was from an island.

At the time, the Gulf War was going on, but my mom didn’t have to fight in it. Although, she still had to learn war drills, such as standing watch, shooting a rifle, and ship procedures. There was also little meticulous rules she had to follow which included, bedding, uniforms, and undergarments.

my mom’s very first time being on a ship. She had to do drills, but she and her crew mates were very seasick.

When asking my mom what the hardest challenge was, she faced while in the military, she said, “No privacy. We had no privacy and that was the hardest thing for me to get over.” This quote demonstrates one of the many challenges she had to face and overcome while in the Navy. This quote is significant because it shows how my mom always had privacy and alone time when she was kid. Although when joining the Navy, she had to get used to no longer having this sense of alone time. My mom basically had to learn how to conform to all of these new rules, even if she didn’t want to.

Marcia Brooks off base at Universal Studious in her uniform.

The Navy was definitely a challenge for my mom, but she gained many things out of her experience there, especially physically. There are many perks of being in the Navy, and the military in general. These perks include discounts, photos, and lots of recognition. My mom got discounts at places when she went off base. She also got free things depending on which store she went.

My mom learned how to swim while in the navy, which is kind of ironic since she grew up on an island.

Some challenges my mom faced while in the army were the consequences of getting in trouble, eating quickly, showering quickly, and being on a ship. One of the consequences of getting in trouble was “The Hurricane”. The Hurricane is when the boys would come to the girls bunks and trash the place (vice versa). Then, the sergeants would come to the bunk and make everyone exercise for an hour straight.

“The Navy has given her leadership, communication, and integrity skills. Not only do these skills assist her in the real world, but they also are taught to me.”

During breakfast and dinner my mom was only given 15 minutes to eat, which was definitely a challenge for her. There was a time where my mom wouldn’t eat at all, and instead her and some of her bunk mates would sneak food.

Eventually, my mom did learn how to eat in that time span.

Everyone only got 15 minutes to shower, and that’s a challenge, but my mom did get used to it. In the navy, it was

Life of a Persistent Woman Marcia Brooks is a veteran in the U.S. Navy, who encountered many challenges, but still was able to seize the moment.

Story by Naima Walker

The Navy has given her leadership, communication, and integrity skills.

Not only do these skills assist her in the real world, but they also are taught to me.

While off base with friends, my mom would end up taking pictures with a lot of civilians Also, while off base, she would get lots of recognition and respect from civilians. The most common thing people will say is “Thank you for your service.”

Although, these perks only work when my mom had on her uniform. Anyone in the military who goes off base and has their uniform on, is basically a celebrity.

While in the Navy my mom formed many relationships with people. The main relationships she formed were friendships. She became friends with many people and did lots of the things with them on and off base.

The coolest thing she did with them off base was going to Universal Studious and Wet n’ Wild. My mom said the coolest thing she did with them on base was buy civilian clothes. Although, they had to hide them in the walls so they wouldn’t be caught by their sergeants.

Unfortunately, the clothes were found, and they got in trouble, but she will always remember that crazy experience with her friends.

To this day, my mom talks to and is still friends with some of these people.

When asking my mom what her physical advice would be for someone joining the Navy she said, “I would tell them make sure they go to college first, because it’s easier. Don’t go enlisted go as an officer.”

This quote explains what my mom witnessed and might have regretted when she first joined the Navy. She might regret not enlisting as an officer, because it would’ve made her experience easier. Although, she gained a lot more physical strength by not enlisting as an officer.

In conclusion, my mom gained lots of mental knowledge from her experience in the Navy. Because of the Navy she has been shaped into a wonderful mom and women in general.

The Navy has given her leadership, communication, and integrity skills. Not only do these skills assist her in the real world, but they also are taught to me.

I asked my mom to give me words of advice for someone planning on joining the Navy. Her advice was, “Go in just knowing that it’s just a mind game, and if you’re able to withstand mins games it’ll be very easy to get through it. It’s just a mind game people just try to control your thoughts… confidence is key!” This quote is basically my mom explaining what someone’s mental state should be like when joining the Navy. This quote is significant because it portrays the knowledge and wisdom my mom gained while she was living her life in the Navy.

Perseverance was resembled in Marcia Brooks on a foundation that hindered many women like herself. To this day my mom became has always been a very conscious person, which definitely helped her accomplish all the things she has.

Amy’s work life and her flying all around.

A Woman Breaking Boundaries Amy Christina Voss uses her work life and athleticism to break the boundaries of being a woman.

By: Ellery Walsh

Amy Christina Voss is my “aunt.” Amy is my uncle’s girlfriend and they have been dating for ten years. She is a very interesting and a wonderful person. Amy Christina Voss was born in California and throughout her childhood moved all around the world, so it is hard for her to call one place home. Amy works as a flight training quality specialist for Cirrus Airplanes. I really look up to Amy because she is a woman in a male dominated industry. Her ability to push boundaries in that industry and in life encourages me that I can be anything I want to when I grow up.

Amy has had a very interesting childhood, work life, and pursues a hobby that has pushed her limits and shows others that there are no limits to what one can achieve.

Amy being in a magazine for the woman in her work life.

Amy flying around the world.

Amy Christiana Voss was born in California. Amy had a very interesting childhood. Due to her father’s job, she traveled a lot and lived all around the world. Although Amy was born in California, when she was 2, she moved to Indiana. They lived in Indiana for two years and then moved to Germany when she was 4. A year later they and moved back to Indiana. Around 10 years of age, Amy’s family moved to Tokyo. She spent the next 4 years there and went to middle school in Japan. The year before she was entering high school Amy’s family returned to the United States and moved to Arizona. She attended high school and college in Arizona and then continued her family’s tradition of moving all over. She lived in Australia, Colorado, Florida, Gorgia and finally moved to Chicago in 2011 where she has lived ever since. Over time, she has learned all different cultures and different perspectives on how to live. It was very challenging to move so frequently as a child but, she also feels like it made her adventurous and helped her develop into the person she is today.

When I asked her about how she feels in a predominantly male industry, she described it in the following way, “sometimes in a male dominated industry, woman can be more the problem because it is almost like they are competing against each other.” Amy stated, “It is my responsibility to encourage other woman and other young woman to explore traditionally male careers.” Amy wanted to explore more of a male industry because she feels like not many women look into it. Being a pilot allowed Amy to fulfill her dream of travelling while also breaking the boundaries of a predominantly male industry. Amy also feels like “Just because it is men does not mean there is no support. The men you are with incredibly encouraging and supportive and don’t ever look at you differently because of your gender.” Amy wants to encourage other woman to look into whatever industry they dream of even if it is predominantly male. Amy likes to show young women that just because she is a woman in a more male industry she is not put down because of her gender. It is important to break the boundaries to show other women that it is okay. Amy shows the world that it is okay to try something that others may not, and you should explore whatever dream you have despite any barriers one may face.

was a halfway point where if you did not finish you were out of the race.

This is the part she was most afraid of getting cut and not being allowed to finish. Thankfully, she was able to get to the halfway point by the cutoff.

At that point, she celebrated because she knew she would now be able to finish the race because the run was her strongest. However, by the run she was exhausted and just wanted to finish. She finished just in time.

“It is my responsibility to encourage other woman and other young woman to explore traditionally male careers.”

One of Amy’s biggest challenges was moving from Tokyo to Arizona. It was a big challenge because she was in the middle of her eighth-grade year. I can relate to this being very challenging since I am in my eighth-grade year. Amy was very challenged by this particular move because she did not know anyone in Arizona and because all of the other kids had a history together it was very hard for her to make friends. As a kid, Amy was very independent at a very young age. Because Japan was very safe, she was able to go to Disneyland in Tokyo at the age of 10-13 by herself. This allowed her to venture out on her own and problem solve at a very young age. She feels like this has shaped her as a person. “I belive it is very important to experience things out of their immediate view.” Moving around the world, becoming independent at a young age, learning about different cultures, and meeting many different kinds of people helped Amy become confident and willing to learn and try new things. This also allows Amy to continue to push her boundaries and the boundaries that are created by society. Amy also feels like this helps her inspire others to push their own boundaries.

Another way that Amy breaks boundaries is through her athleticism. She participated in a race called the Patagonman. This race is in Patagonia, Argentina and it is a very difficult and hard race. The Patagonia is a 2-mile swim, a 121-mile bike, and then a 26-mile run all in the span of 18 hours. Amy signed up for the Patagonman through the lottery and never dreamed she would get in. The email came through that she had made it in, and she asked her partner, Johnny, and he said, “Of course you do it.” She explained that it took her a while to decide if she actually wanted to do it. She was very nervous about not only the length of the race and the uncertain conditions but also the amount of training it would require for her to complete the race. Amy explained how the start of the race was very emotional. Going into the race she was worried and scared she was not going to finish.

Amy is a flight training quality specialist for Cirrus Airplanes.

Amy wanted to become a pilot because she traveled a lot when she was younger, and she wanted to experience traveling again. Amy has been a pilot since 2010. She was 24 when she got her pilots license. Amy builds her own schedule. Her work life is different every single day. Amy has learned the importance of adapting quickly to any situation. A pilot must adapt quickly and calmly to weather, when something breaks, cancellations, and changes. Her favorite part of flying is the peacefulness and enjoying the view.

She woke up at 3:30 in the morning in Patagonia. She described the moment when she got on the ship and her adrenaline kicked in. She explained how it was freezing on the ship and very quiet as everyone waited to jump into the dark water. Amy said the swim was very hard and she almost quit the race because it was so difficult. By the end of the swim, she had hypothermia because the water was so freezing, and her body temperature had dropped so low. The race organizers almost did not let her continue. After finally recovering she was able to begin the bike.

She explained how that was her weakest part going into the race and there

Patagonman race Amy pushing through the 121-mile bike.

The medal placement was the most special part of the race. I asked her how she feels to compete in a race like this because most of the people are men. She said, “When I show up and there are a lot of men, I don’t think about it one way or the other because I know there is a strong network of women who do race." Completing Patagonman shows how Amy breaks boundaries and pushes herself to try new and very challenging things. Amy’s actions show that just because she is a woman does not mean she cannot do things that men do.

Amy is an inspirational woman that breaks boundaries and tries new things. I appreciate Amy as a person because she shares and encourages young women to explore more male industries, careers, and male activities. She encourages everyone, male or female to try new things and push yourself to the limit. She shows that you can be a woman as a pilot and show that you are capable. As a young person, you can learn from reading this that you too can explore different careers and try new things that might be hard and difficult and that you too can break boundaries.

October 17, 2017, a day that effected a family so heavily. A day that most people took for granted, forgetting the important values of their lives, but others reflecting on how lucky they used to be. A day that my grandma would forever be changed. In this dramatic story of a grandma and her encounter of a life-or-death situation October 17th was a day that impacted her life forever.

A fall that changed a life forever

As I sat next to Linda, gripping her hand therefore she could feel comfort while talking about such a sensitive topic, she described the day that changed her life forever. On an early October morning Linda Bosso, a grandma of 4 grandchildren, followed her daily routine of driving 30 minutes therefore she could arrive at her grandchildren’s house before they left to school. However, this seemed like a regular early Tuesday morning, it was the opposite. Linda arrived at the Wolf family’s house around 7 A.M. and started preparing her 2 grandchildren for school including making them breakfast and getting them changed.

After her grandchildren left for school, Linda took the responsibility of taking care of their dog and making sure the little puppy Lola would get some food as well as enough exercise for the day. Linda was throwing Lola’s most favorite toy around, a little yellow giraffe, when suddenly, the toy bounced of the wall onto the long high stairs. Since the puppy Lola was less than a year old, she couldn’t get the toy therefore my grandma had to pick it up for her. Before this crazy situation she was asked in the interview “Did you once think that picking up this toy would affect your life forever?” and, rightfully so, she responded with “No, not once.”

Linda tried to pick up the toy on the stairs by bending down and putting most of her wait towards the biggening of the stairs. Suddenly, her legs collapsed from the slippery brown stairs, and she felt all her weight shift towards the first step. She started tumbling down each stair, hitting each step at a different angle creating an unbearable pain. Linda remembered closing her eyes hoping any second the everlasting pain would end. Boom! Suddenly, her fall was broken by a hard concrete floor. She felt as if she splattered all over the floor and her eyes started to slowly shut however the screaming sirens of pain rushing through her body woke her up.

As she gripped the floor very tightly, she pulled herself on the side of a wall right next to the door therefore she could rest for a couple of seconds and figure out what happened. She then pushed herself up onto the wall therefore she could reach the doorknob towering above her. She was asked during the interview if she remembered what she was thinking during this time and she responded while looking up at the ceiling with, “I remember all the little moments in life I had. Suddenly, I knew I had to get up, I had to stay alive for my family. There was no way that I was going to let god take me now. There was no way.”

As she gripped and pulled the silver doorknob, the door creaked open as the light from the bright sun slowly seeped in the house. She started crawling desperately around the door, trying to get outside and get help. Once she was outside, she propped herself on the edge of the door and looked out for somebody passing by. As her body was dislocated and unmovable a young business lady passed by abruptly calm yet confused. As she looked towards the screaming sound, adrenaline rushed through her body. Panic hit and she whipped out her phone and dialed 911 yelling at the operators to rush over to this terrible sight.

She stood outside of the locked gate confused on how she could get through or help. Instead, she decided words of encouragement would help furthermore.

Suddenly the loud ambulance sirens echoed through the town homes and the paramedic pulled out a foldable ladder in hopes of jumping over this tall fence.

She was slipped onto a stretcher and rushed onto an ambulance. Multiple question where rolling through her head yet all of them were left unanswered. The one thing that my grandma remembered saying is, “Let me talk to my daughter.”

“I remember all the little moments in life I had. Suddenly, I knew I had to get up, I had to stay alive for my family. There was no way that I was going to let god take me now. There was no way.”

Linda woke up in the hospital surrounded by family members, strapped into the hospital chair with a hospital gown around her. Confused she asked, “Am I okay?” over the loud constant beeping sound from the loud hospital machines.

“It all has been a blur since then. Everything has gone by so quickly. My grandchildren where just up to my knees and suddenly, they are way taller than me,” Linda said with a saddened face.”

After her stay at the hospital, she was promised treatment on both of her unusable wrist, and a chance to move her fingers once again. As she journeyed to Arizona to get the treatment on her hands, her family members, the Wolf and Knoeck family, started to move her into a new house one block away from their house therefore they could easily access her just in case she needed any help.

Once she returned from Arizona with a hand in better shape, she was able to move into her new house where she lives even till now.

This is picture of Linda Bosso before her fall

This painful time has scared her for the rest of her life and affected her even till now. It is still very challenging for her to move and sleep all caused by this little action that turned into a huge problem. After learning more from this interview, I am saddened because a very unselfish caring Grandma suddenly lost the ability to do so many things just because of one fall. This story and many other stories related to this shows us, the readers, that we should all be so lucky for everything we have, and we should live everyday knowing that the next day isn’t promised. However, this story of a grandma that has lived through so much is extremely sad, there is a very important lesson that everyone, including me, can take from this story.

Picture of coloring book created by Linda Bosso created