PROFILES Hidden
Stories
By: Grade Eight Students
Samerandhispartnerafteracase
AJourneyofa Lifetime
AsyoureadwatchSamerAbbastakeonebigstepandtravel alltheywaytoAmericawithonebigdream.
By:SamiAbbas
ItwasanearlyfallMondaynight.IjustgothomefromLacrossepractice whereamazingsmellsfledthroughoutthehouse,asdinnerwasalreadyonthe table.IhearrestlessfootstepsthenIrealizemydadishome.AsIwalkupstairs feelingprepared,Iseemydadinbed.Seeingthetiredlookonhisfaceandthe quietenvironmenthewasinIbegantoreconsiderinterviewinghim.Iaskhim anywayandhegetsoutofhisbedashemakeshiswaytoachair.Heiswearinga pairofpajamapants,andIrealizetheshirtheiswearingisashirthegotwhen hebecameaU.S.citizen.
MydadgrewupinDamascus,Syria,inatwo-bedroomhousewiththreeother siblings.Hewastheoldestandhadabigdreamthatcouldchangehisfamily’s life.Thiswasnotgoingtocomeeasy,butwithhardwork,determination,anda greatworkethic,Abbaswouldmakehisdreamareality.Abbasknowsthis outcomeiscrucial,butwithhisbloodlinecheeringhimon,thereisnoturning back.
AbbasalwayswantedtoliveintheU.S.asthatwasthebaseofhis dream,butthatwasnottooeasyashehadtofigureouthowtogetthere.You mayjustthinkgetonaplaneandmakeittotheU.S.Though,oneofthehardest challengeswasgettingthevisasohecouldgettheresafely.Foramanlivingin Syriainthe90’sspeakingnoEnglishthistookawhile.Scaredbythetask,he knewheshouldstilldoit.OnthefirstattemptforhisVisa,hegotrejectedand hadtowaitfourweeks.Abbastriedagain;hehadthesamedisappointing outcome.Heandhisfamilywereverydisappointed,sohewroteanappeal sayingthathewasworthyofaVisa.WellbecauseithadtobeinEnglishhisuncle wroteitforhim.Finally,afteralongtwomonths,hewasaccepted.Abbas remembersitasoneofhisproudestmomentsandheandhisfamilycelebrated forthreedays.Inarelievedtone,hesays,“Igotrejectedtwice,thentheygave methevisaandIjumpedonaplanetoSt.Louis.”
Happily,hegotaVisa,andatraveldocumenttolegallybeacitizenin theU.S.forsometime.HewasonestepclosertobeingaU.S.doctor.Thequote indicatesthatnoteverythingcomeseasyinlife,andifyouwantsomethingyou mustworkforit,nomatterhowmanytimesittakes.Thevisaholdsawaybigger meaningasitisthestartofhisjourney,anditisoneofthebiggeststepshewill take.KnowingthisquoteisidealbecauseitwillholdamessageIwillremember fortherestofmylife,ifyouwantsomethingdon’tstoptillyougetit. Furthermore,anotherchallengewasAbbas’slackofcommunicationwithhis family.HowfarawaywasAbbas’sfamily?AshewaslivingintheU.S.hisfamily was6,383milesawayinSyriain1998.Theonlywayhecouldcommunicatewith hisfamilywasthroughaphonewherehehadtobuyacardthatwouldbe extremelyexpensive.Sometimesitcouldbe$10fortenminutes.Thiswould permithimtotalktohisfamily,sohetalkedtothemonceaweekonSunday. Thiswouldcausehimtomisshisfamily,butheknewwhathehadtodoand keepgoingonwiththisnewlifestyle.Inasubtletoneheexplains,“Ihada payphoneIusedacardtocallthem…thereisnootherway.”
Asthisjourneyproceedsitshowshowchallengescomeacrossand separatesyoufrompeopleforsometime.Themeaningbehindthisis communicationwithfamilyislimitedandattimesyourfamilyistheonlypeople supportingyou.Abbaswouldendupnotseeinghisfamilyforthenextfiveyears. TomethisisoutstandingisIalwaysseemyfamilyandlookforwardtoseeing themeachdaysoitmustbesohardbeingseparated.
ThemainreasonAbbaswantedtocometotheU.S.wasbecauseofthe freedomandopportunityitcamewith.Luckily,AbbasmadeittotheU.S.,buthe didnotmakeit,yet.Sure,heislivingtherebutheisthriving,soheneedsthis opportunitytheU.S.givespeople.WhenAbbasfirstgottotheU.S.in97’he stayedwithhiscousininSt.Louisandateonlyfastfood.Hewasonthesoccer teamforthehospitalbutstilldidnotknowmanypeople.Eventhoughitwasnot muchheknewitwasenoughforhimtogettowhereheneededtobe.He explainsseriouslybuthappily,“Nocountryintheworldwouldallowyouthat muchsupport,nocountryintheworldwouldgiveyouthisopportunity.”
“UnitedStates madethisdream cometrueitis theonlyplaceI wanttobe.”
TheU.S.givesthemostopportunitiesoutofanyothercountriesinthe 90’sandifhewenttoanothercountrytherestofhislifewouldbedifferent.A meaningbehindthisisIliveintheU.S.andamsoluckytohavesomany opportunitiesforthefutureastheU.S.providesthem.Thesignificancebehindit showshowIfeelsafeandwhenAbbashadadream,heknewhecouldgetit doneintheU.S.sothatiswherehewent.
Whenhefinallysettleddown,herealizedhisdreamofbecominga doctorwasslowlycomingtolife.HehadbeenattheUniversityofSt.Louisfor sometimenow,finishinghisresidency.Heendsupdoinganextrayearaschief residentandthendoeshisfellowship.Eventually,findingajobinIndianawhere heworkstodayasacardiologist.Herealizesallhisworkpaysoffandeventually findsawifewhosedadisanorthopedicsurgeoninChicagowhogothimajobto sustainhimself.Fromthereheknowsthatheisonestepcloserandwassetup. Hejusthadtobringithomewithsomefinalstudying.Hemadeitafterallhis work.NowheworksinMunster,Indianaasheadcardiologistandloveshisjob. Hisdreamcametrue.ProudlyAbbassays,“UnitedStatesmadethisdreamcome, itistheonlyplaceIwanttobe.”
ManypeoplefeelstronglyaboutlivingintheU.S.asAbbasdid.The meaningbehindit,AbbascouldfinishwhathestartedinSyriaandfeelwaymore comfortable.IamremindedIwillhavesomeonetoguidemethroughmycareer choiceasIliveintheU.S.andthat’sonestepclosertoagreatcareer. Tosumupwhathasbeenstatedsofar,AbbashasmadeittotheU.S.afterallhis workandriskshiseffortspaidoff.Hegotpastthestruggleofgettinghere,the lackofcommunication,themoney,thelanguage,andheaccomplishedthe dreamofbeingadoctorintheU.S.
The Power of Staying Strong
By: Kene Agbakwu
Nnamdi Agbakwu explains his past and how his determination shaped the man he is today.
Agbakwu describes his reasons for going to school at Kellogg.
Nnamdi Agbakwu is a tall Nigerian man, he is 49 years old, and he immigrated from Nigeria to America many years ago. He describes his experiences at his job and his inspirations in Nigeria and America and illustrates his past at Northwestern at the University of Colorado and how they shaped the man he is today.
It was a cool, crisp evening, my mom was in her room, my sister was at a football game, and me and Agbakwu were in the basement. I was getting a bit bored, so I asked Agbakwu, “Why did you take your job at Schneider Electric?” He chuckled when I said that Agbakwu turned on a casual driving game and slouched into his chair. We discussed how Agbakwu stayed firm in his decisions and how they have benefitted him today.
When Agbakwu was young, he always loved learning and science. While Agbakwu was growing up, his father had made him enthusiastic for science and he helped him learn more and never discouraged him from learning as much as he could.
Agbakwu reflected on his greatest inspiration; his father, stating, “He helped spark the passion and helped facilitate the environment for science.” I realized that Agbakwu is doing the same for me, because he never discourages me from learning as much as I can He always wants to help me grow my love for learning and increase my interest in science.
When Agbakwu was older, he set his sights on different industries, more specifically, the oil industry. He went to school in America to grow and improve his knowledge on more industries, and further build on his under-graduate in Nigeria.
Agbakwu recounted his
experience that led him to pursue a job in the oil industry. “I wanted to work in the oil industry,” he said, “and America was the best place to get that experience ” This was significant because he pursued an education so that he would be prepared to enter this field to be in a successful industry.
Agbakwu decided to change industries and work in a green technology-based industry that does not have harmful effects on the environment or cross paths with any industry that does. I can connect to this because I also want to work in an industry that does not harm the environment but helps it.
After this, we discussed his many jobs offers that he had before he began work at Schneider Electric. He had jobs like, a database administrator, an intern in Denver, software developer, etc.… This shows how Agbakwu was adapting to different environments that he grew and improved in.
Agbakwu revealed that in this process, he turned down different job offers: “I had a couple of job offers in industries and places I did not want to go to or I didn’t think were a good fit for me I turned them down.” Clearly, Agbakwu had exceled in many different fields prior to taking his position at Schneider Electric.
I can take away that Agbakwu really wanted to go green, so he stayed determined to go to a company that catered to his needs and suited Agbakwu’s qualities in a company. I can learn from this because he stayed determined to get what he wanted This also makes me believe that because of Agbakwu’s education he had people reaching out to him in stead of Agbakwu reaching out to them.
Agbakwu has always desired to go green and help others
with technology. He wanted to have a job in industries that have to do with energy and power but working at Schneider Electric further expanded on his values and desire to help others
“I had a couple of job offers in industries and places I did not want to go to or I didn’t think were a good fit for me I turned them down.”
He retells, “I always wanted to be in energy and working and applying technology in the energy spaces is what brought it all together for me.” Agbakwu remained unwavering in his decisions, and he will go to great lengths to improve his knowledge and his understanding of the things happening around him.
From Agbakwu saying this, I want to be like him by staying determined in my decisions and I will go to great lengths to improve the world for not only myself but for others to.
When I talked to Agbakwu, I could take away that others that want to help you be better will try to assist you as much as possible. I felt this when he was talking about his father being such a big inspiration in Agbakwu’s that made him strive to do better. From Agbakwu’s life, I feel like others can take away that you should stick to your goals and values that can benefit yourself and others. I think that people can do better by helping others and being the light of another person’s day. Have you ever helped another person do better?
October2024, Ravinder Aggarwalis picturedinhis currenthome wearingasuit andtie.
MakingWaves: TheStoryof Ravinder
Thetaleofamanshapedbyhisfamilyand motivatedbyhisdreamsashemovesfrom India.
ByNinaAggarwal
Iperchmyselfontothemesh-backed
seatinfrontofthecomputerscreen.Myhandsare fidgetingandsweatyasIlogontotheTeamscalland hearamutedb-ding.Infrontofme,Idonotseeany regularoldmanbutthewiseandastuteeyesofmy grandfather.Ahalooflightformsaroundhishead. Aggarwallaysonatancouch,theghostofatwentyyear-oldcomforterthatstoodbeforeit.Hesportshis standardyetcharmingoutfit,azip-uppurplesweater andlargeblackglassesthatleanoffthebridgeofhis nose.Icouldnothelpbutseemyselfinhisimage. “Andyouarefinewiththisinterviewbeingrecorded, right?”Ipromptforhisconsent.Thesteadynodofhis headconfirmsheisready.Readyforthequestions curatedthoughtfullyinmycompositionnotebook. Readytotransportmeto1950sDehradun,India.
Currently,RavinderAggarwalresidesina quietsuburbontheoutskirtsofChicago.Somemay knowhimasaretiredmechanicalengineeratthe ChicagocompanySargentandLundy,butIknowhim asmygrandfather.BornonSeptember14th,1949, Aggarwalis75yearsold.Athisage,Aggarwalnow spendsmostofhistimewatchingmoviesinHindi, visitingrelatives,andplayingcardgamesinthe basement.Heisanoldermanwiththinblackhairwhich sweepsoverhisfaceandareligiousHinduatheart.But mostimportantly,heisamanshapedbyhisfamilyand motivatedbyhisdreamsandintentionsofbecominga providerforhimselfandhislovedones.
MyconversationwithAggarwalstartswith hischildhood,atimeinwhichhementionsthatplayeda pivotalroleintheunderstandingofhimself.Hegrewup inDehradun,India,acityeastofChandigarh,beforehe movedtoothercitiesinthePunjabstate.Ravinder Aggarwalwasborntoan“average”family,butnotone “average”toAmericanstandards.Hismotherworked endlesslyforherfamily,forcedtowakeupeverydayat 5A.M.tocook,clean,andprovideforhersixchildren (threedaughters,andthreesons)andhusband.She wouldnotrestuntil9P.M.Hisfatherontheotherhand wasanentrepreneur,strikingdealswithclientsand personallystartingseveralengineeringventures.
ChildhoodwasgoodforAggarwal,a compilationofcricketandbadmintonwithhiscousins, lengthybikeridesundergoldensunrays,andthestatic buzzofhisfavoritemovie,GungaJamuna.Yet,themost impactfulofhismemorieswasthetendernessofhis mother,somethingwhichbroughtanostalgicglimmer tohisfaceasherecounted,“Iwastheyoungest,soshe alwayshadasoftcornerforme.”Aggarwal—asmany peoplecanoftenrelatetoincludingmyself—wassubject toafamilyhierarchy.Beingtheyoungestmeanthewas favoredabovetherestofhissiblings.
Igrin,theteaIdrankearlierstillminglingin mybreath.ViewingthesoftnessofAggarwal’ssoul whilehenarratedtheseexperiencesfilledmewitha desireinmyownlifetomirrorhisendearingnature. Aggarwalmentionsthememorieswithhismotherare paralleltothosehespentwithhiscollegefriends— warmandinviting.
Yet,riftssoonformedwithhismotheras confusionbuiltaboutwhetherAggarwalshouldstay homeornot.AccordingtoAggarwal,an“average” familyinIndiameantnothingmorethantheclotheson one’sbackandfoodonthetable.Buthewantedmore. AfriendlivinginPhiladelphiaatthetimewrote AggarwalexpressinghowtheUnitedStateswas,“so great.”Butmovingmeantabandoningfriendsand family.Hismotheradditionallyexpressedgreat resentmenttohisdecision.“Ihadagoodjob,uh,a goodpayingjob,”Aggarwaltwitcheswithsolemnity, “andmymomsays,‘Whyyouleaving,you’renot starving.’”
“Whyyou leaving, you’renot starving.”
Livingconditionswerenotpreferablein India,manypeoplewereinpoverty.Aggarwal’s childhoodhousewascrammedwithnotonly possessionsbutamultitudeofchildren.Twelvetobe exact.IreflectedonhiswordsasIrecountedthe countlessopportunitiestheUnitedStateshadtooffer.It wasonethathecouldnotpassup,notforfamilynor friends.
Aggarwal’svoicesuddenlydipsdown.His soft,comfortingeyesgrowintoasorrowfulmixof burdensomepasts.Hestartsbysayingthathismother hadmanydifficultiescaringforhersixchildren.Itis importanttorecognizethatforwomeninIndiaatthat time,optionswerelimited(includingthepartnersthey werebetrothedto),workinghourswererigid,andthe thankswereneverhandedout.Theseongoingsocial problemsdesignatedtoIndianwomenremaintoday, eveninchangingtimes.Theseexpectationscombined withMrs.Aggarwal’sdeterioratingphysicalhealthled hertoenterintoacoma.Aggarwalusedtowaitbyher bedside,sittingforhourstowatchherrest.
Butthenamiraclehappened,ascientific marvel.“WhenIwentthere,shecameoutfromcoma. Andthedoctorswereamazed,theyweresurprised,” Aggarwalnarrateswithgreatenthusiasm.Despitethe glumtragedyofhismother’sterminalsickness, Aggarwalalwaysstayedpositive.Heappreciatedevery momentleadinguptohismother’sverylast.
IthitAggarwalhardwhenshedied.Afigureso prominentinhisupbringingwastornfromhim,never toreturn.MelancholyrippedthroughhisvoiceasI consoledhim.ForAggarwal,theonlypathforwardwas tomoveon.Thatwastheverythinghedidwiththe conversation,declaring,“Solet’snotgotothesadpart.”
Thepassingofhismothernotonlyleftthe familyinemotionaldebt,butfinancialdepletion.Food neededtobeputonthetable.Aggarwalwasforcedto pushthroughthepainandfindacareer.InIndia,there areonlytwocareerpaths:doctororengineer.Choose anyotherpathandyoudonotsimplymakeenoughto survive.Brooding,Aggarwalshiftstolookstraightatthe camera,andinhisgruffvoicehecoughs,“Youlookinto wheretogetthejob.Youneedtomakemoney. Basically,ifyoudon’thaveengineerdegreeorthe medicaldegree,itishardtogetanyjob.Sothatwasthe reasonIchosethefieldIchose.”
Toobtainhisengineeringscholarship, AggarwalembarkedonajourneytoMussoorie,awoody valleyintheIndianstateofUttarakhand.Tohim,this experiencewasoneofthemostjoyousmomentswith hiscollegefriends,surroundedbytheperiloushillside andnaturalbeautyofMussoorie.
Aggarwaltrailedonwithhisstory,chucklingslightly eversooften.Inhistown,thereweretwoengineering schoolsheappliedto.HewasacceptedintothePunjabi University.Ahardfewmonthsinhisengineeringcourse preparedAggarwalforthefirstexam,onethatoccurred everyyearanddeniededucationtotheoneswhofailed. Theexamhedescribedwasbrutal,“Ifyouflunkthat, onceayear,thenyou’redone.”Itwasaclosedbook exam,andcomputerswerenotavailablebythetimehe wasincollege,onlyverybasiccalculators.Thismeanthe neededtorelyonhismentalfortitudetopass.Despite theconstantchallenge,Aggarwalsucceededatbeingan engineer;hewasoneofthefewwhomadeitthrough hisschooling.
Aftergraduatingfromcollege,Aggarwalwas wedwithhiswife,awomanwhowasnotchosen entirelybytruelove,butinsteadselectedfroma newspaperadvertisement.Thefateformostwomenin Indianowisthattheirmarriageiseitherarrangedby familyormentionedinnewspapersliketheHindustan TimesandtheIndiaTribune.Similartotheworking standardsforwomeninIndia,arrangedmarriagesare developingwithchangingtimes,butstillaretraditional. Theyhadtheirfirstsonawhilelater,Ajay,born October14th,1975.AlittlelaterAggarwallandedajob withSargentandLundy,acolossalnuclearpowerplant manufacturerbasedinChicago.ItwastheninChicago, ILwhereheestablishedafamilyfollowingthebirthof theAggarwals’secondchild,Arun,in1981.
Likemanyothers,Aggarwalmovedto AmericatoliveouttheAmericandream,adeep-rooted passionfortheopportunitiesthattheUnitedStateshas broughtformanyimmigrantfamilies.Immigratingto theStateswasanactofdefianceagainsthismother’s opinionsandaslightsteptowardreconciliationafterher passing.ThestoryofAggarwal’sdeterminationallowed metoviewAmericaasitwasinhiseyes–abeaconof hopeandfreedomforfuturegenerations.His determinationallowedmetoenterconversationsthat wereoutofreachwhenhefirstcametothecountry, evenifIdidnotknowityet.
Itwasthenin1983thattheAggarwals wouldmigrateacrosstheglobetoMilan,Italy,notonly attheinsistenceofAggarwal’swifebutasanewjob withSargentandLundy.EventhoughAggarwalwas acrosstheglobe,hefelthewasabletoadapttoItalian culture.“AlotofotherAmericans,theygothere,they don’tlearnthelanguage,soItriedtolearnthelanguage, sotheylovedme,Ilovedthem,”hereasons.Inthe processofadjusting,Aggarwalsacrificedbitsofhis religionandculturetomeetthestandardsoftheItalians, suchaseatingmeatanddrinking,butwouldlaterstop thesehabits.
Afewyearslater,hisjobwithSargentand LundymovedlocationstoGenoa.Aggarwalalways preferredtherhythmofGenoa,avibrantseasidetown, overthecommercialheartlessnessofMilan.Even thoughhegaveupsomuchofhimselftolearnabout anotherculture,Aggarwaldescribesthathelovedtolive there.Hearingtheresolvedwarmthishisvoiceallowed metoappreciatethebeautyoflife,andthesimplicityof histimesspentin1983beforemovingbacktoChicago.
ThewordsofAggarwalstoodouttomein myownlifeasamessagetobehonestandintegral. Aggarwal’slifefollowedthehard-foughtdecisionsto defyhisfamily,hissociety,andhimself.His exceptionallycandidthoughtshavenotonlytaughtme butothershowtolivelifetothefullestandthrive withoutcriticismfromsociallyacceptednorms.
“Thankyou!”Iexclaimforonefinaltime beforeIclickoffthecall,hiswordsstillfadinginmy mind.Exitingoutofmyfather’sofficedoor,Ibreathe thebreathofnewopportunity,areminderofthe endlessopportunitiesthatlayinfrontofme.
The
Sergio in a wine meeting
ready when I started to ask him the questions. He sounded calm. He had everything in his head like he knew what I would say already.
Sergio was born in Monterrey in 1982. Sergio came to live in Chicago to get better education for him in the future. When he came to Chicago, he was 7 and wanted the same amount of education as the other kids. He spent time studying at home to learn how to speak English so he could learn in the same school as the other kids. People made fun of him for not being able to speak English. His mom was working most of the time so he could have food and a better education. “I still needed to learn the language that was spoken in the United States” he said. He managed to teach himself English.
Sergio moved to Texas for a job that lasted for a month, he didn’t feel like he was going to work there for the rest of his life. So, he left back to Chicago with his brother for a job he felt was made for him. When he went back, he lived in the North side of Chicago he worked at the country club as a busboy. This is where he met his business partner, Michael Lachowicz, who taught him many things about the restaurant industry. This made him want to be more than just a busboy. “There will be lots of mistakes in the process of getting better, I was never perfect at what I did.” He expressed. After his job, he started to work with Micheal who made a restaurant with his brother.
Upcoming of a Strong Business Owner
This is how a Mexican that did not know how to speak the language in America and did not go to college became a businessman.
It was about 8:24, and I was about to interview my dad (Sergio) in the living room. I was excited to interview my dad because I wanted to learn new things that he had never told me. It was silent until I asked him if he was ready for the interview He sighed and said yes. He seemed confident and
By Alistair Angel
Sergio worked with Michael for 15 years until he became his business partner and made a lot of changes. It was stressful because they worked hard and did not want to mess it all up with one mistake. “You will need to change to continue the restaurant. I mean I know it can be hard, but it has to happen.” He said this in a high tone like he was glad that had made the changes he made. So, they changed the restaurant’s name and remodeled the whole restaurant in 2019 the name changed to Aboyer. They had so much support. It was starting to become more popular around the neighborhood.
In 2023, in late September they made a new restaurant
named Fonda. It was a Mexican restaurant he and his chef had planned on making for their heritage They needed to choose which type of restaurant they wanted to make, so they decided to make a Mexican restaurant. So, they needed to try the food to make sure if it will be good. “If you don’t try the food then how would you know if it can accomplish how you want to accomplish it.” This helped lots of owners and him, this inspired others with his accomplishments.
Sergio did not go to college, but it did not change him or change his mind about making a restaurant. I think this is interesting because most people go to college and were successful, he was still very successful in his business life. So even if you never went to college, you could still accomplish lots of things in life it won’t be as hard and I’m not saying don’t go to college there will be a higher chance of doing something better. Sergio just did not have as much money to pay for college when he made it to college. So, he started to find a restaurant and he found out that one of the workers that he was with before made a restaurant with his brother. He decided to join and was a head cook then became his business partner and made changes throughout time.
“You will need to make changes in the restaurant life.”
October 2024, fiftyfour years after immigrating to the United States from Macedonia, Lydia Ivanovska is photographed in her son’s home.
Unshaken: Lydia Ivanovska’s Journey of Gratitude and Resilience
The story of a Macedonian immigrant embracing new possibilities with strength, resolve, and unwavering appreciation for her community.
By Annabel Arvan
The Saturday before the interview, my grandmother, Lydia Ivanovska, and I planned for one o’clock My baba, devoted to Christ and religion, would need enough time to attend church in the morning She would likely be wearing a nice dress and our shared cross necklace Her hair would be curled the way it looked every time I saw her in winter or spring after a long, seven-hour car ride from Chicago to Youngstown, Ohio
It was a weekend in early fall school had barely started, and the Chicago air was slightly crisp In a few weeks’ time, the sidewalk I watched from my window would be littered with red and yellow leaves waiting to be crunched by passersby A few states away, my grandmother would be available and ready to pick up the phone, so I dialed her number Three short rings later, my baba’s face filled my screen
“Hello, my beautiful granddaughter!” she greeted, eagerly, in a thick Macedonian accent “How are you doing, Annabel?”
I smiled and replied, “Hi, Baba! I’m doing well How are you?”
After sharing a brief, lighthearted conversation about our weekends and some trial and error on FaceTime and Zoom, we decided to begin I delved into her past, immersing myself in her untold narratives and stories from her life in Macedonia and beyond
Not far into our conversation, Ivanovska expanded on her childhood experiences in Bitola, Macedonia, which was communist at the time With a gleam in her eyes and a smile on her face, she explained how she managed to enjoy and make the most of what she had despite the hardships of poverty Memories of her brothers and sisters in Macedonia came flooding in, nostalgia visible in her faraway gaze She recalled laughterfilled evenings spent telling stories, winter afternoons transforming their alley into a shimmering ice-skating rink with buckets of water, or crafting sleds to ride down snowy hills Ivanovska sighed as the nostalgia washed over her like a wave she recounted, smiling, “It was special I cannot complain Even if I came to this country when I was eighteen years old, those eighteen years were worth it I had a happy childhood ”
From the stories she shared, I suggested that her city in Macedonia fostered a strong sense of community and empathy, where everyone was willing to help one another Ivanovska agreed firmly, recalling the countless memories where kindness was evident in her community She remembered being an eleven-year-old, appointed with lugging a large, heavy board of her mother’s bread dough to the local bakery As strangers noticed its weight straining her small frame, they would swoop in to assist her their helping hands serving as a testament to her community’s compassion When the freshly baked bread would return and a warm scent would waft through their home, she would sit in the golden aroma, grateful for the strangers that cared for her Retelling the story, Ivanovska’s face glowed with a gentle smile, her eyes misting with memories of her childhood and her neighbors’ generosity
Ivanovska continued to speak about the kindness of her neighbors; when her family would run out of water because they could not afford an in-house piping system, their wealthier neighbors would share their water The fostered sense of connection and community within their city was present, and although there were many
downsides to being poor in Macedonia, she was able to make the best of her situation and have a happy childhood Ivanovska’s gratitude for her community still shines in her eyes and warm retellings of her childhood
Even now, Ivanovska is incredibly grateful for her neighbors, who went out of their way to teach her English when she had been adjusting to America Her experience and wisdom led me to consider the way I currently view parts of my childhood I resolved to appreciate everyone I have to support me my family, teachers, and friends While I may not face the same challenges as Ivanovska, I know my community is there for me when I need them
Ivanovska and I compared her experiences in Macedonia to her experiences in the United States Ivanovska was merely eighteen years old when she moved to America, and she did not speak a word of English With a heartfelt smile, she was conveying her gratitude for the U S government as she described the differences between the countries In Macedonia, resourcefulness was a necessity; her family could not afford to waste food Everything they had, they would use She recalls wearing clothes from the Red Cross, the second-hand garments wrapping her in warmth and connection to the country across the ocean whose loving, selfless donations would become something she could never forget
After moving to the United States, Ivanovska reflects how “It was different! The government from here was very good to us, especially the people who are poor I could never forget that ” America’s generosity left a memorable impact on her This made me realize that often, Americans take for granted a lot of their rights and privileges, forgetting that other countries do not have access to the same things that they do
Furthermore, America is regarded as a place where anyone can chase and achieve their dreams; it is considered a place with millions of opportunities waiting It is a beacon of hope and a promise of possibility After emigrating from Macedonia, eighteen years old, newlywed, and brave, Ivanovska would have tried to pursue the higher education that she did not have in Macedonia Still seemingly surprised about the number of opportunities waiting, she references the unspoken hierarchy from her old city, where being less educated meant you were less valued in society Ivanovska did not get a chance to go to American college, though; while her husband was away and working double shifts, she instead spent most of her time taking care of her three children
No babysitter was affordable for them at the time Despite sacrificing her education for her children, Ivanovska’s conviction regarding it did not waver She supported her kids and encouraged them to achieve what she could not “Education means a lot to me,” she explained, “I wanted to do well I didn’t have the opportunity because I got married early and had children I want your dad, your aunt, and your uncle to get what I didn’t get with your dedo ” Ivanovska’s children are now doctors, engineers, and college instructors, reflecting how despite the opportunities denied to her growing up, her descendants have benefitted from her sacrifice Ivanovska inspires me to take advantage of the opportunities born from her selfless actions if I do not, I would not serve justice to everything she went through to make her children successful and therefore give us social mobility
While Ivanovska watched her children succeed, she progressed in her own way She reflects on her feelings when she came fifty-four years ago the conviction still in
her voice “I was so determined to be American, you know, like everybody else. I wanted to vote that was very important for me ” Ivanovska would eventually gain citizenship on September 13th , 1974, and the accomplishment would become a large landmark in her life In our conversation, Ivanovska spoke fluent English, despite not knowing a word when she moved She learned to drive, thanks to her husband, and together they navigated life’s twists and turns They will celebrate their fifty-fifth anniversary of marriage in 2025 Overall, Ivanovska became accustomed to the “American lifestyle” and is proud of all her achievements in the country Her sacrifice is truly inspiring, and her development proves how some sacrifices are worth it Appreciating everything can make someone just as happy in the end
Ivanovska’s unwavering gratitude is a beacon of inspiration to me Despite facing life’s challenges, she has consistently chosen appreciation over adversity In her city, she did not let her circumstances define her and instead found joy in the everyday moments and blessings Her remarkable journey has taught me the transformative power gratitude has on mindset; although she may not have ended up as she expected, being appreciative of the little things left her content with what she had
Ivanovska’s story is a testament to the fact that true strength lies not in what one has, but in how one perceives it She was inspired by her parents to feel confident in herself “They told us, ‘You know who you are, and do the right thing God gave us our mind, so never feel like ‘I am not good enough’ always go for it ” By recognizing the blessings that have paved my path, I can be grateful despite shortcomings and transform initial disappointment into motivation to improve. Ivanovska managed to use her sacrifice of education to support her children in achieving what she could not a sign of true selflessness and understanding of self-worth
Ivanovska’s determination to make the most of all opportunities, even those born from missed ones, inspires me to chase aspirations that once seemed beyond my reach Her story can serve as a lesson to all: every moment holds the potential for growth, and the greatest accomplishments often arise from the courage to embrace new possibilities
“God gave us our mind, so never feel like, ‘I am not good enough’— always go for it.”
Rodriguez future was always to be a mother. So much so that she knew from a very young age. Someone can be six years old and decide if they want to be a mother but unfortunately that doesn’t always happen for everyone. She explained to me there was a time in her youth where she got pregnant and had finally got what she wished for. When Rodriguez was 17 and pregnant she had to make what seemed like a hard decision. But she knew this decision was the best one to make even if others were against it. She knew there were still things she wanted to accomplish. Rodriguez says, “I actually did get pregnant before I was seventeen years old. But I knew there were still things I wanted to accomplish in my life, but just not now”. I asked Rodriguez “What was racing through your mind”. She tells me that it was pretty set in stone. She states in the interview that she sad that she was not with her partner anymore and there were big decisions she had to make. This gives me the impression that men and women should think twice whether they are ready to be intimate with another unless they are sure they can deal with the consequences. Rodriguez luckily did everything that she wanted to do as far as school and her accomplishments.
Rodriguez finally got her 2nd chance at motherhood later in life. After Rodriguez finished school and was able to accomplish everything she was wanting to do, she met my father. At the time she worked in criminal law as a paralegal/legal assistant. Rodriguez would take calls for her boss every day and sometimes multiple times a day. She explained that she would some of the time get calls from the same person, my father. After talking for multiple days, they would talk nonstop. After a two-year long-distance relationship, they finally met in person.
In the interview I asked Rodriguez how she found out she was pregnant. She stated that “I started feeling weird”. After Rodriguez’s suspicion of being pregnant she set up a doctor's appointment. It was confirmed she was in fact pregnant. In the interview I asked her if she had any doubts about having a child after what she had gone through in her previous pregnancy. She says absolutely not. She explains that this time around she was already of age, she had finished school, had a good job, so this made her sure she was ready for the baby.
The Gift of Life
The struggle of pregnancy through the view of Lynnette
Rodriguez
By MIA AVITIA
The day I interviewed my stepmother, the mother of my one-year-old brother, Lynnette Rodriguez, a beautiful brunette with brown eyes and long hair, on October 5th. I remember it being a sunny Saturday afternoon temperature of high 70s, and a perfect day to go have a picnic at the park, we decided it would be best to start the interview on the couch the comfiest spot we could think of. Rodriguez grew up as the middle child having one older sister and a one younger sister. Rodriguez explained that her parents split up when she was young much like how mine did. Before the interview started, she explained to me how she was a little nervous and eager at the same time and excited how the ending would turn out. One of the first questions I asked was how she felt when she met me. She explained to me that she was nervous because she didn’t know what I would think of her due to her not entirely liking her parents’ partners when she was younger.
“I was at work, and I had just gone to the bathroom and I’m walking away, and I remember feeling weird” – Lynnette Rodriguez
Pregnancy isn't always perfect. During Rodriguez pregnancy she experienced very scary and painful complications that weren't expected. In the third month of her pregnancy, she had a scary experience that she would never want to go through again. She would have never thought her regular workday would have gone awry like it did. Rodriguez explains, “I was at work, and I had just gone to the bathroom and I’m walking away, and I remember feeling weird”. She rushed to the bathroom and was surprised at what she saw.
After twenty minutes contemplating what she just saw and felt, she rushed to the hospital as soon as she could in a panic. In those moments Rodriguez expressed that she feared that she could have lost the baby. Later in the interview she tells me that she told the closest people to her and felt that she didn't want to give out good news and later must express the bad news.
In the interview I asked her how experiencing that made her feel, she explained to me that she felt defeated and mentioned to me that she has a blood type of O-Negative. She then tells me that she must get a certain shot each year and that if the person she has a baby with has a positive blood type, then her body will see it as a foreign entity as she explained. Rodriguez tells me that in the back of her mind she thought her body might be rejecting the baby and she wouldn't be able to carry the baby. Thankfully, the rest of Rodriguez’s pregnancy went well and the baby’s birth….
Birth is a special moment for a mother but may also come with some cons. In the interview Rodriguez explains to me that she originally had a plan that she wouldn’t need to be induced with epidural which is as if it was numbing pain. While she expected this it turns out the birth of her only child was not expected to take a turn as most women do not expect as well. Rodriguez did not expect her birth to be or go a certain way, but she did have the formality of thinking she wouldn’t need epidural and after long of pushing she was glad she took the choice of getting induced with it.
While Rodriguez birth in the early hours she got induced with a medicined named Pitocin this medicine helped her body speed up the process of her contractions. She explains that it was probably the worst feeling in the world after taking the epidural, she says the pain was bearable. In the interview I ask her what it felt like to hold her baby for the first time. “It was the best feeling ever, when they put him on me, he was so warm, and I just balled, it was love that I couldn’t even explain”, Rodriguez explains. She explains in more detail that she experienced what people say that you never experienced love until you have your own child. During giving birth Rodriguez expresses that she felt like something was off and the doctor had looked nervous, later after Rodriguez gave birth, she found out that his umbilical cord had wrapped three times around his neck. After hearing this news, she was grateful the doctor hadn’t told her the news because she would have freaked out. Pregnancy is very different on a lot of women may be due to a rare blood type like Rodriguez or due to infertility. Pregnancy can be tough for women, as it brings physical challenges and emotional struggles, showing how strong and brave they must be during an important time. This shows that while pregnancy is a beautiful experience, it can also be very challenging, and women go through very tough time. Pregnancy highlights how pregnancy may not always be how it looks like on social media. Rodriguez pregnancy was a very tough time for her, but the outcome was something that was worth it all in the end. To this day Rodriguez still expresses to me that in the future she would want to have another baby even if it meant to go through complications again.
Lynnette Rodriguez holding her 9-month-old son.
Veronica RiveraBalbuena: the Journey of Coming to the U.S
Veronica Rivera-Balbuena uses her past to strengthen her future so she can learn how to be her most perfect self. This photo was taken in 2022.
I ran up the stairs to my parents’ bedroom to talk to my mom, Veronica Rivera-Balbuena Balbuena was born in Mexico her grandmother had shared custody, and she stayed with her mother’s mother in the city and her father’s mother in a small town nearby She lives in a small suburb near Chicago and is known by many to be caring, and kind, and dedicates her weekends to helping people at the Chicago Food Pantry She works at a non-profit organization called Metropolitan Family Services
I wanted to talk to Balbuena about her experience of immigrating and who inspired her during this time picked up my fluffy cat and went on my way to my mom’s bedroom with my notebook, and my phone sat down on her comfortable king-size bed and pictured myself in 1975 in Mexico and put myself in the shoes of a 5-year-old I imagined sadness and terror, but also hope “What was it like,” asked “How did this impact you?”
exclaimed with a laughing tone, “I was terrified to be on a plane was devastated to leave my grandmother behind I remember throwing up in the plane and was scared ” Her vulnerability is revealed as she reminisces on this impactful event in her life that changed her into who she is today
Balbuena was three years old when her parents went to the United States to look for work and provide a better life for their family They waited until they could get the papers, they needed to bring their children to the U S She was raised by both her grandmothers until the age of five when her parents got all the paperwork they needed and came back to take them to the U S When they returned, they returned with her baby brother, Luis With a nod and emotion clear in her voice, Balbuena spoke of how her grandmother inspired her “My grandmother was a strong woman, hardworking she worked very hard to make sure that her children had good jobs and showed the right from the wrong but most of all, she showed me her genuine love ” Balbuena relaxed as she described how it was living with her grandmother for a brief period It was a kid's dream: playing in the fields with the bright rays that shone on my face with my friends having the time of my life She was a type of mother figure for Balbuena and helped her turn into who she is today This is significant because she feared the unknown and did not know about her parents other than talking to them on the phone and her grandmothers telling them that were their parents This has taught me that we should not take our parents for granted and appreciate everything they give us
We moved our bodies to be facing each other to better understand I started to notice her becoming more emotional When her parents arrived with the papers, Balbuena and her sister were on their way to the airport This was an extremely new experience for both her and her sister, so they were both petrified They were both leaving their safety blanket and the people they had known all their lives behind asked her what it was like She
“My grandmother was a strong woman, hardworking she worked very hard to make sure that her children had good jobs and showed the right from the wrong but most of all, she showed me her genuine love.”
looked around the room as she sadly elaborated about how this move to another country was quite difficult for her because she was separated from both her grandmas, and they have been a huge part of her life She mentions how this event can shake a person to the core This has taught me that whatever a person is going through there is somebody that has it worse than them Balbuena states, “I think it's hard to trust when an experience like that happens when you are separated from your parents and then separated with your grandmother ” She mentions that she has done extensive reflecting on the past and has learned how this experience can help her be a better person and how to apply the lessons in her daily life This is a life-changing event for anybody even people who think that they have experience at all to learn that there is more to experience
could tell that she began to feel more comfortable with sharing as our conversation continue She remembered a story about her teacher being extremely strict about not speaking Spanish The teacher even went to the extent of threatening to separate them which traumatized the two young girls This has affected them to this day by only speaking English to each other rather than to speak their native language but has also taught them to appreciate education more Her sister, Angie is currently a professor at Northwestern University: “I love education, think would have been happy in any school whether it was in Mexico or here ” This illustrates how people’s experiences can impact how they choose to study This has taught me that we should not take our education for granted
Balbuena became fidgety and
After a few years, they went back to Mexico and enrolled in school This experience was hugely different from the US there was not as much fun, and we are a lot more advanced than in the US Their focus was on education and not fine After coming to America, she realized that she was not exceptionally good at English but learned fast This teaches me how what we think is impossible can be possible with the right mindset Also, this teaches me that when people learn about their ancestry we can learn about our roots, and this can be immensely helpful for our future to know where we came from and how we can do right by our ancestors and continue their legacy When Balbuena was speaking to me about this She seemed very joyful this seemed like a time that she enjoyed “I saw everything so clearly the stories The stories, guess related more to the stories from the books in Mexico, than did here here in the United States ” This story has inspired me to be more courageous and to be more assertive There are a lot of things in life that we have not experienced yet and can learn a lot from these experiences
Throughout the interview, Rivera retells the struggles she has faced I have learned never to take things for granted and to love the people closest to me To illustrate, “My grandmother, as well as my parents taught us that sometimes you have to make sacrifices for the good of the family ”
Written By: Alia
Hidden Motivations
It was a nice fall day, the weather evident through the window, a windy but sunny atmosphere. There I sit, in my comfortable chair reading my book club book; Legend by Maire Lu as I wait for my mother to arrive in the living room for the interview. After a while, she appears in the room dressed in a neat, white blouse and black pants. I look up and notice her nice, curled hair resting on top of her shoulders. “She must have come straight from work,” I thought as she sat down in the chair across from me. The sunlight beamed through the windows, covering both me and Jones in a nice, warm glow. We sit across from each other at the table, my eyes locked on hers. The sun reflects off the glass of the table, blinding me even with a slight glance.
As Jones begins to tell me about how she influenced her own success, she takes a breath, her eyes wandering around the room, thinking of a good reply. Jones looks back at me: “Trying to adapt to different situations and be flexible so that I could correct myself if I needed to go a different direction,” she explains in a firm, assertive tone as she looks back on her past experiences. Her personality demonstrated through her perfect posture and her nonfidgeting hands. Her gaze not faltering for even a second. I can tell Jones is a very professional person and has a lot of strategies to help set herself up for success.
Carol Jones is a 52-year-old Chief Financial Officer at AANS (American Association of Neurological Surgeons). AANS advances the specialty of Neurological surgery through education, research, advocacy, and outcomes science, all to promote the highest quality of patient care. Jones further clarifies her relations and position at AANS as a Chief Financial Officer. She makes most decisions for the company for projects and its finances such as financial planning, management of financial risks, and more. Hearing this gave me a lot of respect and slight admiration towards Jones because being a successful black woman in a society of discrimination and racism in not popular. Jones is a living example of how African Americans have lots of potential and are capable of being acknowledged.
Chief Financial Officers have lots of qualities but the most valuable is being a leader for others. In finance, it’s important to have an organized company and a reliable leader to help with anything and take charge of responsibilities. Jones has all of these characteristics, but what makes her so
determined? I asked her, curious about her thoughts. Jones smiles and tilts her head slightly, reminding herself of wonderful times with her family: “Family motivates me of course because you all need to go to high school and college so it’s important to make sure, financially, I’m motivated so I can make money,”. I laughed along with Jones, her eyes softening. She shifted her position marginally, her concrete demeanor returning just as quickly as it left. It is motivation for Jones to be successful and help her children with education expenses so they can be just as successful as her. Jones soon reveals that she has two daughters, one passionate about finance and one passionate about mathematics. “My children are my pride and joy, everything I do is for them,” she reveals, breaking eye contact for the first time as I smile at her. It is heart-warming to me how much Jones cares for her children. Jones manages to take on all responsibilities of a Chief Financial Officer all while taking care of her children, really showing the resilient side of her personality and how motherhood is an important value to Jones.
What motivates you to be who you are?
From other people’s perspectives, I’ve heard things like money, fame, and even religion were common motivations for other people but what was it that formed Jones into who she is today?
Jones looks away and smiles slightly. “I’ve played the flute in the past, I’ve sang in the past and uh I was always motivated by the music in some way back then,” she reveals, chuckling to herself. Jones’s musical background has always been a huge part of her life. Back in high school, she valued music over almost everything else. Ever since she was a child, music has had a big impact on her life. As a child, she would sing wherever she went. In school, at church, at home, and even in public. Although she is passionate about finance, Jones wishes she focused more on music as a hobby as she continued to age. I nod in agreement. I’ve also loved music since I was little, doing the same things as my mother. I wonder if that’s where I got my singing genes from. I smiled; a heartwarming feeling filled my heart as I heard her elaborate on her past.
Girl Power is a slogan that encourages and celebrates women’s empowerment, independence, confidence, and strength. Jones was very ardent of girl positivity and encouragement, so she became a Girl Scout troop leader at Frances Xavier Warde School in Chicago. The school held many events for Girl Scouts and Jones went to mostly all of them, helping the girls with anything they needed and
breaking out of their comfort zones. “I was a Girl Scout troop leader, that was a great experience. Helping girls to be great was something I really enjoyed,” she exhaled as she adjusted her position, intertwining her hands and placing them gracefully on her lap. “Girls are… stronger than people think and they are always going to face challenges,” she continues. Her admiration for girl strength is meritorious. Jones does a lot for the girls in her community. She once did an event for girls worldwide called Girls on the Run. Girls on the Run has fun, evidence-based programs that inspire girls to build their confidence, kindness, and decisionmaking skills. Being a part of such a big organization made me realize how much Jones really cares about others and how great of a leader she is.
By the end of the interview, I felt like me and Jones’ relationship expanded on a deeper level. Maybe it was the way she spoke so freely or the way she described things so clearly. Jones has made me realize finance can be certainly stressful and demanding occupation. Finance requires a wide range of knowledge and skills that seem difficult to master. After this interview, Jones has shown how finance professionals have a high level of responsibility, to the teams of people they direct, their supervisors, and upper management. Jones has a well-preserved and polished outlook, and it demonstrates just how qualified she is for the position of Chief Financial Officer. She really shows how success is not given, it’s earned.
“The harder I work, the more successful I become.”
Even though it can be terrible, my grandfather’s life had an effect of how he thought of it
ABattlefield of Emotions
A veteran fights in the Korean war and must deal with the trauma
By: Mila Cherian
Christmas had just passed, and Harold Jerde gripped onto his suitcase tightly, for this flight could change his life forever He was on his way to the training camp for the Air Force so he could serve in the Korean War. His legs wobbled as he stepped into the plane. 1 step… 2… 3… One more step One more step and his whole world would turn upside down He paused, taking a deep breath The plane’s door was open in front of him, and people were all around him, grumbling about why he was taking so long Panicked thoughts were running around his head What if I don’t make it back? What if I’m never the same again? One more step. He walked into the plane, slowly making his way to his seat He leaned against the window, feeling the cold glass against his forehead He could hear his heart thumping out of his chest His eyes trailed out the window and he saw his home, one that he didn’t know if he would ever see again. But he did, because I, his great granddaughter, am happy and well and starting my high school experience
This is the story of Harold Jerde, a man who served in the Air Force during the Korean War, all while his wife and kids were at home He had left everything he had at home to fight for his country, experiencing many traumatizing things that have affected him throughout his life. Jerde had to go through many challenges, mentally and physically, but he got through serving in the war and is now better than ever He inspires us to pushed through the hard times to get to the happy ones
When the war started, my grandfather had realized that war was a part of life. It was Christmastime, and the war had started a couple of months ago Jerde walked into his house and saw an envelope Inside of it was invitation to join the Air Force He got excited and knew automatically he would join Even though he wanted to join, my grandfather knew that it was not going to be good, and he was right, because more than 50,000 people died in the war. Jerde saw firsthand what happened during the war and how bad it was
His cousin had already fought in the war My grandfather did not know much but his cousin’s friend told him stories His cousin had been in a battle and got shot by a soldier on the other side of the war The friend had been instructed to bring Jerde’s cousin home The sight of his cousins cold, lifeless body made him finally understand how war could affect people and their families How it could change someone’s life forever Regardless, he pushed through his pain because he realized that war was a part of life. He knew that war always had and always will happen. When I asked him how he felt about the war and how it affected our country, he paused, reflecting His voice was filled with sorrow and pain as he elaborated, “War is bad, but they’ve always had war”
The more he saw what war was like and how no one batted an eye, he realized that war was something that people couldn’t stop from happening. Whether this was true or not, his experience in fighting in the war and coming back home gave him a distinct perspective from the average person Instead of talking about how war was a terrible thing and how it had to end, my grandfather just accepted that war was a thing and thought you just must push through it and stay strong until it’s over He understood that war has always been a part of history, and the only way to get through it was to hold on to his beliefs
My grandfather held on to his faith in God during the war, for he didn’t have anyone to go to except for the Lord. In the war, my grandfather could see the evil in humans. It was New Years Eve, and Jerde was excited yet nervous for his first day in the army He had to travel to Buffalo, New York to go, and it was freezing Everywhere he looked he could see snow falling and could feel it crunching under his feet. The cold sank into his bones as he was talking with his friends, complaining about how cold it was Their toes had started to go numb as they walked closer to the enemy All the sudden, a shot rang out Like a signal, everyone around him started fighting Wherever he looked, there was blood After that day he had changed forever
He never understood the weight of war and how terrible it could truly be. It made him realize how humans always have and always will act He saw how even the nicest people could make mistakes and could be cruel It’s a part of humanity He understood what people are capable of doing and how it affects people. The more he fought and saw the evil in people, the more he looked to the Lord His belief in God deepened, leaving him with the belief that “we just have to look to the Lord He’s the only one we can depend on ”
This suggests that my grandfather could see how people could be, making his faith in God deepen and getting him through the war when he realized that the Lord was the only one you can trust with your life
His experience in fighting in the war and coming back home gave him a distinct perspective from the average person.
When the war was over my grandfather was so exhausted and done with the war that he was ready to get back to his family The war had finally ended, and Jerde was still at camp It was over, so he wondered why he was still there. He asked the director why he was still with everyone serving in the army when the war was over They responded that he could go home to his wife and kids if he wanted And so, my grandfather went home as soon as he could He was ready to leave, to get out of that terrible place. He was so exhausted with the war that he just wanted to pack up and go home, for it all to be over He had finally arrived home and didn’t want to think about the war He didn’t remember anything that happened in the war He didn’t want to stay in the mindset of the war and wanted to be done with the fighting and the pain and go back to normal When I asked him what happened once the war was over and how it affected his family, he responded with a heavy tone, “When it was over, it was over ”
This quote has a sentiment to it that my grandfather wanted to be done with everything It shows that once it was over there was no thinking about it or talking about it. There were no lingering memories that they wanted to keep, and he just left everything on the battlefield He didn’t want to think about what was happening, who died, his experience, anything He just wanted to forget about the war and go home and enjoy life with his family And once he got home no one talked about what went on there. My grandfather had to heal from his memories and pain before he could even talk about it Now, he was able to a whole interview with me about what happened in the war, showing that he has healed
After the war was over, Jerde didn’t talk to any of his friends he met during the war, trying to escape the memories When the war was going on, my grandfather had met a few friends At the training camp, he met three men As the war went on, his friendship with them grew, leading them to rely on each other for everything These few friends were the only ones he made, because everyone was so focused on training and not dying. No one cared about making friends But my grandfather met three good ones
One of them was shot during the war, but two survived As soon as he got out of that
terrible place and saw his family again, he decided to leave the past in the past and not contact them again It has been so long that he forgot all about his friends Eventually, as they all grew older and went on with their lives, no one ever thought about each other again It had been so long since they ever saw each other, they’re not even sure if they’re alive or dead It’s possible they’re alive and have a couple grandkids, or maybe not, but Jerde wouldn’t know because he didn’t talk to any of his old friends again. When I asked about his friends during the war, he paused to think about it and go back to the memories His voice was filled with remembrance and regret as he explains, “There wasn’t anybody I kept in touch with after I got out of there ”
What’s so powerful about this is that it shows that he just wanted to get out of there and leave everything on the battlefield. He wanted to leave his memories and pain in the past Once it was over, it was done There was no more fighting, and they could go home to their family and leave everything in the past, so he did He didn’t stay connected with any of his friends and just ran back to his home, trying to get away from all his memories as fast as possible. He didn’t want to think about it, and the only way to do that was to stop talking to his old friends in general They had similar ideas, for they didn’t try to contact him after he left No one wanted to relive those horrible times
Jerde pushed through his pain in the war and held onto his beliefs and dreams to get through the war His journey through the war, seeing the good and bad of humanity and still staying a good person inspires me He got through his suffering and pushed through the hard times in the war to make it to his family and happiness. Now, he has become a compassionate person after seeing how cruel people can be, determined to be better than them Now he has children and grandchildren, including me, and is teaching and inspiring us to be better people and understand that after the rain, comes the rainbow He went through the worst things a person could go through when he served, and now he’s with his family and is happier than ever. He inspires us to push through challenging times to get to our happiness
OneCallat aTime
By Jackson Coar
Sittingonthecouchinourlivingroom,myfather,KamauCoar,satandtoldmeabout oneofthehardesttimeofhislife,9/11.Thisinterviewwasrecordedovermultipledaysand timesbecauseittookCoarawhiletodealwiththestilllastingeffectsoftheattackshetoldme manystoriesabouthowpeoplereacted,andthecarnagethousandsofpeoplehadtofaceonthe day.Coarwashavingtotakemultiplebreakstoregainhimselfanditmakesitsothatthe interviewwasverygrimandtherewasfewjokesorsmilesthathappenedinthe20-minute interview.
Coarhadtofaceboththeimmediatecarnageofoneoftheworstattacksinmodern historyalongwiththechaosthatensued.Whentheplaneshadhitthetowers,everybodywas tryingtoescapetheareaofManhattansotheycouldbesafefromtheeffectsoftheattacks,but nomatterhowfaranybodyrantheycouldnotescapethedestructionthatoriginatedfromthe attacks.
CoarwasalreadyfarawayinCentralPark,almostthewholeneighborhoodawayfrom theTwinTowerswhentheplaneshadhit,sohethoughthecouldescapethemadnessbut simplygettingoutofthearea.HegotallthewaybacktohishometheninBrooklynbythreein theafternoon.Ithadbeensixhourssincetheplaneshadhitbuteveninthenextneighborhood overthedeathcouldbefeltthere.Nobodywastalkinganywhere,andeverybodywaseither dead,insideshelleduptryingtoprocesswhathadjusthappened,ortheywerestilloutthere, basingthelivestosaveothersonjustgodswill.
Everybodyfelttheaftershocksoftheattacks,therewasnothingsacredanymore,lives werenotsacred,nothingwasanymoresoitshockeverybodytotheirverycore.ForCoar everythingaroundhimwasevidenceofwhathadhappened,evenfromthatfaraway.AsIasked thishisfacewentdark,hestoppedfidgetingandwiththemostseriousnessheresponding grimlythat,“NotsomuchwhatIsawasmuchaswhatIsmelled…InBrooklynwesawsome papersthatweassumedwerefromtheTwinTowersandwecouldsmelltheburning.”
Coaralongwithmanyothersthatrunningawayfromtheproblemwouldbeenoughto forgetaboutthedestructionbutallalongthewaytowhattheycalledsafetywasreminders abouthowmuchlifehadbeenlost,andthatwhileyoumaythinkyoucanrunawayfromyour problemsyoucanneverfullyescapethemwithoutfacingandsolvingthem.Thisissomething lookatwheneverIamfacingaproblembecauseIamfacingmuchsmallerproblemscompared towhatCoarfacedonthatdaysoitshouldbeeasierformetostanduptomyproblems.
Coarandothersthoughttheyhadthetruthwhenthenewstoldthemwhatwas happeningwiththetowers,butwhenthetruthcameoutitconfusedeverybody.Luckily,Coar wasfarawayfromtheTwinTowersatthetimeoftheattacksbutsomepeopleonthenewshad saidthatCentralparkwasthenextplacethatwasgoingtobeattacked,rightbywhereCoarwas. Everybodywasdealingwithnewsstoriesthatwereeitherbasedonfalseinformation orweretryingtospreadincorrectinformationtothepublicsothecarnagethatensuedwas enhancedduetonobodyknowingwhatwashappening.Atthebeginningitwaswidelybelieved thatitwasjustsomedrunkguywhohadcrashedwhichofcourseweknownowisfalsebutat thetimenobodythoughtanythingofit,soitstood.Butassoonastheotherplanehititbecame chaos,everybodywastryingtoevacuatebutnobodyknewwheretogo.
Everybodythoughtthatsomeplaceelsewasgoingtobenexttogethitsotheydidnot knowwheretogo.Thiswasfueledevenmorewithallthefalsenewsstoriesthatwerebeing alwayssentoutwhichmadeitsothatnobodyknewwhattobelieveanymorebecausethatall hadcontradictingnewsstoriesthatdidnotmakesensebutalltheyknewwasthattheyhadto getaway,butsomepeopledidnotknowwheretogoordidnothaveaplacetogothatwassafe.
Alongwiththechaosthatpeoplewerefacingwithgreatnerves,somepeoplenot believingthatitcouldbeaterroristattackduetothemthinkingthateverybodylovedAmerica sotheydidnotbelievewhatwashappeningsotheydidnotgetoutasfastastheycouldhave. Peoplefollowingtheattacksweretryingtoexplaintotheworldastowhywegotattacked.Coar withaveryheavyheartherespondedtomyquestionslowlywhilepausing,“Thenewscamein stages…thefirstnewswasthatitwasjustsomedrunkenpilotbutthatchangedveryquicklyafter thesecondplanehit…newsfromoutsidetheUnitedStatesweretryingtoexplainwhytherewas somuchhatredattheUS.”
Coarwasoneofthefirstpeopletorealizethathehadtogettheheckoutof Manhattan.Coarandmanyothersthoughttheywerelovedbyall,sotheydidnotrealizeatthe verybeginningastowhytherewereplaneshittingthetowerssowhenitwasrevealedthatit wasintentionalitcameasashocktomanypeople.Lookingbackonitwecannotunderstand howpeopledidnotrealizethatitwasaterroristattackfromthestart,butwemustremember thattheyhadfakenews,afalsesenseofsecurity,andbarelyanyifatallkindsofairportsecurity tohelpthemregisterthataplanewasoffitscourse.Thesepeoplehadtogothroughsomuch painandchaosjusttotryandsurvivethistraumaticevent,thisissomethingIadmireabout9/11 survivors,thefactthattheywereabletoliveafulllifeaftertheattacks,somethingthatdonot thinkIcoulddo.
EvenwhiletherewasdeathallaroundCoarwasshockedtofindthatsomepeople werehappyandcheeringforandabout9/11.Coarwashavingtofaceoneoftheworld’sworst tragediestothisdayandhisworldwasrockedevenmoreuponfindingoutthatsomepeople werehappyaboutthetragedy.Thisabsolutelyshockedhimashecouldnotbelievethatpeople hateAmericasomuchthattheywouldbeopenlyhappyaboutthousandsofpeoplelosingtheir lives.
Lotsofpeoplediedbeforerealizingitwasanattack,theyweredeadinstantly,but othershadtimetocheckthenewsbeforedyingsotheyjustthoughtitwassomedrunkguy,so theydidnothing,andtheydiednotknowingthetruthofthecountrytheylivein.Coarand othersgottoreadthenewsmultipletimesandwereabletoescapebeforetheyweregoingto bedoomedtodie,buttheystillhadtodealwithpeoplewhowerebothgivingfalsenewsand cheeringsomethingthatwouldhauntthemfortherestoftheirlives.
ThiswasbroughtonbywhatIbelievetobeAmericanpropagandawhichcausedCoar, andmanyotherslivedintheirownworldinwhichtheythoughtthateverybodylovesAmerica andthattheyhaddonealmostnothingwrongintheeyesofotherpeople,sowhentheattacks hititwasahugewakeupcalltothemthatnotalotofpeoplelikeAmerica.Takingabreath, sippingonhisdrinkalittlebitharderandhavingtostopfidgetingwhenhetoldmethis,Coar describeshisexperienceswiththenewsbutstating,“Therewerepeopleonthenewscheering 9/11…Idon’tthinkAmericanskneworknowhowtheyareviewedaroundtheworld.”
ThroughoutthehistoryoftheUSAtherehasbeenlotsofwrongdoingsthatthe governmentandhistoryhavechangedtohidebehind,evennowtherearesomepeoplewhostill believethatAmericahasdonenowrongeverwheninfactwehavedonelotsofwrongfortons ofyears.ButthatwasthepastsoCoarandothersthoughtthattheyhadbeenforgivenforthe wrongdoingsoftheirancestorsandthateverybodyhadforgiventhem,sotheattackswerea wakeupcallsothattheyshouldfixthemistakesoftheirancestorstomoveonintothefuture. Thisisoneofmymainpointsontryingtoforgivethemistakesofthepastandtryingtomove forwardintoabetterfuturenotaswhitepeople,orBlackpeople,butashumanswhoareflawed buttryingtodotheirbestwiththesituationpresentedtothem.
“Missingtheheartofskyline,itssoul.”
Coarthoughtthataftertheattacksthatthenationwouldbebroughttogethermore, sotheracismhefacedtrulyshockedhimtohiscore.Followingtheattacks,airportswereshut downcompletely,businessesweregone,NewYorkCityandmanyothersaroundthecountry werelookinglikeghosttowns,nobodywasinsightfollowing9/11,everybodyhadholedupin fearofasecondattackcoming,butitneverdid.Peoplewhodidwalkoutoftheirhouseswere greetedbyaNewYorkCitymissingtheheartofitsskyline,itssoul.Everywheretheylookthey foundthedeathsurroundingthemandtheycouldfeelthesoulsofthedeadinpainbecause therewasnothingtodistractthemfromthedead,fromthecarnage,fromthedestruction.
Therewasnobodytohelpthemmakesenseofthis,sopeoplelikeCoarjusthadto wakeupandtryandmakeitseemnormal,butitcouldneverbenormalagain.Whiletheattacks wereovertheaftershocksstillsurprisedeverybodybecausetherehadneverbeenanattack couldbeconductedagainstAmericaandtothisdegreeofsuccess.Whenairportsstartedto openupagainCoarandothersthoughtthattheywouldjustbesubjectedtorandomsecurity checksiftheywerethoughttohavebeenassociatedwiththeterrorists,butCoarsoonfoundout tohishorrorthatracismhadtakentheplaceofnationalprotection. CoaralongwithwhatIcanassumeweremanyotherpeoplewerechosenforeverysecurity checkbecausetheyhadafunnyname,soanybodyregardlessifitwasanamerootedinAfrica, theMiddleEast,Polynesian,SouthAmerica,Baltic,orfromanywhereelsebutatraditional Englishnamewasthoughttobeaterroristandchecked,thismadeCoarbecomelessproudin thenationthathecalledhome.Heknewthatjustbecausehehadafunnynamedidnotmean thathewaspartofaterroristgrouptryingtobringdownAmericaandkillthousandsofpeople. Hehadtorevisitthequestionbecausehefounditsohardtoprocess,oncehewasabletothink aboutithisfacedinstantlyswitchedfrombeinghappyandhopefultofullofdreadandpain,this hauntedhimbydescribingthepainhefacedinthefollowingyearsstating,“BecauseIhavea funnysoundingname,Iwassubjectedtothesocalled‘RandomSecurityChecks.’Forthenext twoyearsIwasselectedforevery‘RandomSecurityCheck.’”
After9/11therewasracismthathadrooteditswayagainstpeopleofcolor,bothof AfricandescentandthosefromtheMiddleEast.Thismadeitsothatpeoplewhomighthavejust beenfromEgyptfoundthemselvesbeingcheckedinairportsjusttomakesuretheyarenota terrorist.ThismusthavebeenachallengingtimeformanyAfricanAmericansandArab Americanswhojustwantedtotryandgoonaholidayorafamilytripbutwaspulledawayfrom theirfamilytochecktoseeiftheyareabomber.So,followinganattackinwhichitshouldhave broughtanationtogetherinatimeofcrisisbutinsteadtherootsofracismhadseepedtheirway intotheprotectionofplanesintheUnitedStates.
Weknowthatpeoplewerehavingtodealwithhorribleproblemsthatsomepeopletoday cannotevenimagineintheirworstnightmares.Thesepeoplearesomeofthestrongestpeople toeverwalktheplanetandtheyarejusteverydaypeoplejustlikeyouandme,buttheywent throughsomuchpainandstilllivedlonghappylives.Thismeansthatanypersoncouldgetput inthispositionandtheycouldbeabledealwithitandkeeponmoving.Thismakesmethink thateverypersoncandealwithsomuchmorepainthantheycanthinkof,butwedonotdothat becauseweareeithernotputintothatpositionorthatfar,ortheydonotwanttogothatfar becauseitisuncomfortable.So,Iaskyouthis,youcanmanagesomuchmorethanyouthinkso whatdoyouthinkyoucouldfightthrough,andcanyoupushevenfurtherthroughthat.
Kamau helps people to tell their families that they are ok following the 9/11 attacks while dealing with it himself.
HelpingPeopleofColorout Kamauhasmanyawardsfromhistimeathisformer jobhelpingpeopleofcolor.
Photo by Savoy
Road to Success
Story and struggles of a man immigrating from Uzbekistan And reaching his dreams and goals
By Laila Cohen
It was a calm and peaceful night in the Cohen household, when I walked into the living room my Lenny Cohen was watching his movie while my mom was finishing some work on her computer. The sweet smell of the candle was burning on the table. I walk up to my dad and sit beside him on the couch. This topic did not get brought up in the family much but if it were, we would not go into detail with it. My dad was sipping on his evening tea when I asked my first question. My father grew up in Uzbekistan with his family of six. His oldest sister already moved to America with her husband, so the family decided it was also time. My dad came to America along with seven other family members when he was twenty. They arrived in New York City in October of 1993. They came with almost nothing and then managed to turn his true American dream into a reality.
In Uzbekistan, my dad and his family faced many anti-Semitic threats by classmates, colleges, bosses and more. At the time for my dad and his family it was very dramatic and traumatic for them as it happened a lot due to rising antisemitism in the USSR at the time. Jews lived along Muslims- most cases peacefully- but cases of antisemitism in former USSR was a norm, yet it was absolutely shocking for my father.
On the evening of May 10th ,1990 they got interrupted by their neighbor during their dinner getting notified that there is a mob on their street attacking jews. It was almost incomprehensible to hear that in a country that states that everybody is equal, that there would be so much hate. 40 Jewish and Armenian homes were burned down, robbed, and stores were looted and burned to the ground. Jews were attacked and they had to spend the night in military camp- and at only the age of seventeen my dad and his family also had to spend the night in the military camp. This is so heartbreaking as his daughter because knowing something bad is happening to a city that he loved is very scary. Another situation happened where someone pulled a knife on him because they did not like what he had to say. Situations like these took a big mental and physical toll on the family and their situation and it was a time of uncertainty, and you will not know what will happen tomorrow. My dad’s father (Michael Cohen) worked for a cooperation in Uzbekistan and since it was USSR the government owned everything (time of socialism), but this was one of the more respected and higher paying jobs, and as my dad describes “At some point someone came to your grandpa’s office, put a gun on the table and said either you will leave, or someone will carry you out.”
This is when the family knew it was time to leave the country and go to Americabefore more of these situations happened- like his oldest sister already did. He did not talk to his older sister a lot (Ira Cohen) because she already moved to America with her husband and calls overseas were $2/min. My dad said they got very used to these types of harsh comments throughout their life and it was not something you could deal with, and you just had to ignore it as best you can.
Immigration was a long process for his family, especially at that time. After years of trying to prove to the American embassy that they had a reason to come into the United States as legal refugees they finally got accepted and the family was very excited for the new opportunity. Although they were very excited, they had to still fill out paperwork in a language they really didn’t know that much about, and it was a really big struggle for them, and they feared a lot that if they made a mistake they could be deported back. For example, they had to go to social security office and fill out paperwork for a social security card/number that American citizens get when they are born.
They had to apply for refugee status because Uzbekistan was unsafe at that time for them. But They had to go through Russia because that was the only way to get to united states. From Uzbekistan they had to take a 3-day train to Moscow because taking a plane was very hard to get and very expensive. At the time, the Russian mafia and the Government had controlled everything, and Moscow was not a stable or safe city to be at the time because the government had not been providing adequate protections for its citizens. They were told that for the Russian mafia not to steal their things, they had to get off one stop before they reached the central point of Moscow. He described his experience as “Then when we got to Moscow, it was 1993 and at that time, Moscow was extremely corrupted, a lot of organized crime with the Russian mafia taking place from the second when you unload the train.” Once they arrived in Moscow they stayed there for about 4-5 days before their departure to America. They had to leave everything behind. Money, all jewelry, most clothes, and all home supplies. The only jewelry that was aloud was the parents wedding rings. They could not even sell anything that they owned in their house because people said they could just take it when they leave anyway. Money was not allowed to be converted from rubels to dollars or else that would be illegal, and my grandpa did not want to risk going to jail or even death at that time. Before they left, they left their money with their family in Uzbekistan. At the time, my dad’s family was not poor or suffered with money, they were on the wealthier side and lived a comfortable life. Soon that would not be the case. They arrived in America with only $5000 for 8 people (his mom, dad, sister, brother, brothers’ wife, his grandma and 2 kids underage of 5). Soon that $5,000 turned into $1500 after they had to pay for rent of the apartment just in the first month. They were thankful they had refugee status in the US so the Government did provide them with money, but it still was not enough to live with the basics, but they were grateful for whatever they could get. For my grandpa, he studied English lots before arriving, even though he knew some English, it was hard to get a job for him but five years after they arrived, he got a job as realtor.
When my dad was in Uzbekistan, he studied in a medical school for college right after high school. Where he lived, after kindergarten, you only needed 10 years of schooling till college. When the immigration process started, he started thinking about what college he wanted to go to in America as he was told if he wanted to get a degree in anything or have a good job, he would have to start all over. For my dad this was the biggest blow and disappointment, but he was determined to get a good job in the US and build up from what he had. Since he did not have much and not much money, my dad went to a city college in New York called Hunter college. He explains the difference as, “In Uzbekistan we only studied things medically related because I went to a medical school for college vs in America, I picked biology major, so I got exposed to similar subjects, but I also had to learn other pre-required subjects in college .”As someone who did not know English very well, he struggled learning new things in his classes as they were all taught in English. He also explained that in Uzbekistan, after high school you go to a college specific to your field or what you wanted to be (for him it was medical doctor) but in the US you pick a major and more subjects that are mandatory. When he moved to the US, he did college, his undergraduate, medical school, residency, and fellowship. At first, he wanted to be a neurosurgeon then moved to neurology after 3 months of grueling surgical rotation when he realized that surgery was not his thing. My dad finally settled on being a neurologist and became more passionate about Alzheimer’s. Specifically in 2014 when my grandfather died of Alzheimer’s. He knew it was his job as his son to research more into it and start to help people with Alzheimer’s. This played a big role in his life as he is now a neurologist and is a big contributor to the Alzheimer’s association and hopes to help a lot of people with Alzheimer’s as well as other neurological conditions.
When my dad moved to the United States in the early 90’s, he got a job just 2 weeks after landing. He tried to get a job at a restaurant that was opening but the man who owned it said he would get back to him but never did. He kept trying then one day the man said yes. He offered my dad the job to help paint the restaurant and since my dad already had some construction experience, he gladly took the offer. Shortly after the restaurant opened, my dad got hired to be the delivery driver and dishwasher. After he proved to his boss, that he was worthy of having a higher role, he got promoted as prep chef and then slowly moved up to the position of the manager of the restaurant. He spoke “In a way being an immigrant is a blessing in disguise because immigrants are hungry. They do not have as much. they want to achieve something other people take for granted.” This showed my dad had a desire to do something and not just to do it but to also be the best at it. This is what my dad has taught me throughout my life, it is to have a passion for something and to strive to be the best at it. This has really helped me and has shown me to have a desire to do things I like and want to get better at. As my dad being an immigrant who came to this country with very little money, he showed he will do anything to reach his goals and be the best at what he does, and he still strives for that today (although I think he is the best at what he does). Being an immigrant pushed him to reach his goals and has helped him get to where he is right now. Now he can look back and see how far he has come from just having a starting job of only $3.25/hour to now being one of the best neurologists in the state and he did that with a push of desire and wanting to be successful in what he did.
My family's immigration from a country struck by anti-Semitism and violence contrasts sharply with the Soviet regime's vision of equality. My family received threats from classmates, mobs/mafia, and bosses emphasizing the harsh realities of discrimination. My family's tragic experiences, such as an approaching mob attack on May 10, 1990, emphasized the need of their journey to America. My father's academic transition and career in medicine highlight the transformational power of the immigrant experience, demonstrating how difficulties can fuel determination and success. The family's experience exemplifies the larger immigrant story of optimism, perseverance, and the desire for a better life. This demonstrates that with determination and a goal, you can accomplish anything.
“At some point someone came to your grandpa’s office, put a gun on the table and said either you will leave, or someone will carry you out.”- Lenny Cohen
My dad (Lenny Cohen) in Atlantic city, New Jersey a year after he arrived in the United States
Cata Bryant: “I love What I Do.”
Bryant always tries her hardest to pursue her passion.
Cata Bryant is a 21-year-old college student with aspirations of becoming a teacher She goes to DePaul, and lives on campus in Lincoln Park. She has a mother, a father, and two brothers She grew up in the South-Loop, of Chicago, and went to Frances Xavier Warde for middle school She has always tried to model her life after her grandpa. With her grandpas’ influence, she has had one goal in mind, “Do what you love, no matter how hard it is to obtain.”
Growing up with Bryant, I could always tell how good she was with kids. When I was born, she was seven, and she had always shown an interest in hanging out with me. While most of the older kids thought I was annoying, or a burden, Bryant always wanted to play Later in her life, when she figured out, she wanted to be a teacher, you could see why She always presented the qualities of a teacher. She was always kind, loving, and caring.
She was also always a great leader One distinct memory I have is Bryant always taking charge in any game we would play While most kids fear failing, Bryant never strayed away from leading a group of people. She had always shown an interest, even before majoring in education, with at one point stating, “I knew it was always something I had wanted to do,” when talking about teaching She admires the teachers she has had, and explains why by stating, “Those first moments of a person, and I know they create a safe place ” This shows that she has meaning, and a basis as to why she loves her profession, teaching.
Her traits that she displayed earlier in life, give a reason as to why she chooses to do what she does. Everyone should have a reason behind the job they pick, and should not pick a profession based on money, but on what they are passionate about.
By:
Graham Collins
Getting to know Bryant, and seeing her grow as a person, has shown me what it means to be devoted
Through her sports, at her school, she was always trying to make it as great as possible When she was going to high school, all her friends from FXW were going to Saint Ignatius, but she was going to Loyola Although she knew it would be hard, and scary, she also knew that she could make lots of memories at Loyola She worked hard to branch new friendships, and to become a better student-athlete, and after high school, she worked to connect the friends she made at Loyola, into lifelong friendships
Her skill of connecting is shown in a writing class she takes at DePaul When describing talking about her classes, she proclaims, “I do connect all of my writing to my passion, which is teaching ” This shows how you can connect anything you do in life to what you love If what you love is teaching, strive for greatness in that field, but if it is something else, strive for greatness in whatever that may be.
“I knew it was something I always wanted to do.”
Bryant’s biggest struggle in life has been seeing through the fear When she first started college, she dropped out because she did not love it. She knew it would be scary when she had to tell her parents, but she
still did it. She sees through the fear, to pursue what she loves Although she had not figured out that teaching was something she had wanted to pursue, she did later, and if she never had dropped out, she never would have been able to pursue what she loved: teaching. She saw through the fears, to figure out what she wanted to do, and she does the same thing now and is pursuing what she loves to do
Still scared, she sees through the fear of taking care of little kids, to pursue her passion She claims, “It is very scary to be taking care of infants”. This exemplifies the thought that even if you fear something, you should still pursue it if you love it. Even though Bryant fears teaching, she is going through college for it is what she loves. Nerves are not always negative and can bring out your true self This shows that you should always remember, that although things are scary you must see through the freight
One of her biggest goals is to deepen her relationship with her community. She admires her grandpa, because he has similar value to herself She strives to be like him, and create a strong relationship in her community. I see a shine in her eyes as she takes a deep breath and recalls, “I would also say that my grandpa inspires me because…he is involved in his community ” She goes on to state that some of his involvement includes going to farmers markets and making connections in his community, something she is trying to do when she joins all these clubs
She takes a class about the current state of nature in the city of Chicago This shows how she wants to influence by learning how to better the city. When asked about how joining clubs connects to her personality, she looks to the sky, as she states, “It connects to my sense of building a community ” This exemplifies the fact that
you can bring your morals through everything. She has decided to join clubs and take classes based on her community, to deepen her connections inside her community.
I hope to never feel like I am overreaching and should always strive to be the best community member I can be. A tip I have taken away from this interview, and Bryant’s life in general, is to strive to be someone great Bryant does this with her grandpa and has deepened her relationship in her community, by doing just that.
Most people treat their job with little thought They think of it as something they have to do, instead of something they get to do This is most likely because they pick something they don’t love. One thing that I appreciate about Bryant is her drive to take everything with 100% and live in the moment. One thing I can take away is to treat your profession as a passion, and not a job.
As a college student, Bryant looks to expand her knowledge on early childhood education.
THE CHANGE
Executive Vice President and Global Chief Human Resource officer for Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. building the future.
By Lauren Collins
As we called her, she picked up the phone excited to share her story. It is 1979 and Kathleen Thompson is an 18-year-old girl feeling a mix of nerves and excitement as she cruised off to the University of Michigan. As she was in the car with her parents, she let her window down and felt the wind blowing on her face. This gave her comfort and peace about her transition to college. Along the drive thoughts of her college journey flooded her mind picturing the new connections she would make and the impact she could create. She wanted equality during this journey to ensure fair treatment for all regardless of their background. In 1953, Thompson’s mom faced challenges that left a lasting mark on her past, making her into the person she stands as today. Following her mom's footsteps Thompson went to the University of Michigan with a passion to better the lives of others and spark positive
change in others. Remembering her mother's words, Kathleen shared, “Back in the early 50s, my mom graduated but was denied the chance to teach after being the top student in her class.” Another moment that Kathleen expressed was, “Those stories hit hard, and I felt the need to make a difference in my own way to push for a brighter future.”
Despite her mother’s talents, holding a degree in romance languages, and being fluent in four languages, discrimination hindered her teaching dreams. This led her to a role in a small Mexican bakery and grocery store due to her fluency in Spanish. Thompson was moved by her mother's struggles, and she noticed how hard it was for her mom and how the weight of injustice impacted her. She saw the unfairness her mother faced especially during a time when the Civil Rights Act was not passed, holding back talented and smart individuals like her mother based on her skin color.
Thompson’s journey began at the University of Michigan where she majored in English literature during her undergrad years. There, she earned her bachelor’s degree in Ann Arbor in 1979. Her drive and dedication for knowledge led her to Wayne State University located in Detroit, Michigan, where she pursued her doctorate's degree and LLM (a graduate qualification in the field of law) In 1982, and Master of Laws in corporate and finance law in 1996 both from Wayne State University. Which sculpted the way for her legal career. Transitioning from a student to a lawyer she went on a path that intertwines law and corporate jobs. Starting her career in San Francisco she honored her skills in the corporate world for corporate law jobs before transitioning to trial law. In her words she says, “those stories hit hard, and I felt the need to make a difference in my own way to push for a brighter future.”
’’Those stories hit hard, and I felt the need to make a difference in my own way to push for a brighter future.”
Thompson was an attorney by training, went to law school, became a lawyer, then made her way into labor and employment roles for corporations. Her educational and professional college experience paved the way for her successful career, which opened many doors for her and sculpted the path of her future. She was born and raised in Michigan then she started a new beginning in Chicago. At the time she was working for Kellogg in the legal department and HR. Positioning in higher places in the corporate world as she rose to the role of chief human resource officer for the Kellogg Company, which then guided her towards a new chapter. She started working for the CEO, Greg Watson. He picked her to be his human resource officer for Walgreens. A move that impacted her in the vibrant streets of Chicago. “I was working in Kellogg and HR which then I was risen to lead as the chief human resource officer globally for the Kellogg Company,” she stated with pride recounting her journey. Beyond her corporate work, she has expressed her passion for community service dedicating her time to various nonprofit organizations that nurture the neighborhoods they touch. Recently she went to a college fair supported by
one hundred Black men, where multiple schools looked for the attention of eager students. She is committed to doing this, empowering the next generation.
After years of dedicated work to being on the board of Walgreens, she decided it was time for a new chapter retiring but far from slowing down. She opened up new opportunities embracing self-employment, she found herself navigating the landscape of board memberships. Alongside KWT LLC, a consulting firm specializing in human Capital Management became her passion project. Her days are now filled with engaging companies. She stated, “I'm on several publicly traded boards that is what I segued into when I retired from Walgreens, and I consult with companies on Human Capital Management.” The plot expands as she takes out a role on the boards of Tesla, Akessa, and Wolverine Worldwide each adding a unique part to her ever-evolving story.
Thompson’s story shows the power of education and her career development from her academic pursuits at the University of Michigan to her diverse roles in law and corporate jobs, her journey shows resilience, growth, and excellence. Thompson’s inspiring story of how passion, dedication, and continuous learning can shape a successful and fulfilling career path
Lorena Contreras, mother of four.
Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable
Mother of two kids with mental disabilities tells her parenting story.
The wind howled outside on that chilly Monday evening. I could feel the anticipation mounting as I turned to my mom, her figure bustling about the kitchen; she glanced up from her chore, her hands in warm, soapy water, and replied that she just needed a few more minutes to finish cleaning the dishes before our conversation began. As I waited for her in the living room, I arranged my camera on the table, the gentle hum of the running faucet mixing with the rustle of the wind outside. Moments later, she entered, wrapped in her cozy, fuzzy orange sweater. I took a deep breath and with a press of the recording button, I signaled the beginning of our conversation. “Hello, I am going to be interviewing my mom…” I announced, my voice steady yet filled with excitement. Contreras is a mother of four. Two of her children, Xavier, and Tony, both have special needs; Xavier, my older brother, was the first one to be born with a disability. I decided to focus on Xavier’s journey and hear her thoughts on parenting him. Throughout our interview, I learned how Contreras became comfortable with discomfort, and how that experience helped her grow as a person.
Contreras was a very hardworking mom who always did her best to help her children. However, her son's speech therapist told her that he was getting confused because they spoke both English and Spanish, affecting his ability to talk. Contreras seemed to regret not continuing to teach her children Spanish, as it was affecting not just him, but also most of her kids, even though that was not her intention. She said with a slight turn of her head staring into space and a slight frown, “I wish we did not change things.” This spoke to me, as I saw the result of it: most of her children struggle with knowing full Spanish, and most of the Spanish they know was learned at school which I can see when I hear them speak Spanish versus when she does. It makes me wonder what would have happened if she did not stop speaking and teaching us Spanish. In the interview, she mentioned that she tried not to speak to him, but that can only last for so long. What makes it powerful is that she also said that her children all started out speaking Spanish very well, but she saw the change when they went to school, and it did not help that Spanish was not spoken at home either. This is significant because language is an important part of a person's life, and learning a language can be hard, especially if it is not practiced, as practice makes perfect, right?
The term "Autism" was not used until 1911, but it meant something different than it does now. The disorder "Asperger's" was not described until 1994. Both discoveries were not too long ago. When my mom found out her son had autism, specifically Asperger's, she was not too worried, but she still had to figure out a way to help him with many things, like when he needed help with his speech and when he was a bit behind in school and needed to be held back. Knowing he had a disorder and knowing there was not much research done by the time he was diagnosed (2002), she was not wrong when she stated while shaking her head , "Science isn't what it is today." What is powerful about this is she was right. Based on the times, there was not much of a year gap for the term "autism" – it is less than a 100-year gap, and for “Asperger's," that is an 8-year gap. This is not that big of a gap either way, less than a decade. This makes me think, if there had been more research done, would she have had a different approach to parenting him? Would she have been more prepared? We would not know because it was such a new thing. This is significant since if it had not that researched yet, it must have been hard to hear that your son had that new of a disorder. But like she also said, “We did it with grace and did the best we could at the time." That was truly inspiring to hear, and it made me see how she was doing as a mom and how much credit she deserved.
accommodate them. However, my mom felt that if she were to treat him differently, it would not be fair. So, she did her best to make sure he was not treated differently. She felt that if she had treated him differently, he might have been a bit more behind. Since her daughter, Mara was so close in age to him, having to treat/parent them differently when they were only 10 months apart would have been hard to do anyway. Since she was an extraordinary and committed mother, she listened to what the doctors were saying and did her best to help him but made it a “purpose” to never parent him differently. She stated in a more serious tone, “I always made it a purpose to not treat him differently.” Even though he had special needs, she would not treat him differently, and we can see how the outcome of that was great because now he is at the University of Urbana Champaign majoring in Computer Science. What is powerful about this is that even though most would want to treat them differently because he was at a “disadvantage,” my mom knew that would not help him, so she chose to push him to succeed. This also makes me think that if she were to have treated him differently, would he not have made it as far as he has? Would his personality be different? What would have happened? I also think that it was best she did not treat him differently since that is probably what made him so great, and his being challenged helped him in the future when he would be since not everyone gives the same treatment.
When finding help for a child can be hard and daunting, Contreras made sure always to find the best care she could find for her son. She did this by listening to what the doctors said and doing research of her own to find other things to help her son. When going to the doctor multiple times to discuss Xavier and his special needs and what he can get to help with his speech, motor skills, etc. she took mental notes. Since the doctor only told her where to go to get a speech mythologist, she had to research to find out which one she needed to get, and which would help Xavier more. During the interview, we can see that she is glad she picked the speech mythologist named Anita. Contreras spoke with a slight smile and hand movements, “ I will always remember his speech mythologist Anita she was always so patient and caring, and it was because of her, that he started to say words.” This is powerful because Xavier was 3 or 4 when he got his speech mythologist and had already started to speak small words after seeing her for some time. She also helped him with occupational therapy which supports her theory on how great Anita was since she helped him with a lot. It makes me think, what if Contreras picked a different speech mythologist, would Xavier learn as well as he did with Anita? Would Contreras have shown as much interest in them as she did with Anita? This also suggests how much doctors or even just people can affect us in our lives because Anita helped Contreras with her son, Xavier's speech and motor skills Contreras still remembers her and is still to this day incredibly grateful for her.
was able to evolve and achieve. This makes me think about how this stereotype started. What evidence did they have that they were not smart? Has this stereotype changed in any way today?
Throughout most of her journey as a parent, Contreras faced immense challenges raising her son, Xavier. Yet, despite the countless struggles, she remained resolute and steadfast, pouring her heart into supporting his growth. Her dedication showed as Xavier now thrives in college, pursuing his undergraduate degree in computer science. It is impressive to see how she balanced the demands of work and the needs of her other children while navigating the complexities of parenting a child with a disability especially one that was not professionally researched at the time. During our interview, I gained valuable insights into her experiences, which deepened my admiration for her resilience. Contreras shared that, while the path was not easy, she learned to be comfortable with discomfort. As she put it, “I think to grow you need to be in some uncomfortable situations.” Her words resonated deeply, inspiring me to reflect on the importance of adapting to life's challenges and finding strength in vulnerability.
By: Amanda Contreras
Usually, when hearing that a child has a disability, most might want to treat them differently to help
All mothers tell their kids how they are so smart, cool, and amazing. But as a mother of kids with special needs, Contreras always felt they were talked down to and wanted them to speak up for themselves. One of her sons with special needs is very vocal, but the other is reserved, which is why she felt he was talked down to. She stated, "We as a society can't handle how intelligent they are." She later explained how, since they have special needs, most people think that they are not smart enough to understand things, when this is not true, and they can be intelligent. But because of this stereotype, people believe otherwise. Contreras also shares, "Who would have thought the kid 20 years ago wouldn’t speak is now in one of the most complex fields." This is evidence of how intelligent they can be, but since they are stereotyped so much, no one believes how much they can achieve. This is also powerful because she also reflects on how he could not speak 20 years ago and how much he
“I always made it a purpose to not treat him differently.”
Road to Glory
A story of how the education system made Michael Marcus a successful man.
By: Evan Cook
Michael Marcus, standing in an office with a patient laying in the chair below him. The dental tools in hand assisting the person in the chair. White coat, red and brown flannel, and a smile on. The heavy breeze of the air conditioning blowing threw his white, slicked back hair. As he puts the tools inside of the patient’s mouth, he can feel the hot breath blowing onto his hands.
The person in the chair, me, Evan Cook. Marcus came into my life in January of 2022. Marcus introduced himself to me and my siblings as a genuinely nice man as our mom’s boyfriend and dentist. I interviewed Marcus to learn about his perspective on the journey it took to become a successful man.
Growing up in the Midwest for Marcus was a wonderful experience where he learned many lessons. In 1977, Michael Marcus is 15 years old and living in the suburbs
of Chicago. At 15 years old he loved to hang out with his family and friends from around the neighborhood. Marcus grew up in a small house with three other siblings.
Other than school, he had little worries in the world and his life was simple. Everyday throughout his childhood Marcus would have fun, but later in life he would need to know things to succeed in the world. Marcus, his brother, and his friends learned many lessons in the little Jewish town they lived in. The lessons Marcus and his friends learned from his father and other people in the neighborhood stuck with him forever. Marcus reflected on his childhood: “Growing up in the Midwest there was great family values, community, friendships.”
Marcus did not know back then that these lessons he learned would stick with him forever. Marcus had a broad experience and loved the significance it brought to his life. Marcus’s family and friends not only provided enjoyment for Marcus, but also helped him tremendously throughout his childhood with these lessons. Marcus growing up in the Midwest shaped him to be the man he is today. This relates to me because growing up in the Midwest, I have learned things that will stick with me forever
Marcus’s Family has been a great asset in his life and has helped him in his success to be a great Father and Dentist. Marcus’s dad was a supportive man that gave Marcus many opportunities as a person in the world. Marcus’s company, Michael Marcus Dental Care was not a company that made much money. To fix this, Marcus’s dad loaned him around 6,000 dollars to get his company functional. Marcus talks about how his family and specifically his parents have taught him immensely.
Marcus’s relationship with his parents was about how he would succeed in his life and make sure he lives the life that he wants to live. Marcus’s parents are an especially important part in his childhood, and they helped him with everything he needed. School in Marcus’s life was something he had to master. His parents were strict about school, but they were also immensely helpful. He says, “Michael Marcus won the parent lottery. My parents reinforced education for me and my siblings.”
Marcus’s parents gave him the opportunity to have this success by constantly being involved in his life as someone on whom he can rely. Marcus’s parents assisted him throughout his life with education and work with things like loans. Marcus contently says, “My dad paid $2,000 to start a storage company, I mean it didn’t work but this really taught me that my parents were here for me.”
His parents are such a helpful part, and he is so grateful to have them. Knowing that his dad was going to be there for him and help to get his ideas to work taught that Marcus’s parents were the greatest thing to have in his life. Marcus’s parents have taught him things and helped him in his early years; just like how my parents have helped me.
as a dentist. At his company, Michael Marcus Dental Care he has a lot of help, but he did not always have this. Marcus started out as an assistant for his dad making $5,000 a year which was about $70,000 less than what he should have been making in a year. Marcus had to work two other jobs to make sure he had enough money. Eventually he had enough money to start a tiny dentist office in a high rise building that had four employees to start.
Through struggles Marcus made his company grow to a generous size and still collaborates with his father who was his first employee. Marcus went through many years of school and education to have the opportunity to become a dentist. Marcus learned that if he wants to help people more than anything he will have more accomplishments in his career. Marcus states, “Trusting the process and telling myself not to be a successful dentist, but to be a great one. I wanted to help people more than anything.”
Marcus’s love for helping people allowed him to have remarkable success even if he was not striving for it. The way Marcus thought about how to be a great man was to help others. To be a successful man Marcus had to be different from all other dentists, so he chose to not worry about the money, but instead worry about how his patients felt about him. Making the patients feel welcomed and cared for would spread his name which eventually grew his company
Reflecting on his early life, Marcus has put himself in the right situations to always have the best life he can have. The high school that a young Marcus goes too has a total 523 kids in all grades. Marcus was a captain of the basketball team for 3 years.
Playing basketball taught him how to collaborate with other people. Also, Marcus in fourth grade wrote a paragraph on what he wanted to be in his future and how he was going to achieve it. He wrote about becoming a professional baseball player. He also wrote that if that does not work out, I want to be a dentist just like his father.
He was going to do this by trying his hardest to get the best grades so he can get into medical school. In his school years, all twenty of them, Marcus pushed himself to be the best student and person he could be. Marcus states, “Looking back from year 20 to year 1 it doesn’t seem like a lot at all, but it prepared me to live the life I live today.”
“Trusting the process and telling myself not to be a successful dentist, but to be a great one. I wanted to help people more than anything.”
-Michael Marcus
Marcus became a successful man by working hard and wanting to help people
Marcus’s education experience helped him tremendously to make him a successful man. The 20 years of school to become a dentist was very worth it. Marcus had the greatest experience he has made a great name for himself as a wonderful dentist, father, son, and sibling to his family and friends. Looking back at his school life he realized the dream he wanted from the start and made sure to make it happen. Marcus’s education opened many opportunities for him as it has for me as well. Having this help and great childhood assisted Marcus significantly throughout his life and to become a great man. Marcus is an outstanding father, co-worker, brother, and son. Marcus has shown determination throughout his journey and the people in his life are incredibly lucky to have him. If you put your mind to it, you can one day become a successful person in whatever it is you choose to do in life. Extraordinarily, Marcus became one of America’s top 200 dentists. From Marcus I have learned, everything in life can be earned if one wants it more than anything else.
Michael Marcus sitting in his office at Michael Marcus Dental Care.
Carolyn Giannopoulos: Founder of Chicago Bully Breed Rescue
My hair is still wet from my trip to the beach I still smell of sunscreen and lake water I type in the Zoom code to start my meeting with Carolyn Giannopoulos I feel slightly anxious because I’ve never met her If I have, I don’t remember While I am waiting for her to join the call, I remove my notebook from my school bag and open the page with all my questions and notes My dog walks into the room, tail wagging furiously, and pulls the cord from my computer I scold him and yell at him to get out of my room. I plug it back in. My mother, clearly hearing my anger, calls for the dog. I finally begin top relax and gain a little more confidence As Ms Giannopoulos joins the Zoom, I sit back in my chair, and our interview begins
Carolyn Giannopoulos, 1989 had just turned 17 and had been working at an adoption center for a few months. She did not feel that all the dogs were represented or were given a fair chance at getting adopted One day she had the dream to create her own dog rescue that benefited the dogs that were harder to get to be adopted She wanted to focus on them and make sure they found a good forever home She talked to her co-workers who knew a lot about dogs and felt similar about the issue
She started her non-profit organization in 1989, at 17 years old; Chicago Bully Breed Rescue (CBBR) She grew up in Chicago and started her organization at her family's house in Chicago Currently, she still resides in Chicago, managing her business and raising her own five dogs She is a close friend of my mother's, from when my mom worked at the organization
Carolyn Giannopoulos in May 2021
Carolyn Giannopoulos started a non-profit dog rescue when she was 17. She explains how the adoption process works.
Giannopoulos is an expert on the adoption process at Chicagoland Bully Breed Rescue She explained to me what kind of dogs her organization specializes in Bully breeds are dogs that most rescue places will euthanize because they are not easily adopted due to a lot of people thinking they are dangerous yet that is not usually the case Giannopoulos started Chicagoland Bully Breed Rescue (CBBR) when she was 17 in her parent’s house, now 33 years later the organization is the best it has been And is working more to rescue as many dogs that need help as possible of all breeds, although bully breed dogs are still the focus
She explains, “We take in dogs that need help and we work on any problems they have, whether they are behavioral or medical, and we re-home them and find them a new forever home ” It is one of CBBR’s main missions to include and help as many dogs as possible no matter what state they are in We agree that we don’t think any dog should ever have to die or never find a loving family because they just need more training, or they have a medical problem
For all the dogs that enter the organization, the goal is to find them a forever home, re is no option for them not to Even Giannopoulos has kept some of the dogs and adopted them herself as well as some of the families that foster the dogs
We discuss what steps the organization takes for an adoption, she runs me through the whole process She explains the first step a person can take if they are interested in adopting a dog She describes, “So when they fill out an application, it’s a bit more of a commitment And we also get to see what might be, what dog might be a good match for them ” She mentions how filling out an application is more of a commitment, so they get more of only people who are interested in adopting Then a volunteer will look at the applications and look at their house to see if it would be a good environment if they have any kids or any other pets. So, from there Giannopoulos and other volunteers who know the dogs well can help narrow the options down if they don’t have any previous ideas for a dog, they already know they want to adopt
The foster houses are something that the organization would not be able to work without, all dogs that are up for adoption stay at a foster house while they look for a forever family for them. Giannopoulos also says how some
dogs end up finding their home at the foster house and they end up adopting the dog too Also, at these foster homes, they can figure more out about the dogs, like if they do well with other animals, kids, and if they have a lot of energy or not The foster homes let the dogs be in a home environment and they can train the dogs to be house-trained and be used to a family setting if they aren’t already
After the adopter applies, and if it gets approved, they will move on to the next step, which is a two-week trial period Giannopoulos is very involved in this step because she cares a lot about these dogs and does not want them to end up in a bad situation or the people too She goes into more detail about how in some cases the adopters might sugarcoat their life or home so their application might not be a good representation of the life they live. But the trial period is a good test to see if it will be a good situation: “And if everything looks okay, then we sign a contract and I give them usually like a two-week trial ”
This two-week trial is good to make sure the dog is fitting in with the family and other pets. Make sure they are transitioning well to the new environment, and everyone is happy. Giannopoulos explains how they are never afraid to tell a family no if it is not going to work out because it is not a good environment for the dog They are very frugal with who they let adopt their dogs and want to make sure there safe and well taken care of
The last step for the adopter is to complete the adoption and sign over the legal owner of the dog from the organization to the person But she explains how the adoption is never really final because they stay in touch with every adopter, because they become so close with their dogs and care about them She shares, “We like to stay in touch with our adopters So even though the adoption is final, once the dog is there and we sign a contract it never really is final, because we're always asking, you know, we check in with them to see how they're doing and keep up with them ” They have them sign the final paperwork to say that legally that dog is their responsibility But after that, she says that because they build strong connections with the dogs and the people She goes on to describe how she will randomly get messages from different people who have previously adopted dogs from them sending her photos or random health updates
In the past 34 years, as Giannopoulos has had her organization, she has learned more about dogs, and the adoption process, and has got to meet some great dogs and people She has learned how to have an organization, how to advertise for different dogs getting adopted, and how to take care of so many dogs She started when she was a teenager with some knowledge about dogs and a dream for an organization that helps save dogs' lives. She has succeeded in that goal, but she still hopes to expand the organization to be as big as possible, helping as many dogs as possible find their forever homes
“We take in dogs that need help… and find them a forever home.”
- Carolyn Giannopoulos
SarahBellisa NursePractitioner whoworkedinthe UPennHospital duringtheCOVID19pandemic.
OntheFrontLine
HowSarahBellstruggledwithand overcamethechallengesthatcamewith fightingtotreatCoronavirus.
ByRoseDoherty
SarahBell,handsquivering,tookanunsteadystepintothehospital. Asshewalkedintoherchangingroom,afellownursehandedherasurgical mask.Herfearwasamplified.Beforethatday,Bellhadn’tneededtoweara mask,andshefearedwhatmightbeinstoreforher.Ascarynewvirushad forcedtheentireworldintoquarantine,andBellandothernurseswerethe oneswhohadtotreatit.ThatviruswasCoronavirus,orCOVID-19.Sarah Bellisa33-year-oldnursepractitionerwhograduatedfromtheUniversityof Pennsylvania’sNursingschool.Underneathhereasy-goingexteriorisa determinedandresilientmedicalprovider,wife,andarecentmom.Sheis alsomybelovedauntwholivesinmyneighborhood.WhiletalkingwithBell, Iuncoveredthetruthofwhatitwasreallyliketotreatandcureanentirely newvirus.
Bellgrewuparoundnurses.HerolderbrotherGeorgehada cripplingillness,sodoctorsandnursesoftenfrequentedherMassachusetts hometoprovidecaretohim.Herotherolderbrother,Aaron,hadalsobecome anursebythetimeshewasinhighschool,andheshowedherwhatbeinga nursewaslike.Bellfellinlovewiththeprofession’sabilitytomakeadirect, hands-onimpactonpatients’healthandrecovery,andplannedonbeinga nurseeversincethen.Eventhroughoutcollegeandgraduateschool,Bellhad neverconsideredanyotherfield.Aftercollege,sheeventuallysettledinto workingattheUniversityofPennsylvaniaHospitalinthesurgicalcareunit.
ShereportedthatsheneversawanysignsofaCOVID-19 pandemicuntilitexplodedontothemap,butthosedarktimesreaffirmedher jobchoice.Shepassionatelyacclaimedthat“IwantedtobeanursebecauseI wantedtomakeadifferenceinpeople’slives,”andthatCOVIDhelpedher seehowgreatlyherworkhelpedthepatientsunderhercare.Bellhadalways wantedtohelpothers,anditwasoneofthemainreasonsshechosenursing asherprofession.Herwillingnesstohelpothersnomatterthecosthelpedher keepgoingduringthosedarktimes.Herabilitytogothedistanceforher patientsinspiresmetoworkharderforothers.
Regardlessofherbraveryandselflessness,COVID-19wasstilla scarytimeforher,aswellaseveryoneelseintheworld.Atthestartofthe pandemic,COVID-19wassomethingnewandmysteriousforeveryone. COVID’scasesgrewexponentially,from0to80,000confirmedcasesper dayin4months.
COVID-19wasscaryforeveryonewhoexperiencedit,butmostof allforthepeoplewhoworkedonthefrontlinesinhealthcarefacilities.Here wasavirusthatnoonehadevertreatedbefore,yetthateveryonewasgetting sickwith.Itwasastruggletokeepconditionsstable,letalonehelppatients getbetter.Bellworkedsohardeveninthedarkesttimes,anditshowshow shewasresilientenoughtokeepbouncingbackthroughoutthepandemic.
WhilemostPhiladelphiaresidentshadtoremaininsidetoreduce thespreadofCOVID,Bellfoundherselfwalkingtoworkwithnooneelse outside.Sherecallsthatduringthefirstdayofworkinginthepandemic “Theyhandedmeamaskandwehadn’tbeenwearingmasksbeforethenand itwassuchascaryfeelingof,‘whatamIwalkinginto?’”Hervoicetrembled, andBellseemedgenuinelyscaredrememberingthatmoment,anditseemed likethethoughtofthepandemicstillhauntshertoday.
Afterenteringthehospitalthatday,mostnursesanddoctorslike herweremovedtotheCOVIDcareunittodealwiththeextremeinfluxof COVID-19patients.Nursesanddoctors,includingBell,hadtoworkin7-day bursts—7daysinthehospital,7daysoff.
Atthetime,Bellandothernursesanddoctorswereoftenmoved aroundthehospitaltofillupholes,whichmeantshewasoftenhelpingto treatCOVIDpatients.ShebelievedthatthemainstressorofCOVIDwasthe sheeramountofpeoplethatweregettingsickwithit—andshesawthat firsthandbyworkinginPhiladelphia.Shehadtousematerialssheusedfor otherrespiratoryillnessesliketheflu.Shedescribesthesituationasthat“The wholehospitalturnedfrombeingaregularhospitalwithdifferentfloorsfor cancerpatientsandsurgicalpatientsandmedicinepatientsintoeveryonewas COVIDandwewerealltryingtotakecareofCOVIDpatients”.
Heralreadypackedhospitalschedulebecameevenmorecramped andtaxingbecauseofthepandemic.Afterwork,sheonlyhadtimetoshower, eatdinner,andmaybewatchashowortwobeforeshehadtogotosleepand wakeupat4:45a.m.andgetreadyforwork.Bellfoundsolace,however, throughFacetimewithherfamilyandtakingwalkswithherhusbandandher twodogs.Throughallofthehardshipshefaced,IfinditamazingthatBell stillfoundwaystoconnectandrelaxwhilestillgivingheralltoherpatients.
Thingsdidnotstaythisbadforlong.ByAugust2020,thehospital haddispensedwith7day-styleshifts,andotherprovidersweremakingbig breakthroughsonwhatCOVIDwasandhowtocureandprotectothersfrom it.Inthemedicalindustry,whatBellandotherprovidersweredoingwas calledtranslationalresearch.Thismeansthateverythingthatwasbeing researchedwentstraighttobeingusedonpatients,regardlessofwhetherit wasfinishedornot.
Peopleoutsideofthehospitalwerealsolearninghowtostaysafe, wearingmaskswhileawayfromhomeorremainingsixfeetapartfrom anotherperson.Shethinksthat“(Providers)wentfrom…livinginthe unknowntochanginghowwewerepracticingbasedonwhatwelearned.” Everyonewaslearningwhattodotostopthespreadofthevirus,doctorsand nursesincluded.
“Providerswentfromlivinginthe unknowntochangingwhatwewere practicingbasedonwhatwelearned.”
Soonafter,Bellwentbacktonormalworkhours,andtheCOVID19vaccinewasslowlyincorporatedintodailylife.COVIDcasesgradually begantodwindle.BellherselfpraisedtheCOVID-19vaccineasthefastest vaccinethathaseverbeenmade.Ithighlightsformehowfastandhowmuch peoplewerelearningaboutCOVID-19andhowtotreatandmonitorit.For Bell,thingsquicklycalmeddowntobasicconditionmonitoringandtaking ordersafterthevaccinebecamemorewidespread.
Afterthevaccine,thingsslowlystartedtoreopen,andBellfound thatthespikeofCOVID-19patientsbegantodull.Peoplestartedheading outsidemore,wearingmasksless,andgoingtopublicgatheringslikeschool orconcertsmoreoften.AfterCOVIDdieddown,Bellmovedwithher husbandtoChicago,hadtwochildren,andisnowworkinginthetrauma divisionatNorthwesternMedicine.Shebelievesthatoverall,thepandemic “wasareallytoughtimebutalsoagreattimeoflearningaboutourhealthcare system,howwecareforpatientsandhowwecareforeachother.”
ShedescribesCOVIDasan“ageofdiscovery.”Duringthattime, providerswerefindingnewwaystocareforpatients,andevenpeoplewho werenotdoctorsandnurseslearnedhowtokeepeachothersafefromillness, andmostofthesemethodsarestillinusetoday.Itgoestoshowmehow Bell’sperseveranceduringtheCOVID-19pandemicpaidoff,howhard doctorsandnurseslikeherwork,andhoweveryoneintheworldlearnedto bettercareforboththemselvesandeachotherduringthepandemic.Itwas trulyanageofdiscovery,evenunderharshconditions.
Bell’sstoryshowsusthatresilienceiskeyindarktimeslikeduring COVID.Thewayshecaredforherpatientsevenundertheharshestof conditionsistrulyadmirable.Duringtheinterview,itamazedmehowshe hadtheabilitytoshowupforherpatientswithsocialandworkpressures alreadyweighingonher.Bellreflectsthat“Insomeways,thepandemic showedmehowresilientprovidersare,doctorsandnursesareallvery resilientinthecarethey’reabletogive,”includingherself.
The Lessons Learned Along the Way
Thomas E. Mclean; a young black boy, from New Jersey who made it big.
By Ivie Ehimwenman
Could you imagine stepping up to compete with everything on the line? As Thomas E. Mclean stepped up to his lane and got in position, he looked to the left and right to see who he was competing against to win the NCAA University Division national championship. But he dims the crowd’s noise, the lights, and his opponents breathing. All he can hear are his thoughts and the officials call. “Runners take your marks, Get set.” BOOM! The sound of the gun goes off and it’s time to kill or be killed. Mclean crosses the line beating everyone beside him, winning the 1976 NCAA University Division national championship. The pride and excitement of crossing that line knowing he won is a feeling never forgotten but the work it took to get there will always stay with him no matter where he goes. All the hours of dreaming, training, and accomplishing. Since a young boy growing up Orange New Jersey in 1960, where the only popular sport was basketball, and the only way to make it big was playing basketball. All of that changed when he took a detour to track and that lead him down a path of great success that he never would’ve thought of. It took him to different places, and it allowed for him to go to places that a young black boy in his time never would’ve thought of. There were many challenges he faced throughout he career in track and field, but he never gave up which everyone in our family often recalls upon.
Yet decades later I, his granddaughter, am following in similar footsteps as him. Competing at nationals, having to play on sport from birth, and drifting off to find another path of mine. Mclean made this dream come true by pushing through the challenges and dimming out the background sounds wherever they came.
Mclean had been able to win so much that he had been able to reach the top numerous of times, that he had learned many lessons to help him succeed. While Mclean was able to reach the top more and more, he realized how many people were trying to get to the top with him because if you’re not on the top where are you? He was able to compete at the Olympic trials in 1979, but the Olympics were cancelled because Russia was invading Afghanistan. But that wasn’t the first time he proved why he was the best.
In 1976, Mclean was awarded 3rd in the 4x800 relay, twice in 1977 where he finished 4th in the outdoor 800 meter, and in 1975 he finished 3rd in the 4x800/4th in indoor and outdoor 800 meter; all at the NCAA Outdoor championships in Utah. The 800 meter second to the 400 meters, which is one lap, is the most grueling sprint because not only do you have to have a strong endurance but a way to keep yourself on the right track. Because when you are running the 800 meter everyone is on top of each other’s heels so you must be comfortable with the fact that you and your opponent can hear each other breathing and not to get distracted but to still get 1st place. Yet to top all of this he got an All-East recognition many times it was mainly due to his most known performance at the IC4A outdoor 800-meter race, where he won 1st place. Not only winning to prove he should be at the top but repeating it over and over so there is no debate. To achieve this, he would spend time working with his coach late nights to achieve the greatness Bucknell college instilled in their athletes. He recognized this by saying “It’s tough being at the top because everyone wants to be there. Everyone knows you’re the top dog, so everyone tries to figure out ways to compete against you.”
Even though being at the top knowing everyone one was trying to be better can seem stressful, he remained composed allowing for him to succeed more. All because he knew what it took to pass the best and beat those who were trying to dethrone him. I often reflect on this through competition knowing that when I win constantly there is someone ready to take my place, but just do what I’ve learned and be ready for my competitor to do the same.
“I was the firstAfricanAmerican to be inducted into the BucknellAthletic Hall of Fame. There’s a certain commitment and responsibility.”
Mclean not only won numerous times, but he won to a point that he became well known in his community. In 1983 he was inducted into the Bucknell Athletic Hall of Fame although he graduated in 1977, to be inducted it had to be 5 years after your graduation. Once Mclean had graduated his records and trophies decorated the halls, but he never once thought of the Hall of Fame. The Hall of fame is already a challenging achievement to get into but for Bucknell it might as well be compared to winning a grammy. Because Bucknell’s focus is to push the students past their best. But how would you tell a 22-year-old that what they’ve accomplished is so impactful? Even though he knew how many times he had won proved how great he was. He never thought that coming from Orange, New Jersey would lead to him becoming the first African American in the hall of fame.
Especially with the fact that some African Americans were still fighting for equal rights it had only been 15 years after the Civil Rights movement had ended. None the less the Civil Rights Act was only officially followed 19 years prior. But even with all that, when the challenge came Mclean acknowledged it knowing the impact it would have years to come. He responds with, “I was the first African American to be inducted into the Bucknell Athletic Hall of Fame. There’s a certain heighted feeling when you’re the first, I also think there’s a certain commitment and responsibility.” This feeling Mclean felt didn’t overwhelm him, he used this to fuel his desire to be better but also knew that other people would look up to him and are aware of what he’s accomplished. So, he carried the responsibilities of Bucknell and what he wanted to be known for.
This still connects to present time because when you become recognized for something like this you carry a responsibility of what you want to be seen as. But it also connects to how although African Americans are finally being recognized it’s still hard to get the same appreciation so when you are the 1st its great but when you’re the 1st and of color it’s even better.
I try and think about moments like this when I’m making decisions as VP knowing my
responsibility and my commitment, I made to the student body. By being VP and promising the student body I would be there for them I have a responsibility as not only an 8th grader but as a VP who will listen to everyone’s request within reasoning.
Mclean had learned and failed many times all to prove he was the best, but the best way for him to succeed was to compete against the best. Mclean had competed against many challenging athletes; one was Alberto Juan Torena whom Mclean had competed against 4 times. They’ve both tied 2-2 so it was close, but Mclean did admit that Alberto was a little better than him. Alberto was his hardest competitor to compete against. The second the gun went off they would be neck in neck, so close they could hear each other’s breath. Whenever Mclean lost, he would go to the gym and spend whatever time he had to improve on the tenth of a second lost in the race. Yet every time he lost to Juan he tried to figure out where he went wrong and how to fix it. Mclean hated losing so if he had to stay at the gym until 12AM and be at school by 6AM then that’s what he had to do. So, when he was down 2-0, he won the next 2 because of his determination and confidence to be the best. He describes this when he says, “It’s always great to compete against the best because when you compete against the best in what you do it challenges you to see if you really want to be the best or be average.”
Mclean pushed himself to be the best and he knew the only way for that to happen was him competing against the best, which made him achieve so much because he wanted to be the best. With this Mclean was always ready even if he knew he wasn’t the best he still had a mentality like he was the best. Because at the end of the day Mclean knew that him and his opponent were both running the same race, same setting but different times which gave him the drive he needed. Reflecting on moments like this I become aware that I’m not the best or that someone can do something I can’t. But at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter because that person will make me better, so I can achieve all those goals.
Throughout Mclean’s career and achievements, he didn’t want to be the only person who became the 1st. Once he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1983, he started to realize how he should share the spotlight, which he learned throughout his experience working with the Jesse Owens foundation. Pushing what Jesse believed in, which was giving kids the opportunity to excel. The Jesse Owens foundation was established in 1980, a couple months after his passing. Jesse Owens is still known as one of the best Track and Field athletes in history, and to be able to work in his foundation as a Track and Field athlete is a huge honor, it not only humbles you, but it teaches you.
Mclean learned that he should try his best to make other Bucknell athletes and their achievements known. All because he knew how much work you put in the gym, training, sacrificing free time, friends, and even parts of life. All to be the best, which is every athlete’s goal, although he achieved it, he knew that there were others who sacrificed almost everything to be the best. He would do research on other athletes and would write recommendations in their favor even if they were deceased or alive. He would even write recommendations for people in an entirely different sport because he knew a light needed to shine on their accomplishments. But Mclean also tries making sure that there are not a lack of people of color in that Hall of Fame. He describes his actions by saying, “Look to the left and the right and see who else would be eligible I’ve tried to ensure that I’ve made recommendations for other athletes of color, men, or women. Who I felt should be in the Athletic Hall of Fame.”
Even though Mclean was able to fulfill what some athletes would call, “The Ultimate Goal”. Mclean didn’t only think about himself reaching that goal but thought of the other men and women who hadn’t achieved their goal and wanted them to reach it. I try to think like this, not only thinking for myself but thinking what I can do with my influence to help others also succeed. Mclean throughout his 30 years in Track and Field often reflects on his past and how that shaped him to be who he is today. I used his stories as an example of what mark I want to leave on wherever my journey takes me. Mclean had been through the highs and lows of Track and field, but he knew that at the end of the tunnel he would find light. I’ve always heard from members throughout our family on what great achievements Mclean had done.
I often get compared to him because of my experience at the Junior Olympics over the summer. Yet, it’s hard to put myself in Mclean’s shoes so long ago, I sometimes just sit in awe and wonder how did he do it all? I was able to share the wisdom of my grandfather, Mclean, of what he learned through 20+ years in a sport, who reached the highs and lows of a sport he excelled at. Staying focused on a goal is the best way to excel the limits.
ALife-Changing Decision
By: Macie Emberson
How the story of Kim Hamlin’s two friends impacted her life for the better.
I hear my mom at the top of the stairs about to come down. I start to feel a little nervous, it was just one minute until the interview. I had never asked my mom questions that were this sensitive and emotional to her, I wasn’t sure how she would react. I bring two glasses of water over to the table and set one down for my mom, and one for me. I sit in the chair and set up my phone for the recording. My dog was right beside me, and I scratched his head as I heard my mom start to come down the stairs. My mom comes over to the dining room table and takes a seat as she clears her throat. I take a deep breath and start the recording.
Born on June 2, 1969, Kim Hamlin is now fiftyfour years old. Currently, Hamlin lives in Chicago, Illinois, and has for almost thirty years. As a kid, she moved around a lot. She was born in Upstate New York and has moved five times since then. She is a lawyer and has two siblings: Mike and Colleen. In her early twenties, she experienced things that one would never imagine experiencing at that age. However, she persisted and kept going even through hard times.
Jamie and Joe were two of Hamlin’s closest friends throughout her teenage years and beyond. She met Joe in middle school and Jamie in high school. Jamie and Joe were friends who grew up as kids and she was also family friends with both in high school. Additionally, she worked at the animal clinic with Joe in high school and they became close as they worked together. Jamie and Joe had a very strong friendship. Hamlin described, “They were peas in a pod.” This demonstrates that they did everything together and had a very close relationship.
Even after high school, Hamlin still stayed connected with both throughout college by seeing them on breaks. She managed to stay friends with them even after college. For example, Hamlin and a big group of friends, including Jamie, went on a ski trip to Blackjack Mountain in the UP. Jamie had Asthma and had a hard time breathing in cold temperatures. He sat out and decided not to ski because he couldn’t breathe in the cold.
On a very cold and brisk day, in the middle of January, Jamie went to work at the pharmacy. Little did he know, he did not have much time left. He was working at the pharmacy when suddenly he felt that he could not breathe. So, he ran out to his car without his coat, in the freezing cold weather, to grab his inhaler. As he breathed in the cold air, it struck his lungs like knives into his chest. He came running back inside, but the cold had really made it hard for him to breathe. The pharmacist tried to give him his EpiPen, but it did not work. Hamlin remembered, “He had an asthma attack and died right there in the pharmacy.”
Later that day, Hamlin was on a work trip and her friend Steph called her and told her that Jamie died. She
said that she felt shocked, disbelief, and tragically sad. She canceled the rest of her trip to come home, and his funeral was a few days later. At his funeral, Joe was a rock for Hamlin and her friends. He was very calm and comforting and told great stories about Jamie to make them feel better.
Joe and his family went to the Mall ofAmerica around six months after Jamie died. He was there with his wife, both his parents and his brother. It was a normal day, and they were walking around the mall when suddenly something tragic happened. Hamlin describes, “He collapsed and died in his brother’s arms at the Mall of America.” Joe died right there in front of his entire family.
Joe had what’s called Marfan syndrome which is a disorder of the body’s connective tissues. In Joe’s case, he grew so tall so young which took a toll on his heart. He was 6’5” in 8th grade. Therefore, as he grew taller, he ended up bleeding through his heart which caused him to die.After that, during Joe’s funeral, they played the song “Imagine” which they played at both Jamie and Joe’s funeral because it was their favorite song.
After this very sad and tragic time for Hamlin, she was somewhat lost in what she should do with her life. At that time, you feel invincible because you are so young. However, after both of her best friends died, she was not sure that she felt that way anymore. She started to question what to do next because she thought that maybe she was not going to live forever. She reflects, “Maybe my life is shorter than I think it’s going to be.” She describes this in a very serious tone of voice so I could tell this had a deep emotional impact on her. For example, Hamlin realizes that she does not have all the time in the world and that she should do something with her life because anything could happen.
“What happened to them motivated me to make a change in my life that I may not have made otherwise.”
Therefore, Hamlin decides to do something with her life and make a change. She originally worked in sales for a great company, but she always wanted to be a lawyer. So, she decided to quit her job in sales and go to law school in Chicago. Hamlin got a job at a law firm and waited tables at night. Later, she graduated law school and got her “dream job” at the state's attorney’s office. She believes, “What happened to them motivated me to make a change in my life that I may not have made otherwise.”
This is significant because Jamie and Joe’s stories impacted her life and motivated her to do what makes her happy, becoming a lawyer. Therefore, she tried to make the most of it and do her very best so she could follow her dreams.
Years later, Hamlin’s mom dies of two different cancers and something remarkable happens. She was at dinner with her family the night before her mom’s funeral telling funny stories about her mom. Afterward, Hamlin got into her car and turned on the radio, and immediately the song “Imagine”, Jamie and Joe's favorite song, came on.A rush of relief and happiness filled her body. She had been asking Jamie and Joe to give her a sign from heaven that her mom was okay and that she was up there with them. She claims that this was the “best sign ever” and that it gave her a lot of peace to know that her mom was safe. Hamlin describes, “I believe we can still have connections with the people that have gone before us.” This is significant because it confirmed her beliefs, and she knew it happened for a reason. Additionally, even though she had lost both her mom and two of her best friends, she was still able to feel their presence and still have a connection with them although they were not physically there with her.
Hamlin’s friend, Jamie, was very funny and lit up the room whenever he walked in. When Hamlin and her friends would get together and Jamie was not there, she described it as a big void in the room. However, she and her friends would pick each other up during those hard times. Hamlin illustrates, “You have to try and find light in other places.” This means that Hamlin and her friends would come together and be supportive even though they were all sad after Jamie’s death. Yet, they would try to make the best of it by making more memories and making their friendships stronger while still remembering Jamie’s presence and him as a person. We can learn from this by staying positive even through the worst of times.
As seen throughout the interview, Hamlin shows grit and determination even when things get rough. Before I interviewed her, I never knew she had gone through something this tragic. I cannot even imagine what it must have been like for her to lose her friends at such a young age. I admire her for being able to stay supportive of her friends throughout those hard times and for being able to pick herself up and follow her dreams. Additionally, she was able to make something out of the situation at hand and have the bravery to make a big change in her life. In fact, until this day, my mom says she wouldn’t have done anything differently. Towards the end of my interview, when my mom was explaining how Jamie and Joe’s stories motivated her to go to law school and become a lawyer, she said, “Why do tomorrow what you can do today?”
A picture of one of the many survivors of Hurricane Katrina.
Surviving Katrina
Michelle is a loving mother and wife who loves to help other people.
By Jordan Epps
It was Sunday night at 8:00 pm, Michelle Epps, my mom, walked down the stairs to have a seat on the couch to begin our interview.
Before the interview started, I noticed my mom looked tired and drained after a very long day of doing errands around the city. During the interview, I could tell that her eyes were filled with sadness when I asked her questions about Hurricane Katrina which was a huge hurricane in New Orleans that happened in 2005.
After the hurricane ended, this story has made a deep emotional mark on her that she will always remember the storm and the aftermath of what happened to the city of New Orleans.
My mom was thrilled to return home to New Orleans after having to evacuate her home for a month until she realized the setting around her. My mom was finally coming back home from evacuating from Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans after leaving New Orleans in August and coming back in September.
After being away from everyone and everything in New Orleans, she finally got to see what happened to the city, and it was horrible. Most of the
city was fully submerged under water, the sky was super gray and cloudy, and 30,000 people had their homes flooded. So, people had to sleep at the Superdome which is a huge arena that is used for basketball, football, and soccer.
When my mom looked around the neighborhood, she saw markings on people’s doors that represented how many people passed away in the house if they drowned, Or the numbers represented that there were zero people in the house. My mom describes the city as, “We moved back and it was just gray... And, sad.”
The mood during what happened was depressing because of how destroyed New Orleans was. So many people lost their lives, or their houses got flooded because of Hurricane Katrina. In Chicago, there has been crazy weather, but I ever wonder and reflect about what would happen if a natural disaster like Hurricane Katrina can happen to a humongous city like Chicago.
My mom had a mix of emotions including frustration, fear, and anxiety but her main emotion surprised me. After coming back from evacuating from New Orleans from August 24th to October 1st, which was one month being away from her house, she looked around the neighborhood. She was very anxious about what her house looked like after the hurricane. Would it be in pieces? Would everything need fixing? Was there a huge amount of water in her house? But when she pulled into the drive-through, she was surprised at what she saw. Her house was still completely intact, and nothing looked broken on the outside.
On the inside nothing was completely broken but there were some parts around the house like her roof and backyard that needed to get fixed. Her neighbor was very kind and helped take out the refrigerators because there were a large amount of bugs in there so my mom’s neighbor had to take it out to the corner so that the garbage truck got them. My mom describes herself as, “For me, uh, when I think back, my first thought is gratitude.”
My mom was very lucky because her house didn’t get flooded as bad as some of the other people living around New Orleans, so she helped people in the neighborhood whenever she had the chance. Looking back, it’s really weird to think about what would happen if my mom didn’t evacuate fast enough. So, I am also very grateful that she was able to leave while she could before the Hurricane got worse.
“Most of the city was fully submerged under water, the sky was super gray and cloudy, and 30,000 people had their homes flooded.”
My mom looked around New Orleans and saw the damage that happened to the city. The storm caused more than $160 billion in damage so, my mom wanted to make a difference in her community like donating to her church and other organizations that asked for help around the city. She also tried to help around her neighborhood to check if her neighbors were doing ok. But she also needed help, her house wasn’t damaged as badly as other homes in the neighborhood, but her house still needed fixing. The backyard was super messy, the washing machine was broken, her cars were completely destroyed, and the grass had a huge amount of trash and debris around her backyard. My mom went back to New Orleans in 2024 and described the city as, “There are still pockets that aren’t back.”
To some other people, they probably think New Orleans looks great and there is nothing left of the hurricane in the city, but the people who were in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina can have a different perspective and think there are still some parts that need fixing like what
my mom described.
My mom was ecstatic to hear that people were rebuilding their homes around New Orleans. She was also devastated because there was a total of 1,392 deaths because people didn’t evacuate fast enough so, sadly, they passed away. Hurricane Katrina has affected many people around the city of New Orleans because there was a huge amount of people that became homeless and the cost of all of the damage was very expensive.
My mom lived in New Orleans for 2 years, she first came to New Orleans for a job opportunity with her husband, Justin Epps, my dad and two years later, my dad got a new job opportunity in Memphis, Tennessee. People who were there during Hurricane Katrina, like my mom and dad, will always remember Hurricane Katrina.
For some people, rebuilding was very hard because everything was torn apart but for some people, like my mom, their house wasn’t as damaged. My mom states, “But the people are pretty resilient you know, a lot of people came back and rebuilt.”
New Orleans has really grown and when I look at the before and after pictures on google, I am always surprised at what I see. New Orleans will always be a huge part of my mom ’s life because of the story she has to tell because of it.
My mom always loves going back to New Orleans with her husband, Justin, and other family members to see how the city is doing. She especially loves looking around and seeing what people have added to the city or the things that have stayed the same.
After learning about my mom ’s story, I learned that you should always be grateful for what you have because all of your things can be gone in a matter of seconds.
Also, you should always be kind to people and help them out whenever you have the opportunity because you never know what people are dealing with and they might need your help.
Damrong
SoftbeamsoflightilluminatedthetreetopsonasleepySaturday morning,thebirdsoutsidechirpingsoftly.Islowlysettledintoachaironthefirst floorofmytownhouse,sittingatthedeskwhereIhadbeencompletingmy homeworkrecently.Takingadeepbreath,Iraisedmyfingertopressthetiny“video call”icononthepopularThaimessagingplatformcalledLine.Myheartpoundedin myears,notfromnervesbutfromexpectation.AsIpressedthebutton,thesoundof thefamiliar,tinnyLinecallertuneechoedthroughoutthefirstfloor.Hadsaitong pickedupafterabouttenseconds,hisfacefillingthebottomhalfofthesmallscreen. Hesatonhisfamiliar,lumpybluecouchwithhisphoneraisedandhiseyesbleary fromsleep.Hadsaitong’sfacelitupwhenhesawme,thesamegrinthatIwouldseeif Ismiledatmyselfinthemirror.Infact,Icouldseemyselfinthereflectionofthe glassrightbehindhishead,separatinghislivingroomfromhisdiningroom.Inthe background,agenericThaivarietyshowplayed,breakingtheinitialsilence.Ionlyhad abouttwentyminutestointerviewhim–inanycase,itwasalsogettinglatein Thailand–soIhadtomakethefewminutesIhadcount.Smiling,Iwelcomedhimin thetraditionalThaiwaybygreeting,“Sawasdeeka.”Herespondedinthesame manner.NowthatIwassettledin,allofmymisgivingsfadedaway,andIanticipated apleasantconversationwithHadsaitong.
DamrongHadsaitongisaretiredsurgeonlivingontheoutskirtsof Bangkok,Thailand,withhiswife,Tussanee.Now,hespendshistimesolvingSudoku puzzlesortravelingtonewrestaurantsandattractionsinthebustlingcity.Most importantly,HadsaitongisalsomylovinggrandfatherwhommyfamilyandIvisit everysixmonthsoversummerandwinterbreak.HegrewupinNakhonSawan,a three-hourdrivefromBangkok,withhisfivesiblingsandtwoparents.Together,they ranasmallconveniencestoreinthecenterofthecity.However,overthecourseof ourexchange,ourconversationevolvedfromcenteringnotaroundHadsaitong’slife inThailandbutratherhisimmigrationtotheUnitedStates.
thatleavingbehindeverythingrecognizable–family,friends,andevensimplypeople whosharedone’scommonlanguage–andrelocatingtoaforeignandunfamiliar placecouldcauselonelinessandalongingforfamiliarityinthemidstofeverything newandstrange.
IshiftedfromtheobjectivedetailsofHadsaitong’simmigrationtoa subtler,morepersonalaccount.Hadsaitongreflectedonhisfeelingsaboutmovingto theU.S.;hepausedforaheartbeatbeforerecalling,“Verylonelyand[depressing]. Youmissyourfamilyandyourfriends.”IadmitthatIhadthoughtpriortoour interviewthatimmigratingtoanewcountrywouldnotbesochallenging;inreality,it musthavebeendifficulttoadapttoanunfamiliarcountryandculture,especially comingfromsofaraway.WhenevermyfamilyandIgotovisitmygrandparentsin Thailand,IoftenfeellikeanoutsideramongstnativeThaipeopledespitebeingaThai citizenmyself;imaginingfeelingthatwayeverysingledaymakesmeexhaustedjust thinkingaboutit.Sometimes,ItakeforgrantedhowfortunateIamtohavebeen borninthecountrythatIresidein;nothavingtoendurethechallengesof immigrationorrelocationistrulyablessing.Contrarytothefantasiesofthe “AmericanDream”andsuccessinAmerica,Hadsaitongwishestoinformthat immigrationisquitechallenging.Itrequirestruecouragetoleavebehindone’soldlife andstartanewone,andIcandefinitelylearnfromHadsaitong’sexample.
Nevertheless,Hadsaitongpersevered–IshouldrememberthiswheneverIam strugglingwithanarduoustask.
DespitethechallengesHadsaitongfacedinAmerica,therewasakey differencenowmygrandmotherwastherewithhim,abletobebyhissideto supporthimormerelykeephimcompany.Whetherontheirriskyendeavors–one time,theytookastrollonthefrozenOhioRiver–orsimplysharingamealtogether, HadsaitongfondlyrecallsthetimehesharedwithmygrandmotherinCincinnati.He madeitexceptionallyclearthatheisextremelygladtohavemether.Evenwhenthe twomovedtoBuffalo,NewYorkwheremymombecameanadditiontotheirtiny family,andevenwhentheymovedbacktoThailandinthe1990stocarefortheir elderlyparents,mygrandparentshavehelpedeachotherthroughbothsharedand separatechallenges.
EvenifnotincludinghisimmigrationtotheU.S.,Hadsaitonghastraveled allovertheworld.HegrewupinThailand,immigratedtotheU.S.aftermedical school,andlivedtherefortwodecadesbeforeeventuallymovingbacktoThailand.In addition,histravelshavespannedacrossmultiplecountries:Russia,China,Italy, France,England,Austria,Czechia,China,andmore.Intheend,travelingeverywhere remindedhimoftheplacehelovesthemost.“Thailandishome,”heclarifiedforme, andhefirmlybelievesthatnowhereelseintheworldcouldeverreplaceit.The tropicalclimate,deliciousfood,lovingfamily,andageneralsenseofbelongingiswhat setsThailandapartfromotherdestinations.Despiteimmigratingtoaforeigncountry andeventuallycreatingacomfortablelifeandalovingfamily,Hadsaitongalways rememberedwherehecamefrom.Hisfirsthomewillbehistruehomeforever.
Hadsaitong: FindingHappiness
AmidHardship
DamrongHadsaitongmaynotperfectly embodythe“AmericanDream”,buthis storystillcontributedtohisimpressive achievements.
AftertraininginbothThailand andtheU.S.,Damrong Hadsaitongworkedasa surgeonatThainakarin Hospitalbeforeretiringa coupleofyearsago. BYSOPHIEESPALDON
HadsaitongwasborninThailand,butheimmigratedtotheU.S.after medicalschoolattherecentlyestablishedChiangMaiUniversityforopportunitiesin theStates.Hewasincrediblyyoungatthetimeofhisrelocation–youngereventhan moststudentswiththesameacademicachievements,asheskippedtwogradesin elementaryschool.Leavingbehindthewetclimateofhisbirthplace–Nakhon Sawan,wheretheairseemedtoclingtohisskin–andtheforestedlandsofhis universityinChiangMai,HadsaitongboardedanairplanetoCincinnati,U.S.A. Lookingouttheplane’swindow,notknowingexactlywhatlayahead,Hadsaitong embarkedonajourneyacrossthePacificOcean,takingwithhimhishopesand dreamsforabetterlifeintheWest.ComparedtoNakhonSawanandChiangMai, arrivinginCincinnatiforthefirsttimewasashock;abustling,industrialMidwestern citycouldnothavebeenmoredifferenttolifeinthesmalltownofhisbirthandeven universityinthefamousChiangMai.Inaddition,HadsaitongwasanAsian immigrant,aloneinapredominantlyCaucasiancity.However,educationhadalways beenaprioritytoHadsaitong,sothepromiseofamoreadvancededucationinthe U.S.wasenoughtoconvincehimtomovehalfwayacrosstheworld.Hadsaitongknew thatlifewouldinitiallybedifficult,buthewaswillingtotaketheleap.
HistoricaleventsalsoinfluencedhisdecisiontoimmigratetotheU.S. Hadsaitongwasborninthe1940s,andhismovetotheUnitedStateshappenedto coincidewithmajorhistoricaleventsaroundthesametime.Hadsaitongexplained, “Atthattime…[have]youheardabout[the]VietnamWar?AlotofU.S.doctors weredraftedasfielddoctorsinVietnam.[Therewasashortageof]doctorsintheU.S. …So,they[took]foreigndoctorstowork.”TheVietnamWaroccurredfromthe mid-1950stothemid-1970s,alsoduringHadsaitong’schildhoodandtimeasacollege student.Thewarwaslengthyandresultedinmanycasualties,andtherewerealotof AmericansoldiersthatrequiredmedicalattentioninVietnam.Insomeways,itis ironicthatAmericandoctorswereobligatedtoactasfieldphysiciansinSoutheast AsiawhileHadsaitongemigratedfromthesameregionandtooktheirplaceinthe States.NeithermymomnorIknewthisbefore,soitwasveryintriguingtolearn aboutotherfactorsthatimpactedHadsaitong’sdecisiontoemigratefromThailand. Nevertheless,IbelievethatitisanamazingcoincidencethattheVietnamWar happenedtooccurjustaroundthetimethatHadsaitongwantedabettereducationfor himself;perhapsitwasfatedtohappen.
Althoughmanypeople,bothforeignandAmericanalike,fantasizeabout the“AmericanDream”,therewardsarenotreapedovernight.Thesharedfantasiesof heapsuponheapsofwealthandfreedomarenotpurefiction,butitisnotrealistic thattheyappearimmediately.Infact,mostimmigrantsexperiencemanyhardships beforeeventuallyfindingtheirfeet.Allfourofmygrandparents–mypaternal grandparents,DianaandFelipeEspaldon,andmymaternalgrandparents,Tussanee Hadsaitongandmyinterviewee–immigratedtotheStatesintheearly1970s.In Hadsaitong’scase,helivedbyhimselfinCincinnati,workingasamedicalresident. Beingontheothersideoftheworld,hecouldnotcommunicatewithhisfriendsand familyorevencallhomethatoften–internationalcallswerequiteexpensive.Hewas likealeafthathadfallenfromatree,aloneinanewenvironment.Onecanimagine
BeingawayfromhomedeeplyaffectedHadsaitongasanimmigranttrying tofindhisfeetinAmericaallbyhimself.WhileCincinnatiwasabustlingcity, Hadsaitongmissedhishomeandoftensorrowfullycomparedthetwoplaces.Hislife inThailandwasnotlavish,buthehadfivesiblings,twosupportiveparents,and countlessfriends–Hadsaitonghadalwaysbeenverysocial,andhelovedtoform friendshipswhereverhewent.Hegrewupintheconveniencestoreownedbyhis parents,thepungentsmellofshrimppastepiercinghisnoseeverymorning,but Hadsaitongstillremembersgoingtoschooleveryday,playingwithhissiblings,and spendingtimewithhisfamily.Cincinnati,ontheotherhand,couldnotbeconsidered anacceptablereplacementforthefondmemoriesHadsaitonghadofhishome.“I rememberinOctober,itstartedsnowingandgettingdarkbythreeo’clock…in Thailand,it’ssunnyallthetime,”Hadsaitongrecounted.“Youhavea[blue]feeling.” Afterhetoldmethis,Irealizedthatwehadtoleaveforatennistournamentvery soon–plusitwasgettingquitelateforhiminThailand,asthetimedifferencewas twelvehourswithdaylightsavingstime–soIendedourconversationshortlyafter promisingtocallagaintofinishourinterview.
Often,peoplethinkthatmovingtotheU.S.ismerelythebeginningofa successfulcareeralongwithlibertiesthatwerepreviouslyunavailablewheretheyused tolive.However,someonecanstillmisstheirhomeandeverythingfamiliarwhilealso understandingthatonemusttakeadvantageofopportunitiesinordertocreatea betterlifethanwhatwaspreviouslyhad.WhenHadsaitongrecalledhisaccount,his voiceremainedmatter-of-fact,butIstillsympathizedwithhisstruggles.Intheend, Hadsaitongwasundeterredbythehardshipsofimmigrationandpersevered.Ifhe hadnotdoneso,IwouldnothavebeensittingatmydeskinChicago,stillreapingthe benefitsofhismovetoAmerica.Hissacrificesareveryinspirational,eventoday.
Inspiteofstrugglinginitially,Hadsaitongfoundasilverlining WhilehewaslivinginCincinnatiasamedicalresident,mygrandmotherhappenedto beacceptedintoaresidencyprograminthesamecity.Shewasoneoftheonlyother ThaipeoplethathemetintheStates.Itwillalreadybetheirfiftiethanniversaryin twoyears’time.WhenIresumedmyinterviewwithHadsaitongthenextevening,I decidedtostartwithaneasyquestion.Hisfacebrokeoutinahugesmile,agrin stretchingfromeartoear,whenaskedaboutmygrandmother;hedescribed,“Iwent toherapartmenttohavedinneroften,andwe[were]acquainted,andthen‘Wouldyou marryme?’”Ithinkthatitwasfatethattheyfoundeachother:theywerebothThai residents,aboutthesameage,andhappenedtoenduptogetherinCincinnati.They arebothevenfromasimilarpartofThailand.Ialsobelievethatdespiteallthe hardshipsofimmigratingtoanewcountry,Hadsaitongevidentlyfoundabrightside duringchallengingcircumstances.Itdefinitelywasanuphillbattleinitially,but Hadsaitongadjustedandevenfoundloveandhappiness.
Thisdidnotmeanthatlifesuddenlybecameeasier,though.Hadsaitong stilldealtwithsimilarchallengesashehaddealtwithbefore;forinstance, communicatingwithAmericans.Sometimes,histroubleunderstandingthelanguage resultedinsmallmisunderstandings,suchasnotknowingthedifferencebetween “hangup”and“holdon”whencallingotherdoctorsinsidethehospital,butinother cases,notunderstandingwhatotherpeopleweretellinghimmadeHadsaitongmiss crucialdetails.Infact,asHadsaitongrecalled,“Onetime,wewentfromDetroit…to Chicagoforthejobinterview,andthe[weather]forecastsaid…‘blizzard’.Wedon’t knowwhatablizzardis!WedrovefromDetroittoChicago.‘Whathappened?The highwayhasnocars!’Thesnow[was]blowingsohard.So,we[had]totaketheexit andstayovernightinKalamazoo,becausewedon’tknowthelanguage.”Hadsaitong workedhardtolearnEnglish,butveryfewpeopleinThailandspeakitaltogether.
“Thailandishome.”
Hadsaitonghaslivedafulllife.Hemovedacrosstheworld–andback. Hehastraveledallovertheglobeandexperiencedexcitingadventures,tastedexotic delicacies,learnedaboutforeigncultures,andconnectedwithpeoplefromfarand wide.Afteramoment’spausewhenaskedforsomeadvicebasedonhisown experiences,Hadsaitongresponded,“You[are]averygoodgirl.Beagoodcitizen. Studyhardtobeabletoearnyourincome.Evenifyougetmarried…youshould earnyourownmoney,too.”Hadsaitong’sadviceisverypowerful:hebelievesthatI shouldbeabletorelyonmyselfandnotanybodyelse.Ifanything,hisjourneyhas taughthimtheimportanceofself-sufficiencyandbeingabletoachievesuccessamid hardships;Hadsaitongwishestoinstillinmetheimportanceofindependenceand self-reliancewithhisadvice.
IhavelearnedsomuchaboutHadsaitong,andIcanalsolearnfrom Hadsaitong’sexperiences.Heisanextremelycourageousindividualwhobraved countlesschallengesthroughouthislife.Nomatterwhat,Hadsaitongisalso incrediblysupportive.Throughoutmyinterviewwithhim–Hadsaitongsitting halfwayacrosstheworld,butsocloseatthesametime–hewouldprovideanswersto mymostvexingquestionsandthenwouldproceedtoaskmeabouthowmydaywas. Nevertheless,interviewinghimprovedveryenlightening.Ilearnedsomuchabouthis life,butIalsolearnedfromhisexperiencesthatlifemaynotbeeasy,yetperseverance inthefaceofchallengesisparamount.Ittakesacourageousindividualtonotletlife’s trialsfazethem,andHadsaitongisexemplary.Inspiredbyourconversation,Ithanked HadsaitongagainforjoiningmeforthesecondtimeonanearlyMondaymorning, Bangkok-time.Beaming,hereplied,“You’rewelcome.Anytime.”
My mother won a 1st place award for the project she had been working on for over
a year.
Pathway to Success
Cancer nutrition expert, Kathryn Hempstead shares story and challenges about her work.
By: Sofia Fajardo
Photograph by: Sofia Fajardo
When I interviewed Kathryn Hempstead, I did not exactly know what to expect. Would it be for a school project, or would it have a deeper significance? It definitely got deep at some times, here is what happened. I started off by just telling Hempstead that I had a school essay I had to write, and I needed to interview her. We sat down in my room; we were both on couch-like chairs. I was still in my school uniform, and she was still in her hospital scrubs. I asked her the first couple questions like a normal interview, but as we kept going, I started to notice that the conversation was getting a little more tense. I noticed it when I started asking questions like “is it hard to see your patients not make it?” or “do you have good relationships with your patients?” I did not expect our conversation to be as serious as it became, but I am very glad that I chose to interview my mom. I
look up to her, especially how she is hardworking and never gives up even though her job can be hard.
“If you told me twenty-five years ago that I would be the director of clinical nutrition and an expert in cancer nutrition, I would not have believed it. Twenty-five years ago, I did not even know what a registered dietitian was.” These were the words of Kathryn Hempstead, who is now a registered dietitian at UIC hospital. Hempstead works everyday with cancer patients and is the director of her department. So, how did she actually decide that this was what she wanted to dedicate her life to? In college Hempstead decided to take a class on nutrition, this class was an introduction class and was supposed to be taught by a college intern. The intern ended up not teaching it, so the class instead was taught by Professor Susan Rudge. Hempstead loved Professor Rudge and found the class remarkably interesting. She talked to Professor Rudge to see if there were any other classes that she taught, and soon learned that there was a whole profession on the subject; that is where it all began. Hempstead studied hard and was always willing to learn more, she found UIC Hospital and has stayed there for the past 20 years.
When I asked the questions: What is the hardest part of what you do? And why do you love your job? I was not expecting the deep meaningful answers I received.
Hempstead started talking about how since she works in a hospital, she is surrounded by people who need help, and that is really hard However, she gets to help them and that makes it better. She says, “It is really hard to see people suffer, and that is why I love my job, because I can help make their lives better.”
What she says here is very meaningful in the way that she has the understanding and knowledge that some people are struggling, and knowing this, she wants to dedicate her life to helping those people. Hempstead says that even though work is hard, she knows why she has to push past the hard things and learn more about the good things.
“There is not one way to do my job, so it is important to keep learning from other people.”
to her 15 years back. This quote has stuck with her for the past 15 years and will continue to guide Hempstead through chaos in the future.
There is nothing you can do in life to know everything. Hempstead expresses this saying when she talks about being a dietitian. She says, “There is not one way to do my job, so it is important to keep learning from other people.” When she shared this quote, I realized that this does not imply that just dietitians have more to learn, but everyone in the world. Everyone who lives on planet earth, can always learn something new, whether it is learning new ways t treat cancer patients, or if it is learning new social skills, people can always learn more about at least something.
In conclusion, I think that if you work hard, you can achieve anything. Hempstead worked hard in school her whole life and that led her to becoming director of her department at UIC. What I have learned about my interview, is that things can be challenging, and you can hit some bumps in the road, but if you know you are doing it for what you love its easier to cope. One thing that I really appreciate about my mom is how dedicated and hard working she is. She is a single mom taking care of my sister and I full time, all while balancing a very heavy load with work on her back. She knows that sometimes there can be tough things keeping her from putting on a happy face, but she never back down from what needs to be accomplished. Hempstead’s advice to become a dietitian was to work hard, study hard, and never stop learning new things. My advise to you is to never give up on something you are passionate for even when times are hard. Today Hempstead proved that even when its hard, she pushed through the hard days and is still living her dream job today. So, are you going to be the role model of hardworking that society needs today?
Hempstead shares the struggles of working in a hospital, but she also mentions the great relationships with her patients, and how they can help her through tough days. One day, she was having a rough morning with work and kids, and one of her patients asked how her day was going. Hempstead responded by telling her how it was very hectic and wished sometimes it were more peaceful. This patient responded by saying, “I would do anything to be home in that chaos right now than be laying in this hospital bed” What this lady said to her really shows how powerful words and your voice can be. Hempstead was able to tell me the exact words said
Haifa Fakhoury: A moment that led a journey
I quickly made my way to the kitchen, which was lit with a goldenyellow glow from the newly risen sun. I grabbed my phone and my notebook adding a title, "interview" to a new page. I sat down in the chair tucked under my desk. I hurriedly tapped the blank black screen of my phone to check the time, before dialing the call to start the interview with Fakhoury. Haifa Fakhoury is my loving grandmother, who grew up in Amman Jordan to a middle-class family. Six siblings; three sisters and three brothers. Throughout her young adult life, she studied to become a nurse before emigrating to the United States.
At the beginning of the interview, we started by talking about Fakhoury's childhood and what it was like growing up in Jordan, making our way to her early years of adulthood. As we touched further on her young adult life, Fakhoury mentioned how she had lived through the Jordanian Civil War from 1970 to 1971.
Fakhoury shared the deep effects it had on her life mentioning, "It left a scar, and that scar always reminds me of the incident." When she said this, she paused, giving this anecdote a more deep and thoughtful tone, and I realized we were getting into a somber topic I had only heard of once before. As Fakhoury explained this to me, she said that she was teaching at the nursing school that got bombed. The debris from the explosion had hit her, and although years later it healed, she helped me to understand that this scar would always reflect that time in her life. It left a profound mark on who she is as a woman today. I found this significant because it is not a time in her life she has ever brought up before.
and it relates to the next subtopic that reflects a lot on Fakhoury's character.
Towards the middle of our interview, Fakhoury shared with me the different factors that made her the loving mother, sister, grandmother, and matriarch Fakhoury has become today. I realized that not only did the war have an impact on her physically, but it also had an impact on Fakhoury's personality and the way she lives her life. She touched on the impact it had on her family, saying, "My mother was my inspiration for her...warm sweetness, and how she would give unconditional love to her kids and was very quiet." This shows the sweet, mother figure, and loving side to herself. She expressed how her mother raised her in a very mannered, motherly, and kind way. That influenced how she wanted to and did raise her kids in the future.
Another thing she said was, "I took from my dad because he was in the army, the fight, I won't keep quiet if someone bothers me." Here she explains the other side of herself and her personality. Because her dad was in the army at the time; she learned from him to never stay quiet and always stand up for what she believes in. While still doing it in a calm, mannerly, and fashionable order. Although she endured a time of hatred and chaos, the influences of her parents kept her grounded.
her life. It caused a lot of difficulty to the normal routine and general sense of safety she felt in her own neighborhood. She also expressed later on that this experience will forever shape her aspect and point of view on life.
Towards the end of our discussion, we started to wrap up the interview I asked if she had any last things she would like to mention. She said, "The main thing is being happy, that's my goal in life." She wraps up by saying how she feels, that happiness is all you need. She expresses how "Money is there for pleasures, but happiness and health is all you need." Then this is when it clicked, and I realized that this was her main goal in life after having experienced the war. This also showed me that this is an important life lesson learned through the eyes of someone who didn't live through a war.
As I looked back on this interview, I knew while writing that I wanted to highlight the challenges in her life. While also including how she openly explained the challenges and overcame them with ease. Although knowing her as a person outside of this experience, after this interview, I felt a greater, deeper appreciation for her and how she goes about life every day. Seeing those bits of her journey and perseverance every time I'm with her.
Written by: Yara Faycurry
When she showed me her scar, she was quiet and gentle about it, as it seems she's kept this incident at the back of her mind for a reason. Fakhoury touched on other obstacles in her life, but the feelings she described of fear and uncertainty make me believe that this taught Fakhoury the resilience she's used throughout her life. I chose to highlight this quote specifically because it unlocks a period that was never really touched on,
While still considering the influence her parents had on her, our discussion started to fall into the experience of her life during the war. Fakhoury stated, "Sometimes we used to have breakfast and we couldn't have lunch, because there was no food." After explaining this to me, Fakhoury was saying how meat and other filling foods were limited. They would mainly eat vegetables and other foods. It also wasn't safe to go out multiple times a week to the grocery store, because of the conflict going on outside her and her family's home. She continued, "It was these kind of war, disaster events that scared me." Here her tone was softer, and she got more vulnerable when talking about this. What she means by this, is that she will always remember this event in
“It left a scar, and that scar always reminds me of the incident.”
Haifa Fakhoury is retired nurse, mother, sister, and grandmother.
Couldyouimagineleavingforavacationandnever comingback?Itwasamomentousday,13-year-oldGhanihad justarrivedatDisneylandafterhislongflightfromPakistan.He wasamazedbythelargemetaltracksofthecoastersandthe mascotsthatlookedliketheywerepulledstraightfromashow. Throughoutthedayhehadawonderfultime,butlittledidhe knowthisvacationwouldchangehislifeforever.Soonthis smallvacationturnedintoalongvacationandalongvacation turnedintomoving.Leavingeverythingheownedandlovedat homeinPakistan.“…Inevergottosaygoodbyetomylife,my friends,myschool.Myclotheswerestillhanginginmycloset.”
Althoughimportantskillscanhelpmereachmygoal, mentalattitudeismoreimportant.WhenGhanistartedtowork atJimmyJohn'sasadeliveryman,hehadastrongmental attitudewhichledhimtostartopeninghisownJimmyJohn's aroundthecity.Hestated,“…It'smoreaboutmymental attitudethananythingelseouttherebecauseifIdon'tit,ifI don'tbelieveinmyselfifIdon'tbelievethatIcandoitthen everythingelseyoucanhavealltheskillyouwillneverbeable toexecutebecauseyoudon'tbelieveinyourselfandbelievingin yourselfisthenumberonethingtoanythingyouwilldoinyour life.”
Thisplaysasignificantroleinhislifebecausethis wasanothermentalbattlethatheandmostlikelymanyothers faced.BecauseevenifIwerethebestatsomethingIwould neverbeabletousethoseskillsunlessIhadself-confidence.I alsobelievethattheconceptofself-confidenceandmental attitudeissomethingthatmanysuccessfulmenandwomenmost likelyhadintheirlives.
Nowthoughself-confidenceisaverypowerfulthing, itcouldleadtopeoplebecomingtoocockyandnotputtingin work.WhenFaisalhadalotofJimmyJohnandOlive MediterraneanGrillstores,hewasnotjusthandedthesethings, heputintheworkandachievedgoals.Heexclaimed,“Idon’t believeinthefactthatI'mnotwillingtoputintheworkandIgo ‘Wellitwilljusthappen.’Nothingjusthappensyoustillneedto dothework”MebeingastudentcanrelatetothisasIwillnot justreceivegoodhighschooltestscores,Ipracticedayand nighttoprepare,andhopefullygetintothehighschoolthatI wanttogoto.Evenwhenitcomestoassignments,Ishould alwaysgivemyallandbethebestIcanbe.Also,Ibetmany billionairesandmillionairesfollowedthislogicwhencreating theirbusinessesorchoosingtheirprofession.
andIcanalteronlymyfuture.Thisalsoillustratesthewaythat themindthinksinthesensethatIamwhoIseemyselfas.I shouldalwaysbepositiveandhappynomatterthestateor conditiontheworldorIamin.
Ifyouarehappyandthingsareamazing,goodfor you.Ifyouarehappyandthingsareterrible,Iadmireyou.After thepandemic,Ghani’sbusinesswereinshambles.Helostallof hisJimmyJohnsandsoldOlive,arestauranthecreated.Hewas devastated,asweremanyotherbusinessownersatthetime,but hefoughtthroughit.
Hestated,“Thenumberonethingyoushouldfocus onlearningishowtobehappyandnothappywhenthingsare amazing,happywhenthingsarereallytoughandwhenthings arereallyhardbecausetimewillhealallwounds.”Thisplaysa significantpartofhislifebecauseitshowsthatwhileworking hardit'sveryimportant,tostayhappyevenifitistoughandIdo notwanttodoit.Also,whentimesarehardanditseems hopeless,stayhappybecauselifewillgetbettereventually.We allneedtofollowthislogicbecauseifwearealwayscrestfallen whentimesarehard,wewillnevergainresilience.Askill everyoneshouldhavethroughouttheirlife.
Whatissuccess?Thisisaquestionthatisaskedby manyaroundtheworld.Ghani'sanswertothismaynotbewhat manywouldexpect.Manypeopleclaimthatsuccessis achievingagoal,attainingwealth,fame,avictory,ora successfulevent.Ghaniseemstothinkthatsuccessishavingno regrets.
Heexclaimed,“Successiswhenifyoucanlookback atyourlifeandgo‘wow,IhavenoregretsIhavelivedmylife tothefullest!'Becausetimewaitsfornobody.”Thisis significantbecauseitdemonstratesthatsuccessismuch differentfromcompletion.ItissomethingIwouldreviewwhen mylifeisabouttoend,andthatIlivedmylifetothefullest. Also,IwillonlyliveoncesoIwillmakeeverymomentcount andsometimes,Ineedtotakeriskstoreachahigherpointinmy life.So,everymomentIget,nomatterwhat,Iwillput100% intowhateverIdowhetherthatishomeworkortheSAT.
IfIalwaysthinkpositivelyaboutmyself,mylifewill bepositive.IfIthinknegativelymylifewouldfollow.Ghani followedthislogicthroughouthislife.Intheyear2020aglobal pandemicwasoccurring,andmanybusinessesdidnotsurvive. Ghanilosteverything,allofhisJimmyJohnsandallbutoneof hisOlives.Thoughhefacedthislargeprobleminhislifehestill thoughtpositively.Hesuggested,“…Youalwaysbelievethat there’sareasonwhyyouaregoingtobeawinnerasopposedto thinkingthatyouarealoser…”Thisissomethingpowerfulto keepinmindbecauseIamtheonlyonewhocontrolsmylife,
Ghaniultimatelyleftmewiththeideathatmentalityis everything.ThroughoutthisinterviewIhavelearnedmany thingsregardingmymentalityandhowitissoimportant towardssuccess.Ihavelearnedthatskillisnotalways everything,confidencematters,resilience,andsuccess.Also makesuretorememberthatmentalitymattersinlife,andlive everydaytothefullest.
Success to Be a Mom
How Carmen Leal Barragan’s Childhood in Mexico Gave Her Determination to Succeed and Be an Amazing Mother
Leal Barragan has always been my biggest inspiration; she has always been by my side in everything. She is the bravest and risk-taking person I know to make sure her daughters and family remain happy.
It was a nice Sunday night, not even halfway towards October. The cool breeze whistling and pushing on my window. I just then found out that the higher floor you are from the ground, the louder the breeze brushes past your window. With the three in half years I have lived in my building, I have never noticed the cool breeze on my window being loud, I guess you never notice such a thing until your house feels so empty and alone. It was quite peaceful; my house is barely ever quiet with my two older sisters in the house. I was sitting at my dinner table, drinking my tea next to Carmen Leal Barragan, my mom. The room was so quiet I could hear my dogs’ light snores. My mom’s legs were crossed, and hands crossed on top of the table. Her face looked joyful, but she was trying to look serious. My smile resisting to laugh while looking at my mom trying to look professional. My mom during the interview explained that she just wanted what was best for her family. She tried her best at everything and remember to take accountability to be responsible and the one in charge when her parents and were not at home, instead they were at work making sure to provide for their house and most of all children, she just wanted this to be easier for them. My mom proved herself to be a very respectful, disciplined, brave, caring, and courageous person throughout her life. Have you ever thought about how easy being a mom is? It must be so easy for them, right? Well, those questions are very debatable, being a mom is actually very hard. So many moms struggle to be the most perfect mom and have everything right, but kids never see how hard moms work to make your life nice and happy. They cultivate a warm and loving environment where their children feel safe and valued. My mom shows throughout the interview how hard it was for her to make sure her parents didn’t have to lift a finger before school so it would be easier for them to go to work meanwhile my mom is taking the responsibility to accomplish her morning task of taking care of her siblings and more.
Carmen explains that she had to work really hard to make everything perfect and intact before school which shows how of a determined and organized individual human being that she is. Since she was the oldest, she was very determined to take care of her siblings because she didn't want her parents who are already hard-working people who just want to give their children what they really need and want in life to make them happy. Even though she doesn’t show this with her actions, you can tell this by her tone of voice and how she explains the conflicts that she has had growing up. Her tone was rather calm and respectful, During the interview she remarks, “Because my parents have to work so hard I had to take care of my siblings because I am the oldest so I used to do all my chores; cook, clean, and take care of my siblings before school,” I chose this quote because even though it doesn't have that much inspiration I believe that it has a deeper meaning behind it and it shows how hard Carmen has to work just to see a smile on her family's face.
this is that my mom as the oldest child had a very hard time growing up and making sure everything was perfect and spotless so her own parents wouldn't have to worry about doing all this in the morning which shows how strong my mom truly is because she always tries her best.
Carmen's parents didn't have a lot of money which meant she needed to work really hard just so she could pay for her education and increase her learning skills, this shows how strong she is. This topic is something that I am determined to talk about because for someone to start at a very young age to pay for their own education takes a lot of patience and dedication. Some kids these days don't even have to lift a finger but looking back Carmen probably worked morning and possibly all night to make sure she had and has a good future. This special meaning to this quote may not reveal something that obvious to see but for me my mom is strong, she is a strong and hard-working individual because she had to work and study at the same time. Later during the interview, she states, “My parents didn't have enough money, I had to work and study at the same time so I could pay for my own education,” what is so powerful about this is that my mom had to work as a minor to pay her own education and work through some struggles sometimes on her own. The powerful thing about this is that my mom must move things aside just for her own education and education bills that she needs to work hard for.
“My daughters are my motivation, daily motivation to do better and to do well because they are with me.”
special meaning behind this is that Carmen is telling us to never give up just because it's hard, instead push back harder. This quote is not only just an ordinary quote, but I love how Carmen is and was inspired to chase her desires and is determined to stay positive and respectful at the same time.
For me this connects to my life because my mom is my biggest inspiration to chase my dreams and never give up, this really means a lot when you look deeper into this because the poet is something you see all the time in life.
Carmen is a strong woman who has daily motivation to do her best and just stay confident and brave. Her response to her biggest inspiration is very powerful because it really brings out that her daughters are the sunshine of a bad day and knowing that they will always be there for her is very heartwarming. Usually, people could respond to the particular question of who your biggest inspiration and they would most likely say celebrity, but what I found powerful, and loving is for a mom who looks up to her daughters. During the interview, she states, “My daughters are my motivation, daily motivation to do better and to do well because they are with me.” When she talks about this, she seems proud and glad to know that she has her three best friends by her side, meaning her daughters. This is significant because knowing something that is so close to you, motivates you to be your better, well, and improved self. I believe this quote shows a lot of love and positivity with the proud and serious tone she said while stating this quote. Her straight posture and hands crossed on top of the table show that her statement was a very deep and heartwarming statement for her because she thinks of her daughters as sisters and would do anything for them. Personally, I think the graceful love of motherhood is very important because it's so beautiful for a mother to have such a great connection with their daughters or sons. I personally have the greatest connection with my mother and will continue to be able to tell her anything that comes to mind because at the end of the day, she is like a best friend to me and it's normal for someone to have such a great connection with their moms.
By: Victoria Fernandez Leal
This shows that she's a hard worker and is brave to achieve a goal, for me my mom is my biggest inspiration, and she shows how much she loves us. What is powerful about
During the interview, Carmen would often talk about some conflicts about her life throughout but one of the main things I noticed is how hard her childhood and growing up as a teen was. Since she was the oldest, she had to work really hard in everything like cooking, cleaning, working on homework, work, take care of younger siblings, etc. When her mom wasn’t at work and was present at home, she would tend to help out to make sure her mom wasn’t that stressed. I could tell this because Carmen had a calm and settled voice trying to explain how these little and big remarks from her childhood helped her to be organized and respectful throughout her life. Later in the interview, Carmen states, "I am very disciplined, I am that type of person who when I want to do something I am determined.”
While Carmen says these words word by word you can tell she has a calm and settled voice which allows her to show a deeper meaning behind the word she's saying. The
I believe that Carmen’s childhood really affected her daily being in life now and has inspired her to be the best mom for her three daughters. Something I appreciate about Carmen is that she's my biggest inspiration and she's the best mom because she's gone through so many things in her life and always found a solution to it. She pushed through these conflicts that she's gone through, and she did so many things to protect us just to see a smile on her family's face. One new insight I have after this interview is how she managed to live through that childhood because looking back at how she spent her whole childhood and how I spent my childhood is a big difference because I was given an iPad and able to live in a nice house and given good food, but she had to work really hard to have these things. Some advice that I would my readers is to never take advantage of what you have because a lot of people are really blessed but don't know what your parents’ relatives or friends have gone through.
A
Family Man
Jason Frazier is a family man who wants to help people and strives for peace.
Frazier now works at Community Hospital/powers heath system.
By Carson Frazier
It was a late night, and my dad Jason Frazier was working at his hospital when out of nowhere he got word that a severely injured man was being flown in for him to operate on. This man was a veteran who shot himself right through his liver to not get redeployed into Afghanistan. Frazier quickly started prepping for this surgery, and everyone was panicking to hurry up and get ready, and then the time came for him to operate. After a long hard surgery to try to fix this man, he sadly passed away due to his injuries. Even after many years this experience still sticks with Frazier to this day.
Doctor Frazier is a hardworking, peace-centered man. Frazier
has always disliked unneeded violence in the society we live in especially, physical violence that ends with someone coming to see him in the hospital.
Frazier has many different opinions on violence, and he emphatically states, “I hate guns, I’ve always hated guns.” He sees the damage that they can do to a person firsthand. He is also the one who must fix it, and sometimes violence can create problems that are not fixable. This connects to me because I try to stay away from gun violence and all violence in general, and when I do come near stuff like that, I try to remove myself from that situation.
Because Frazier is often confronted with intense situations involving violence, sometimes he likes to not think about it all and not worry about anything. Frazier is a busy hardworking man, but at these relaxing times, he likes to be near water: “I find water to be very peaceful.” Frazier enjoys the water and even said he has an inflatable canoe in his car trunk so that if he is near a lake he can just set it up and go out to float in the river, abandoning all problems from the past and the future and enjoying the time he has right now. Frazier helps me realize I am also a person who can be very busy and cherishes the time that I have to relax and enjoy my time away from the problems of the outside world.
Frazier is an extremely hardworking man who goes out of state multiple times a year to educate other doctors on topics that can help save more lives day by day. Frazier is very passionate about his job and enjoys helping people. He is driven by “my love for what I like to do, which is taking care of sick people.” These words of knowledge straight from Frazier helps better show how Frazier is an amazing peaceful man who does his job to the best of his ability and just wants to help people and make the world better. Frazier’s words are a small example of how he takes calm and simple approaches to all things in the world. I look up to Frazier and want to be a man like him who is passionate when it comes to his job.
Frazier enjoys and loves his job, but not everything can be perfect. Although Frazier enjoys his job, it can be very time-consuming. Frazier has had many time-consuming jobs when he worked as a lifeguard he had to work for multiple hours a day, and when he was studying to get into medical school he had to study for hours and hours on end.
Frazier even says: “The worst part of my job is the time commitment.” Due to his job taking up a good amount of his time, he is not happy with the amount that he gets to spend with his family and do other things of his choice. But Frazier is a great example of how sometimes people have to make sacrifices to be successful. One day I also want to be successful just like Frazier and he teaches me about how someday I will have to sacrifice my time for work.
Frazier is an extremely hard-working peace-centered man who has helped lots of people in need. Frazier has taught me so much not only as my father but also as a man. He has shown me how I need to make sacrifices to be successful, that I should always keep trying at my goal, how people you love always come first, and how violence is never the answer. Hopefully, you also learned from Frazier and can apply what you learned from him in real life
“I hate guns, I’ve always hated guns.”
Stars And Stripes
ThisisBarryCollins.BarryCollinsisaretiredmilitarysoldierwhoservedinboth IraqandAfghanistancombattours.
By Molly Frey
In1985,itwasacrispfallday.BarryCollinspackedhisJeepforhisjourney.AstheJeep startedtomoveawayfromhishouse,Barryheardadistantvoice,screaminghisname.Itwashis son,Ryne.AsRynecameintohisview,UncleBarrystoppedtheJeepandeagerlyrantohisson, armsopen,askingforahug.Rynehadcometosaygoodbye.Thetensionwasverystrong,the realizationthattheymightneverseeeachagain.Lifewouldbedifferent.AsUncleBarrysaidhis finalgoodbyes,tearsstartedtoappearinbothoftheireyes.OncetheJeepstartedmovingagain, theybothstartedtowave,untilnothingbutblanknessandroadwasleft.
Barrylefteverythinghehadeverknownbehindandstartedanewchapterofhislife. BarrywasaUnitedStatesReserveSoldierintheTennesseeNationalGuard.Heservedtwo combattoursinIraqandAfghanistan.Barrywantedtogivebacktohiscountryandshowhis patriotism.Itwasveryhardtoleavehiswholefamilyandstartanewjourney.Barrywantedto makeadifferenceintheworld.Itwasarisk,butitwasariskhewaswillingtotake,forthe greatergood.Thatwashisgoalandmotivation.
UncleBarryservedintheTennesseeArmyNationalGuardinthe168th MilitaryPolice Battalionfrom1985-2007,retiringwiththerankofColonel.Throughouthistime,helearned aboutpatriotismandgivingbacktoyourcountry.HestartedoutasaReservesoldierinIraqand servedacombattour.Laterinhiscareer,UncleBarryservedacombattourinAfghanistan.Ashe continuedtoserveinthemilitary,hestartedtohaverealizationsthatservinginthemilitarywas ahugewaytogivebacktohiscountry,butnotjustthat,healsostartedtoembracepatriotism. HebecameaproudUScitizen.Hefeltasenseofbelongingbecausehewasmakingadifference andwasinfluential.Itwasagreatopportunitytoshowhowmuchhecared.Hewasservingfor hisnation.Hewastryingtokeepeveryonesafewhileriskinghisownlifeandwell-beingfor others.Throughouthistimeofservice,helearneddisciplineandwillpower,whichledUncle Barrytofeelevenmoreconnectedtohiscountry.
Duringhistimeofservice,UncleBarryfeltamixofemotionsfromhappinessto sadness.ShortlyafterUncleBarryleftforservice,hefoundoutthatheandhisson,Ryne,were featuredinanewspaperarticlesharingtheirgoodbye.UncleBarryfeltveryproudforbeing recognizedforhisservice.
“The lows be the lows, and do not let the highs be the highs. Take one day at time.”
Asheserved,hestartedtoreflectonthestatement,“quitlookingforwhatthiscountry candoforyouandstartthinkingwhatyoucandoforyourcountry.”UncleBarryrealizedhow muchhiscountrydidforhim,suchastheamountofprotectionandnecessitiesthemilitary offers.Hequicklylearnedthathewasatremendoushelptohiscountry.Hewantedtorepresent hiscountry,andhedidthatthroughhisserviceinthemilitary.Hehasnoregretsforservingin themilitary,becauseherecognizedhisdifferenceintheworldasasoldier.Attheendofhis time,hereallyfeltlikehefulfilledhisobligationsanddutyforhiscountry.Theamountthathe gavebackbetweenhistwocombattourswilllasthimalifetime.
UncleBarrywillalwayscarrywithhimthathewasanAmericanReserveSoldier. Whilehewasserving,helearnedmanylessons.Oneofthemanylessonshelearnedwasrespect. Helearnedtorespectothersandpeoplehigherthanhim.Hetalkedabouttheachievementshe madeduringhistimeofservice.Ifhedidnotserve,hefelthewouldnothaveachievedthesame accomplishments,andhislifewouldhavelookedverydifferent.Hesharedwithmethatafter beinginthemilitaryhenevertakesfailureasananswer.Thisisbecauseheknewhow successfulhecouldbewhenhedidnotgiveupandhenowcarriesthiswithhim.
Hemadeacommentthat“disciplineandwillpower”havealwaysstuckwithhim throughouthislifetime.Helearnedtowakeupearly,gethisworkdone,andbeeffectiveand helpful.Healsosharedthestatement,“IdonotthinkIwouldhaveachievedthethingsIhave achieved.Themilitaryinstillsthatifyouputyourmindtosomethingitwillhappen.Youarethe onlyonethatisgoingtoupyourprogress.”UncleBarryreallydemonstrateshowmany achievementsandsuccessescanbemadefromservinginthemilitary.Especiallyforhim,he sharedhowoncehestartedwakingupat4:45ameverydayandgettingstraighttowork,hefelt asenseofpurposefulness.Wakingupat4:45ameverydayshowedhimhowmuchyoucanpack intoaday.
UncleBarrytoldmehowmuchworkandefforthehadtoputintothemilitary,butoncehegot usedtotheamountofworkhedidnotthinkitwasasdifficult.Hementionedthatifhedidnotgo tothemilitary,hemightnothaveachievedthelevelofeducationhedid.Beforeenteringthe military,hiswillpowerwaslacking.
Overall,themilitarytaughthimsomuchaboutlife.Themilitaryteachesyouawayof lifethatwillnotbeforgotten,awayoflifethatyouwillcarrywithyouformorethanthetime youserve.Themilitaryhasasaying,“soldierforlife.”Itislikethesayingonceasoldieralwaysa soldierbecauseonceyoujoinyourpointofviewswillneverbetheexactsame,youwillalways rememberthatoneday.Youwillalwaysrealizethenumberofachievementsyoumadeinthe military,thattimewhenyougotthroughsomethingyoumaybedidnotthinkyouwouldandyou willalwayslookinthepast,maybewithregretoronwhatifs,butthatiswhatthemilitaryis,a lifetimewithinitself.
The question was asked, do you have any regrets about the Army?
HesaidhehadnoregretsuntilhisdaughterBrileywasbroughtupinthe conversation.Helefthisonlydaughter,Briley,whenshewasonemonthold.Hementioned, “Youknowthatfirstyearofachild’slifeyoudonotgetback,Idohaveregretaboutthat.”Hedid notpurposelyleavehisone-month-olddaughter,butheknewheneededtoserve,sohemade theharddecisionandstillleft.InsteadoflookingbackandthinkingwhatifIneverwent,he lookedforwardandrealizedhowmuchofthelosttimehemadeuponcehereturned. HesharedastoryabouttheFourthofJulyinIraq.UncleBarrytalkedabouthowallthe soldiersweregivenhalfadayoff,sotheygatheredtowatchthevibrantfireworks.Inthis momenthesharedthatpeoplestartedtofeelhomesickandregretful.Itwasbecausetheyhada momenttothinkabouttheirlifebeforewar.HethoughtalotaboutBrileyduringthistime. UncleBarrydoesnotliveinthepast,buthesaiditalwayshitshardwhenhethinksbacktothe oneyearforwhichhewasnotpresent.Headmittedhowhardthatisasafather,buthehadto makeachoiceandsometimesthatchoicehurts.
UncleBarrytalkedalotabouthow,ifyouarealwayslookingbackandthinkingabout whatyoucouldhavedonethatwillnotgetyouanywhere.Onethingthathesharedwas,“Donot letthelowsbethelows,donotletthehighsbethehighs.Takeonedayatatime.”Ifsomething negativehappensdonotbeatyourselfupaboutit,donotcarryitwithyou.Taketheopportunity tostartanewdayandtakeeachdayoneatatime.”Youdonotwanttostaycaughtinthesame regreteach dayandthatisexactlywhatUncleBarrydid,hedidnotliveinhisregretshemoved forwardandthatisagreatlifelessontolearn.
Hesharedthatsomeoneinhisunitdied.Hetoldmehowhejustkeptprayingthathe wasnotthenextone.Withthat,healsotriedtofigureoutwhathappened,sohedidnotmake thesamemistakesthatpersonmade.Hemadeacommentabouthowyoudonotreallyfeel muchduringtheactualwar,buttheemotionsarefeltbeforeandaftereachday.Onetimewhen hereallyexperiencedthiswaswhenthegateswereopeningaseveryonewaslinedupreadyto gotowar.Hetoldme,“oncethatgateopensandyougooutitisinGod’shand,whathappens next,youmayneverknow.”Hefeltalotoffearduringthisbecauseoncethosegatesopen,he wasnotprotectedanymore.Hedidnotknowmuchabouthowthefuturewouldhappen;allhe knewisthathecoulddecidehisnextmove.
EverydayUncleBarrywokeup,heknewunexpectedthingscouldbethrownathim. Hesharedthatonceyourealizeeverythinginlifeisunpredictable,youlearnyouhavetobe readyforanything.Hewasreadyforagunshotoranattackwhiledeployed.Thishashelped himinhislifetime.Hecouldnotanticipateeveryoutcome,goodorbad.Hehastolivewiththose outcomesandnotbefilledwithregret.Manythingswillhappenthatyoumaywishdidnot happen,butyoucannotgobackoncertainpartsoflifethatinyouropinionmaynotbethebest. UncleBarryhaslearnedtokeepmovingforward.
Throughouttheinterview,UncleBarrywasveryopenashespokeabouthispastinthe militaryandhowithasledhimtowhoheistoday.Hesharedthatalotofhisviewsand accomplishmentsarefromhistimeinthemilitary.TothisdayUncleBarryfeelsthepatriotism fromwhenhefirststartedservinginthemilitary.
Listeningtohisstoryandexperienceinlifehastaughtmetoliveinthemomentand thatlivinginregretmeansyoucannotmoveforward.Youlearnfromyourmistakeswhichisa powerfullifelesson.
ThiswasaphototakenofBarryCollinswhilehewasservinginAfghanistan.
What Happened on 9/11?
Matthew James Gagnon witnessed the tragic event on 9/11 and is now here to tell the story.
By: Willa Gagnon
Matthew James Gagnon, his goal set on becoming a lawyer in the nearby future, scheduled an interview he would not ever forget. Mr. Gagnon moved to New York, Manhattan to go to law school after college for four years, and in between that time, he scheduled multiple interviews for the position. He woke up early that morning after setting his alarm for 6:00am knowing his interview was at 7:30am. After being on schedule for the interview and already being on his way, Mr. Gagnon was prepared and ready.
The train was going normal, with people talking softly and just waking up. Eventually something started happening with the people around him. People started to hear that a plane had just hit a building in the area the train was headed to. For example, a woman on the train came up to Mr. Gagnon and stated, “Well I think a terrorist attack is a pretty good reason to miss an interview.” Mr. Gagnon was confused and unsure what this woman meant by a “terrorist attack.” After this, he started to hear snippets of conversation and rumors about a plane hitting the twin towers. Mr. Gagnon didn’t know how to take this new information and decided to continue his ride on the train to the interview, since he knew he could not miss it, and it was important to his career.
Mr. Gagnon got off the train at his stop and walked up the stairs to the lobby of the One Chase Manhattan building. This is when Mr. Gagnon realized what everyone on the train was talking about. Panic started to happen around him, with smoke and building debris starting to appear outside bit by bit. There were people running and screaming as smoke filled the atmosphere creating chaos and fear. Mr. Gagnon said, “All of a sudden, you could not see, and people were screaming not knowing what was going on and so all they did was run away from where the towers stood because, of course, it was collapsing.” Mr. Gagnon joined the frightened crowd because staying in a building was not a good idea at the time, knowing another one could go down at any second.
After pandemonium was clearly happening everywhere, a loudspeaker came on and directed people to go to a cafeteria underground for safety. Mr. Gagnon saw groups of people immediately start heading to the cafeteria, and having no better idea himself, he followed. In the cafeteria, there was still bits of smoke and debris and so you could not really see anyone or anything. Everyone just waited, knowing that they did not have any control about the situation which caused even more anxiety. When the smoke completely cleared from the cafeteria space, people started to talk and share their experiences. Mr. Gagnon talked to a guy who had stated, “I saw the building burn up and then collapse and when it was collapsing, I saw people jumping off from the top.” This shows just how desperate people were, feeling like they had no other option and needed to jump off the building. He continued to hear terrible stories and kept gathering information about the event. Mr. Gagnon says, “There were also rumors that it wasn’t just New York, but it also happened it Chicago and other cities,” which shows how when people don’t have communication and are fearful, their imaginations get the better of them and they start to make things up.
“There were also rumors that it was not just New York, but it also happened in Chicago and other cities.”
After waiting in the cafeteria for an hour, there was another crash and more rumbling. Mr. Gagnon claims, “I remember a terrible rumbling and I realized that it was the second building falling.” This added on more tension to even more fear for the future. After a couple more minutes of waiting, the loudspeakers came back on and announced that they had found a safe route out of the city. Mr. Gagnon followed the crowd outside of the cafeteria where they gave them paper towels to wear over their mouths to block smoke from getting into their lungs. Mr. Gagnon proclaimed, “There were a couple of building workers who handed us paper towels to put over our mouths. When we walked out at the building, we saw what looked like an absolute disaster, seeing the whole world covered in six inches of debris.” This shows just how chaotic and disorderly the city had become from the aftershock of the event. They continued on the route which led to a bridge connecting Manhattan to Brooklyn. They walked 30 minutes across the bridge looking back to his smoke covered city. When the group finally crossed the bridge, everyone went their separate ways. Mr. Gagnon eventually found a phone to call his family and friends and let them know he was okay.
“I remember a terrible rumbling and I realized that it was the second building falling.”
Everyone has heard of that significant/unfortunate event in history known as 9/11, whether you were there or not. Mr. Gagnon experienced and saw the event as it was happening and fortunately is here to tell his story. Gagnon is a hardworking and caring father who has accomplished his dream and became a lawyer which he has been for 20 years now. Mr. Gagnon says, “I don’t know if there are any lessons to be learned from having lived this experience. Tragedies happen. Sometimes you’re lucky, and sometimes you’re not.” Even if you are just witnessing a historical event, you still have an important story and visual to tell.
The Life Story of Julia
Gasinsky
It was 4:30, I would do the interview in just a few minutes. I just had a little snack. I was very anxious I could have been stove in my home. I felt like I could build like metal period. I was in the kitchen, hot and cold, worried about the interview, I filled with sweat.
I thought about how this is going to work. I did not feel good, I felt sick in my stomach. But then there was a gentle breeze, and it was warm with windows open. I saw her blonde hair blue eyes pretty sweater and water blue jeans. Her warm voice came to me but then we started with a bark from my dog.
Ever since Julia Gasinsky was a baby, she did not have an idol, idols to her were people that were popular. Gasinsky was born in Moscow in 1979. Everyone she knew had an idol, but she was too good for an idol, she is my mom. Her parents growing up loved her and she was like every child, happy, and in school.All children want to be just like their parents, I also think that I am too good for an, maybe she is an idol to me.
She had good grades and was a good student. When I interviewed her, Gasinsky stated: “I don’t have an idol, I’m just…awesome.” This quote shows her independence as a woman even though at the time, independence for women was not equal. But she fought through hard times and then moved toAmerica in 2000 and made a new life here.
All slides are fun are fun unless you hurt yourself, Gasinsky was 9 or 10 years old when she got her concussion on a slide, an ice slide. How she got it you might be wondering, well Gasinsky recalled: “I was going down the slide, he jumped,” in front of him for revenge: “…and hit me, I hit my head on the ice.” This was a big moment in her life because from then on, she got headaches, and she could not go on rides.
Even though this happened to Gasinsky 35 years ago, it still affects her to this day. This relates to me by causing me to get sick after amusement park rides and 3d movies and because now Gasinsky and I have a weak stomach.
The concussion cannot stop my mom, but pain of it can. After being sent to the hospital, she made some friends in the medical room but when in the when she first got at the ER, Gasinsky shares with me: “I remember seeing a girl walking… I couldn’t imagine walking.” That shows the amount of pain she was in, she also stated that it was a very
long bad headache.
At the time, the law was that people who had concussions would have to stay in a room at the hospital for one week with people the same gender. Gasinsky made a lot of friends there and all the girls there got concussions for Gasinsky the same reason they hit their head on the ice hard, but she is an odd one out because she is the only one you did not get a concussion because of a sibling.
After recovery she lived a normal life and could eventually walk again. Then she got her first job as a glass bottle disposer: “…you had to carry them to a special facility that accepts those bottles and pay you very little money.” The neighbors would just give her the bottles for free because they did not want to have the hustle of going to the facility, get the very little money at the time and then having to come back, they just did not want to deal with it all, so they gave it to Gasinsky for free.
Her experience recovering from a concussion as a child.
Then at 18, Gasinsky got her first job at a restaurant: “I got a job in Moscow at a restaurant…working in a restaurant really sucks.” Later Gasinsky states that she wanted to be in the hotel and hospitality industry growing up, but after working in a restaurant she saw that that job was not meant for her. Gasinsky did not like having to deal with customers, and if she cannot deal with customers and how can you deal with hotels. Gasinsky was thinking about being a hotel clerk which meant she would have to deal with a lot of people. So, she decided to change to a different job.
Then she got to her job in finance, met my dad, had me and my sibling and now her job is taking care of us children. Gasinsky loves and hates her job currently, which is taking care of me, my siblings, and my dog. But she still loves us.
Julia Gasinsky, loving mother of three was born and raised in Russia.And I learned that even if you are going through some tough things in a relationship such as distance nothing can stop that.Also, even if you feel pain nothing can stop you from how great you are unless they make to permanently disabled or go blind, other than that you are fine.
What I have learned from interviewing Gasinsky is that concussions are serious. Imagine you are in a world or timeline that you did have a concussion how would that affect you today? So, if it changes your path a lot do not get hurt and stay safe.
Julia Gasinsky in Edinburgh, Scotland touring a castle in 2022
“I don’t have (or need) an Idol, I’m just that awesome.”
Dr. Michael Gomez entered the medical surgery room as his name was called. His hands were sweating, and his head was pulsing. A short time ago, Gomez had lost his first patient during surgery. With his mind filled with guilt, anxious thoughts flooded his mind. He doubted his skills for the first time in a long time and could not stop thinking about that day. Gomez's trauma was creating fearful thoughts in his mind that made his head throb and it hard for him to think. He could not stop blaming himself. Gomez, with his hands shaking, stepped into the room. Gomez was born in 1975, moving to a suburb outside Chicago early in his life. Today, he has three kids, one of who is me. He worked to support his mother while he was in college, graduating from medical school to become a surgeon. Gomez believes that grief and fear can be difficult to overcome, but with the right mindset can be conquered.
It is a fall day in 2018 in Chicago Illinois. Dr. Michael Gomez exited his small medical office and walked across the tiled floor toward the breakroom. It was a dull day in the hospital, a day for office work and routine checkups. The hushed environment was just the amount of noise for doctors, pharmacists, and surgeons to get their delicate work done in peace with muffled noses of conversation and music vibrating from the doors of each room. It was quiet and peaceful, the tranquil sound of passing doctors and pharmacists brought a feeling of calm and safety to the building. Gomez sat in his office checking emails, waiting for the appointment set up by one of his patients to walk in. Facing discrimination in his younger years, Gomez became a surgeon to support his family and help people in need. Gomez had been a surgeon for years and had influenced many that he encountered. In an instant, the silence shattered. A handgun rang out, echoing screams and yells off the walls. Gomez heard the thunderous boom from across the building and people started running. After every 10 seconds, a gunshot went off getting closer and farther as they ran. Without thinking, he sprinted as hard as he could toward the closest room.
Overcame His Trauma
His mindset and the steps he took
By Monty Gomez
Gomez contemplates his first actions because he believes that he always wanted the best for others but thinking about his first actions created conflict with himself, something that was terrible for him in creating trauma. Gomez shares that thought, "It was hard to think about others in the building when you realize you are in danger". Reflecting on this, Gomez struggled with who he was to others, and if they thought of him like someone who only cared about himself. Another bang and the yells were silenced. He notices the people in the building were silent: They were scared. The dark tone of his voice conveyed that he knew someone with all the power in the
building was running straight for him with a gun. The only thing he could do was run toward a room he could hide in, but he had almost no time. Stress ran through him, making him struggle to calm down. He remembers the loud booms clearly, hearing them every time he thought back to that year and remembering it every day.
Gomez describes the officers that came toward the hospital, and how they had no fear or mental blocks holding them back, which is something that he wanted. When Gomez reflects on being brave, he recalls the officers who ran in to save him, a stranger by risking their own lives. He shares his moments during the shooting while he was hiding away in hopes of staying out of sight. About 5 minutes in, the police ran in. Gomez describes, "Everyone was trying to run away, but the police officers were running toward the danger. I have so much gratitude for that officer, he saved my life." This is meaningful because it demonstrates a positive mindset in a dark time, which was important in helping him overcome his trauma. Gomez believes that those officers were the definition of selflessness and tries to reflect on it every day and bring it into his work as a surgeon.
I feel extremely grateful that these people were willing to do this, hoping that when I get older, people are inclined to do that for each other. While Gomez hid, he heard multiple booms from both sides of the hallways, and then it stopped. He carefully opened the door and took a step outside. His hands were sweating, and his legs were shaking, hoping that he was lucky enough to not see the shooter. He saw a dozen officers injured, a sight that scarred his mind. This caused a mental block in his mind, which made it hard for him to go back to the hospital. When he got home, he remembered the officers and felt extreme gratitude that they went in to save him, but his deep tone conveyed that he felt guilty they got injured because of him. He recalls their sacrifice each day and remembers them during his work when he feels like a patient needs his help.
“It gets easier as time goes on but you never forget.”
This event is something that Gomez looks back on every day during his work as a surgeon because it is an event that became a core memory for him that was hard to overcome. When something that affects so many lives in such a drastic way happens, Gomez states that it is hard to forget it. This made it hard for him to go back to the hospital, seeing bodies gave him a trauma that he cannot forget. Gomez expresses that such a dramatic moment will not be bygone by him especially because he thinks of the other people that were affected around him. Gomez brings this into his work as an extra motivation to help people, knowing they might have gone through a terrible moment just as bad or possibly worse than what happened to him. Every day, Gomez tries to keep the memory of the officers who gave up their lives to protect him and innocent doctors, nurses, and pharmacists just trying to get through their day. Gomez declares, "It gets easier as time goes on, but you never forget". This statement represents how a traumatic moment might get easier to think of but will never be forgotten. It is important to his mentality because it helped him come to terms with the situation, which helped him overcome his trauma. Gomez does not back down from this though, as he continues to strive to be a better person for others, knowing that it is a hard time for them. It relates to me because I want to think about how my actions can affect someone in a way that they never forget, and how knowing that actions can cause irreparable damage, can help me become more thoughtful in my actions. Gomez wants to make his patients feel safe after they might have gone through one of these events because he can relate to them with his experiences. He is to be known that I should not let my mind hold me back, because my mind is my biggest challenge.
It is important to prepare yourself mentally for what is to come and not let your own fear control you. Dr. Gomez had much trauma and fear following this incident, showing how it is possible to overcome any obstacle if a person's mind is dedicated to it. This gives me a new perception of how I make mistakes and reflect on them. This is significant because it displays how a good mindset is important in everything in life. Gomez presents the idea that overcoming a mental block requires a person to stop being extremely self-critical and not feel self-hate when a person fails.
How Michael Gomez
Michael S. Gomez M.D.
My dad, Geoffrey Goodman, a short Italian kid from Somers Point, New Jersey, had just landed in Mexico City, Mexico at only eight years old. Goodman did not know a single word of Spanish when he left the plane and entered the international airport in Mexico City. With his mom and sister, they all went to find Goodman's dad, who already arrived in the city. Goodman's dad helped lead them to the car that they would be driving their entire time in Mexico. Once the bags were packed in the car, the whole family started moving away. But when the car started to speed away, a police siren started to sound. When Goodman heard the siren, he knew he would have to get through this with perseverance and hard work.
As Goodman, now fifty years old, was describing how Mexico felt when he first arrived, he started talking about how different life in Mexico was for him. Even when he was a young eight-year-old just arriving in Mexico, he could understand the big governmental difference between the U S A and Mexico In the eighties, there was a one-party rule with a corrupt police system all around the country. Goodman mentioned his main experience with this fact only just arriving in Mexico Goodman states, "The first, you know, we got, my dad picks us up from the airport, and my dad was already there, my mother, myself, and my sister And he gets pulled over by a police officer and he didn't seem to have done anything And wouldn't let him go until he paid some sort of bribe in cash to the police officer, and the police officer suddenly decided nothing was wrong and left And I'm like 'Wow this is quite a different environment " Goodman said this with a bit of laughter and enthusiasm as he got more comfortable in his chair, which suggests that even though this is not a happy memory there might have been something that he liked about the experience
The experience made Goodman realize how different life was going to be compared to the East Coast of the U S A He had to grow up faster in a new environment being a 'fish out of water'. What this means is that Goodman had to learn to live in a big city environment, where he doesn't speak the language. Living in a major city made Goodman grow up faster or else he would be taken advantage of by scammers because he does not speak the language Goodman also mentioned that a similar thing happened with the moving company to get his family's furniture, further proving that he had to grow up at an early age to avoid being taken advantage of
When Goodman finally settled into the new environment, he suddenly remembered that he was going to an American school in the fall Realizing that he barely knew Spanish, Goodman knew that his first school year in Mexico was going to be tough The school was in the center of Mexico City and was around sixty-five percent Mexican and thirty-five percent American. The school day was half in English and half in Spanish meaning Goodman would have to be put in a class where the students are still learning Spanish, called special Spanish
first year must have helped him accelerate his learning I connect to this because when I need to adapt to a new environment I need a little help as well.
Goodman's life in Mexico was not all sunshine and rainbows The Mexican kids that attended the American school were there for most of their junior high studies, but the American kids there were in and out every year: "There was a lot of turnover, it was hard. You would lose friends every year, every year I was there I said goodbye to a new set of friends " Goodman said this in a quieter tone, suggesting that he missed those old friends and wished he had more time with them.
With the constant turnover of friends, Goodman’s social life was rough living in Mexico with the interchanging of friends every year. He must have built up a resistance to life-changing constantly Meaning that Goodman became used to turn over in his life changing his personality to be used to life not going his way. In my opinion, it seemed like he was going to a new school every year for three years This is because the main issue for kids going to a new school is that they do not know anybody, so when the majority of Goodman's friends leave every year, the same feeling and experience of going to a new school happened every year for Goodman.
By Liam Goodman
As Goodman sat relaxed in his chair watching football, he started going into more detail on how he got through living in a different country with a completely different language: "Well you're kinda thrown into it I mean, they do say it's good to pick up languages young it's easier to pick up " The quote clarifies how Goodman learned to adapt to a completely different environment Goodman learned the language very quickly, being completely fluent by his second year living in Mexico. However, being put in the special Spanish class in his
"There was a lot of turnover, it was hard. You would lose friends every year, every year I was there I said goodbye to a new set of friends."
Goodman had just finished his fifth-grade year at the American school in Mexico City and knew that he would not be coming back for his sixth-grade year His dad had started to work at the Sears Tower in Chicago, Illinois, and Goodman and the rest of his family will be moving back to the U S A When Goodman was telling me this he was going into a deep thought and trying to understand what he felt as an eleven-year-old moving back to his home country: "Certainly after living, again, in the second biggest city in the world Living close to a major thoroughfare, with major embassies a block or two away. To then go to a suburban setting, a traditional suburban setting, is certainly a bit of a culture difference "
It seems like living in a completely different culture for three years at such a young age changed his perception of his homeland even though he is from there To explain it more, living in Mexico became such a core part of his childhood that moving back to the U.S A. felt weird to him I can relate because I have been in situations where something becomes so normal that when I go back to how things were before felt weird and out of place to me.
As Geoffrey Goodman finished his childhood in Naperville, Illinois, part of living in Mexico was still with him and would be with him for the rest of his life. The interview was ending, and Goodman was asked how living in Mexico changed his overall personality and character, and in deep thought shared this with me: "Well I mean moving away from, well I'd say moving away from what you're used to, whether it's Mexico or not Mexico, could be a big foundation when you're a kid." Living in Mexico must have deeply impacted him when he was a child and was a foundational building block.
I believe that Goodman would have a different personality, beliefs, and way of talking if he had never lived in Mexico at an early developmental age What I mean by this is that when you are a kid you take on the personality of your environment, and since Goodman was so young when he lived in Mexico, he developed traits that he would not have developed if he never lived there.
Goodman's life in Mexico changed him as a person What I appreciated about Goodman after I interviewed him was how he powered through moving to a completely different country at a young age and made it somewhere that he could feel welcomed and comfortable.
A new thinking that I have about Goodman is that whenever he is in a rough situation he goes back to when he first moved to Mexico and uses the strategies that he used to adapt to a new life in Mexico to help him through a rough time Now with that experience behind him, Goodman learned that perseverance and hard work will always help him in rough times
A Whole New World
As Pinling Lin goes to The United States for college facing challenges and differences.
seat from all the G-force then the plane pulls up and all she sees is the endless ocean.
In 1990 Lin headed towards Dubuque, Iowa to start a new life, especially in getting used to the new lifestyle in North America, this is my mom Pinling Lin.
Lin came from Taiwan for college in the US and expected to be culturally different. She got in because of family connections with Dubuque College. When Lin came to The United States of America, she had to take a car ride from her small fishing village in the southern part of Taiwan up to Taipei. Then for the first time in her life, she took a plane to Los Angeles from Taiwan and then to Minneapolis. After that, she had to take a small plane to Dubuque, Iowa where her college is.
As she takes her first step in the U.S., she feels a sense of independence and also excited to explore the new environment filled her with joy. That’s a lot for someone who has never flown before and has to also move there for the next 4 years. She said in a joyful tone “It’s a small town, it’s a beautiful town but it was very very different from the southern part of Taiwan. I came from a fishing village.”
The transition from living in a small fishing village to flying for the first time and a 3-transit trip. Also, Lin loved the independence of going to explore the world and to have the freedom to explore different places and different cultures. Lin knew it was hard coming but took that challenge and differences.
This inspires me how much Lin Studie, would be in the library till 11 o’clock just reading to be around English and would study extra hard which would pay off eventually when she got all A’s. Also, this shows how culturally they were different, would Lin leave her shoes at the entrance of her house or outside in Taiwan, unlike her roommate who would wear shoes in her house? This shows how Lin would work extra hard to just be like another student but had to study extra hard and the differences she saw in America with her roommate show big issues she faced that went head-on and eventually paid off.
lady, she would look at it positively as a way to build bridges and to teach people about different cultures. Even though people weren’t always very positive or nice to Pinling, she would stay strong and think positively, and over time she learned to deal with it. But luckily now nowadays society is a lot nicer to immigrants than before.
By: Julian Groessner Photographed by Meenakshi Dash
As Pinling Lin got on the plane from Taipei to Los Angeles she sat in her seat as the sunlight beamed through the window and heat hit her face as a mix of emotions from happy to independent and a sense of freedom leaving like a baby bird spreading her wings to fly.
As they go over the safety information, Lin realizes there is no going back and that all the preparation has brought her here. As she taxis to take off she takes one last view at Taiwan and Taipei as the slow bumps hitting the plane while taxing makes her more excited for a change. As she takes a deep breath the plane erupts in a roar as the plane starts to increase speed Lin got pushed into her
Lin faced a big issue of not knowing how to write and speak the English language well and had lots of differences with the American students. Lin would Study extra hard on books or text in her college to understand what she reads. She would also go to the library and just read to get influenced and to be surrounded by English.
Once she had a roommate who was American, and she would wear shoes at home and in her bed, Lin said she was very surprised.
Also, in Asia they would eat vegetables cooked so when she saw broccoli raw, she and some other Asian students would put raw broccoli and water in and steamed it in the microwave and lots of American students would look at them as weird and different. She said , “My first year I spent most of my evening in the library studying until 11 o’clock.” “It was different though she would wear her shoes in our room and sometimes” she would hop on her bed with her shoes on.”
“It’s a small town, it’s a beautiful town but it was very very different from the southern part of Taiwan. I came from a fishing village.”
Lin would make friends from all over the world. Lin’s friends were from Brazil, Peru, and Asia with some friends from America. This shows how Lin was building bridges and making connections with friends from outside of The United States by seeing how they also weren’t from The United States and that they might have also the same experience as Lin. In a calm and joyful tone, she said, “I made friends from all over the world”. She made so many friends that she could relate to even in those times when there were lots of rude people. She made a friend circle of different diverse groups of friends showing what a bond they had in college. Even though there were some people from Taiwan she could have been friends with. She chose her friends, and she was saying that she might have not spoken as well English if she had not met some of her friends. This shows how strong and diverse her friend group was and now they are all over the world with some in Brazil and some in Chicago and other places in South America.
Lin faces discrimination a lot because she is Asian and not American.
When she goes to grocery stores people would look or stare at her. Giving her an uncomfortable feeling of being different and not fitting in. Also, when she goes to dinners people would stare at her and not expect an Asian person to walk into an American dinner. Sometimes people would say rude and racist things. It’s not just her but also other Asian students or her friends who would face the same discrimination with very rude words. In an uneasy tone, she said “I once was asked where you are from by this old lady. I am from Taiwan; she goes oh is that where people live up in the trees.” and “They see a Chinese name and would call me at 2 am and would say very derogatory sounds like ching, Chang, Chong.”
This shows us that people were very stereotypical, but Lin still was strong and fought through it special those calls. But for some instances like with the old
In conclusion, Lin has persevered through the hard times from coming at such a young age and experiencing racism and exclusion and seeing differences and wrong treatment. Still to this day Lin looks at lots of things as building bridges and doesn’t take it very offensive showing how compassionate she is. Now she’s in Chicago and has grown into living in America for over 30 years showing how she has changed and became a local. All the hard work paid off for her where she called Chicago home. Always try your best and persevere through the hard part of life and it will pay off.
Pinling Lin celebrating her birthday and Chinese Lunar New Year in Chicago.
The Walking Doctor
By Aashna Gupta
On Saturday, October 25, 2024, I walked into my bedroom, closed my door, and got out my notebook with questions to ask my grandpa, Baba or known as Ashok Kumar Gupta. Finally, as the moment dawned on me, I opened my computer and typed in my password, paranoid that someone was watching me. My legs shook up and down as I connected to the meeting. To my surprise, Ashok Gupta had already joined the call. I noticed that he was wearing a spring blue jacket and a Michigan Wolverines baseball cap while sitting comfortably next to a window that portrayed his backyard, filled lush, green grass and cotton trees that looked like clouds floating in the sky from afar. He had a couple of books under one arm and notebooks stacked around him. He greeted me with a joke and then I asked him his first question.
Ashok Kumar Gupta is an internal medicine doctor that works at Trinity Hospital in Pontiac, Michigan. He has two brothers and four sisters. He grew up in the village of Narain garh Haryana, India. His dad was born in 1918 and died in 2008. His mom died in 1991. When he was six, his father came back from working in Africa for four years. He remembers that his father brought a sleek, new, white sewing machine that his mom learned to use. For hours on end, his mom would sit in a straw chair at the table in the living room, making clothes for her family. He remembers his six-year-old selfwatching his mom make sure each stitch was done properly, before washing it and hanging it on the line outside, as it swayed in the wind, warm beams of light making its way through the crack of the window.
Ashok had to take many classes throughout his academic years. In elementary school, he had to learn higher level math classes like Algebra I and Algebra II. In ninth grade, he had to take the basics of biology to get ahead in classes. He worked hard and earned exceptional grades on the papers he wrote. In high school, from 1961 to 1963, he took chemistry, physics, AP physics, zoology, biology, honors biology, and AP biology. After graduating from high school in 1963, he went to college for one year instead of four years. The class of 1965, his graduation from college, was because of his dedication to his studies as a ninth grader and tenth grader. As his classes got harder, he could do harder math problems and study different living organisms' makeup. He states, “…but at the medical school, you have to start biology and do the dissection of [a] frog…” Ashok had to take time away from doing other activities to focus on his schoolwork. He juggled schoolwork from required classes, chores, and taking care of his family, but also did homework from AP and Honors courses. His dedication to his studies and commitment to taking care of his community demonstrates that he is prepared for what life throws at him.
Ashok had known many things about the United States of America before he moved here in 1977. One of his older brothers, Kamesh Gupta, came 1967 to the United States of America and lived in Detroit, Michigan. One of his brothers had already come back to India to serve his country because he believed it was a symbol of honor and thought that it was his duty as a citizen of India. When speaking to him about his
experience traveling to a new country he retells, “...I had a lot of experience for the American system before I came here...” In high school he was required to learn English alongside speaking Hindi in home. One of his friends had lived in the United States of America for eight years and taught Ashok English at a more complex level. His friends taught him the latest information on the United States of America throughout his years in high school, such as how financials worked, and new teaching styles used in American schools. One time in school, he was required to read a book on the history of India. When he finished reading, he picked up a book on the history of America. All it took was one book to spark his interest in history, from famous places to economic growth to random facts. He had a deeper understanding of America than most people who migrated in the 1970s, because of his early exposure to history and literature. He was aware that people with a lower economic status had more trouble with the healthcare system in America. He understood that as a doctor, his goal was to help all people who need it, not just those who can afford treatment or care.
Ashok continued his work, practicing Internal Medicine in Michigan, United States of America and taking care of patients from diverse backgrounds. Part of his job is to teach interns and medical students how to talk to patients. If you break the news to a patient that they need major surgery and then walk away, the patient will say you are making a mistake. If you break the news that they need major surgery and talk about what that means in terms of recovery, the patient will have a deeper understanding of the surgery's specifics. One day in 2005, when talking to a medical student, he suggested, “Why don’t you go take the patient for a walk and learn something about them.” He felt walking would take stress off the patients and promote preventative care. Ashok is a strong believer in preventive care, believing people should take care of themselves. He walks every day because he enjoys nature, hanging out with loved ones, and wants to inspire others to take care of themselves. Walking helps your cardiovascular health, lowers your mental health conditions and risks, such as depression and bipolar, and makes you happier.
“Take the patient for a walk.”
In 1973, Ashok waited for a letter and visa addressed to him regarding the authorization of his decision to live in the United States of America to study Internal Medicine. The government of India ignored his request, so he went to stay with his friend in another village. He continued to work at his Christian hospital, Saint Joseph Mary Hospital, for another four years. His hospital worked closely with other organizations, Christian faith based, and churches. Mother Teresa, at the time, was traveling throughout the world helping those in need, and she was in his village by coincidence. One day Mother Teresa visited his hospital and told the staff to help at a special church built in 1887 by Philadelphia Churches. After they worked side by side for hours for week, he remembers one thing, “Once somebody touches you like that, you feel different.” Even though he had been working and volunteering to help underprivileged people, after he met Mother Teresa, his volunteerism increased significantly. She inspired him to do as much as he could to help those in need.
Ashok believes that people should always help when they can. After he was done with his medical training and became a doctor, he joined a rotary club, groups of people that participate and organize service projects to help those in need. The rotary club he joined was made in 1905 by three people, a lawyer, a doctor, and a police officer. Every week they meet for lunch to discuss ideas on how to help their community and other communities around the world. He has participated in many events throughout the world, dedicated to providing underprivileged people a way to support their family. He loves to make jokes and meet new people. He advises, “Laughter is the best medicine.” Laugher has been known to reduce loneliness and depression risks. Ashok tells jokes to get people laughing and make their mood better if they had a rough day. When people laugh, it reduces stress and brings out their happiness.
Ashok has taught others how to enjoy simple pleasures instead of taking luxuries for granted. He has taught others to pass on kindness that was once given to them. He reminds people how to look for the positives even in abysmal situations. Ashok reflects on the decisions he made that allowed him to be who he is today, and he has no regrets.
Ashok Kumar Gupta, Trinity Hospital Photo, 2015.
Growingup,CameronhadalwaysknownshewantedtotakephotosattheWhite House.CameronhadgrownupinSt.Joseph,Michigan;shegotherfirstcamerawhenshe wasjust12yearsold.Atanearlyage,shewouldtakephotosforfunandplaywithtoy cameras,shedidnotknowbeingaphotographercouldbeafull-timejob.Asshelearned abouttakingphotosfortheWhiteHouse,sheknewthatitwouldbehercareer.
Whenshegotolder,sherealizedbeingaprofessionalphotographercouldbea profession;shedescribes,“IalwaysdreamedofbeingaWhiteHousephotographer.” Cameronalwaysknewbeingaphotographerwastherightpathforher.Additionally,as shewouldgoontripsaroundtheU.S.,shewouldseepeopletakingphotosandwantedto beintheirshoes.
Assherealizedshereallywantedtohavethisjob,sheworkedharderandharder. Shefoundhowthisjobwasgoingtobedifficult;shealsoknewthatalthoughitwouldbe astressfulanddifficultpath,itwasverymuchworthit.Whensherealizedmorethatit wasnotjustadreambutarealitytobeaprofessionalWhiteHousephotographershe knewtofollowthisdream.ThisrelatestomebecauseIbelivethathardworkisespecially importantandcanshapesomeone’slifeforthebetter.
Cameron’shighschoolandcollegeexperiencestrengthenedherlovefortaking photosandbeingaphotographer.WhileinhighschoolinSt.Joseph,Michigan,she wantedtocontinueherlovefortakingphotos.Assheprogressedinhighschool,shemet manyfull-timephotographers.ThiswasafirstforCameron;shedidnotknowtaking photoswasaprofession.Duringcollege,Cameronalsotookmorephotosandmetmany peoplewhotookphotosfortheirjobs.Asshetalkedwiththeseprofessors,itonly strengthenedherlovefortakingphotos:“Imetsomeoneinhighschoolwhowasafulltimephotographer,whichshockedme.”
Cameronhadneverbeenaroundfull-timephotographers,whichwasaweirdfeeling. Duringhercollegeexpireanceshefeltmoreinspired.Duringhighschoolandcollege,she madelotsoffriendsthroughherlovefortakingphotos.Everydayshewenttoschool,she wouldtalkwiththeseprofessorsandwouldonlyfeelmoreinspired.Shewantedtobein theirshoes;shewantedtobeaphotographermorethananythingelse.Irelatetothis becauseyoushouldalwaysfollowyourdreamsandneverletanyone/thinggetinyour wayofdoingwhatyoulove.
nothavetorunthesocialmediapageorbetheonlyphotographer.Additionally,Cameron wasabletomeetinfluentialfigureslikeJoeBiden,KamalaHarris,andmanymore. Thejobalsohadsomenegatives;althoughshedidnothavetodoeverything,shewould havetotravelwhereverthepresidentwouldtravellongdistancesaroundtheworldwith thepresident,leavingherfamilymanytimes.Furthermore,sincethejobwasalotifshe werealreadyhavingadreadfulday,itsometimescouldonlyturnworse.Cameronstated, “ThereisnosuchthingasagoodorbaddayattheWhiteHouse,onlyreallygooddaysor reallybaddays.”
Cameron'stimeattheWhiteHousehadmanygoodandbadmoments.Cameron wouldbeabletomeetandsayhitoalotoffamouspeoplewhovisitedtheWhiteHouse. Cameronwouldalsosometimesgetnosleepcomingbackfromanoverseastripandbe expectedtodoevenbetterthatanotherday.Thisrelatestomebecauseevenifmybest onedayisnotthesameanotherday,IshouldstilltryandbethebestIcan.
“Cameronhadsomeofthe highesthighsandlowest lows.”
Cameronhadworktirelesslytomakeherdreamofbecomingaphotographera reality.Whileinterviewingherwehadaveryinquisitivediscussionandtalkedforover40 minutes.CameronhadmultiplehardshipsinherlongjourneyofmakingittotheWhite House.ThroughouthertimeattheWhiteHouse,shelearnedhowtogetaroundobstacles better,andlearnedtobestrongandindependent.
WhenCamerongotherfirstcameraatage12,sheloveditwithallherheart.Becauseof allherhardworkshefinallymadeittotheWhiteHouse.Shewentthroughtakingphotos forfunatherhighschool,thentotakingphotosforAmyKlobuchar’scampaigntrail,then tothetakingphotosforJoeBidenattheWhiteHouse.
CameronslonghardjourneytotheWhiteHouse,playedoffinthebestway.
ByZacharyHamer
CameroncouldfeelthewindfromtheMarine1helicopteronherbody,asshefeltthewind whistleacrossherface.ShecouldseethebeautifulskylineonthehorizonofWashingtonD.C.inthe background.AsshesteppedintotheWhiteHouse,shefeltasenseofaccomplishmentforherself.She experiencedsomeofthehighestofhighsandlowestoflows.Littledidsheknowthisjobwouldbemore stressfulbutalsomorefunthanexpected.
OnenightinSeptemberIsatdowntointerviewmycousinCameronSmith,andwetalkedfor over40minutes.Throughouttheinterview,wehadaninquisitivediscussionandbondedandrelatedto manythingsrelatedtoherjob.WetalkedthoughCameron’slong,hardjourneytotheWhiteHouseand whatheroverallexpireancewaslike.
Furthermore,wetalkedaboutthe2020electionandhercampaigntrailstorywhiletaking photosforAmyKlobuchar.Herbraveryhasinspiredmetoalwaysbeliveinmydreamsanddomy absolutebest.Additionally,ithasSignifiedtomethatIcandoanythingthatIsetmymindto.
Whiletakingphotosduringthe2020election,shehadunrealisticexpectations placedonher,andshewastakingthingspersonally.Cameronappliedfortakingphotos forAmyKlobucharduringthe2020electionwhilenothavingatoneofexperience. Assoonasshegotthejob,shewasforcedtonotonlytakephotosbutalsoruntheirsocial mediapage,postaboutAmyKlobuchar’scampaign,andmakesureshegotthebest photosofher,whichwasalotofwork.BecauseCameronhadacamera,thatwasallshe wasseenfor;peoplesawherasjustaphotographerandnothingelse.WheneverCameron wasnotallowedintoaroomorwastakingphotosatthewrongtime,shewouldtakeit personallyandwouldfeelinsulted,showing,“Iwastakingthingsverypersonally;itwas averystressfuljob,andIwasnewtotakingphotos.”
Eventhoughitwasastressfuljob,Cameronwasabletopreserveandbalancethe amountofworkandbeabletodothejobwithasmileonherface.Intheend,thejob endeduponlysettingherupforsuccessbyteachinghertonottakethingspersonallyand todoherbest.Cameroncametoherworkeveryday,eventhoughitcouldbesomeofher hardestwork.IreflectonthisbecausewhenIgetahardorstressfultaskinschool,I alwaystrytodothebestthatIcan.
Cameron'stransferfromthecampaigntrailtoaWhiteHousephotographerwasa switchfilledwithhighsandlows.JoeBidenwonthe2020presidentialrace,and Cameronswitchedtoafull-timeWhiteHousephotographer.Eventhoughitwasan excitingswitch,itwouldhavemanyhighsandlows.
WhileworkingattheWhiteHouse,Cameron'sonlyjobwouldbetotakephotos.Shedid
Herhardshipsshapedherasapersonandafriend,shelearnedtoalwaystryherbestand neverletanythinggetinthewayofherdreams.BecauseofthisIhavebeeninspiredby hertoalwaysfollowmydreamsandneverletanythinggetinthewayofwhatIaspireto. Sheasnotonlyinspiredmetobemybest,buttobeagoodperson.
EileenO'ConnertheHighSchoolBasketballStar
Iwassittingonmycouchplayingblock blast.Iwaswarmcurleduponmyblanket.My momwasplayingsolitaireonheriPadwhile drinkingwater.Shewasonlevel400.Ithought wowsheplaysthatgamealot.Thedodger’s gamewasoninthebackground.Iwenttomy momEileenO’Connerbornin1968November 15.BorninchicagoIllinois,andlivesherenow. Iaskherwhatitwasliketoplayhighschool basketball,andthelessonshetaughtmeisthat toachieveyourgoalsyoumustworkashardas youcan.
So,youcanbegreat.Inhighschool EileenO’Connerwastryingtoplayonthehigh schoolbasketballteam.Atthestartoftheyear whenthelistcameout,shewasnervouson whatteamshewouldmake.ShemadeJunior varsity;shewasnotangrybecauseEileenwas onlyafreshman.Shewasclearlythebeston herteamasshedemonstratedthroughhard workanddetermination.Thenononedayshe gotmoveduptothevarsityteam.
Shedescribedwithaveryseriosdeep voicewithanuprightposture“Iwasthe captainofmyteamleadingbyexampleand focusingonthingstobesuccessful.”This displayshowshewasnotonlythebestonher team,butshewasaleaderontheteam. Keepingpeopleontherighttrackforherteam andtheplayersasanindividualbecomethe bestthattheycanbe.Whenyouareona schoolsportsteamtheonlythingatschool moreimportantthanthesportsareyour grades.ThatiswhyEileenO’Connerdidallthe studying;shecouldfitinwithschooland family.Whenshewasinhighschool,shewould keephergradesuptoalmostperfectiondoing everythingshecouldtofitinstudyingwith homeworksportsandfamily.
Stateswithconfidenceandhappiness rememberingbackonallthegoodshehadin highschool.“DidasmuchstudyingasIcouldfit in.”Thisrevealshowgoodofastudentshe was.Ifpeopledonothavegoodgradesinhigh school,theywillnotbeabletoplaytheirsport, butthisneverhappenedtoEileen.Shewould alwaysmanagehertimewiselyknowingthe rightbalancetoschoolandsports.
Withasmileonherface,shewas clearlyhappyassheremembered:“Iwasreally ecstatic.”Thisdemonstratesthatthiswastruly thehighlightofherfreshmanseason,asshe wasovercomewithjoyrememberingthe cheerfulmomentasshewasselectedtoplay forthevarsityteaminherfreshmanyear. Beingonthevarsityteamasafreshmanis extremelyrare,butsheovercomethose percentages,andwithhardworkand dedicationmadethevarsityteam.
Shewasthecaptainofherteam leadingbyexamplethroughhardworkand dedication.Sheendedupbeingthecaptainof herteamwhichwasvotedonbyher teammatesshebecamethecaptainofher teamthroughhardworkanddedicationshe wasthefirstonetogettothegymandthelast onetoleave.Shewouldfocusonthelittle thingstomakeherteambetter,andleadby example.
“Iwasthe captainofmy teamleading byexample focusingon thingstobe successful.”
Shewasgreatonthebasketballcourt andacademically.Whenyouplayonasports teamyoumakealotoffriends.Forsome peopletheyarefriendsuntiltheyleavethe team.Forotherstheyarefriendsforalittle whilebutstopseeingeachother,butforEileen O’Connerthefriendsshemadeonherteam areforever.Whenshewasinhighschool,she hadsomegreatfriendsandthat’swhatmade herteamgreat,communication,and teamwork.Becauseofthesefriendshipswith herteammates.Shesaidhappyremembering thefuntimesshehadwithherfriends“Ihave someofmydeepestfriendsfromhighschool” ThisdemonstratesthatIshouldcherishthe timeyouhaveonyourteambecausethey don’tlastforever.
EileenO’Connerwastrulyagreat inspirationalbasketballplayerforallofus.She wasaleaderahardworkerandagood teammate.Shemadethevarsityteamasa freshman.Thenbecamethecaptainofher team.Shedidnotstopthereshehadgood grades,andgreatfriends.OnethingIcanlearn fromEileenO’Conneristobethebestyoucan benomatterwhat.Getgoodgradesbea leaderandmakefriends.Becauseifyouhad fundoingthethingsyoulikeyouwill rememberthemforever.Wecanlearnfrom EileenO’Connerthatworkinghardpaysoff.
TheWeightofaDream
By:SydneyHeathfield
InthisimageDuran hadjustreceived hercitizenshipin thecourtroomand isposingInfrontof theflagwithher certificate.
Thestoryofhowanimmigrantwomancreatedher futureintheUnitedStates.
Theyearwas1989inChicago,Illinois,asDuranwalkeduptothebig doubledoorsofherschoolforthefirsttimeintheUnitedStates.Shewasfilledwith anunexpectedfeelingofhope,herjourneytotheUnitedStateswasfarfromideal, buthereshewasstartingherfirstdayofschool.Withherthreeyoungersiblings,she pulledopentheheavymetaldoorsandsteppedinside.Suddenly,ablastof unrecognizablescramblesofwordsshecouldnotunderstandcamebacktogreether. HerlittlesistertightenedhergriponDuran’shand,lookingupandgivingheralookof worry.Duranwasonlytenyearsoldatthetimeandhersiblingsevenyounger,but shestilltookituponherselftogetaneducation.Duranwasintimidatedbutnever showedit,sosheputalookofdeterminationonherfacepartlyforhersiblingsand partlyforherself.Assheledhersiblingstothecentralofficetogetcheckedin,the never-endingflowofchildrencontinuedintotheschoolbuilding.Astheyfoundthe office,Duranwashavingdoubtsaboutwhethershecouldmanageallthis.
ThelittlegirlinthisstoryisMariadelCarmenDuran.Durancametothe UnitedStatesillegallywhenshewas10yearsoldwithherfamily.WhenIwassix weeksoldDurancameintomyfamilyandcontinuedasmynannyupuntilIwasfour yearsold.DuringthistimeDuranwoulddrivefromherhometomyhomeeveryday. Butformyfamily,Duranwasneverjustournanny,shewaspartofourfamily.
WhenIcontactedCarmentoseeifshewasopentotheinterview,she automaticallyagreed.WhenIstartedtheinterview,asCarmenwastalkingaboutthe pastIwastakenabackaswell.Carmendidnotknowwhatherfuturewouldlooklike, butshewasdeterminedtomakeherdreamscometrueandovercomeanychallenges thatcameherwayintheUnitedStates.
Duranfacedmanychallengesthroughoutherchildhood,buteducationwas certainlynotoneofthem.SinceDuranwastheoldestofhertwosistersandone brother,shefeltalotofresponsibility.Shewasalwaysopentolearningnewthings, whichhelpedheralotthroughoutherchildhood.
WhenshecametotheUnitedStatespeopleautomaticallyassumedthat
sinceshewasanimmigrant,shedidnothavethepropereducationorknewhowto speakEnglish.Theyalsodidnotexpectthatshewouldhaveaninterestinadaptingto theculturearoundher,buttheywereplainincorrect.OnceDurangottotheUnited States,shethoughtthatshe“knewthatthiswashomeandsheneededtolearnthe culture,language,andeverythingaboutthiscountrytosucceed”(Duran,7:00)This quoteissignificantbecauseitshowsfromwhenDuranwaslittle,shehasalwaysbeen averyoptimisticperson.Thissuggeststhatherbeingopentolearningtheculture helpedhertobeinthesuccessfulpositionthatsheisinnow.Thismeanssomething deeperbecauseDuranstatedlaterintheinterviewthatmanyofherfamilymembers werenotopentochangeandadaptingtotheculture,whileshefeltopenwiththem. ThisshowsthatshewantedtobeaUnitedStatescitizenandshowedcommitment eventhroughhardshipstosucceedinthiscountry.
Duranwasforcedtopassupmanygreatopportunitiesbecauseshewas consideredillegalinthiscountry,butthisjustencouragedherevenmore.One instanceofthiswaswhenDuranwasinherjunioryearofhighschoolshewastaking driver'seducation,oncethelessonswerecompletedherteachertoldthemallto bringtheirsocialsecuritycardstoschool,butDurandidnothaveone.
LaterinherlifeinthenextyeartocomeDuranhadacquiredapassionfor art.ThistalentresultedinDurangettingofferedafullscholarshipbytheArtInstitute ofChicagotopursueherloveofart.Unfortunately,Durancouldnotacceptbecause shewasnotyetlegal,thiswasquitedevastatingforherandherfamily.Eventhough Duranwasnotabletoacceptthisscholarshipsheisstillveryenthusiasticaboutartto thisday.WhenIaskedherifshestillhasaconnectiontoarttoday,shesaid,“Creative peopleseetheworlddifferentlyanditislikeeverylittlethingcanbeartand meaningful”(Duran).Thisfalsifiesthestereotypethatchildrenfromimmigrant familiesarenoteducatedbecauseDurangotthroughherschoolingupuntiluniversity andthatwasonlybecauseshewasnotyetlegalinthecountry.Imagineifyouwerein Duran’ssituation,howwouldyoufeelifeveryoneinyourlifewastellingyouthatyou couldnotdoit?Duranperseveredthroughherhardshipsandeventookthemasa signtokeeppushing.Ithinkeveryoneshouldhaveabitofthischarismain themselves.
“Ilefteverythingbehind;Icamehere,andI madetheUnitedStatesmyhome”
OnceDuranhadherchildren,theywereabletodowhatevertheydreamed ofdoing,thismeanttheworldtoher.WhenDuranandherfamilymovedtothe UnitedStatestheywerelivingpaycheckbypaycheck,butonceDurangotolder,she wasabletomaintainasteadyincomethroughheroccupation,asaprofessional nanny.Onceshehadherchildren,shewantedthemtohaveeverythingshenever hadbutunderstandhowluckytheyare.
Duranalwayswantedherchildrentohaveacollegeeducation,whichwas necessary.Duranhasason,Christopher,whois27yearsold,Chriswenttoartschool togethisdegree.ShealsohasadaughternamedJasminewhois25yearsold.She hasreceivedasocialworkdegreeandworksfull-timenow.Duranalwayswantedto beconsciousofwhereshecamefrom,wheneverChristmastimewouldcomearound Duran’schildrenwouldbewalkingwithherandseethechildrenwaitinginlineto receivetoysandshewouldtellthem,“Iwasoneofthosekids,waitinginlinewithmy siblingstogetgiftsforChristmas”(Duran)Thisquoteconveyssomethingdeeper becauseDuranistryingtoteachherchildrenabouthowfarshehascome.Duran’s journeywasnotaboutluck,itwasabouttheinitiativetodosomethinginthisworld. Duranhadtheinitiativebutstillhasthementalstrengthtobeabletolookback.Itis importantforeveryonetorecognizehowfartheyhavecome,butstillbeabletobe humble.
Duranhasjustrecentlyreceivedhercitizenship.Shehasbeendreaming aboutthissinceshewasalittlegirl,shenotonlydidthisforherkidsbutforallthe kidsthathavecometotheUnitedStatesandfeltliketheywerenobody.
ThroughoutDuran’soccupationasanannyshehasbeenblessedwith wonderfulfamilies,thefatherofthefamilysheiscurrentlywithhelpedherstudy duringhislunchbreakforthetestsheneedstotake.Gettingyourcitizenshipinthe UnitedStatesisanexceptionallylengthyprocessandtakesalotofstudyingand challengingwork,thisisbecauseyouneedtoprovetothejudgethatyouwilldogood inthiscountry.OnceDurangothercitizenship,Iaskedherwhatshewasfeelinglike asshesaidtheoath,shesaid,“Iwasthinkingback,itwassomethingIthoughtwas impossible…ItmademefeellikeIbelongedhere”(Duran)Durangettingher citizenshipwaslikeareliefandsuchanimmensejoy.Duranqualifiedforher citizenshipbycreatingherlifehere,shehasajob,family,andhome.Iwasthereto witnessherreceivinghercitizenship,itwasenormouslypowerful.Somanypeoplein oneroomwithsomanydiversebackgroundsandstories.Firstthejudgecalledout eachcountrybynameandeachmemberstoodupwiththeircountry.Afterthat processwasdoneallthepeopleintheroomrecitedtheoathofcitizenship,which qualifiedthemaslegalAmericancitizens.Mostwerecryingtearsofjoyasapplause filledthecourtroom,Isawchildrenrunningtotheirparents.Everyone,likeDuran, washappytobeanAmericancitizen.
Duranhascomesofarfromwhereshestarted,throughallthehardshipsthat shefacedwhencomingtotheUnitedStates,shehasreceivedthegreat accomplishmentofwatchingherchildren,UnitedStatescitizens,growuplivingthe dreamthatshehadthroughoutherlife.IthinkadifferencebetweenDuranand others,isthatevenwhenlivingintheUnitedStateswasdifficult,shenever complainedandalwayspushedharder,sheletthesehardshipsencourageherinstead oftakingherdown.SheacceptedthatshewasgoingtoliveintheUnitedStatesand didnotfocusonthepast.Shegaveherselfthebestadvantage,evenatanearlyage, betweenacceptingtheAmericancultureandlearningEnglishsoquickly.She acceptedherselfwhichledtoothersacceptingher.Thisalsomeansthatherdreams wereaccomplishedwithchallengingwork.Attheendofmyinterview,IaskedDuran whatshewouldwanttosaytotheyoungimmigrantstoday,shesaid,“Anythingis possibleinthiscountry,ifyouworkhard,ifyourespectthiscountry,followtherules, ifyouputyourheartandyoursoulintowhatyouwanttodo,you’regoingtoget whereyouwant,”(CarmenDuran).
The Not So Peaceful Path
By: Harper Henderson
My aunt reflects on her journey to starting her dream a company, a company that fills her with joy daily.
The first time I had the opportunity to visit my aunt’s yoga studio in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania I was only seven years old. I was timid to be going to a place with so many adults, thus I stood frozen in the doorway. Regardless, once I was able to move my feet, with every step I took I felt my fear melt away like ice cream on a warm summer day. The sweet aroma of lavender tickled my nose. All the open windows illuminated the room and let in a gentle breeze. Despite the entire room being delightful, one detail stood out. There was a wall, but not just a regular wall, a wall bursting with pastel paint splatters, and dancing amongst the color were the most beautiful names. These were the names of every single client, worker, designer, teacher, and friend who has ever been to the studio. While I had only been in this place a mere moment, I had already sensed the love my aunt had for yoga.
I now know that it wasn’t the smoothest road to get to this point, but there was nothing my aunt, Brenda Gimbel Schoeneman couldn’t accomplish. Therefore, I will forever cherish this memory with my aunt.
Since before anyone can even remember Schoeneman has loved being active, creative, and calm. Although it was not always apparent that she would become a yoga instructor and business owner, once she chose this career path, it was like finding the perfect puzzle piece.
Schoeneman has always shown interest in participating in yoga classes that her town offered. She has received hour of training and classes that has kept this love for yoga burning, even when she is not teaching.
When her company first started in 2018 it was only her, no one to design the logos or make the merch, thus she had to work extensively hard to do those tasks. Despite her now being able to afford designers she has learned just how much she loves the creative part of her job in which she can do the tasks, such as design merch and make the website. Furthermore, she loves being able to move her body. This has been the case since she was young. She was always the best on her gymnastics team, always working out, and at every family gathering she would impress the whole family with her stunning minute-long handstands. Therefore, when she was introduced to yoga it was love at first sight.
As she thinks about her job all she can think is, "I love yoga, I love how it feels, I love the people, I love it!”
When reflecting back on this I begin to think about how very few people in today’s econmy can full heartedly say they love their job, but hearing her say this brings me such hope. It shines a light on the fact that it may not be exactly what expected, but when you find the right career path it will fit like the perfect puzzle piece.
When Schoeneman had to start her business, it wasn’t always easy, but through hard work and hardship she made it possible. This story begins with an ending, the ending of the town’s only yoga studio, Clover. Clover was a deeply beloved yoga studio that Schoeneman had been attending for years.
When this yoga studio closed Schoeneman and her peers were extremely disheartened, but Schoeneman wasn’t about to let
this stop her. She agreed that she would start a new yoga company, Yoga B Yoga. While she showed great determination, it wasn’t always easy. She had to find a location, find teachers, train employees, and most of all believe in herself. While it was a bumpy road to get to this point, it is now the largest and highest rated yoga studio in all of Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania. Because the impossible happened and she was able to be successful she is, “So grateful I get to clean it because people are coming here.”
Even though it though it took so many sleepless nights and worry filled days, when you find a job that brings you so much joy that even cleaning it is fun, it is clear that the right career path was chosen. This also goes to show that it is important to look on the bright side of things. Anyone could easily say that there are parts of their daily lives that they don’t enjoy, for example cleaning. Although this may be true, if someone makes a deliberate effort to see the silver lining to things, they will appreciate what they have so much more. All in all, showing that even things that someone will find boring or tedious, can be amazing if viewed differently.
The struggles of starting a business are present from the moment you hit the runway, and it has been so since the first business was started, but when going through a global pandemic while being pregnant and with a one-year-old, that’s a different amount of struggle. This is what Schoeneman was going through in the year of 2020.
“When you are so discouraged, like there are no options, never quit on that day.”
The moment that covid hit, it was unclear how the yoga studio would adapt.At the time there was strict rules, mandates, and quarantines in place; all of these things made it nearly impossible to keep an indoor business running. Thus, in such a stressful time, the best plan was to temporarily close the studio and begin posting yoga videos online. Remarkably, people began to come forth with loads of kindness from donations to offering their own front yards to lead yoga classes in. Once things began to seem safer and less people were getting sick, Schoeneman used local parks in Schuylkill County to teach classes in. With great determination, the studio was able to reopen.
When I asked Schoeneman how she was able to get through such hard time she told me, “When you are so discouraged, like there are no options, never quit on that day.” Thus, it is evident, what seems to be like the set back of a lifetime, can blossom into a beautiful world of new memories and friendships. Therefore, if you ever feel like life has been drowning you, beating you down, you can still swim to the top, and overcome.
It has been six years since the yoga studio first opened, and it
is still running strong and bringing joy to Schoeneman’s life. Looking back, she has made so many friends, so many memories, and learned so many skills. She tells me that her yoga studio and her love for yoga still affects her everyday life because it holds her accountable to work; work on herself, work on her career, work on her company, work on her marketing, but mainly work on her yoga.
Not only does it affect her, but people all around the community have grown deep bonds with this company. She tells me that people come in there, voluntarily, after a long day of work, feeling nothing but stress. Regardless, each and every one of there stresses begin to melt away, leaving them feeling deeply thankful and relaxed.
When Schoeneman sees the before and after of people’s mood all she can think is what an “Immediate reward [it is] because people enjoy it so much.”
Schoeneman went into this job with lots of responsibilities, as well as being fresh out of a corporate job. Despite this being a tough journey, she has learned and grown so much from this. Often people overlook the effect their job has on them, it is simply just that, a job. Schoeneman on the other hand is diving right into those effects. This goes to show that even something simple in life can be powerful, and it is better to embrace those effects down a windy road, then follow the beaten path.
All in all, it is clear that while the path may not be smooth, with determination and positivity anything is possible. I know that sounds cliché and every struggle is different, but that doesn’t make this any less applicable. Thus, now that I know about all the struggles and strides going into this business, the memory of being at the studio for the first time is so much more valuable, a value I had not realized until speaking with Schoeneman. Therefore, I hope that when looking at a challenge in life, strength will always help you through, like it did for Schoeneman.
Brenda Schoeneman standing in front of her logo at her studio.
The Day the Planes Crashed.
Sal Hernandez faces a frightening experience on September 11, 2001, that changed the whole world.
floor, with 7 siblings, it was a struggle for him. He was the youngest from his brothers but middle for his sisters. My mom and my dad met at a going away to college party with some friends. My dad was really worried during 9/11 because my mom was my dad’s girlfriend at the time. He wanted to make sure she was ok. My dad is caring, and he thinks about others, like how he thought about my mom.
My dad and his coworkers were in the ABN/AMRO office when his boss came running in to tell them part of what happened. Even though they thought downtown, the Sears tower, was going to get hit and they are 2 blocks away, his boss did not let them go home and get to safety. Almost everyone in Chicago, IL on September 11, 2001, went home except my dad and his coworkers. This was the day of the tragic event, 9/11. During their lunch break, they went outside to eat, but nobody was in downtown. “Downtown was just a ghost town, no one was around.” My dad said. This attack left people in shock; they were scared to go out of their homes. Usually, downtown is full of people that are tourists or workers walking around. But once they heard about the attack, they thought the Sears Tower will get hit, so they stayed inside. My dad was shocked because downtown is full and busy with citizens, but on that day, it felt empty. This made me feel shocked because usually I see downtown busy with people walking around.
After my dad returned from lunch, him and his coworkers took a break and started watching a little bit more about this attack. After fully knowing what happened from the internet, he had mixed emotions, “I wanted to understand who was responsible, and why they would do this.” My dad was upset, everyone was upset that someone came into the United States and decided to hurt people. People lost lives, thousands of lives, because a group was upset so they decided to crash an airplane into buildings. Almost everyone lost loved ones, The Pentagon, and the Twin Towers. The first person that came to his mind was his girlfriend, my mom. Luckily, my dad did not have any loved ones in New York, where there was the most damage, but he still prayed and felt sorry for those who lost their beloved. This made me feel like my dad was selfless and thought about others. He was upset because he wanted to make sure that his loved ones were ok. This made me realize that anger can show love.
Though the attacks hurt many, it brought people closer. Even thought my dad was hurting, he learned that he wasn’t alone because it was a very sad time, and we all needed a hug, and we needed to comfort each other. My dad said in the interview “We needed to come together and support each other”. A lot of people were hurting because they lost their loved ones. What my dad means by this is we need to be there for each other and not hurt people because a lot of people were going through a rough time.
airplane. If you do bring one of these things through security, you will get searched. My dad has some pro and cons to this. Some of the pros are that he felt safer because he knows that hopefully something like this does not happen again. But also, he does not like that every time he goes through security he has to get patted down. One time my dad brought Benadryl with him in his backpack, and he had to get stopped and searched because you cannot bring liquid with you on plane. This made me feel safer but also frustrated that now we must do that. In conclusion, this shows that my dad is an honest person. He expressed his feelings which is very brave. He told us how frustrating and scary his experience was. He also cares about people especially my mom because at that time my mom was only his girlfriend and right when he heard about that attack, his first thought was my mom. This shows that he puts his loved ones first before him. When I was a kid, every time we honored 9/11 on that day, I just thought it was an accident that some planes accidentally crashed into buildings. Now that I am older and more mature, I realized and learned that it was not an accident, that it was on purpose to kill people and destroy buildings.
I learned that a group of men killed so many people I cannot even count. And a two-year-old and more kids lost their lives, and they weren’t even over the age of 10. I realized the gravity of 9/11. I always thought that airports were like they way they are today, but I learned from my dad that they did not have so many restrictions and more things. Everything changed after 9/11. My advice is that you are not alone in hardship, people were experiencing the same things as my dad. His strength even when scared should inspire us that we should never give up.
By Quetzaly Hernandez
When I first talked to my dad, Salvador (Sal) Hernandez, he had just came back from work. He had a hat on, long sleeve flannel shirt and some grey work pants. He looked tired from a long day of work. We sat down at the living room table. He was chewing on gum while I was getting everything ready. The topic that we are going to discuss is about what happened on 9/11, what he thought about it and how he felt. My dad was born and raised in Chicago, Il. His parents are from Mexico. When he was a kid, he managed to live in an apartment in Pilsen that only had one
In general, we should all be nice to each other because some day you do not know what people ae going through and some words can hurt them and make them not feel good about themselves. We all are human beings, and we need to respect each other. This is what I learned from my dad. I also learned that if we have bad day, we should not take it out on others or if we are not pleased with something we also should not take it out on others. This made me feel like we all have good in us, and we need to show it. And my dad says we should all care for each other and beware of people’s surroundings.
This attack made people more aware and alert. At work, airports, and much more. “The United States have changed a lot since that attack”, my dad expressed. Airports before this attack did not a high alert TSA check. You could bring weapons, smoke- and do so much more on airplanes. After this attack, a new advanced system came and now people must go through a higher security check. You must get patted down, and so much more. We also cannot bring certain things on an
“Downtown was just a ghost town, no one was around.”
Sal Hernandez at Pizza Portofino
The Up’s and Down’s of Being a Principal
Virginia Hiltz’s journey throughout her years as a principal at Maria Saucedo STEAM Magnet Academy.
By: William Hiltz
As Virginia Hiltz walked through the hallway of her school seeing the smiles on her students faces as she walked, she knew she made the right choice being a principal. Virginia Hiltz’s career has had many ups and downs but throughout it all she stood strong. Hiltz is a principal at Maria Saucedo Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math (STEAM) Magnet Academy and is a loving mother to two children one of which is me. Throughout this interview Hiltz shows her struggles, but also her favorite moments throughout her career, reflecting on how rewarding, but also how challenging her career has been, even through pandemics and the struggles of trying to improve her students’ lives, and solving any problem that has come her way in stride.
Hiltz was already 4 years into her career as a principal when her world, and everyone else’s, including her students, was shaken. Covid-19 had come out of nowhere and no one, not even Hiltz, who is great at adjusting to problems that come her way, was ready for what was about to happen, but when her school was first shutdown due to the global pandemic, she didn’t expect what was about to come over the next 2 years. As the shutdown first came into effect her school, Maria Saucedo STEAM
Magnet Academy, and every other, scrambled for a solution, as many kids were low income and didn’t have access to stable internet online school was difficult to establish. Thankfully, Hiltz’s school got a solution, along with the other 646 public schools. CPS, the organization that runs every public school in Chicago, decided to support every student’s internet connection throughout the pandemic and they’ve kept this promise even though the pandemic ended.
Unfortunately, this didn’t fix every problem, as some kids were struggling to adjust to online school because the pandemic came out of nowhere and many kids just got access to a computer and the internet. Hiltz states how she felt at the start of the pandemic, “We thought we were walking out the door for two weeks and then we kept finding out another week, another week, another week.” The pandemic hit every industry hard but especially education, like Hiltz’s school and my school, FXW, mainly because of the struggle to get every kid ready to learn online. This affected me, like every other kid, educations as it was hard to adjust and learn online, but thanks to leaders like Hiltz it became possible to even start to make this substantial change to online school. While this was a big change, this is not the only change that Hiltz has made during her career.
Hiltz has made many substantial changes to her school, but currently she’s taking on the biggest project yet, transferring to a STEAM magnet school. Over the past year Hiltz has made a lot of progress on transitioning her school to a STEAM magnet academy, starting by applying to a grant to even make this change possible, as it is a very expensive process, she hired a grant manager, someone who manages the process of obtaining grants, and after a lot of paperwork acquired a grant that made this project start rolling.
After the grant she began the transition to a STEAM magnet academy by having the teachers learn about the STEAM program and how to teach the academics from the old to the new. Her part in this was going to many conferences, some out of state, to learn how to lead her new school and get both teachers and students ready for this change. Thankfully, the process has gone well, in fact she said it’s been surprisingly easy and now every student, teacher, and staff are ready for this monumental change to the school.
Speaking on how the change has been going she reflected, “it’s been easier than you think, as the teachers get excited, they get their students excited and next thing you know you’re a steam school.” Transitioning to a STEAM school is a very hard process and a substantial change in many students and teachers lives. Many schools are going through a change even if it’s just eighth graders graduating and moving on. This includes me and my peers who are about to take multiple high school placement tests and change from a middle school to a high school which is a substantial change for many kids at FXW, not just eighth graders.
While there are many special moments throughout anyone’s career the most special moments in Hiltz’s career are graduations. In her career she’s experienced seven graduations, and each one is unique and special no matter how similar the actual ceremony is. She describes it as a special moment, when each kid walks up to her on the stage, and she shakes their hand and hands them their diploma. Each kid is special to her, and they have a big life ahead of them and she just hopes her school prepared them well for their futures.
Graduations are a special moment not just for her but also for the students as its their last time being at her school, this can cause a multitude of emotions as kids cry and laugh as they are leaving the school and might not see each other again after this moment. Next school year, the grade graduating will only have known Hiltz as their principal, and she said it will be an extra special graduation for her as it is a big milestone for her career, and it will be very emotional for her.
Speaking on this topic she stated, “watching the kids grow up throughout the years, it’s just a really special moment seeing them on the stage.” Graduations are special for all parties involved and most eighth graders in the world think about their future outside of their current school and the substantial change coming up for them, including me. With graduations coming up for my school and other schools around Chicago I am already thinking about what high school I’ll be going to, and what emotion others will feel at graduation, including my own. Hiltz knows her students love graduations but also acknowledges that they like one thing even more.
While graduations are the most special moment to Hiltz, she acknowledges that for the kids, out of state trips are their favorite experience. Each year eighth graders at Hiltz’s school, Maria Saucedo STEAM Magnet Academy, take an out of state trip to Washington D.C to explore the capital city of our country. Every time they come back, they are overflowing with stories about their experience that she is happy to hear. Stories about them visiting congress, seeing our nation’s capital for the first time, even seeing stuff outside their neighborhood for the first time.
For many of these kids this is their first time out of state, even out of the city, so the ability to be able to travel out of state for the first time is a very exciting time for the eighth graders and Hiltz is very proud to be able to offer this amazing experience to her students. She says each time she hears one of their stories from their trip it makes her so happy, and it gives her encouragement to continue this tradition for years to come.
Hiltz knows this is a very special moment in the lives of her students so when the students detail their experience in the capitol, she knows she made the right decision to send them to D.C.: “In a city of big buildings like Chicago, this is many of their first times going on even an elevator, so when they come back and tell me ‘that was my first experience outside my neighborhood.” The fact that these trips are such a big milestone in her student’s lives is why she wants to keep this trip going. With many other eighth graders around the country going to D.C all of them are excited including kids at FXW, but for many of us this won’t be our first time out of state so this will also be a trip to reflect on how lucky we are to be able to go on these trips annually or for some, every other month.
Hiltz is still working hard to improve her school and her students’ lives, and she will continue to try her best to do so. Hiltz’s determination to improve her school inspires her students and inspires me in my everyday life, seeing her struggle through problem’s but at the end still succeed fills me with determination to do the same. While our problems may not be the same the determination shown by Hiltz still inspires me to work through my problems and not take the easy way out. Working through problems can be difficult but, in the end, it will be rewarding. Looking at the problems people have faced and seeing how they solved them can improve your life for the better.
Hiltz states how she felt at the start of the pandemic,“We thought we were walking out the door for two weeks and then we kept finding out another week, another week, another week.”
The Key to a Strong Mindset Knowledge is the key to life.
By: Cassius Jackson
I learned throughout Jackson’s early life that he always wanted to excel in school. He expressed how important education was to him, stating he never wanted to be manipulated or taken advantage of due to lack of education. This drive to better himself showed the significance of school in Jackson's life. He proposed that he wasn't the best at taking instruction, even as a child, which was a minor setback during his earlier years of education. However, this challenge was a major contribution to building his resilience and independence. Jackson felt as if education was the key to unlocking a good future, which motivated him every step of the way.
“You have to put yourself out there,” he said to me during one of our conversations. This became a guiding principle for Jackson, echoing in his mind daily.
Yusef D. Jackson: Director of the Board, SOHO House Chicago
In Jackson’s early life, his parents were a major influence on him and his four siblings. He shared with me how his parents were extremely strict and placed big focus on education. They made it clear that a good education made a good future. Jackson’s parents would often refer to those who didn’t go to school as “dummies.” and he did not want to be labeled as a dummy. Driven by this belief, he was determined to be seen as one and strived for greatness. Jackson reveals, “I didn’t want to be in a position where people could take advantage of me because I was uneducated.” This moment was a massive shift in Jackson’s mindset and work ethic, inspiring him to dedicate countless hours each day to his studies. The relentless work ethic that he developed during his school years remains a big part of who he is today.
As Jackson moved into adulthood, his resilience became more noticeable. He started and owned multiple businesses, each reflecting his commitment to hard work and dedication He often advises those around him that if someone never tries, they will never know the outcome, particularly in business.
However, Jackson's journey was not without its challenges. From a young age, he was aware of how others perceived him. One incident stands out he overheard someone say he was bad at tackling form, which left him feeling embarrassed and hesitant. This embarrassment contributed to moments of shyness and anxiety about what others thought of him. Yet, a pivotal moment came when he was twelve years old, thanks to his Uncle Saint. His uncle told him, "If you try, you might lose; if you don't try, you are guaranteed to lose." This advice resonated deeply with Jackson, prompting him to overcome his fears. He decided to try out for the high school football team, despite his lingering anxieties about failure. His uncle’s tough yet motivational words contributed to a newfound determination in Jackson; he realized that facing his fears and taking risks were vital for personal growth.
Embracing challenges became a key part of his new found philosophy, and he now believes that even failure brings valuable lessons that craft the way for future success.
Jackson learned at a young age that “to do less than my best was a sin, and the wages of sin is death.” this didn’t refer to literal death but rather failure and missed opportunities that arise from not giving ones all.
Jackson discovered that children who underperformed in school or failed to achieve their life potentials often lived with regret. He strongly believed that hard work was essential to achieving real results in life.
Reflecting on Jackson’s life, I encountered many challenges he faced, including self-doubt, a lack of self-love, and low confidence. Despite these challenges, he became the strong person he is today. Many of the philosophies Jackson lived by were crucial to his later success. Hearing his story has been enlightening for me, as I see similar challenges in my own experiences. Particularly his lessons on overcoming self-doubt I often struggle with uncertainty regarding my own abilities, which can mess with my daily life. Inspired by his journey, I feel encouraged to embrace these pieces of wisdom. Applying Jackson’s wisdom could help me overcome my doubts and lead me towards a more confident and fulfilling life. His resilience and determination serve as a powerful reminder that, with effort and the right mindset, one can rise above their challenges and create the future they desire.
Your Only Real Competitor
is Yourself
The recovery and journey of a teenager going through a not so common Tuesday evening event.
It is 9:15 pm on a Thursday night as I walk into my brother Lucas’s room. Before I start his interview as my dad walks out, I tuck my right leg under my left leg wearing plaid pajama pants and a hoodie, while he was wearing lousy sleep shorts and no shirt, lying in his bed. I hear the door close behind me and my dad say, “You guys ready?” And we began. Joa is 18 years old with the birthdate of March 5th, 2006 and a senior at St. Ignatius. His fluffy styled hair that every other teenage boy has is chocolate lab colored just like his eyes. He is a brother, son, friend, boyfriend and many more. Most of all, he can say he has been through an experience that very few people have.
On the evening of November 10th, 2022, the St. Ignatius hockey team was playing Culver. Parents were already skeptical of whether they should drive their kid themselves or let them drive in the school bus the few hours when they usually take a charter bus. Because they were in a school bus, they did not have seatbelts and a driver under the influence driving a semi-truck hit the middle of the school bus. The school bus did not have a lot of protection including air bags or wellpadded seats, so kids went flying around and one slid out the window. When Joa got in the bus crash this happened to be his 5th concussion since he first started playing hockey. Although, that is a lot, he always kept his humor and his personality relatively the same.
After the crash, he ended up with a concussion, a bruised face, bruised knee, and breaking his teammates cheek bone. Due to all the head damage, he has had throughout his life, he was starting to have memory loss causing him to quit hockey. His last concussion that caused this, which was not the concussion from the bus crash, it was one from his junior year of high school, also from hockey.
Even though it was a serious situation, he likes to tell his stories with humor more than seriousness while still speaking facts and perspective. After I asked him how his life was after he quit playing, he stated, “Time flies when you have too many concussions.”
To be honest, going into this interview I was thinking that he was going to have a harder time talking about this, but in the moment, he was putting humor where it was needed and sentimentality where it was needed. The reason he says “time flies” was because he got to keep his grades from before the crash for his semester final grade with all a’s, he did not have a sport to play, and he did not have to attend classes.
Some might find this to make you more likely to think of you are going nowhere in life, but Joa got to spend most of his time at the gym to make his physique into the body he had wanted. Even though he might miss the sport itself sometimes, it seems to be he rather have his own schedule and as he describes himself as “a very lazy person”.
In the end he is fine where he is and enjoys the freedom of being able to do what he wants, with who he wants, when he wants. An example of this is when he says, “Sometimes I wish I could play again, but I am fine where I am I get to go to the gym every day.”
may be difficult can be hard, but it can also put a smile on someone’s face to at least think you are okay.
One way that he wanted to improve straight after the crash was in himself because everyone was dealing with their own problems and injuries, so he took this time to come back and be better than he was before. In other words, he was trying to beat himself. We have already addressed that he got stronger physically with the gym, but his results in goals in games majorly increased and at one point he was second with the most goals in his league. His spot in second stayed in second even when he was not getting goals from there break off from the crash.
With that, even though he was capable of a lot of things at that time on and off the ice, he still had his struggles. The numbers and stats show that he did in fact come back stronger and scored more goals each game he had ever after he came back. He reflects on his journey, quoting, “Strength does not come from what you can do, it comes from becoming the things you couldn’t.Take this time to heal and come back even stronger.”
“Strength does not come from what you can do, it comes from becoming the things you couldn’t. Take this time to heal and come back even stronger.”
One story I remember him telling me at his playoff game to their biggest rival, the Fenwick Friars, in the first half they were down and he had scored one goal, they came back the next period after half time and he had thrown up blood mid-way, but he did not get off the ice and stay. Instead, he went back out there and scored again.
I knew that this was my brother in this moment, not only because I was proud, but because he did not give up when he could have stayed off the ice, he did what he did not know he was capable of, and he scored again. So even though they lost, in his mind they won.
though I cannot relate to Lucas specifically in this scenario, it still taught me that in the end your coach would rather you fail at something you tried your hardest at then take the easy way out and make a play just to make it.
Most people think that this crash would have taken a big toll on his life, but really, he relatively did not think of it as that bad. With all the gift receiving, his favorite people around him, and news reporters interviewing him, it did not feel like the worst thing in the world except for his concussion. See, if he had been one of the kids with the bad injuries like the bladder and colon surgeries, that led to being in a wheelchair, he would have a different perspective. But, instead of being down about himself, he got to take the hard times and think of them differently to become good times.
He also got to use this story as his college essay and Joa likes to say that it is going to be a great story to tell his kids. With that he ended with summing his experience with “You can make something out of the hard times and turn them into good times.”
Akey thing that our mom always laughs about that is a reminder you can make good times out of bad is when he went up to his coach and pranked him. “You know every once in a while, I get the idea to prank my coach and say I am coming back then say just kidding.”
Even though he did do this when he first quit, he was given the opportunity to ref games and assistant coach the St. Ignatius team for senior year (he did not take either). Even though everyone knows he can not go back because of the risk of another concussion could lead to CTE and permanent injury, it still gets a laugh out.
I asked him if his friends ever ask him to come back and he said that they would if they knew he had the opportunity, but his coaches and teammates know he is not allowed to so they do not bother to bring the topic up. The special meaning behind a lot of Joa’s jokes is not only that he is humorous, but mainly that he will do a lot of the things that he jokes about, which makes him who he is.
Something that I continue to learn from him as the days go by is how seamless he makes his problems visible to others, when I interviewed him, I came across how he actually does have struggles, but he is so good at concealing them that people that do not take the time to ask him, would never guess that he has a single problem.
In the end, Joa has gone through a lot in the past few years, but he always manages to stay positive. I appreciate most about him that he always gives me advice when needed and knows what to say. Areason he is best at that is because he has gone through most of what I have as a teenager, so he has firsthand stories to share. Some insight I got from this interview was how he never shows his real emotions or thoughts with us, so we never knew if when he was going through this, he was okay mentally. The message is that even if times are hard, nothing good or bad stays forever if you do not try so you can get through anything.
BY HAILEY JOA
Some people find having a schedule to be a better way for them to be determined to stick to there goal, but he finds joy and fulfillment in putting in his own time. For me, I work the best with a specific time and date, but some others do not. Just keeping your head up at times where it
This has given me a new opinion because before hearing the words strength does not come from what you can do, it comes from becoming the things you couldn’t, that when I am on the court and having a bad game or practice I should not focus on what I can do, I should try to complete the things I could not and become the best player I can be. Even
Retired hockey player Lucas Joa is now a powerlifter and enjoying his free time.
Lead Anchor on Fox 32 Chicago
she performed in many youth shows and plays. One of her favorite performances was Wicked, where she played the Good Witch with numerous singing parts. She thoroughly enjoyed this experience and eventually aspired to become an actor. Hasbrouck states, “I just loved performing, just singing, and being onstage,” which helped her transition into the world of entertainment.
From the Stage to the Screen
By: Blake Johnson 15 minute
read
Dawn Hasbrouck, a Chicago native, co-anchors evening news on FOX 32 Chicago. Known for her engaging style and accuracy, she’s dedicated to keeping her community informed on local and national stories.
The year is 1988. A young girl is performing on a stage at a local theater. The girl’s mother is in the crowd, carefully watching and monitoring her every move to ensure she is the best she can be. The young girl is noticeably confident, and this does not affect her. She is the Good Witch in the play Wicked, which has many singing roles. As she appears on stage for her duet, the crowd applauds, anticipating a great performance. The young girl, Dawn Hasbrouck, takes a deep breath and begins: “I have been changed for good!” Dawn sings excitedly. The crowd applauds as she finishes her duet with the Wicked Witch. As she walks off the stage, Hasbrouck realizes this could be her life. This is the story of Dawn Hasbrouck.
Hasbrouck had many interests growing up, such as singing, reading, and playing, but none of them were directly tied to television. However, they were very closely related, as she was also extremely interested in performing and being on stage. When Hasbrouck was young, she was passionate about singing. As a child,
This passion naturally translated into entertainment because of the correlation between her interests, and she had already conquered her stage fright. When applying for colleges, she was offered a discounted scholarship at Duke University due to her singing talent. Although this was not the path she ultimately pursued, it was a significant moment in her life, showing her that others recognized and believed in her talent. This realization had a special meaning to her, as it demonstrated that the things you are passionate about in your youth can come back to shape your future in unexpected ways. For me, this story shows that your early interests will always play a role in your long-term life.
“I had to sacrifice sleep, and couldn’t socialize during the week.”
Thoughtfully, Hasbrouck reflected on her future and realized she would have to make important decisions to achieve her goals. Some of these decisions were smaller, such as managing her time and prioritizing school. Eventually, we all must make significant sacrifices to pursue our careers and passions. Even as a child, Hasbrouck made sacrifices for the greater good. She gave up sleep, hobbies like reading, and playing with friends to participate in the numerous activities her varied interests demanded. As she got older, her priorities shifted, and she made sacrifices for her future, much like many young people today. Hasbrouck notes that she was “willing to move to a small market to get started.” This shows that sometimes you have to give up a lot to gain a lot.
This theme resonates in Hasbrouck’s life, as the sacrifices she made ultimately paid off. To me, this emphasizes that sacrifices in life may be necessary for success and that my family will be there to support me along the way. However, these sacrifices were not always easy for Hasbrouck.
that she valued. She sacrificed hobbies like reading and playing with friends and focused on her future, even at a young age. At one point, she began slacking off on her work, feeling that she was already on the right path. However, she soon realized that she needed to put in more effort and make further sacrifices to achieve her goals. Hasbrouck shares, “I couldn’t socialize during the week,” and “I still can’t.” Later, she adds, “I had to sacrifice sleep as well!” a challenge that did not make things any easier.
These sacrifices ultimately led her to become interested in television, shaping her career path. Hasbrouck’s story highlights how small decisions can lead to significant changes. For me, it demonstrates how something as simple as getting less sleep can impact your life. For Hasbrouck, the challenges eventually became overwhelming.
Exhausted, Hasbrouck reached a breaking point. She had an overwhelming amount of work both academic and extracurricular and found herself incredibly busy. However, her teachers and peers recognized her potential and supported her. Hasbrouck shares, “I had a lot of good teachers who were really encouraging,” and they helped her through college and graduate school. This support was pivotal in her journey. Without them, would she have had the same successful career? Even in my own life, I now realize the importance of having good friends and mentors who motivate me to do my best.
Do you think Hasbrouck always had a love for performing? She has consistently shown a deep passion for performing in front of crowds, no matter their size. Throughout her life, Hasbrouck seized every opportunity to showcase her true potential. Her story reveals that she was a compassionate and dedicated individual who loved what she did. Personally, Hasbrouck’s positivity inspires me, as my friends and teammates often tell me that I brighten their day. This illustrates how Hasbrouck brought joy and encouragement to those around her.
Throughout her life, Hasbrouck had to give up many things
Picture of Dawn Hasbrouck moments before newscast
The Other Side Of War
Hani Jumean faces the frightening experience of being a medic in a civil war
By: Gio Jumean
I waited with anticipation as I sat on the couch, preparing myself for the ring from Hani Jumean. I just looked down at my paper thinking how much remorse I felt for calling him to uncover days of war that he put behind him for a reason. I was startled by the ringtone of my phone, somehow the feeling of the phone’s buzz was new to me, though it wasn’t, I heard it every day. He answered every question about being a field doctor in the Karameh battle of 1968 with a stern expression, no emotion changing on his face. I continued as normal with the questions, but that didn’t stop my mind from lingering to perhaps if I should have picked a different subject because I didn’t want to bring back too many bad memories. It was when he explained the major injuries that my whole focus turned to him. The typical part of war, gunshot wounds, I was familiar with it of course, but imagining someone I loved experience it was unbelievable. Right then and there, I could never picture war the same. However, what really shocked me was how he got sucked into the whole war thing in the first place.
My grandpa’s (Hani Jumean) experience going into the war was full of mystery, frightening experiences, and being worried about what was happening around him. The day started like any other, he went into work as a final year resident just finishing up his studies as a field doctor. It was during the late afternoon when things changed
for the worse, a couple soldiers came into the hospital and randomly selected a few field doctors to come with them (not knowing how much experience they had). My grandpa and the others selected didn’t have the chance to ask, or rebel, before they were loaded into a truck on its way to the Jordan River, where the battle would take place. You would think it couldn’t get worse but, since it was 1968, he had no phone to reach his family or somehow share the news. He exclaims,” I couldn’t reach my family to tell them I was going into the war.” I feel like this shows the main emotion of my grandpa going into the war scared. He didn’t know if he was going to make it out alive or not, be the same person coming out, yet his family would never really know his real situation. Luckily, when the news went out about the war, his family was informed. With all of this going through his head, there are obviously injured patients coming in second by second.
My grandpa couldn’t do or think anything else except for helping the injured soldiers. As soon as he was aware of where he was and what they needed him to do, the war started. Before he knew it, he was getting patients left and right. Overall, he got 10-15 patients with subtle injuries that he could fix up quickly. Luckily, he only had to see 2 patients suffering from gunshot wounds, whom were eventually transferred over to the main hospital in the capitol of Amman, Jordan.
The officers stationed the medical field doctors in a tent a bit further away on the hills across from the Jordan River. Since my grandpa was on the hill, he didn’t have all the resources to treat all these patients easily. He actually had very little resources to work with, so he had to be smart on what to do right then and there.
As a result, he stated,” All your mind must be with the patients.” I believe this shows the dedication and the mindset you must have during these scenarios. I think we can all relate to some kind of situation where all the pressure is on us, and we have to make the best decision we know how to. At the end of the day, we are humans and are going to make mistakes, but we are also going to succeed. My grandpa might look back sometimes and say, “Well, I could have done that”, but you have to think in the moment what is the best thing to do, and whether it shifts the course of a person’s life in a different direction or not.
With everything that was going on in front of my grandpa’s eye from gunshots to broken limbs, injuries, etc., it did not keep his mind from wandering.
While my grandpa was in the war, he was not just affected by what was happening around him or the injuries he was seeing, it also affected his mental state. As I said earlier, he should not really have been thinking about anyone except his patients, but part of him was scared for his life. How could you not be scared when there is war going on just down the river from you while several bombs being dropped from planes roaming in the sky?
Although my grandpa was treating the patients with the best of his abilities, he could not but help focus on how these bombs could drop on him at any minute. But he made the tough decision to shove all of his emotions down and put his full attention to what mattered most, his patients. As I stated earlier, he did not have to do too much because he only saw about 10-15 patients with minor injuries, and with support from the other 20 medical doctors or so, they could take care of all the injured.
He convinced himself by saying,” I didn’t think of myself at the time.” At the end of the day, his full mind had to be with the patients. He did not have time to let his thoughts wonder off with what might happen, he just needed to keep on treating the injured. This really helped him to stay on track and make sure what he was learning paid off.
“I have to help people. I am a doctor and that’s my oath. To help enemy and friend.”
After all the fighting and fixing people up came to an end, he was able to experience the euphoric feeling of knowing they won, and he could finally go home.
The relief my grandpa felt when the war was over was indescribable. He could return home and go to his family, he was rejoiced.
As the war lasted about 48 hours (2 days), my grandpa was seeing patients back-to-back, he didn’t even have time to sleep. You would think you would just go home after everything ended, but that was not the case for my grandpa. Instead, he went down to the river near the valley where the enemy were trying to invade the valley (they actually didn’t) and treated not only his people’s injuries but also the opposing team’s wounds.
After treating all the patients on both sides, he felt the warmth of being able to go home and see his family and tell them all about his experience during the war. Though it did not keep his mind clear, he knew what he did was right, which was to help everyone. He gives reason that,” I have to help people. I am a doctor and that’s my oath. To help enemy and friend.” We can see even after everything that happened, at the end of the day we make promises, and we intend to keep them.
Even now when he is retired, that oath still applies to use his expertise whenever it is needed. After all these years of moving on from the war to getting married, having kids and grandkids, he still said he would do it again. He would fight for his people in the way he knew how. Now, that is true dedication and pure commitment.
After this traumatic experience, my grandpa was still able to move on with his life and live a normal and healthy life. He was able to experience finding love, having kids, and develop loving relationships with his grandkids. But, when we were talking, I had to do a double take when he said he would do it all over again in a heartbeat if it meant fulfilling his oath as a field doctor and serving his beloved country and people. This is what he has really taught me over the years that family and loyalty is the best support to guide you through your own whirlwind of life experience. This speaks volume coming from a doctor who has seen almost every medical and emotional thing you can experience during your work life and also stays with you even after you retire. I will hold my grandpa’s wealth of guidance and wisdom in life very close to my heart, and hope to one day pass on the same guidance and have true impact on future generations to come.
Hani Jumean at a doctor ceremony
In War We Can Find Peace
Hani Chaanine is a war expert trying to find a solution to the war in Lebanon
BY REA JUMEAN
As I get on the phone with Hani Chaanine, my grandpa, I could see the laggy pixels of him and could hear the buzzing sound as the phone was connecting. This is a common problem whenever calling my grandparents as they live on a high hill in Lebanon, which allows you to see the beauty of Lebanon in all its glory. The sight is one I remember from a very young age, as my grandparents have lived in this house all of my mother’s life. As the screen cleared up, I can almost feel the soft cushion of the sofa as my grandpa sits down. In the background, I can hear the loud chatter of my grandma in the kitchen-probably preparing dinner.
Whenever I visit Lebanon, my grandma always waits at the wooden door of the kitchen, waiting to give me and my family a hug. The shiny floor of the kitchen is cool to the touch as my grandma makes us sit down and eat - no matter how late it is. As I focus back on my grandpa, I see my grandma taking a seat on the sofa, watching the news about the war conflict that just started between Israel and Lebanon. It displays a young girl hurt and crying while explaining to the news reporter how she lost her parents in the bombing that reportedly killed multiple Lebanese leaders. It makes my heart ache looking at the sight as I know that multiple situations similar to this are greatly underrepresented. Many people don’t get to share their story as it is such a big conflict and not everyone has the opportunity to share. Looking more closely at the TV screen, I see my grandpa’s face turn to the right as he sees a face he knows to be Hassan Nasrallah.
My grandpa had felt multiple emotions during the war between Israel and Lebanon, but when Hassan Nasrallah, a very influential figure in Lebanon, died he was overwhelmed. The war had just started, it was the spring of 1976, when my mom was born. My grandpa was not very worried because it was just a small war, a few things being said back and forth. This changed though, on October 7th, 2023. The war had escalated into bombings, which scared him. According to him, the bombings are every day and are consistently targeting members of the Hezbollah organization. They focused on this organization specifically because the Israelis thought that they posed a threat to their people, which was in response to Palestinian attacks from Lebanon.
Now, the most recent thing that happened is that Hassan Nasrallah and multiple other leaders in the Hezbollah organization fell victim to these attacks. According to my grandpa, this is now causing panic in all areas of the country. This is because he was such a prominent political figure in the region, which is now causing Lebanese citizens to fall into panic as they viewed him as a very influential leader due to “his charisma, which made people view him as God like.”
As my grandpa was sharing, his constant pausing showed his deep thought on the topic, making me think more deeply about what he had just said. Specifically, showing not just his own perspective on Hassan Nasrallah, but how the majority of Lebanese citizens viewed him. Furthermore, it not only shows that he was a powerful leader, but to the point where he was seen as God like in the eyes of his followers. Based on this, it demonstrates how big the fall-out will be now that he has died and there is no leader to take his place. This may also connect to the economic situation of Lebanon. The country doesn’t have a president, nor does it have a strong government to guide the country. So, when a good leader that made noticeable changes to benefit the country, people looked up to him as a leader. As he is no longer alive, many people are now scared for the collapse of the Lebanese systems.
The war is getting to the point where the country will crack if no one does anything.
There are multiple parts of the war my grandpa worries about, but the worst one by far is the collapse of the government and how it will affect the people of Lebanon. More specifically, my grandpa thinks that the war is causing a huge economic collapse, and that people worry that it will only get worse if the war goes on for much longer. Given the continued bombings, companies, shops, and schools are not able to stay open, conduct their regular business, and keep money flowing.
Additionally, my grandpa says that the lack of government influence is preventing law and order from making things better for the citizens of Lebanon during these times of war. This is causing a lot of people to be left vulnerable with no shelter, food, medical care, while fearing the unknown of what will happen next. Before telling me all of this, I could feel the severity of the situation in his tone, specifically when he said, “I feel very horrified about the future of Lebanon, the collapse of the government, and institutions. The idea alone scares me.”
While saying this, the look on his face is a mixture of sorrow and sadness as he looks at the wall, surely thinking about the images he saw on the news. Knowing this, it shows my grandpa’s feelings about what would happen if Lebanon fell apart, making it possible that it would no longer be a country. In addition to this, it shows what many citizens would think if the country that they grew up in fell apart. Many people could lose their homes, would no longer have a job, and would have no food. This not only affects the citizens, but also me because knowing that my grandparents and close family may lose their homes due to the bombings. It makes me compelled to watch the news every day to figure out what is happening in Lebanon and when the war will be over. Furthermore, it makes me feel very anxious as I don’t know their circumstances and whether they are safe or not.
It has been hard for my grandpa to feel safe as there is really no safe place anywhere in Lebanon now due to all of the bombings. Most recently, Israel started bombing the south of Lebanon, the suburban areas, and the Bekka Valley (east) because that is where Hezbollah members were located. My grandpa said that since he lives in the North, he does not face bombings on a day-to-day basis but that it could be possible if Hezbollah members moved.
After the continuous bombings that he saw on the news, he found out there was an attack using pagers, which are small battery-operated radios that that can be used to send messages. In total, they detonated 3,000 pagers, a direct attack on multiple citizens of Lebanon. They did this to show that as long as there are still members of the organization alive, they will continue hurting citizens of Lebanon.
Shortly after, this became a reality as they targeted the leaders of the Hezbollah party and killed multiple citizens as a result of a giant bombing. Due to all of these bombings, my grandpa feels very unsafe, saying, “Of course, I fear for my life. There is no safe place anymore, look around.” While saying this, he looked away from the facetime camera and pauses, showing the severity of what is happening due to all of these bombings. In addition to this, he says that the bombings have gotten so bad to the point that even in the safest part of Lebanon, he doesn’t feel safe. It makes Lebanese citizens and close family realize that staying in Lebanon to protect what they have is not worth giving up their lives. For example, me knowing that my grandparents are not safe while in Lebanon causes me to watch to the news and call my grandparents more often to see if it is possible for them to leave. They refuse to leave because that is their home, and they want to help as many people as they can, while still promoting peace in a fighting country.
While my grandpa has witnessed the terrible attacks on Lebanon, he promotes peace through different political and governmental changes. My grandpa says that the first step to peace started with the lessening influence by the Hezbollah organization. He said that this is due to multiple leaders of this organization being killed. Additionally, Hezbollah was the only party to do anything against the attacks from Israel since they were the only people in Lebanon with access to weapons. Now, he predicts that if there is not enough power to fight back against the continuous bombings, this means that the Hezbollah party will be completely destroyed soon, which will then lead to the end of the war. My grandpa covers this by saying, “I think the war has weakened Hezbollah, and I think it is time for all the parties to come together.” After this statement, I saw his facial expression change into what looks like a more relaxed look. All what is needed in this time of war is to promote peace among these fighting countries, which is what my grandpa is trying to allude to. This just shows that although my grandpa is Lebanese, he still tries to find multiple ways to see an end to this war. Additionally, if all the parties that have influence on Lebanon work together, then this war may settle down. If this were to happen, then the people will benefit from having a strong government establishment. More specifically, this will contribute to a stronger economy and prosperity for all the citizens of Lebanon.
As my grandpa cannot solve this problem all by himself, but he tries to help and provide others with whatever they need in the meantime. These people have lost their homes due to bombings and struggle to get back on their feet. It is a heart wrenching sight to see as my grandpa watches the news witnessing firsthand how his home country is getting destroyed little by little.
I know him and other Lebanese citizens do everything they can to keep the country intact, but the war is getting to the point where the country will crack if no one does anything or interfere to end the war. As people listen to my grandpa’s story, I feel that it is important to understand that there is always one group that is underrepresented in a big conflict, and it is hard to come to a conclusion on who is right. This is why it is crucial to get everyone’s side and perspective on the story.
ApictureofShamaOopal(right)and herroommate(left)wearingtheir uniformsintheirfirstyear.
TheStruggleforPeace
Astoryabouthowan18-year-oldgirldefinedtheimpossibleandfoughtforher country.
By:NaylaKapur
Theyearwas1969.ShamaOopalhadfledherhomewithherbrother.Hergoodbyes grewtearsinhereyes.Shedidnotknowthenexttimeshewasgoingtoseeherfamily.“We’re almostthere.Youready?”Herbrothersaidwhileholdingherhand.Shenodded,butfear startedattackingher.Shehadtogetthatoutofhermind.Itistimetotrysomethingdifferent. So,shedid.Shewasgoingtosavepeople’slives,andshewasdoingthisforherfamily.What startedoutbecauseshedidnothaveanymoneyturnedouttobesomethingsheloved,and shewouldnotexchangethatforanythingelse.Sheexplains,“Thearmybecomesapartof you.”Thoughshewasdoingthisforherfamily,friends,andcountry;sheknewshehadtodo thisforherself.Nowaftersavingdozensoflives,Shamalivestoprotectmeinmyeverydaylife. Shama,mygrandmother,nowliveswithmeandmyfamily.Shestillworksattheageof71 whenpeopledonotevendaretoworkpast60.Shehasinfluencedmanypeoplebecauseshe wentfortheimpossible.Shewasnotafraidoftheunknown,andshestillisnot.Thisisthe storyofShamaOopalandhowthearmyshapedherlifetobecomewhosheisnow.
Leavingyourhomeandbeingthousandsofmilesawayfromyourfamilyisextremely hardbecauseyoucannotseethemeveryday.NotonlythisbutnotknowinganyEnglishand beingvegetarianarestrugglesthatShamahastoovercome.Whenyoujointhearmyin college,youdonotjusthavetoworkinthearmy,butyoumustlearnandgotoschool.Itwas especiallyhardbecauseitwasthe1960s-70s,sowomenweretreatedverydifferentlythan men.Shegotnosleepandsomedaysshewouldgethomesicksinceshewassofarawayfrom home.Manythingsweredifferentbutthehardestoneforherwasthefactthatsheis vegetarian.Beinginthearmymeansyouneedtostaybigandstrong,andwhathelpswith
that?Meat.Shewasforcedtoeateggsandsomedayswhenitjustdidnotfeelrighttoeat them,shewouldsimplyjusteatriceandyogurt;thatisnotfilling.Shealsousedtolove wearingcomfortableclotheswithherblackfrizzyhairinabunwearingherglassescovering herdarkbrowneyes.Butwhenshejoined,shehadtowearanurseoutfiteverydayandhadto getusedtothat.Somedaysshewouldgotobedwithanemptystomach.Nomatterwhat,she didnotletthataffectherandevengotusedtoitovertime.
AnotherchallengewasnotspeakinganyEnglish.Shamahadtoworryabout studying,thearmy,andlearningEnglish.Sheeventuallylearnedbutittooklotsoftimeoutof herdayfromotherthings.Sheexplains,“Thehardestsituationwasadjustingtoit.”Shamadid notbackdownfromthechallengeoflearningEnglishandeatingless.Everydayshewould wakeupwithasmileonherfacereadytofightforhercountrynomatterwhatittook.Every dayshewouldsacrificehangingoutwithherfriendstostudymoresoshewasready.Shewas readyforwhateverchallengecameherway.EvenwhenShamaeventuallyleftthearmyshe wassadtoleavebecausesheisleavinganewfamily,shemadebehindher.Shewillnotforget hertimetherethoughbecauseofhowimportantitwastoherandhowitshapedher.Irelateto thisbecausethoughsometimesitishardformetoadjusttonewthings,Iwilltrymyhardest justlikeShamadoesbecauseshehasinspiredme.
“Iwantedtodothethingotherswould notdareofdoing”
Afteradjustingthough,Shamagotthefeelofitandcherishedeverymomentshehad inthearmy.Eventuallythearmybecomesyourhomeawayfromhomeandyoubecomea family.EvenwithShama’sbloodfamilythousandsofmilesaway,shemanagedtomakea familywiththepeoplearoundherbyhangingoutwiththemandspendingtimewiththem. WhenShamabecameaseniorandknewalot,shewouldteachthemwhichwouldmakethem feelconfident.
Everyoneinthisnewfamilysupportsandloveseachotherlikearegularfamilywould do.Butmakingafamilywithpeopleyouhavenevermetbeforedoesnotjusthappenwitha blinkofaneye.Shamahadtoworkhardtogainpeoplesrespectandbesocialtomakefriends. Itwasnotjusttomakefriendstohavefun,itwastoshowthatyoucanhavearelationshipwith peoplewhoyouhavenevermetbefore,soyouhavesomeonetotalkto.Notonlywasitgood forShamaandherfriends,butitwasalsogoodforherfamilysothattheyknowshessafeand thattheydon’thavetoworryabouther.
Shecouldnotevencallthemunlessshepaidandscheduledacall,sothemknowing shehaspeopleandthatsheisokayisespeciallyimportant.Shehadtoworkhardsopeople say,“Wowlookather”andshedid.Peoplewantedtobefriendswithherbecauseshe positivelyaffectedhowpeoplethinkofher.Shamaputsit,“Everyoneisincrediblysupportive. Youbecomelikeafamily.”Thoughshefelthomesicksomedaysorfeltstressed,sheknewshe hadpeopletheretosupportherandtheyfeltthesamewaytowardsShama.Itisimportantto makefriendswhereyougobecauseyouknowyouwillhavesomeoneyoucantalktoand peopleyouliketobearound.Itisalsoimportant,soyouarenotlonely.Forme,Ifeellikea familywithmyschoolandsportsteamsorwhereverIgosothatIcanmakepeoplefeelwhole.
Whenyougothroughsurgery,itishardbecauseyoudonotknowwhattheendresult isgoingtobebutimaginedoingthesurgeryontheperson.Theirlifedependsonyouandall thepressureison.Toevenobtainthatjobisharderthangettinganursejobwhereyoulive. Shama,though,didnottakeitlikethat.Shestayedstrongwhenevershewouldseesomeone evenwithanamputatedarmorleg.2/3ofnursesinthearmyhavequitbecauseofhowbad someinjuriesare.Shamastayedconfidentandneverbackeddownfromahardjob.Shealso mentionedthatyouneverreallyknowthevalueofsomethinguntilyouloseit.Seeingpeople losingtheirarmsandlegsmadeShamarealizehowluckyshereallywas.
Shamaalsoexplainsthevalueoftimeandhowyouneverknowhowmuchtimeyou haveleft,soyoumustvalueverysecondofit.Shelearnedthatinthearmywhenshewould seeyoungmenwalkintoherofficebleedingout.Itneveraffectedher;itjustmadeherrealize.
Herscheduleinthearmywasverypacked,soshehadtolearnhowtomanageher timewisely.Thingscanchangeextremelyfast,soyoumustbereadyforit,andShamadoes. Sheexplainsfurther,“Seeingpeopleinthearmylosingtheirarmsandlegsmademerealize thevalueoftime,lifeandhowthingschange.”Shamarealizedsomethingalotofpeoplewould
justignorethis.Thismakesheranimmenselystrongpersonsincesherealizesthevalueof trivialthingsandknowshowtoovercomeit.Inmylife,wheneverIseepeoplewhoareblindor havelostabodypart,IwouldprayandappreciatehowluckyIam.Ithinktomyself,howhard wouldlifebeifthatwereme?Shamamakesitsoundeasybutinreality,sheisjustoneofthe strongoneswhichisexceedinglyrare.
Everytimeyoudosomethingimportant,youlearnalesson.Whenyouareapartof thearmy,thereismanylessonstolearn.Whenyoupositivelyimpactsomeone,youmakea deepimpression,aneffectsostrongthatitcanaffecttheirmindsetortrajectoryoftheirlife andcareerinanamazingway.That’sexactlywhatShamadid.Shama’sgrandson,Aari,whois alsomycousin,hasjustjoinedthenavyforcollege.BeforeShama,nooneinmyfamilyand hershavebeeninthearmyoreventhoughtaboutit.
Shehaschangedthatandhasnowinfluencedhergrandsontofollowinher footsteps.Somepeoplejointhearmyornavybecausetheirfamilydoesnothaveenough moneyforrealcollege,butAari’sfamilyisverywealthy,sothatshowsthatShamahad influencedAaribecauseeventhoughhecouldhaveeasilychosenanivyleaguecollege,he wantedtojointhenavy.IfShamaneverjoinedthearmy,wouldAaribeinthenavyrightnow? Shestartedatrend,andnowmanygenerationswillfollowinherfootstepstowanttobelike her.Whenshewasreadyforthearmy,sheneverrealizedthatbeingthefirstpersoninher familytodosowouldstartsomethingbig.Sheshowedfuturegenerationsthatitispossible andthatyoucanlearnsomuchfromit.Shamawasnotafraidoftheunknown;shewentforit. WhenIaskedShamahowitfelttohavehergrandsonfollowherfootsteps,sherepliedwith,“I wantedtodothethingotherswouldnotdareofdoing.”
Shesexplainingthatsheneverbacksdownfromachallengeshowinghowambitious sheis.Notonlyhassheinfluencedherfamilyandpeoplesheknows,butshehasinfluenced otherswhodonotevenknowhertofightfortheircountry,andthattheycoulddoanythingthat theyputtheirmindto.Shewasnotonlyjoiningthearmyforherself,butshewasjoiningsothat shecanshowpeoplethattheycoulddothesame,andshedidexactlythat.Sheshowed peopleauniquewayoflivingandnotjustlivinginfear.Inthe1970s,womenalsodidnothave alotofpowerandwerenottreatedlikemen.So,whenShamawentoutthereinthearmy,she showedothersnottobeafraidandthatgirlscandoanythingthatmencan.
Shamaoftenlooksbackather5yearsinthearmytoreflectonhowthathasshaped hertobewhosheisnow.ThoughShamahadsomelowswhenshewasinthearmy,thehighs coverthatupbecauseofhowbigofafamilyyoubecome.Yougettomeetnewpeopleand experiencenewthings,butthebestthingisknowingthatyouleftamarkonsomeoneand influencedsomeonetobecomejustlikeyouwhichisexactlywhatShamadid.Youmustbe braveandstrong,butitdoesnotjustcomewithablinkofaneye.Shamahadtowork extremelyhardandfaceimpossiblechallengestogetherwheresheisrightnow.Notonlyhas thatshapedher,butshehasusedittohelpshapeherfamilytobestrong.Shelearnedmany lessonstoshowherthingsshewouldneverhavethoughtabout.Themostimportantthingis thatshedidsomethingnew,somethingnoIndianwomaninherfamilyhaseverthoughtof doing.Sheputherselfoutthereandshowedherstorybyworkingexceedinglyhardand challengingtheimpossible.Shehasinfluencedmetoshareherstorybecauseofhow importantitistome.IhavelearnedthingsaboutherthatIneverknewbeforejustbyaskingher questionsaboutherpast.Sheshowedmehowstrongyoumustbetogetbyinlifeandhow youmustputyourselfoutthereifyouwanttomakeadifference.AfterhearingaboutShama’s storyandthewayssheinfluencedpeople,howcanyouinfluenceotherspositively?
Living a Story
Robert Rosa is showing Americans how serving for your country feels great
By Kevin Kenzinger
As I walked to grab my phone, I finally realized how important this person was to me. To me he is a grandpa, but to many he is Robert Rosa, a friend, brother, and a veteran in the Vietnam War. To people all over America, veterans are one of the most important people to them. Even though they may not know a veteran, they are still connected to them because veterans served for not only their family but to other families like yours. In Chicago, where I live, the football team’s stadium, is named Soldiers Field. They named it this to respect and honor the soldiers and veterans serving us, and the ones who have served.
I realized how much fear would fill Rosa’s eyes, from that first mission, the fear off the unknown. Not knowing what’s to come is sometimes fun, like a haunted house. But in times like war, it could be the worst. From that first step out of a truck on to the field, not knowing the chances of survival. To the last mission; all the friends you have made, and sadly the ones you’ve lost. “It’s quite a journey,” Rosa told me. “So let me tell you all about it.”
Robert Rosa feels great about serving his country. As a private, Rosa worked hard by giving all of his effort the whole time. He made sure that he did what he could to help with the war by looking out for all the other soldiers, he even saved a few people by evacuating them to safety. He showed the drill sergeants how on point his aim was with a gun in training, which helped him become a gunner, (someone who hangs out of a helicopter with a machine gun and helps with evacuations when someone is hurt) in the war, and eventually got released as a sergeant – one of the most important roles for a military. Sergeants led the group of soldiers of 5 or more. The training was hard but worth it, because without the training you are not prepared for the war, and you may get yourself killed. While thinking back on training, he said that at times it was a bit scary to think about going to war. Imagine all of the questions that you would have. Rosa needed to work around that, by finding ways to cope with the emotions that he had. Being away from your family was one of the biggest ones. He said that he finally realized after a while that it was better for him to be in the war helping, than with his family because if he would of fled and went back to his family they may not have been safe.
But he needed to set aside those emotions and think about who he was and what he is doing. He was serving his country in war. After being asked what he was most proud of Rosa responded with hesitation, “Just that I was able to serve my country.” Rosa was able to show his commitment to his country and other soldiers. He served to help the people in his country just to make sure they were safe. He spent 3 years in the marines; that means 3 years without seeing your family every day.
We should be thankful for all the veterans, and they should be proud of themselves too. They are all honored because of their dedication and love for their country, which is showed by them serving.
He finally realized after a while that it was better for him to be in the war helping, than with his family because if he of fled and went back to his family they may not have been safe.
Rosa didn’t put himself first, in fact, he wanted others to survive as much as he wanted himself to. War is hard to talk about, with all the fighting between people maybe just for land. But living in a war is even harder; imagine hearing the sounds of guns and bombs flying through the air knowing that someone may die. Being in a war; that is something that most veterans aren’t able to put into words because of how hard it is physically and mentally. With all of the emotions you need to learn how to deal with them, you need to take out of what you’re learning. As Rosa kept leaning, he noticed something off about this training – the drill sergeants,
the leaders of the training, were going easy on him. “This would seem nice,” Rosa insisted, “but you needed the harshness to do well.” The most important takeaway from being in the Vietnam war for Rosa was to “Pay attention and see how much help you can be to the people around you ” The normal instinct is to protect yourself during a war, but in order to win you need to help others. We can see that “2 is greater than 1.” We can tell that Rosa wasn’t the type of person to sit back and let something happen. No, he acted and started fixing himself, by getting in even better shape than he already was. Rosa said that he is very proud of himself for getting in the military and getting in better shape. This is because at the time he didn’t want to work out, or to sacrifice his life, but he needed to. And in the long run that helped him by a great amount, by giving him the strength physically and mentally. Along with the terrible food, the bad sleeping conditions, and waking up early almost every day.
Rosa knew that no matter what he’s going to war. The chances of survival during war are often low. Knowing that he had 4 branches to choose from he needed to make a tough decision. The role that you had during war would depend on this. Rosa didn’t like that he had to pick, but he knew that this was very important. He thought long and hard, but still couldn’t make a decision. So, he though more about himself after the war then in the war. He knew that depending on how he was trained and how he fought that maybe he wouldn’t come back. So Rosa ended up picking that decision at the age of only 18 – the Marines. Rosa said he needed more “Discipline in his personal life.” Discipline is key, a phrase often heard around the U.S. Meaning that in order to get past you need to be strict on yourself. Rosa saw this too. He needed as much as he could get, so he went to the marines. The marines are often fought to have been really thought because of how “aggressive” they are. This means that he overcame the thought of fear, and he didn’t let it take control over him. This gave him the key to success to get past the war. And now is able to tell the tale. Being in the military for 3 years, you start to know your stuff with all the guns and weapons you can use. From using multiple difrent helicopters to shooting 6 difrent types of machine guns Rosa knew what he was doing. But even if you know what you’re doing it doesn’t get less scary to be in war. In fact, Rosa stated that the hardest part was knowing that “there are people out there who are desperately trying to kill you.” Just imagine that for a minute. All of these veterans had to deal with that, and they knew but they still joined to military anyway. This could explain why maybe some people don’t want to talk about it. because they have horrible trauma of seeing bullets fly past your face.
We have learned a lot from Rosa, but more specifically we learned how Rosa was able to choose the best decisions for the best conditions or role in the military, but also how he choose decision to help other people, and the other soldiers around him. We learned how he over came fears, by coping with them, and also thinking about his family constantly. Not only do you need to learn how to live in this type of space, but you also need to learn how to believe in yourself. And finally, you need to give your selfdiscipline. Not only will this help you then it will help you after. Giving yourself the help you need is just smart. Just like Rosa always says, Discipline is key.”
Robert Rosa posing for a picture in high school right before enlisting, and going to war.
SujinKim:the Routetoan ElectricalEngineer andDedicatedMom
Isatdownonmylivingroom couchnexttoSujinKim,a44-yearoldformerelectricalengineerand amomto3kids.Iknewshewas anelectricalengineer,butIwas curiousonherjourney.Shehas3 kids!Howdoesshemanagetobea full-timemom,helpwithmath homework,andstillbeso successful?Howdifficultwasitto becomesuccessfulinoneofthe hardestfieldsawomancan succeedin?Therewerenotalotof womenworkingaselectrical engineersoreveninthe engineeringfieldatallatthistime! Howdidshedoit?Theansweris hardwork.Kimworkedtirelessly dayandnightstudyingtoachieve herdreams.Everysingleday gettingonestepcloser
Kimstatesthatshelovesto travel,andherdreamdestination spotisJapanbecauseherfather grewupinatowninJapancalled GyoTo,“Ireallywanttovisit Japan,especiallythetowncalled GyoTo.Itisasmalltownwhere mydadwasborn.Hewasbornin JapaneventhoughheisKorean.” Shewantstotakeherkidsand brotherwithherdadtovisithis childhoodtownbeforehepassed away.
“Everyonecan become whateverthey want.Youjust needtoputin theeffort.”
Mostpeopletakeupother hobbiessuchasbakingor shopping,butKimlikestobe outsideandrelax. Sheexpressesinacalmtone, “Otherthanlisteningtoclassical musicandplayingpianoIliketo walk.Ilovewalking.Iliketowalk aroundthelakeandthepark. WhilewalkingIthinkaboutalotof things.Ithinkofsomeideasformy kids.”Walkingcanstimulate activityandisagreatwayto distractfromonlinemediaandget somefreshairbeforetherestofthe day.Shehasthreekidsandisvery dedicatedtothem,shealwaysputs thembeforeherself.Evenwhen doingherfavoritehobby,shestill thinksaboutherkids!
By:IsabellaKim
KimwenttoUniversityof Nebraskaandleftherhomein SouthKoreatostudyelectrical engineeringintheUnitedStates. Kimproudlystates,“After graduatingfromUniversityof NebraskawithmymasterIworked atLGElectronics.”Kimgraduated withhermaster’sdegreeand startedworkingatLGElectronics. SheearnedherPh.DatTexasA&M university.Herjobwastocheckfor mistakesandfindwaystocorrect themonphones’hardwareand otherelectronicsnotfixedquickly enoughthentheproductbeing inspectedgetsthrownout.After all,thecompanycannotsell brokenordamagedproductsto consumers
Kimwasbornandraisedin Koreabyherparents,andshelives withherlittlebrother.Herparents playedapivotalroleinhersuccess inengineeringbysupportingher profuselyandalwaysbeingthere totalktoherandhelpherthrough toughtimes.Shewantstoshow herkidsthetownherhard-working dadwasbornin.
EventhoughKimlivesavery busylife,shesometimestakestime torelaxandenjoyherhobbies.
SujinKimtraveledacrossthe worldandmovedtotheUnited StatestoattendUniversityof Nebraskatostudyelectrical engineering.AchallengethatKim wentthroughwasleavingbehind herlifeinKoreaandsaying goodbyetoherfamilyassheleft fortheUS.Shestates,“Itwas reallyhardtoleavemyfamilyand friends,butIalsofeltatease knowingtheywillalwayssupport me.”Knowingthatherlovedones willalwayssupportherKim steppedintotheunknownwithher parentssupportinghereven thoughKoreawasnotfavorableto womenengineers.
Strategies For Success
This is Christina Kotis in her journey of her hard work as a Divorce Attorney .
As Kotis stepped one foot out of the house, she felt the wind blow on her face. While hearing kids play, she looked at the moon illuminating the sky as she looked at the millions of stars. The moon brightened her eyes, while riding her bike. She felt the humidity on her skin from the rain. She rode into the distance getting closer to the moon. She came back to her checkpoint where the streetlights dimmed out like fireflies. This shows how Kotis admired things that she never noticed before. On the other hand, Christina also had a tough childhood. This helped her realize that hard work gets good results. Kotis is loving, caring, and is my mother.
Growing up, Kotis had a nice loving brother and caring parents. Her dad and mom were both Greek and half Turkish, those are Kotis 'ethnicities. When growing up she wanted to be a ballet dancer for her professional job. People stopped her by bullying her for shaming her about her weight she took that seriously, but she did not listen to her bullies. She was a smart student, and she always got perfect grades. She spent lots of her free time studying for anything that came up like tests or exams. Kotis’ mom pushed her to be a better and more educated person. She had a very intense childhood with good memories and bad memories. Her best memories were that her dad would take her and her brother to McDonald’s in a giant van. They used to get vanilla ice cream cones and run around in the back of the car. That is illegal now. “I put all my problems aside and focused on better things.” This quote can show that Kotis worked hard not listening to the terrible things but focusing on the good things.
“Nothing comes easy in life you always work hard for something.”
At about 17 years old, Kotis wanted to be a divorce attorney. She got into law school, and she spent most of her time dedicated to a perfect score on the bar exam. The bar exam is an exam if you pass you get to be a certain type of lawyer if you do not pass you have to take it again. Kotis started studying for this exam when she knew that she was all set and done studying she had to fly to Chicago to take the exam. Two days before the exam she went into a Starbucks to get a coffee. When she got her coffee, she sat at a table pulled out her phone and called her mom. Kotis was talking in Greek. Someone noticed the language and it was a guy sitting right behind her. The guy came up to her and said, “Are you speaking Greek?” She said, “Yes.” (in a concerned voice). The guy pulled up a chair and started talking to Kotis. He got her number, and they started talking. They went on their first date at Weber Grill. She passed her bar exam, and she flew back to Canada and told her mom and dad that she passed the test. They were overly excited. A quote from Christina is “My whole life changed in one trip.” The quote shows that when she went on the trip to take her bar exam, she passed her test, and met a person named John which became her soulmate.
Kotis had to move to various places when she grew up, she had to move to Greece for four years. She had to move to different countries in her childhood because half of her family was from Greece, she lived there for 4 years. She had a lot of cousins in Greece, and she had a fun time with all her family members. Kotis had a lot of cousins. She had around 5 or 6. She would play with them every day; this was before devices. She would go outside for the entire day and return to her house at 10 pm because Greece back then was safe not like it is today. She thought that Greece was one of the best parts of her life she wanted to stay. Most of her childhood was set there which is why she is so linked to the country. Sometimes it can be hard because she must meet new people who speak a different language and live in a hugely different home. “I learned a lot from Greece especially how to live there.” This quote shows that Kotis had to fit into a new setting. Which was hard for her because she never lived like this before. It took a couple of months for Kotis to get the hang of living in a different country.
Education was a big part of Kotis family. When she grew up her parents wanted her and her brother to have a phenomenally successful and outgoing life. Kotis spent all her time studying working and playing instruments. Her mom was extremely hard on her when she was young, she always wanted Kotis to get perfect scores. Every day there was no free time for her. She used to wake up, went to piano school, and then ballet. Christina worked hard in everything that she did. She learned languages by going to Greek school every Saturday. She wanted to learn the language because she is Greek, and she has gone to Greece many times in her life. Every Sunday she worked at a church for Sunday school. She used to teach Greek and Greek history. She was a nonstop worker. Kotis said, “Nothing comes easy in life you always work hard for something.” This quote supports that Kotis was hardworking when she was growing up. Kotis used to do extracurricular activities every single day. She would be exhausted at night and must do it all over again the next day.
In conclusion, Kotis all around is a hard-working person. Kotis dedicated most of her free time helping me and others. While I was listening to the interview, I realized that Kotis had a tough time growing up. She did as much education and extracurricular that she could. Kotis got bullied a lot during her elementary time in school. She had to fit in into a new country and had to take exam to be a lawyer. Something I learned from Kotis is that hard work always gives you good results.
Ms. Lambert a 54-year-old businesswoman
By: John Lambert
LaTonia Lambert: A Creative Hardworking Woman
It was a fall Tuesday afternoon; I was riding with my mother in the car. Mrs. Lambert is 54 years old born and raised on the North side of Chicago, I told her that while she tells me a lot about her current career, she does not share a lot about her childhood, what that was like, and how it made her who she is today. I went on to say, I also wanted to learn about early in her career and what challenges she faced along the way. It was a relaxed mood as we cruised on the highway, listening to the soft music on the radio. Then we began the interview.
She begins to talk about her experience as a child. Although she was an only child it had built her creative mind, as well as studying music and dance built gave Lambert a very great appreciation for the arts and helped her get into her career. As she glances into the distance, reminiscing about the
memories throughout her childhood, “Studying performing arts and being an only child both of those made me creative.” Performing gave her an outgoing personality and it gave her the spirit to not be afraid to express herself and her ideas. She speaks on how she loves to collaborate with other people she gestures aggressively with her hands and smiles, she sits on the edge of the seat, intrigued I ask how you get an idea? As she leans in closer, “I can get an idea from someone else’s idea.” She explains how she loves to stack ideas on top of other ideas just as much as she loves creating them herself, she went on to explain how this process is very important in business if you want to make it far and that you must be flexible and able to adapt to whatever situation you are placed in. I had asked her how she knew what she wanted to do with her career and how that started. Tilting her head smiling, she
begins to talk me through the details. The year was 1987, she was attending Whitney M.Young Magnet High School, she heard about a television production class and was interested so she signed up for it. For a project they had to make a television jingle. She went on to say, her and a group of friends worked on this project together, in the contest they were judged by professional commercial companies, “We won 1st place, and I said, I want to be an advertiser.” At this very moment, Lambert was certain with what she wanted to do with her career.
Mrs. Lambert always tries to think of different ways and ideas in her career. It is important to learn from this that the first idea always is not the best idea, and that thinking creatively can lead to bigger and better ideas that have not been seen before. This can overall help contribute to society’s development.
The Doc is In
By Peyton Little
The story of a doctor, dealing with stereotypes, and racism throughout her career.
As I slammed the door, sweaty from my second volleyball game this week, I had been thinking about this interview the whole car ride, nervous about talking to my neighbor, April Kennedy about this specific topic, wondering if it would be awkward from this point on. As I headed downstairs to my mom’s desk, I was practicing how I was going to introduce my topic and assignment as if she didn’t already talk about it with my mom. As I sat down and waited for her to pick up the phone, I took some deep breaths in, and once she picked up the phone, started talking.
As I was talking with Dr. Kennedy, I had realized that there was so much more to her life then being a good neighbor of mine. She had gone to med school at UChicago, she had gone to a Historically Black College University, and that work wasn’t always just as peaceful as I thought. With many stereotypes brought against her being an African American doctor, she came to the realization of the overall idea of racism and stereotypes. Her overall realization has me questioning whether its an instinct to look at people's skin color before personality, or people overall have concluded that the color of their skin shapes who they are already as a person.
Dr. Kennedy was starting school ready to become a doctor and realized the challenges that would go along with being an African American doctor. When Dr. Kennedy decided to become a doctor, she wanted to go to a Historically Black College or University (HBCU). She felt that she would be more supported there to pursue that career because there were more people of the same race as her, unlike at a primarily white-dominated school.
Starting school, inspired by her childhood dream, Dr. Kennedy gave work and dedication to her learning at Xavier University of Louisiana, an HBCU. As she headed into one of her orientations with about 100 students her professor came in and told them about the challenges of being African Americans working as doctors. The professor explains that “From this day going forward everybody is going to look at you differently, you are never going to be seen as smart enough, or good enough, and it’s always going to take extra work to prove yourself.” As this professor had explained this Dr. Kennedy realized it wasn’t going to be as easy as she anticipated, and she would have to go through things that she cannot control and would have to address this from time to time.
This changed her thinking about the world and the tough challenges that would go along with the journey throughout college. Hearing this from her professor didn’t change her thoughts on being a doctor and she was ready for it. This connects to me because as an African American woman, this really helps me realize that just because someone or something attempts to hinder your learning or job, just keep swimming.
“From this day going forward everybody is going to look at you differently, you are never going to be seen as smart enough, or good enough, and it’s always going to take extra work to prove yourself.”
- Dr. Kennedy
Being acceptance into the University of Chicago; Dr. Kennedy dealt with stereotypes from others about her qualifications and whether she deserved to be there at all. Making it into UChicago, Dr. Kennedy had high hopes for her time at medical school and believed it would be a good time to learn and increase her skills to be a future doctor and continued to reflect on the comments from her professor at Xavier.
While she was at medical school, at the time, they had pushed for more minorities to go to medical school so that it could be more diverse and that’s when an attending- someone that was done with training, had mentioned that her “University did grade inflation and that was one of the reasons I was there.” This was when she realized that people's ideology of her being there was because of grade inflation and that she wasn’t capable of doing good to get into the university.
And this comment really started to set the tone for her future time in medical school because she had to be more adaptable to situations. But this also made her question what others had thought about her, identity, and she was very confused at the time about why they thought that it was just grade inflation, and she hadn’t taken the commitment and time although she had done the same work and training, and she had been top 25 of her class.
After experiencing stereotypes and racism, Dr. Kennedy came to the realization that she needed to find a solution on how to act in different situations. After she had heard about the comment on grade inflation, she came to the conclusion that when people saw her at UChicago, it was shocking because they didn’t think minorities were as smart or good enough for that school, and that she was only there to represent diversity and minorities.
She talks about figuring out how to respond to those situations in the moment and realizes that it isn’t a funny topic that you can brush off and that her tone showed the seriousness and how she had and still must talk to
people about the comments they say to her and how you don’t joke about racism or stereotypes. she says, “It set the tone a little bit for me and how I would act and react... I’ll address it as it comes along.” As the scenarios come across, she realizes in the moment that she had to address them and needs to react appropriately.
As I had asked her about this, she explained that she had experienced racism and reported to HR because it was such a serious topic to address. “I’ll address it as it comes along.” Shows her responding to the situations and being prepared to address them as they come into play at the workspace. This helps show the flexible thinking that Dr. Kennedy had to demonstrate. This also shows a connection in today’s issues; people must adapt their reactions based on the situation.
While she found different ways to address different situations, as her kids started growing up, I asked her what type of conversations she would have if her kids wanted the same job. Dr. Kennedy has 2 kids, 1 son, Ari, And 1 daughter, Alivia. As Dr. Kennedy had come across racism, and stereotypes, I wondered if her kids would want to be future doctors and what would be the conversation that she would have with her children. As she was telling me about this, she mentioned that America wasn’t going to be all rainbows and butterflies, there were going to be racist people, and stereotypes addressed to them, while she can’t stop them from their dream, is that “people still look at you, and describe you, the first thing they're going to do is describe what color you are because that’s the first thing they see.” And she explained that nobody is going to look at you and say what you are wearing, they are going to either say the ‘Black one’ or the ‘Asian one’ because that is what racism is.
This explains what the instinct of the human brain is, and how the first thing they are going to say is what race you are, as an instinct or reflex. This also highlights the way that race overrules someone’s identity as a human being and their skills and personality. But like Dr. Kennedy, because people see her and see that she is African American they enforce stereotypes, and discrimination against her.
“People still look at you, and describe you, the first thing they're going to do is describe what color you are because that’s the first thing they see. ”
- Dr. Kennedy
There isn’t an ideal way to bring confidence in our identity by making other minorities and races conscious about their own. There are some things that Dr. Kennedy got more aware of as her situations came across, and how people have an instinct of realizing your skin tone instead of personality or skill. Which helps me learn that this is an everyday thing that people might do in my life as well as others. This intrigues me to motivate all my classmates and people in my life to realize someone personality and skill before skin tone and make that a regular norm. But one question I have for you, is what difference does it make to say racial slurs or comments to someone? As there isn’t a good output to bringing people down, it also doesn’t bring up confidence in yourself, does it?
The American Heartbreak
The 9/11 experience of
It is the morning of September 11th, 2001, Sharyl Mackey, a 26year-old from Chicago that works in the Sears Tower just woke up from a late night of work at around 8:00 A.M. She felt nice and well rested because she normally is not able to sleep in this late. She did her usual morning routine. Turn on the TV and make a nice, tasty, hot cup of coffee. Something was wrong though; her sister was calling her early in the morning. She thought, why would she be calling me this early in the morning. She picked up the phone anyway. Her sister told her to turn on the news, and she did. Fast forward to now, 2024, she is a successful adult with a husband, Micheal Mackey, and three kids, me being the oldest of them. She still lives to tell the tale of the horrible event that happened on that day.
Even though Mackey was in Chicago when it occurred, 9/11 still had a tremendous effect on her mentally. Mackey was at work late the night before, she just got up and was making her morning coffee at her own apartment.
Mackey’s sister, Laura, who was in Egypt at the time, told her to put on the news. Mackey thought that it was strange that her sister was telling her to put the news on this early in the morning.
When Mackey put on the news, she saw an airplane hanging out of a building. Luckily, Mackey was not in New York or anywhere near there, and she did not even know anyone that was there at the time. But knowing that over 3,000 died in a terrorist attack was very heart breaking. Mackey later said, “It was truly the scariest moment of my life, everyone was effected by it.”
Thankfully, Mackey was not at work yet because of the late night she had before and the building she worked in, the Sirus Tower, was supposed to also be hit and everybody in the building at the time had to evacuate immediately. Her sister was stuck in Egypt on her honeymoon because all the flights got grounded at the time and she had to have army tanks take her of the runway at her airport. So much happened in such a short, terrible, and sad time and Mackey had an exceedingly challenging time.
The Twin Tower tragedy is often seen as one of, if not the worst time in American history, but there was some positive to come out of it. the majority is negative, 3,000 people died, all the world was devastated for months, airports were shut down and planes were grounded for days. Mackey was stuck on her couch, crying. Mackey says that there was one positive thing to come out of 9/11, through all of the racism in the world, all of the discrimination in the world, all of the disagreements in politics in the world, Mackey says, “The only positive thing that happened through all of 9/11 is that for the first time, the whole country was a united nation.”
people inside of the twin towers and one of the most devastating things in all of humanity. But Mackey sees this differently, she thinks that “The planes hitting the towers was not even the most shocking part, it was the towers collapsing.”
Mackey’s opinion may be an unpopular opinion, but it could very well be correct. Two of the most popular and huge towers on a random day in September, randomly collapsing within an hour of eachother in one of the most popular tourist destinations in all of New York, Mackey also states the obvious, “It was truly heartbreaking.” And it was truly heartbreaking, as someone who was unable to live through 9/11, I could not imagine something happening like that to my country, a terrorist attack on my country.
As someone who has read plenty of stories all over the internet, my mom, Mackey really puts it in good perspective as to what it could look like in modern times. Even with all the stories and theories about 9/11, I think it is impossible for something to happen like that.
Mackey also thinks the same thing except she saw it happen five feet away from her, live on a TV. Two huge planes crashing into the Twin Towers. Mackey really puts it into perspective by simply telling me, “Imagine, two huge airplanes, hanging out of two Willis towers, that is exactly what it looked like on that day.”
Mackey does an incredibly good, but simple job of telling me exactly what happened on that day. Even by looking at photos on the internet, it just does not give me goosebumps by looking at it, but the way Mackey says it, I can really feel what had happened on that dreadful day. It was truly one of a kind, in a bad way.
Mackey’s 9/11 experience was one of a kind with tons of scary and heartbreaking moments through the months following the horrible event. Over 20 years later, Mackey who is almost 50 years old has still been unable to live this horrific event down, but she can share these stories to her three kids, Jack, Reed, and Aidan Mackey, and her husband, Mike Mackey. I, who is one of her kids, thinks that her 9/11 stories are awesome, about her experience sitting in her apartment and texting her friends through this “truly heartbreaking” event. As well as her sisters experience which was quite different from her own because her sister was on her honeymoon in Egypt, enjoying life. And in seconds it is ruined, and she is stuck in Egypt for another week because all planes are grounded. Overall, Mackey sees the good in 9/11 which is that we were all a united nation. A lesson that all of us can learn from her is to always find the good in the bad.
Sharyl Mackey
By Jack Mackey
Mackey says that kids would not understand what it was like to live during that time. Jack Mackey, Mackey’s son, who also interviewed her thinks that it would be impossible for his country to really all be united at once, but that is what happened. Everybody in the United states, through all the racism, all the politic arguments, everybody at once was in a united nation with everybody in the country.
The planes hitting the towers is seen as the worst part of 9/11, but Mackey thinks differently. Most people, including Mackey, remember 9/11 as a regular day, until a plane runs into the largest tower in New York. People need to evacuate the building. People including Mackey, think that this whole entire thing is just an accident, until it happens again.
Except this time, everybody, including Mackey, knows that this whole thing is not an accident but instead something that will kill 3,000
“It was truly, truly the scariest moment of my life.”
Tracy many years later at a marina with friends in the Bahamas.
"From College Classes to Creative Campaigns: My Mom’s Advertising Dream”
The story of a young woman’s journey to her dreams of advertising.
By: Charlie Mathison
Tracy Mathison woke up on the day of college with many worries, but the biggest one was her not knowing if people would like her. But as she packed her bags and got into the car with her parents who are now my grandparents, she remembered that this was going to be hard for everyone because it was everyone’s first day. When she was only a couple minutes away, she started saying her temporary goodbyes and then got out of the car to a new life for a couple of years. The wind blew on the trees, and the sun rose from the sky slowly shining the light on her. As she already knew what she wanted to do in college she just needed to start with the basics. Classes.
Tracy expected nothing less than college being hard. She went to Northern Kentucky University which was a great school but surprisingly she was just the average student, but she went into college with an open and positive mind.
Tracy remembers being scared but also optimistic about going to a new place that has no parents. She was nervous because she was away from home most of the day and did not know anyone going to college with her. But thankfully she was very sociable and made friends easily due to the number of clubs she went to. In those clubs it was easy to make friends, especially if you are social like her. She had decent to good grades due to the fact she was creative which led to
her thinking of media/advertising because you don’t need to use lots of math skills or memory skills in that department.
What made her thrive was managing her time and her clubs with schoolwork. Having lots of friends also hindered her learning a little though due to them also wanting to spend time rather than doing work. But since she was creative, all the open times in the day she used it for reading or doing her schoolwork and since they did not have a homework club back then she had to do it solo, and she managed to do it due to her superpower of focus.
She describes how she wants to start her 4 years, “I want to take good classes so I can find out what interests me”, and she did just that.
She did not let college stop her, she went to as many college meets and retreats as she could to get a good representation of what life would be like for her for the next 4 years. She wanted to at least start that with good relationships with those around her.
Tracy faced hardly any challenge finding the class for her and fell in love with media easily and went into the class called mass communications. Where you learn about all distinct types of communications class. She did this class because she was starting to be interested in a type of class where you collaborate with p eople who like the same thing as you. She was a resolute student and wanted to do good, but it was hard when she had other classes on top of the media one. She wanted to get into advertising now and that confidence boosted her because she knew that it had nothing to do with math in this job but all creativity and writing. She loved the idea of making something professionally made then having it go out in the world and having people admire it and love it so much that they would buy it because she advertised it so well which made it easier for her to thrive in the media class she had been doing. Waking up every day and thinking about this future she had planned out made her happy and put a smile on her face.
“You’re typically going to do better in college because its stuff you’re interested in.”
She means college is easier than high school because you get to take classes with people you are interested in and that makes things easier because its stuff you like which makes things fun. It also makes it easier to learn because you have a teacher who is obsessed with the things your obsessed with and people/friends in which you are interested. Tracy did not back down from her media challenges ever which shows because now she is head creative director in advertising.
Tracy expected a decent challenge in college because she did not have her parents to help her, and she was now on her own, but she was very upbeat and positive, so it did not bring her down. Luckily, it was easy for her to make friends due to her wanting a more open-ended social life and striving to make as many new friends as she could. Everyday life in college was not easy for her in fact it was harder than waking up on a school day in high school because she knew she was not being woken up by her parents but by a bell and then had to go straight to class. But the fact that she at least had classes that she liked made it easier for her to thrive in the so called “harsh environment” and that evened out the struggle because like I said she was just an average student. But that one class changed her life.
She then went into clubs to try to get more recommendation letters for her in her media department. She then went on to say,
“My freshman year first semester, I took a class called mass communications class that told me everything I need to know about advertising, and the class alone told me about my place in all of this.”
This meant she knew what she wanted to do in all this, and she was right because she put her mind to it and even got a higher spot in the chain than she wanted/needed. Even though right now she is especially under pressure from this work, it is because of how much she works. She works 24/7 right now but she trusts herself which is making her go farther and that is all because she trusted herself even when times were tuff, and they usually were because she did so much to get to the position she is in now.
Tracy went into a group called a sorority to try to get good things on her
resume for jobs and she made new friends and new friendships with new teachers. In a sorority you are with a group of people that are your gender, and you go places and the point of it is to create a tight knit percentage of women to be put in the sorority. The voting process for the sororities can vary depending on the campus and the sorority. The main voting process is called a chapter vote. A chapter vote is when everyone in the sorority has a say in potential new members. Your name will come up, and everyone will vote to invite your back or not. Tracy ended up being president of her whole sorority and got there because she led by example in the organization she worked for and was chosen by her fellow sorority mates because she pushed herself to go the extra mile in her work. A sorority is only for girls and does things girls tend to do just like fraternity is for guys. I like spending time together going on trips, going to restaurants, and doing service for a group.
Tracy being president put a couple more gallons of work on her hands, but she loved doing what she does, so it did not affect her that much overall. This sorority gave her work to do all the time, which was exactly what she wanted because advertising was the same and she wanted to come prepared. Also, as the president she could work for what she wanted to work on which made liking media and advertising even easier. And she later got this presidency on her resume and got the job in advertising she wanted.
She then exclaimed, “Advertising brought a side of me I did not know existed but knew I had in me.” This means she knew what she wanted to do when she joined the sorority but didn't know if it would work out for her but when she trusted in herself it brought the side of her that she didn't know she had but knew existed as said in the quote she has thrived in the advertisement department and up to this day she is sitting as head creative director in a worldwide department. She is still moving up the ranks in advertising and never gave up on her dream. She later took the position she wanted to become her job. The message she would want to send would be something like “never give up on your dream just because it’s a struggle because believe me I know struggle profusely.”
“You’re typically going to do better in college because your doing things you’re interested in.”
Achieving Dreams
Bridget Daley Business owner and founder of A2B essentials. The one that breaks stereotypes.
By Fitz McDermott
Photographed by Bridget Daley
As she walked into her new office of her new job, she took a deep breath, while looking at the things around her, she said to herself, “You can do it, Bridget; you know you can.” She took another step and saw the person she has always wanted to work for, Oprah Winfrey. She didn’t know what to do, either to go up to her and say hi and thank you and present herself or just to walk past her. Knowing Bridget, she will always take the chance to present herself and make herself noticeable. So, Bridget went up to Oprah and said, “Hi, Miss Oprah Winfrey." I’m so excited to finally meet you, and I can’t wait to work for you.”
Oprah replied with, "Hi, your name is Bridget, right?”
Bridget replied, “Yes, I’m Bridget; it’s so nice to meet you.”
Oprah replied, “I know you’re going to fit in perfectly with her, Bridget. But I must get to a meeting now, so I’ll catch you later.”
Bridget excitedly said, “Alright, bye!” Bridget now feels super confident, and it’s only her first day on the job. Now that Bridget knows her idol believes in her, she has all the confidence in the world. Bridget has always been very confident in herself and has always taken chances for herself and others. Her work ethic is unmatched, never taking a day off work and always looking for ways to improve her company. I feel like this relates to me because on the court for basketball, I always push myself to do my best and always push others to do their best, even if they are not very good. Also, I’m very confident in myself, and I have a lot of courage to speak up in front of a lot of people. An example is last year I ran for president and spoke in front of each grade at FXW. Also, my work ethic off the court, like studying
for tests, getting the best grades I can, and always trying to improve. The central theme of this is that your work ethic and confidence show the best version of yourself.
She has worked for some of the hardest jobs to work for and failed many times, but every time that happened, it motivated her even more. Every day she would work harder and harder, hoping to work for Oprah Winfrey, but after every interview and application they wouldn’t accept her, but that wouldn’t stop her from still pushing every day and every night to improve her interviewing skills just so she could have her dream job. That motivation started long before she was an adult, where she learned about motivation and thrive.
She moves her arms in a circular motion and, in an elated voice, says, “My work ethic started as an athlete.” She was a star basketball player, softball player, and volleyball player at Queen of Peace High School, which showed her work ethic. As an athlete, she had to teach her strong work ethic by getting in the gym every day, getting shots up, lifting, and conditioning. This work ethic eventually led to her working for Oprah. She was a producer for Oprah who would book guests, produce content, create shows, find guests, write scripts, shoot content, write the entire script for the show in Oprah’s voice, edit all the film, and put it all together to create an hour-long program.
Her work ethic led to her starting her own company. She started A2B Essentials during COVID. She started her company because she was trying to make up something that was a necessity during quarantine. Everyone wanted to stay fresh and clean. Wanted to empower people, specifically women, to have uncomfortable conversations and make them comfortable. The hygiene is very important, and for some reason, it’s a very comfortable conversation to have. She also started her own company to prove to herself and others that she could do it.
“It’s not easy to start a company from scratch, and it was a challenge I wanted to take it on.”
She strokes her arm and, in an agonizing voice, says, “It’s not easy to start a company from scratch, and it was a challenge I wanted to take it on.” She always wanted to prove her doubters wrong, and whenever she got the chance, she did, thriving to be her best and making the company the best. It’s been 4 years now, and during those 4 years she has designed the product, managed the inventory, marketed the product, built the website, and traveled around the country advertising and selling her product. This led to her wipes selling around the country but soon to be the world.
Even though people told her she couldn’t start her company all by herself, she still finds a way to push and thrive. She would self-motivate all the time, which helped her deal with a lot of stress, but she also had the help of her best friend. Sarah was there helping her bring up her company, advertising it around the world and traveling with her to sell it, but they’re were two major people that pushed her: her dad and grandfather. Her dad and grandfather always said she could do anything, maybe even be better than the boys. She would always ask them for guidance and support if she was stuck on anything or just couldn’t figure out what she was capable of.
She grasped her hand and, in a confident voice, said, “The two people I looked up to the most were my dad and grandfather, who were constantly encouraging me and motivating me and said that I could do it better than the boys.” This shows that she always had two people she was willing to look up to for
encouragement and guidance. Having those figures that she looked up to most of her life tell her that she shouldn’t give up just because of a stereotype that was set a long time ago really was the big motivation to do what she wanted and being able to speak her mind to others around the world.
She is a truly remarkable woman who has always been a source of inspiration in a lot of people’s lives. She taught the value of being able to work hard and the importance of following through on promises. When she decided to start her own company, she faced many challenges and doubts from those around her. However, instead of letting that bring her down, she stayed determined and focused. She stayed confident by having others around her to support her, like her family and friends. She was always looking for even more challenges to face because she thought that if she faced more challenges, the better A2B Essentials was going to be. One challenge she faced was with the partners she worked with along the way. The partners just thought since they were friends with her, they wouldn’t have to work as hard, but she never ever let anyone give their worst; she always expected the best, but they thought they could be lazy, so she had to get rid of them. Even though it’s hard to let go of someone you're very close with, even when she had to get rid of her friends, she would still have the confidence that she could do anything.
She starts to fidget with her hands and says in solemn voice, “Anything I said I was going to do I did, and I’m going to talk the talk and walk the walk.” This quote shows that actions speak louder than words. From the moment she announced her dream of beginning her own company, my mom did whatever she could to make it a reality. She dedicated countless hours to researching her market, understanding customers, and learning the skills she needed to succeed. Whenever she sets goals for herself or makes promises to her employees, she always lives up to those promises. Her mindset to not give up and refusal to give up led to her growth of her business and the confidence she has. Through Bridget’s journey, she has accomplished not only her dream of starting her company but also that of others to pursue their dreams. She says that with confidence and being able to follow through, you can achieve what you want to do.
She has faced many challenges throughout her work, but there has always been something that either pushed her, gave her confidence, her work ethic, or why she started the company in the first place. Some things I appreciate about this person are how, over her work, she learned ways to push and ways to give her confidence, and she used those ways to help me become the best version of myself and to become even better. Something new that this made me think about is how I can personally push myself to be better in school, sports, etc. Some advice I would like to give to the readers is that if you have an opportunity to do something that you love and that you’ll push to be the best at, you should always take it. My final message to all of you is that if you work hard enough and push yourself, you can be the best.
Going to Paris with Her Daughter
Mary Rapskey was inspired after visiting her favorite place.
Rapskey sat down on her bed, sighed, then readied herself to tell her story about when she went to Paris with my sister Isla. The year was 2024 and she and my sister decided to travel to Paris because it was my sister’s birthday. Since my mom adores the French language, she had learned a lot about how to speak it and understand it in France. Since she’s been to Paris, and she thought it was wonderful she thought it would be amazing if she took her daughter to see her favorite singer in Paris. She began to tell the story of her going to Paris with her daughter Isla.
Rapskey Remembering her time there, she calls it “a magical place.” She thinks the place is so different because of how it looks, the people, and of course the different language. She means about how it looks is the material, the color, and how they are built. For example, in Chicago the architecture is very nice, but they’re all mostly the same color and they are either very small buildings or very tall buildings, but in Paris it’s different by they’re mostly the same size. She basically saying it’s a magical place because it’s so different from Chicago because it’s in a different country. I have also been to Paris, and I can agree, that’s a very magical place because of the food, etc,
with the most expensive designer bags.
Rapskey was also excited to talk about how she felt” The buildings were so different.” Although the buildings weren’t super tall, super futuristic like in Chicago, she described them as very classy. What she meant by this is how the buildings were all mostly the same height and the same color. Rapskey described them as classy and looked very expensive. What Rapskey also meant by this is how she gone to a lot of other places in Europe, but she’s never seen anything like what she saw in Paris.
Since she felt like these buildings were very classy, she went into some of the buildings, and she felt stunned. She felt stunned because the whole stairs, walls, and floors were just the nicest marble. My connection to this how I’ve been to Paris and live in Chicago I can tell you that they are very different the way they look on the outside and inside, and the colors.
After all this information That Rapskey has provided you with do you think you want to go to Paris? If you do Rapskey provided you with the best advice when you go to Paris to have the best time of your life. She has said what it feels like, what it looks like, how good and cheap the food is, etc. She said this information because she wanted to tell her experience so other people could feel the excitement of going to Paris and experience it.
By: Keilan McGuire
“I love this place so much”
Rapskey was also excited to speak on her experience with Paris’ “crazy low prices.” She thinks this place has crazy low prices because of the food, the concert tickets, and the hotels. What she means by the food as she stated in the video that “You could buy one big, delicious croissant for 2 euros.” What she means by the concert tickets is how they were so expensive in Chicago, but not at all in Paris. For that hotel she expressed that the entrance was very Magical because of the design. The design was magical because it was designed like Taylor swift all over the front lobby. My connection to this is how mostly every time I go to Europe it’s very cheap compared to America.
Another thing Rapskey was excited to share about her experience with Paris’“The shopping was amazing.” She thinks the shopping is amazing because it’s the fashion cap of the world where everyone goes because it has amazing fashion. Not only does it have good fashion is has amazing designer shops like Dior, Louis Vuitton, Herms, etc. SheAlso explained that since there were no taxes in Paris it was cheap Than America and looked way better. She also loves shopping, and she said that when shopping is in my favorite place it’s going to be amazing. My connection to this is how I experienced this, and I saw everybody walking with designer ties and suits on it was amazing. Also, how the woman were walking around
Mary Rapskey age 46 in Lisboa, Portugal
Life During Philippine Martial Law
Oscar Navarro experienced many hardships due to the changes that martial law brought.
I greeted 77-year-old Oscar Navarro, and he thanked me sincerely for my invitation to the interview that was about to take action. Navarro is a retired elderly citizen who currently resides in Eastpointe, Michigan From his birth until his early 20s, Navarro lived in Manila, the capital of the Philippines. Navarro then informed me that at 7:17 PM,on September 23rd, 1972, Philippines president, Ferdinand Marcos, announced martial law shall take action at that very minute. However, twenty-three-year-old Navarro had no clue that martial law was announced and in action throughout all of the Philippines. Navarro had no clue about the disturbing news because he was sleeping over at a friend’s house the night martial law was announced. Navarro went back to his family’s house early in the morning, unaware of the catastrophic news. Thevery next day, Navarro woke up and did his morning routine as usual, unaware of the shocking news that his mom would inform him about.
Navarro stated, “So when I came home, I woke up the next day, and my mother told me like, ‘Where have you been? Didn’t you know that there is martial law?’” Navarro was in utter disbelief and surprise when he heard that where he lived, is now in control of the Philippines military. After his mother informed him about the shocking news, Navarro walked around the people-filled spaces of downtown Manila. While he was going about his day, Navarro started to notice the changes that martial law had brought to the people of the Philippines. Everywhere he walked, it felt different than just the day before. The most palpable detail of the people in Manila was that everyone was quiet and had a shocking thought-provoking theme.
Still in a state of shock and surprise, Navarro sat in his home and wondered what the future of the Philippines may look like, and how different it could truly be for not only him and his family but every single resident of the Philippines. Although Navarro thought about the potential future of the Philippines, and how bad it may turn out, he thought if he could adapt to his newfound environment. While thinking deeply, Navarro suddenly saw soldiers patrolling nearby, watching the people to catch
any signs of crime. It was at this point, Navarro knew his life would be different for the next few years.
Hoping to escape the drearylooking future of the Philippines, Navarro found himself at home. While at home Navarro attempted to watch his daily programs to keep him occupied. However, when Navarro turned on his local programming, the only videos that appeared on the black screen were only showcasing Ferdinand Marcos. Navarro switched the channel of the television, irritated that Marcos was the only thing that came up on his favorite program. Yet, even on a different channel, the only video that appeared was of Ferdinand Marcos promoting and proclaiming the newly instituted martial law.
Marcos’propaganda was so widespread that every news station, television channel, radio channel, and everything else, was scattered with him promoting martial law.
“Even on the radio you can’t hear anything except him.”
After experiencing Marcos’ propaganda videos on repeat, Navarro now knew that there was little to no free speech unless other news was authorized by Marcos himself. One of the core basic human rights, free speech, has now been stripped from the people of the Philippines, including the press. No one could speak out against the government, or else they would face dire consequences for the smallest protest or words that held a bias against Ferdinand Marcos and his ruling. Knowing all of this, Navarro made sure he thought about what he was going to say carefully if he were to speak out loud in any public spaces, as well as follow all instituted rules to avoid any punishment.
A few months after Ferdinand Marcos instituted martial law in every part of the Philippines,
Navarro found himself with his friends, on a hot day in the Philippines. Navarro was having a great time while driving around the roads of Manila with his friends. Out of the blue, one of Navarro’s friends put on the emergency lights, or hazards, of their car and sped up.The self-built sun buggy-like car raced around the surrounding cars stuck in traffic.
Suddenly, patrolling military soldiers saw what Navarro and his friends were doing, so the soldiers quickly chased them down around Manila.
Navarro reported to me, “They tried to chase us because we had blinking lights in our car.” Navarro’s friend who was driving wanted to go give the military a chase, so he sped up the little car to give the military a smaller chance of catching them. Unfortunately for Navarro and his group of friends, the stoic soldiers were able to corner and pull over Navarro’s friend’s car. When asked why the friend of Navarro put on the emergency lights without having an actual emergency, the friend said he simply wanted to pass through the heavy vehicle-filled roads, as well as just wanting to have fun as a young man with his friends. Luckily for Navarro and his friend group, the soldier took their excuse, and let them off with a warning, without any violence or threats.After the incident, Navarro ensured he followed the rules of martial law, to avoid any punishments.
Many months had passed since the nearby arrest of Navarro and his friends when they were driving and having fun with each other. Navarro was with his friends having fun, socializing, and walking around a suncovered Manila. Navarro noticed a surprisingly positive change of feeling among the people he saw in the Philippines. Of course, everyone was still a little scared under the watchful eye of Ferdinand Marcos and all of his soldiers who were constantly patrolling all public places, yet many seemed to feel safer around each other. Everyone felt this way, because of the low crime rates, due to the soldiers. Even Navarro felt this feeling of safety, although anything bad can still happen with the military.
Navarro exclaimed, “I felt
safer because less crime happened, because of the soldiers everywhere. They were holding rifles everywhere.” Lower crime means a higher feeling of safety and wellness for the people of the Philippines, even those who were still a little fearful of the military or Ferdinand Marcos’rule.
Due to martial law being in action for a decent amount of time, by now, most, if not all civilians had adapted to the military patrol, the high amount of power the military held, and even having a bad president. Civilians felt as if they were not going to be pickpocketed anymore, they would not be hurt anymore, and they would not have to face violent crime and armed robbery; everyone felt a sense of safety and calmness because of the lower crime altogether.
However, the people of the Philippines did want to have a new leader a few years later after martial law was proclaimed. This would eventually lead to what we know as “The People Power Revolution” and Navarro’s departure from the Philippines toAmerica. After our interview, Navarro smiled at me and thanked me respectfully for this interview opportunity. Martial law may have brought distraught for many people in the Philippines, yet the most important lesson to take away from this historical experience, is to be grateful for all of our resources, great political leaders, a safe place to live, and most importantly of all, our rights as a human being on planet earth.
By Rafael Mendiola
A photo of Oscar Navarro at graduation as a new architect in 1972, the same year Martial Law of the Philippines was proclaimed by Ferdinand Marcos.
TheStanleyCup:Unveiled
By Carys Moynihan
As I sat in my dining room, I prepared for an interview that would uncover the truth behind one of the most unexpected success stories: the rise of the Stanley Brand. The light shined through the windows and casted a warm glow on the pen and paper in my hands. The phone beeps, and I hear a voice on the other side. My father speaks first, thanking his friend Mr. Mark Landolt. I straightened up in my chair, my heart racing. That is when I realized I was going to interview the owner of one of the largest companies on earth, the Stanley Cup. The business that unexpectedly took the world by storm. As the interview goes on, I heard the advice, aspirations, and future of Mr. Mark Landolt, and his part in the world of business.
Mr. Landolt’s success is not just rooted in his expertise, but his genuine passion for what he does. The beginnings of Mr. Landolt’s business journey started when he was young, he mentioned always seeming to have an interest in entering that field. Though after university, he began working in a printing business. Mr. Landolt soon found that this work bored him, and began to search for something else, something that would challenge him.
He started this search, but nothing seemed to be what he wanted to do with his life. Then one day, he found a book. The book caught his eye, so he began to read it, and found himself engrossed in it. This book was about McDonald’s, and a company that printed game pieces, he found this to be an interesting adaption on printing, so he
pursued it. This ended up being the book that led him to something, no one would have expected.
Mr. Landolt left the printing business behind, and realized he found something he loved doing. As he said to me, “The old saying is you must do something you like doing so it doesn’t feel like a job.” Mr. Landolt found something he loved, and along with it, lead him to incredible prosperity. Mr. Landolt success in the business world comes from a multitude of different things, including his own brilliance, determination, and discipline. But one thing that stood out the entire time I was speaking with him, was his absolute passion while talking. A listener could tell the knowledge he possessed about what he was doing, as well as the enjoyment he has in doing so-which was one of the factors of his company’s success.
Mr. Landolt has always been a businessman, with focuses and talents in a multitude of areas, but the Stanley craze, was something no one could expect. Mr. Landolt is an experienced owner of an expansive brand that covers many things people see day to day. From the Starbucks cups to the Happy Meal packaging. Though there is one thing that nobody saw coming. The Stanley Cup. When Mr. Landolt acquired Stanley, it was not the household name it is today. It was a small century old brand primarily focused on camping gear, that was not very profitable. Mr. Landolt only thought to buy it, because it was required to buy the company that provided the Starbucks cups, The original plan was to sell Stanley, once everything has been bought. But no one wanted it. Mr. Landolt was denied each time he wanted to sell it. Nobody wanted the tiny company, that would only be a burden, and most likely cause money to be lost, not made.
But things change quickly, and that is exactly what happened, changing the life of Mr. Landolt. He says passionately, “Then all of a sudden out of nowhere, this whole Stanley craze started.” Stanley was everywhere. Walk into a room, and you would see a Stanley cup. Go to school, your classmates would all be using them. Soon, what used to be Mr. Landolt’s least profitable item, was one of the biggest sellers on the market. When I asked how this even began, Mr. Landolt says one thing. Social Media. On the platform TikTok, the Stanley Cup went viral. Using his incredible business skills, Mr. Landolt continues to expand the brand, and plan-using skills, he keeps the company on top.
“Mr. Landolt’s success is not just rooted in his expertise, but his genuine passion for what he does.”
odds seem to be against you. The ability to truly absorb information and be thoughtful can truly set us apart. It is a way of taking every opportunity that comes to you and using it to the fullest. That is required of those at the top of their fields, and something Mr. Landolt has learned over the years, and does wonderfully. Mr. Landolt spoke about these abilities, and the challenges that come along with the company.
What are some of the issues that a company such as Stanley faces? There are many things needed to keep a company steady as it moves forward, things the president of the company, Mr. Landolt, needs to think of. As a user of the Stanley Cup myself, I asked a question. Wondering what to expect from Stanley, and its biggest struggles. Mr. Landolt outlined the details of some of its largest challenges. I learned, that as a worldwide company, there are many things to think of things that may not come to someone’s mind. One of the largest hurdles being the shifting landscape of the international trade. I questioned how this would affect Stanley in particular. Mr. Landolt addressed this by saying, “People talking about putting huge tariffs on everything that is brought into the country, that is all very bad for my business” As he explained, sustainability is one of the main focuses of the Stanley Cup, and meeting these worldwide standards can prove to be difficult. Especially when packaging is one of the largest parts of the business, which leads to the discussion of international politics.
The business is very much dependent on the maintenance of Southeast Asia, especially China. As of recently, there have been threats of China invading Taiwan, and the question of how the United States will respond. This is extremely unfortunate news, especially Stanley, which is a business that requires certain things from China. Adding to this, there have been talks on tariffs on all things imported! Though struggles happen, the Stanley Cup continues to push through, remaining as a leading producer. It is clear the future of Stanley is bright, as it faces its challenges head on. Mr. Landolt steers his company through turbulent waters, I am excited to see how the brand will evolve and adapt.
Mr. Landolt spoke of his experiences, challenges, and the rise of leading brand Stanley. But what can YOU do with this? Everything you just read, can somehow be applied to you. The skill of listening, doing what you truly wish to do, getting past challenges. You are not just born with these skills, you grow them. As Mr. Landolt and the Stanley brand shows us, they lead to a path of great success. Mr. Landolt is an inspiration for me, in my academic, athletic, and personal life. He worked hard, achieved his goals, and continues growing. Next time you are at a Target, take a closer look at that Stanley, and think of the story behind it.
While Mr. Landolt’s business acumen is unquestionable, he believes that there is one true skill that sets leaders apart. A skill that makes or breaks a career, being able to listen. Though it might seem easy, truly listening is not the same as just hearing something. When you are at the top, among the elite of the field, many of them will have the knowledge, the experience, and the natural talent to be there. But what differentiates them? When you hear someone speak, it is easy, consciously, or unconsciously, to simply not use the information to its fullest ability. But the sign of a true leader, a true expert, is the sign of being able to hear what others say, and not just hear it, but use it, take advantage of it. How throughout his time working hours on end, going against fierce competitors, and the lifestyle of the business itself, the best can truly do it. When asked about the key to success, Mr. Landolt’s voice grew more animated, “You can tell people who listen versus people who talk a lot, the ones who listen tend to be more thoughtful” Everyone can take this and apply it to themselves, it is wonderful what you can do when you acknowledge those who speak with thoughtfulness, truth, and really listen. In a place where competitors are fierce, and
Mark Landolt reveals the truth of record-breaking company behind the Stanley Cup.
The True Story Owner of the Stanley Cup recounts his journey.
EverythingIs AboutPerspective: JessicaNolan’s Career
ItwasSundaynightaround 10:00pm.Themoonwashighin thesky,coolairwashowling throughtheyard,andtheskywas darkandgloomy.JessicaandI weresittinginfrontofthefireplace, bothlayingonthecouchand fatiguedafterarigorousweekend. Jessicahadbroughtherselfanice, coldwateroutofthekitchenbefore layingdown.Astheseasonswere changing,Jessicaworecomfortable clothes.Shespokeout,“I’mready ifyou'reready.Let'sgetthisparty started.”Thiscameasasurprise. Shewassodeterminedeven thoughitwaslate.Iknewwewere bothexhausted,butIguessthatis justatraitofbeingalawyer.
Jessica'sdeterminationand eagernesswascomfortingand mademereadytodiveinto multiple,thoroughquestions.Her facewascoveredeartoearwitha smile,andsheseemedlikeshehad neverreallytalkedabouther journey.Eventhoughshehas workedveryhardherwholelife andaccomplishedmanyfeats,it seemedlikeshehadbeenkeeping manyaspectsofherjourney/jobin thedark,evenwhensheshouldbe proud.
wasokaygoingintoalotofdebtby takingoutmassiveloans.Shewas okaytakingamassivestepback beforebeingabletosucceed.Also, shehintsthatallgreatthingstake timeandnottogiveuponyour goals.Thisisagoodreminderto stayfocusedandtobepatient,and goodthingswillhappen.This relatesbacktomyliferightnow becausestudyingforthehigh schooltestishardandtakesupa lotoftime.Iunderstandnowthat itisjustastepbackbeforefour goodyearsofschool,andIjust havetotrusttheprocess.
theysaymaycomebackandbe helpful.Nolanseemedextremely regretfulwhentalkingonthis subject.Icanonlyassumethatshe wantedtomakesurethatIcaught ontothisideabecauseshehadnot appreciateduntillaterinlife.
WhileNolanhaspracticed thelawformorethan20years,she hastakenawayonemainidea,and shestandsbyit.Ifshehasgiven someonefreedomorjustice,she hasmadetheworldabetterplace. Nolanwentindepthabouthow shetakesprideinimproving people'swell-beingandimproving people'ssituations.Shestated duringtheinterview,“Fightingfor freedom,justice,andequalityare thefoundationsofmywork.” Nolanisnotinherjobforthe money,butbecauseshecares.She caresaboutpeoplegettingtreated fairlyandimprovingpeople'slives. Therehasbeenamisconception thatthejusticesystemiscorrupt, butseeingpeoplelikeNolanshows thereisgoodintheworld.Nolan demonstratedthatwhenyouseta goal,youcandogreatthings.
Anothermessagethatstuckwith mewaswhenshetalkedabout trustingtheprocess.Ifeltthat Nolanfeltstrongonthisbecause shelaterexpandedontrustingthe processwhentalkingabouther misfortunes.Shewasmetwith manyobstaclesalongtheroadand hintedthateverythinghappensfor areason.Also,anyonewhocomes intoyourlifeisthereforareason. Whetheryourealizeitor not,Nolansharesthatthesepeople andanymisfortunesalongtheway allmatterandhappenforareason; youjusthavetotrusttheprocess.I wouldadviseeverybodytoslow downandreflectoccasionally. ThroughNolan’swisdom,Ifeel everyoneshouldthinkabout weatherornottheyaretakingfull advantageoftheopportunitiesthat presentthemselves.Theyaregiving youachancetogrowcharacterand growforthegood.
By:LucaNolan
Nolansharedthatonher journeytobelawyershewentfrom Colorado,toArizona,toChicago, toD.C.,andbacktoChicago.She hasmetverywisepeople,good friends,andevenhaters.Shesaid thatshetookineverythingthey saidwhetheritwasadvice,hate, approval,disapproval,oranything becauseshehaslearnedthatthese peoplewillhelpguideyour journey,givingyoumotivationand knowledge.Nolanhadayoung, wiseteacher,BarackObama. BeforeBarackwaspresident,he taughtmymomattheUniversity ofChicagowhereshelearned aboutlawandalsoabout leadership,accountability,beinga parent,managingworklifeand personallife,andmanyotherlife lessonsfromtheformerpresident.
Nolanearnedaspotinthe prestigiouslawschool,University ofChicago.Nolantookaleapof faithandtookoutlotsofloans comingfromalessfortunatefamily inColorado.Inlawschool,she wouldextendherknowledgeoflaw andpolitics.Nothingwaseasy aboutlawschool,andNolangot veryemotionaltalkingabouthow shegraduatedwhenpeople doubtedhercareerchoice.
Nolanrelated,“Youjust havetotrusttheprocess.Youhave totakeontonsofdebt,butyou havetounderstandthatwithtime anddetermination,youwillbe successfulinyourfield.”Nolan
Nolanevendemonstrates thiswhenshestates,“Thepeople youmeetalongyourjourneyhelp shapeyourcareer.Takeeverything in,eventhelittlethings,because trustmethey100percentmatter.” ThisisastatementthatIfeelmuch ofthepresentgenerationcanlearn from.Isometimesviewadviceor criticismasanegativething.Nolan helpsmerealizethat,whether commentscomefrommypeersor elders,Ishouldlistenbecausewhat
Nolanhashadabumpy roadonherjourneytosuccess,but ithasbuiltcharacter.Ihavegrown moreappreciativeforhow hardworkingandpersistentNolan isandhowmanyvariousabilities Nolanhasthatdonotonlyrelateto herjob.Nolanhastaughtmemany lessonsthatIhopetotakedown theroadwithmeinthefuture. ThroughoutmytimewithNolan, shesharedthat roadblocks/setbacksareboundto happen,butitishowyou respond/perseverethroughthese timesthatmatters.
Shemademelookat negitivethingsinadifferentlight andsharedthatthesethingscanbe negativeorpositive.Itispurelyup tohowtheindividualresponds.
Areyoutryingtoseekthese opportunities?Areyouscaredor defeatedwhenthingsdonotgo yourway?Whateverisholdingyou backfromreachingyourfull potential,recognizethatandwork towardsstrengtheningwhatever needstobecomestronger,because overtimeweatheryourealizeit rightawayornot,itbuilds character.
APerseveringand CaringBoston CollegeStudent
O’Meara,in 2024onher lastdayof highschool.
O’Mearaisafreshmanincollegewhohasgonethrough manydifficultiesandchallengestogetwheresheistoday.Itall startedatFXW,theschoolshewasatfrompre-kupuntileighth grade.Duringeighthgrade,averydrasticeventoccurred.A pandemiccalledCovid-19.Thishitinthemiddleofhereighthgradeyear.Thiscausedschooltobecanceledforwhattheysaid, “2weeks”.LittledidO’Mearaknowthatitwasgoingtobealot morethanjust2weeks.O’Mearaexplains,“Ihadmylastclassof middleschoolwithallmyfriendsfromFXWandIdidn’teven knowit.”Covidhappenedsoabruptlythatnobodyknewitwas coming.FXWhasagreatcommunitywithgreatpeopleand O’Mearaneverthoughtthatthiswasgoingtobethelasttime beingapartofit.Icouldnotimaginebeinginhershoes.Shenever gottosaygoodbyetoherfriendswhoshewasnotgoingtohigh schoolwith.Thisremindsmetoappreciatethemomentsyouhave becauseyouneverknowwhentheywillcometoanend.
MaeveO’Mearabecame successfulbyovercoming challengesfromCovid.
By:CateO’Meara
AsIwalkupthestairstothetopfloorofmyhouse,I reachformyphoneandtappedcall.Thephonerangabouttwo times—andthenshepickedup:MaeveO’Meara.MaeveO’Meara, mysister,whosevoiceImissedhearingeveryday.Maeve O’Meara,whosefaceImissedseeingeveryday.MaeveO’Meara, whosehumorImissedlaughingovereveryday.
Whilesheiscurrentlyanentireplanerideawayin Boston,O’MearaandIstillhaveaverycloserelationship.Asshe answersthephone,shesmilesanddelightedlygreetsme;Icantell sheishappytohearmecall.Inoticeherhoodie:BostonCollege writteninbigletteracrossthesweatshirtwithapairof sweatpantstomatch.Clearly,sheisproudofhernew surroundings.Weshareourpleasantries,andsheshareshow honoredsheistospeakwithme.
“Ihadmylastclassof middleschoolwithallmy friendsfromFXWandI didn’tevenknowit."
Onceeverythingfinallywentbacktonormal,her freshmanyearwasover.Shenowgottoexperiencewhatanormal dayinhighschoollookslikenowthattherearenoobstacleswith Covid.Shemademorefriendswhoshestuckwithallofhigh school.Herhighschoolexperiencehadarockystart,butitall wentuphillfromthere.ThenextthreeyearsshehadatSaint Ignatiuswereyearsshewouldneverforget.Shemadesomany greatmemorieswithalltheamazingpeopleshemetwhilemaking themostofeverymomentshehad.Endofsenioryear,O’Meara spentmostofhertimewithherfriendsmakingthemostofher lastmemoriesbeforeeveryonegraduates.Forspringbreak,she wenttoMexicowithmanyofherfriendsastheirlastbreakall together.O’Mearahadmanygraduationpartiessheattendedto endofftheirsenioryear.O’Mearafinallygottograduateina normalway.Unlike8thgrade,sheknewwhenherlastdayatSaint Ignatiuswasgoingtobe.“Iknewwhenmylastmomentswere goingtobeandthatitwasgoingtobewithallmyfriendssoI couldpreparemyselfforthat,”O’Mearareflects.Hersenioryear wasrecentlyandalthoughitwashardleavingsuchagreat communitywithsuchamazingpeople,shewassogratefulshegot toenditoffinsuchamemorableway.
Summeraftereighthgradeyear,everyonewasstillin quarantine.BeforeO’Mearaknewit,shewasstartingher freshmanyearofhighschoolatSaintIgnatiusCollegePrep.Dueto Covid,rulesinschoolwereverydifferent.Theywereverycautious aboutnotspreadingthisillness.Itwasdifficultstartingschoolina newenvironmentwiththeserules.Everyonehadtowearmasksto preventspreadingtheillnessfromonepersontoanother.Wearing masks,youcouldonlyseethetophalfofpeople’sfacescausingit tobedifficulttoreadpeoplesfacialexpressions.Goingintohigh school,meetingnewpeopleisabigpartofit.Duringthistime,it wasverydifficulttoeventalktopeople.O’Meara’stoneturns softerassheshares,“Itwashardtomakefriendsandmeetnew peoplebecausewewerealwaysinthesameseat,andyou couldn’ttalktoanyoneatlunch.”Itmustbescarystartingina wholenewenvironmentwithsomanynewpeople,butbarely beingabletosocializewithothers.Beinginthesameseatsallday makesithardtogettoknowothersbecauseyouarealwayssitting withthesamepeopleandnevergettositwithanyonenew.At school,lunchisabigplaceforeveryonetosocializeandtalkto friendswhoyoudonothaveclasswith.ButforO’Meara,lunch wasverydifferent,“Atlunch,everyonewasseparatedbyplexi glass,andyoucouldnottalkthroughtheplexiglasssoitwould justbesilent,”O’Mearaexplainsinanupsettingtone.Thinking back,shenevergotanormalstarttohighschool,andshewill nevergettoreliveitinthewaythatshedeserves.
Aftersummer’24,O’Mearaandherfriendsstartedto prepareforcollege.Sayinggoodbyetoherfriendswashardfor her,butsheknewthattheywouldstayintouchandvisiteach other.O’MearawasgoingtoBostonCollegewherenoneofher closefriendsweregoing.Shehadalreadypickedherroommate, Aliwhosheknewalittlebeforegoing.WhenweflewintoBoston, Icouldtellshewasgettingnervous.Wemovedherinand cherishedourlastmomentstogether.Sayinggoodbyewasvery hardforherfamily.O’Mearaisnotaverysensitivepersonso whenshecries,itmeansalot.Tearswererushingdownhercheek asshegaveherfamilyonelasthug.Sheisthefirstinthefamily goingofftocollegewhichmadeitharderforeveryone.
OnthefirstdayinBoston,shehadalreadymadefriends. Shemet4othergirlsonthesamefloorasherwhoshehungout withallthetime.TheyarefromallaroundtheU.S.which remindedO’Mearathatsheisnotaloneinthisprocess,and everyoneislivinginanewenvironmentfarawayfromtheir families.“Igotsuperluckywiththegirlsonmyfloorwhichmade italoteasieradjusting,”O’Mearastates.OnthedayO’Meara movedin,shemadefriends.Iamsoproudtoseeherstrivingin thisnewenvironment.
Aftergoingthroughsomuchtogetwheresheistoday,I amsoproudofherforovercomingthesehardships.Fromthis interview,itstillseemslikeshe’supsetshemissedhalfofher8th gradeyear.ThisremindsmethatImusttakeineverymomentI havewiththisgreatcommunityatFXWandbegratefulthatIget togothere.Ifeellikewhathashappenedinthepasthasreally shapedO’Mearaasaperson.MaeveO’Mearaisalwayslookingat thebrightersidesofthingsandtakesineveryspecialmomentshe has.Seeingherachieveeverythingshehasdreamedaboutmakes metheproudestsisterever.Althoughbeingapartfromhermakes memissthelittlethingslikefamilydinners,ourdrivestogether, andjusthavingherpresencearound,Iknowthatsheisright whereshewantstobe.SheisthepersonwhoIlookupandmy rolemodel.Iamsoluckytobeabletocallhermysister.
A Buried Memory
Andy O’Neill opens a new chapter by closing another one. He shares his experience of 9/11.
By: Rory O’Neill
by: Rory O’Neill
The open window sends a fresh fall breeze to me and my 48year-old dad, sitting across from me. He wears a collared shirt with khaki pants, the standard outfit for a downtown Chicago lawyer. In the background, Andy O’Neill’s son, Jamie watches a Marvel movie while his wife gathers various tidbits from around the house preparing, for a party. As I ask O’Neill about 9/11, I notice his brows furrow and his voice creak as he takes a few moments before bringing up his childhood as a kid in the seventy’s growing up in the southside of Chicago. O’Neill informs me on how he worked hard to get to where he is today and being in New York on 9/11 affected who he is today.
I notice his brows furrow and his voice creak
O’Neill came to work like any other workday after being at a Micheal Jackson concert the previous night. He completed his tasks working for a large company, Zagat. As O’Neill opened his computer, he saw mouths drop and colleagues gasp at their computers. O’Neill wondered what happened right before getting an urgent call from his roommate working near the Twin Towers. He immediately ran out of the building with work friends to see far down the street crowds of people swarming the blazed first tower. No one knew the cause of the disaster, O’Neill thought: was it an accident? Was it planned? Was there a bomb? Just in time to see the second tower collapse about 10 blocks ahead of him. Everyone was dismissed from work to find their families and recover from the vivid sight of the attack. Earlier, O’Neill’s roommate called him at work and exclaimed, “You got to get out here, I don’t know what’s going on but it’s crazy.”
When O’Neill found out about the first tower getting attacked, you could tell his roommate had a deep sense of confusion and shock as he exclaimed to O’Neill what was happening. Words like “crazy” and “I don’t know” show that they were so confused and scared about the crazy scenario. I find it interesting how O’Neill and his colleagues did not know what the cause or what hit the building. I relate to this when find out about a test we have when I did not know it was that day. With both being shocked and not knowing what to do.
“You got to get out here, I don’t know what’s going on but it’s crazy.”
After O’Neill left the building, he faced problems throughout the day because of 9/11. He walked around the city with his girlfriend who worked in Tribeca. They met up with friends at a restaurant in the meatpacking district. O’Neill exclaimed that his friends were particularly quiet showing respect for the streets for those who had passed. As they walked around the city, the air felt thick, like when you get out of a shower and the bathroom is filled with steam. People were everywhere trying to escape their fears of another attack. Firetrucks and ambulances filled the streets, leaving a chaotic mood of screaming sirens. O’Neill described the city as “Sort of going on red alert, you couldn’t go anywhere.”
O’Neill continued to make his way to the restaurant, despite the harsh conditions. This makes me think of how brave O’Neill was as he walked the streets of New York. I realize that he took a sense of strength and carried on throughout the day. These problems affected O’Neill’s outlook on the day itself spiking his interest on how such an event can impact the biggest city in the United States. O’Neill’s outlook reminds me of how during a fire drill the hallways of your school are crowded and the alarm is blaring in your ears, making the situation worse than in the first place.
9/11 had a profound impact on O’Neill’s life. Being in New York at the time, seeing the buildings blow up, and being exposed to anthrax gave O’Neill extreme memories of the day of 9/11. Seeing the city, he loved to be so sorrowful made him realize how the day really effected people living in the city more than people visiting or hearing about it from another state Since O’Neill had friends who experienced 9/11 with him, he noticed that the event led them to be more fearful. O’Neill put his hands together and said, “Everyone that was around lost a lot of innocence on that day.”
Really digging into this quote, I can see that when he was talking to me in the interview, he had a real sense of respect and dignity as he reached into his memories and pulled out the specific details of one of the most painful days in his life. I can infer that based off the way O’Neill puts his memories into words he still thinks about 9/11 twentythree years after the attack. The way O’Neill talks about his feelings reminds me of when you see a dead bird, driving in a rural area and the image of their bloody body is all you can remember for the rest of the day.
After 9/11, O’Neill lived in New York for another year and a half. Throughout the months after, O’Neill noticed many changes in the city. Even though O’Neill did not have any direct family or friend deaths from 9/11, many of his co-workers and friends had serious losses.
O’Neill noticed changes in these friends’ behavior. O’Neill explains how people usually react sympathetically towards young people’s deaths but because of the scenario the deaths were even more heartbreaking. O’Neill also noticed various changes in security. The city of New York first made their airports safer, before the whole country changed their airport security systems. With all these new changes the people were scared that the government anticipated another attack. As the months carried on the city of New York got over their fears and healed together.
O’Neill looked up with a slight sense of calmness and said, “There was kind of a sense of fear in New York for the next couple of months.”
O’Neill really saw the fear in the city of New York after the attack. O’Neill grew as the time passed by. He did this as city started changing for the better and he understood the different feelings and approaches after the attack. This is truly special because O’Neill experienced first-hand the aftermath of living in New York at the time.
9/11 changed O’Neill because of how his emotions and identity were affected. I can tell this by the sincerity in his voice and the
way he dives deep into his memory to remember the exact details of the day. I learned that being somewhere on a day of a catastrophe is different from hearing about it. O’Neill said the story with a slight hesitation in his voice as he mentioned the frightening memories. I am proud to say that my father, Andy O’Neill dared to talk about the tragedy, knowing it would mention traumatizing memories and he would almost relive the day by telling the detailed story to me. I noticed how when I first started interviewing O’Neill he almost felt bottled up, but by the end of the interview he had relaxed and made serious eye contact with me. If there is one thing O’Neill would want you to know it is, fear thrives in silence but when one opens up and shares their experience, they can find clarity and calmness.
Photographed
A photo taken of Andy O’Neill after he went hiking.
Challenges and Accomplishments of an Immigrant from Mexico
It is Friday evening, 7:51 pm. I walked down the stairs, to the kitchen. I quickly gather my notes from my bright blue North Face backpack. I set up my writing notebook and my phone neatly on my marble table. The smell of pizza still lingers in the air. I wait anxiously, sitting on the blue, cozy chair. I hear the stairs squeaking, coming closer and closer, with each step I see more of Valdes. I feel the breeze from the open window; the moonlight shining on my mother’s freshly washed face. She is wearing a dark grey shirt with the Cubs logo on it, which is her favorite team. Her hair was in a high ponytail, which could reach the sky. She reaches out her hand, nails painted a bunny pink. Her hands are as soft as clouds. Valdes was born and raised in Mexico. She has one older brother and two younger sisters. She is a sergeant for the Chicago Police Department. Valdes is my wonderful, loving mother. Our interview together took a turn, and she soon revealed the racism she has experienced being an immigrant from Mexico in America.
Valdes came to America at the age of five. She grew up in the small town called Morelia in Michoacan, Mexico; a city where the sunlight was always beaming on your face. She faced many challenges in her time in Mexico: her parents, Jose and Sara, did not have jobs that gave them much money, so Valdes grew up in poverty. When she was younger, she had to play with anything she could like leaves, rocks, and dirt. Despite these challenges, she recalls, “We had parents who were present and spent time with us. So, I never felt like I was poor.” Joy takes over her face as she recounts the memories with her family. Valdes’ parents always showed up, never letting the money issue interfere.
tells stories about him, her eyes swell up with tears. She loves her dad very much and he was and still is her biggest supporter.
As Valdes describes one of his favorite sayings, “Push yourself to get your education because no one can take that away from you,”one by one tears drip from her face. He always pushed her to do the best she could. Even though he was hard on her, he cared and loved her. He wanted the best for his daughter. The significance of this mindset of getting your education pushed Valdes extremely far in her life. Especially in her career. Just this past October, she was on stage, in uniform, promoted to Sergeant Valdes. This saying by my grandfather, Jose, helps illustrate that my education is nothing to take for granted. That I should always push myself to do better, as well as become the best version of myself that I can be. Even though I never got to meet my grandpa, his impact on Valdes has made me have so much love for him. Every day even though he is not here he pushes all of us to do our best.
she does not belong here. She expresses, “Everywhere I went I was the only Hispanic.”In the 18th District, where Valdes worked her first 9 years, she had a lot of predominantly white male officers who did not want to collaborate with her. Every team that she was on she was one the few or only Hispanic women. She is now one of the few female Hispanics promoted to the rank of Sergeant, in the second-largest police department in the United States. Valdes is my role model: she has persevered through so much and has never given up. When life beats her down repeatedly, she gets up every time. She motivates me to persevere; she is a living example, that things get rough before they get better.
Nora Valdes faced the struggles of being an immigrant who immigrated from Mexico and being a Hispanic police officer.
By: Mia Ortega
They deeply cared about her and her siblings, and they always made sure their busy schedules never got in the way of them being there for their kids. They spent time with them every Sunday. Whether it was going grocery shopping, going to church, or going to the park. Her parents made a huge effort to make family gatherings as often as they could because they valued family so much. This memory possibly explains the reason why Valdes makes such an effort to spend time with me, her daughter, whenever she can, such as making sure she always shows up to every practice, game, and event, and cheers me on in whatever I do whether it is in school or sports.
Growing up her father, Jose, was her biggest motivator and still is today, even though he is not here. He tragically died due to pancreatic cancer. Writing the last sentence, pencil falling, head resting, eyes closedthat was Valdes finishing homework just for him every night. He motivated her to get her education: bachelor’s and master’s degrees. Jose is Valdes’ most important figure in her life. Whenever she remembers memories or
“Push yourself to get your education, because no one can take that away from you.”
While Valdes is very accomplished, she dealt with challenges related to her heritage growing up. In her childhood, she experienced a lot of discrimination because she was Mexican, and because she lived in poverty. She had to get her clothes from the school’s donation bin. One time a girl came up to Valdes and started to be mean to her because the girl found out that Valdes was wearing the shirt she donated. With each hurtful word, tears swell in her eyes. The kids from Valdes’ school had looked at her as though she was from a different planet. She describes “People knew we weren’t from here.”
Even when Valdes went back to her home country, Mexico, she was also discriminated against by her people. She describes, “You weren’t American enough because you had an accent and when you went to Mexico you weren’t Mexican enough, because you had an American accent.”This exemplifies how Valdes did not truly have a place where she felt fully accepted. This illustrates how difficult it was for Valdes since she did not feel as though she 100% belonged anywhere.
Valdes has also received discrimination in her workforce in the Chicago Police Department. In her 11 years as a police officer for the Chicago Police Department, she has had a handful of people tell her that
Even though Valdes has gone through many challenges throughout her life, she knows that she has accomplished far more, than she could have ever had if she still lived in Mexico. Valdes' coming to the United States opened more doors than she could have ever imagined. Never could she imagine that she would be a Sergeant in the 2nd largest police department in the U.S.; never could she have imagined that she would not be in poverty anymore. The U.S. gave Valdes so many opportunities and she took as many as she could. She describes, “We truly accomplished the ‘American Dream’.” The meaning of the “American Dream” is the idea that every citizen of the United States should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, determination, and initiative. Immigrating to America has had such a positive impact on Valdes and her family. She has achieved so much by having an excellent job and a loving family, and through her perseverance she has gotten so far. This has made me realize how much my family has accomplished because of coming to America, Valdes accomplished more than she could have ever thought of.
I learned how the experience of coming to America at such an early age is exceedingly difficult and that it has such a significant impact, especially on family. I appreciate the time Valdes was willing to spend talking about her experience, despite being so busy with her job as the police. The insight into how life was as a Mexican immigrant living in America was wonderful. I learned that if you strive to get your education no one can take that away from you: if you persevere no matter what you will excel at life. “Money doesn’t buy you class,”Valdes states, “it doesn’t buy you happiness. ”
Valdes in her police uniform at the DNC.
Photo taken by: Illinois_fiveo
KristinWenc, August2, 2022
TheRoadToArt
KristinWencdescribeshowtheeventsofherlifeledher tobetheFrancesXavierWardeSchool’sartteacher.
By:CaelinnO’Shea
ItwasonaFridayinearlyautumnthatI walkedintotheHolyNameCathedralartroom, familiartoallonthecampus.Thetriangulartables weresetupintwocolumnspointingperpendicularto thedoorlikeapathwaytothecabinetsontheother side.Thewallswerehungwithart,salonstyle.Each individualpiecewasdifferentincolor,shape,and style.There’safaintsmellofteaandpaintwafting throughtheroom.Thesoundsofthestreetwere callingoutfromthelargewindowontheleftwall. Standingnexttotwochildren,KristinWencworea FXWt-shirtandcapri-jeans,herhairwasshortwitha lightpinktintasalways.Foraminutetherewasjust thesoundsofkidsrunningoutsidewaitingtobe dismissed.Wencsatdownwithmesmiling.Kristin WencisanartteacherfortheFrancesXavierWarde School,HolyNameCathedralcampus.Shewasraised withhertwosiblingsinSalem,Missouri,whereshe wasbornonJuly14,1974ShelivesinChicago, Illinoiswithherhusband,MatWenc.Manypeople knowherasMs.Wenc,buttome,sheisbetterknown asAuntKristin.Whilewithme,Wencmusedonhow herlife’seventsledhertoherpassionasanart teacher?
Oneofthefirstthingsthatdrewherinto theartworldwasWenc’sfirst-gradeartteacher,Ms. Vickery,whowas,asdepictedbyWenc,anincredibly tallwomanwithherlonghairandchunkynecklaces. Wencrevealsidolizingher,wantingtobelikeherby becominganartist.ItwasnosurprisethatMs. VickeryinfluencednotonlyWenc’scareerbuther styleandpersonality.Surprisingly,Wencclaimsthat whileMs.Vickerywasaceramicist,whomade sculpturesorpottery,sheherselfhadnevertakento that.
Wencrecalledherteacherwarmly.She sharedthewoman’suniquestyle:“AndIjustthought, wellshe’scoolandshemakesbeautifulthings.Iwant tomakebeautifulthings,”Wenccomments passionately.ItcanbesaidthatMs.Vickerywasmore thanarolemodel,butaninfluenceonWencaswhata personcouldbeiftheyweredoingsomethingthey enjoyed.Peoplemaynotevennoticetheinfluences thattheyencounterintheformofteachers,parents,or strangers.Butitcanbesaidthattheseinfluencesdo exist,forbetterorforworse.
OneofthehardestchallengesWencfaced wasinherchildhoodjustbeforefifthgradewhenher fatherleftforAfricatostudy.Intheyearfollowingit wasconfirmedthatherdadonlycameinfor Thanksgiving,juststayinguntilChristmas.Then leavingthedayafter.Thoughitwasnotsupposedto bethatway.
Infact,theseparationwasonlysupposed tolastoneyear:“HemovedtoSouthAfricaandthe thoughtwasallthreeofusplusmymomweregoing tojoinhimthenextyear,”Wencrecallssadly.The planwouldlikelyhavehappenedifnotfortheAntiApartheidprotests,riotsmeanttostopthesegregation inSouthAfrica,whicheventuallyledtotheinability tojoinhimpermanently.Wenctalksabouthowher familydidnothavethemostmoneygrowingup,due to,asshesaid,herparent’sjobsasateacheranda geologist.Thisledhertoconsiderartasacareer becauseofherparentswantingtheirkidstohavea betterlifeandastrongercareerthanthem.The
absencewouldhaveinfluencedanyonebutonWenc formorethanonereason.Wencwonderswhatherlife mayhavebecomeifshehadspenthermiddleschool yearsinAfrica.
Ontopofherdadnotbeinghome,her motherworkedtoprovideforthefamilyasateacher, leavingWenctolookafterheryoungerbrotherand sister.Theirmomwouldleavealistofchoresor needsthathadtobecompletedbythethreechildren.
Wencwasinchargeorthat:“Iwasthe oldestofthreekidssoabigwaythatshapedmeis thatwhileDadwasgone,Ihadthejobofhelpingtake careofmybrotherandmysister”Wenccomments strongly.Fromanearlyage,shehaddonethis independentlytohelpherfamily.Thatindependence wouldhelpherinherlatercareer,despiteherlosing partofherchildhoodtothoseyearsservingasher sibling’ssecondparent.Sheremembershavingto helpwithchoresorbabysittingtohelpthefamily whileherdadwasaway.Itcanbeinferredthatthis earlyexperiencemayhavenotonlypreppedherfor herlatercareerasateacher,butalsoledtoit.
Butmuchlikeart,theideaofdestinyis somethingthatpeopleneedtolookfortosee,though itisthebeliefofWencthatyouaresurroundedbyart inallitsforms.Today,Wenccontinuestousethis philosophyintheclassroom.
Shementionsthatthereasonthatartis changingsomuch,purelyliesinboredomcausedby repetition:“Ifyou’reconstantlylookingatthesame thing,itjustbecomesbackground,”sheclaims.Wenc voicesthatpeoplecanseearteverywhere,innature, inclothing,ineverydaysightslikedecorationsand evenbooks.Thoughitisbecausepeoplehavegrown soaccustomedtoit,manypeoplenolongerseeitas artandonlyacknowledgethethingsinmuseumsor framestobemasterpieceswhenpeopleare surroundedbysigns.Wencchosetodecorateher roominawaythatcapturedthis.Oneverywalland everycornerthereisartinasmanyformsasshecould thinkof.Therearecolorsandmediumsthatiflooked for,areinplainsight.Wencrealizedthattherewasa greatdealofwaysthatshewasledtoteaching, includinghermentorsandherchildhood.Though muchlikeart,ourinfluencestaketheformof hindsight,peopleneverreallynoticeituntilpeople look.
“Ithinkyouhaveto haveaveryclear desiretohelpkids growifyou’regoing togointoteaching.”
AgreatlifeeventthathappenedtoWenc washercareerchange.Beforeshedecidedtogointo teaching,shehadbeentravelingthecountryasanecommerceconsultant,whereshewasbeingpaida goodwageandgoingtointerestingplaces.Butshe realizedshehadnopurposeorpassionforit.She recallsoneofherartteachers,Ms.Mallory,whowas describedashavinganabilitythatcouldbeina museumbutinsteadofpursuingthat,stayedinthe smalltownandtaughtkids,becausethatwasher passion.Wencdecidedtogotoschooltobeateacher sothatshecouldfollowhercalling.
Itwasnoteasytomaketheshiftintothe unknown:“Ithinkyouhavetohaveaveryclear desiretohelpkidsgrowifyou’regoingtogointo teaching,”Wencanswerssternly.Shebelievesthat peopleneedstofollowyourcalling,whereveritleads toreachyourdestiny.Evenifitseemslikeitisthe wrongchoice,Wencadvisesthatpeopleneedtotakea chanceandlettheuniversesurpriseyou.
Wencintimatesthatinherjob,sheisable toseeallofthekidsineachgrade.Shecanseetheir abilities,theirweaknesses,andwhotheyare.
Somekidsarenaturallymoreinvestedin theclassthanothers:“Kidscometoartclassforone oftworeasons.Numberone,everyoneisinhere becausetheirscheduletellsthemtheyhavetobe,”she retells.Wencaddsthoughthattherearecertain studentswhohavealookintheireye,andthatinart classtheycanshine:“Andthentherearegoingtobe thoseotherswho,theyalreadygotthatflicker,”she commentswistfully.Insomecases,shegetstosee kidscomeintotheclassroomandfindahappyplace inartlikeshedid.Wencspeaksoflovingherjobfor thatreason,togettoseekidsfallinlovewithart amongthechaosofaclassroom.Shegetstowatchas studentsgrowasartists,andshegetstoteachthose whoneedit.Shelovesherjobandwhatitallowsher todoandhowitmakesherfeellikeshewasdoing whatsheissupposedtodoinherlifeafterevery influencethatledtoherdecision.
DuringthetimeIspentwithWenc,she provedtobeanaltruisticpersonwhosepassionfor herjoboriginatedintheeventsofherearlyyears. Hearingherstorywasanhonorandaprivilege.Her lifewasnotwithoutitsharddecisionsoradaptions. Yet,Wencneverstrayedfromthepaththatledherto wheresheistoday.ItismybeliefthatWencisliving proofthatallthingsinlife,leadapersontowhere theyaremeanttobe.Goodthingsandbadthingsall makesomeonethepersonthattheyneedtobeatthe endoftheday.
together every week with much emotion. I looked away from the TV, the sun was shining bright, and the wind was moving the trees. I took deep breaths in and out took the remote and turned the TV off. Patel knew that it was time to do the interview. I was sweating and my heart was beating rapidly. I sat with him on the couch and asked, “Are you ready?” I opened my surface and took one deep breath before pressing the recording button. I felt like I would stutter with every word I said, but once I remembered that it was just my dad, I felt a big sense of relief. After every question I asked and every detailed response he had, I was not nervous anymore and felt more free. It was just us and I could not hear anything besides my dad talking.
Born on November 29th, 1979, Sameer Patel was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. He lived in the suburbs and went to Barrington High School and Depaul College. After college, he went to SMU Law School in Texas (where my mom lived at the time) and wanted to become a lawyer. After law school, he and my mom went back to Chicago and have lived there since. He has two kids, Devin and me, Casen. He wants to create a better life for his family by having hard work and dedication.
Sameer Patel faced many challenges growing up and he had to run through all the fun moments he had and not cherish them. He was so focused on getting good grades or doing well in school, that he did not pay much attention to the fun parts of his childhood. He did not enjoy what opportunities he could have had in college or high school, instead, he just wanted to get over with it and did not look back until when it was over, and he could not relive those moments. When I asked him what he could say to his younger self, he shared, “Take time to smell the roses along the way.”
This demonstrates that he wanted to remember each moment and cherish them, and not speed through all the fun times in his childhood. He did not enjoy high school and college because he did not think about what experience he wanted to have there.
He regrets speeding through high school and college, and that if he wanted to have a word to his younger self, he would want to say those words to him. This is significant to me because I realized I have to enjoy every moment of my childhood, so I do not live to regret it. I should enjoy every moment that I have in this one short life. I should make the most of every opportunity because we will want those moments back later in life. He felt very free and open when talking to me about that question.
Growing up, Patel was not remarkably close with his parents, so he did not know much about them. Every day, Patel used to walk down Michigan Avenue to work. He was amazed by the Congress Hotel and one day talked to his dad, Vipin Patel, about how famous that building was. Vipin Patel then told Sameer Patel that he used to do dishes there. When asked what his inspiring story is, he replied, “It’s not where you start, it’s where you end up.” It helped my dad go through tough times because he remembers that my grandpa went through harder times, and that gave him the confidence to push forward and work harder during his entire career.
He started with a decent job but ended up going back to school and ended up at a way better job than he used to have. This is significant to me because if I am going through tough times, and I do not think things will get better, I will remember that things can look up in the future and it is not how things are starting but ending. Sameer was serious and was happy talking about his story.
He sacrificed a lot of time and effort to get the job he always wanted. I can learn from this by trying to be the best version of myself. I can try to work as hard as possible to try and achieve that goal. He had great eye contact and was serious throughout the question I asked him.
During the process of becoming a lawyer, Patel had a lot of self-doubt about whether he should be a lawyer or not. He had his difficulties, but he decided to commit to it and become a lawyer. When he was reflecting on self-doubt, he believed, “There’s a role for anyone and anything and it doesn’t have to be in law it can be in anything. You just kind of have to educate yourself.” He believes that if one puts in a lot of time and effort; they can succeed in anything.
He wanted a better job but knew the risks of getting to try to achieve that goal. If I want to have an excellent job that I will enjoy and that is in my best interests, I will need to put in hard work and dedication so I can get what I want. I can learn from this by being the best I could be at a job. He was confident and had a good posture when he was answering my question.
To conclude, Patel had a lot of self-doubt in his life, and he made the better decision to finish what he wanted to do. Patel is a hardworking guy who overcomes many challenges so he can do what is best for him and his family. He had moments where he wanted to go back in the past and change things like not cherishing his moments in high school or college. I appreciate that he worked so hard to get to where he is now. Many people want something but do not feel like achieving it, even I do sometimes, but he did not want to be that person so instead acted and achieved his goal.
I have learned that I should never get down on myself and enjoy every single moment of my childhood. I also learned that if you have a goal for yourself, you should do anything to try and achieve it. He wants to create a better life for his family by having hard work and dedication. What do you want to do in life that makes you feel accomplished?
“Take time to smell the
By: Casen Patel
It was 10 minutes before the interview, I was in my living room watching football with Sameer Patel. We were watching the Bears game; it is both of our favorite teams and we loved to watch them play. Patel loved the Bears since he was a little kid and never switched to a different team. We always watched the Bears game
Patel wanted a better job than what he had at that moment; he wanted a new job that paid more money. He was willing to put in the work and the hours to get what he wanted. He worked hard and sacrificed a lot to get where he is now. He had to go back to school to start law school so he could get a better job. He stated, “What got me here was hard work and it doesn’t matter, I’m willing to do anything to get that experience.” This demonstrates that he wanted a better job than what he originally had and was committed to living a well and privileged life.
ItalianLife
ByWillPaulson
PictureofPaulsoninhertime workingforthecityhall
MeaganMcDonaldPaulson learnedmanylessonsduringher timestudyingabroadinItaly.
ItwasalateSundaynightwhenIwalked downstairstoremindmymomabouttheinterview.Shewas eatingacharcuterieboardwithcheese,crackers,andsalami. Thesmellofthesalamimademystomachgrumble.Bythis time,Ihadnoteatenyet,soitmademeevenmorehungry, butasIwalkedintothekitchentogetasnackIheard,“I’lldo theinterviewwhenI’mdoneeating.Thenaftertheinterview, I’llorderyourdinner.”Iamonceagainremindedofhow lovingmymom,MeaganMcDonaldPaulson,isandallshe doesforme.MeganMcDonaldPaulsonwasbornonJanuary 10,1976,inBeverly,IL.ShenowlivesinChicago,IL,where shewenttohighschool.Afterhighschool,sheattended FairfieldUniversity,whereshestudiedabroad.Sheisthe motherofWillandPJPaulsonandthewifeofGordon Paulson.Onceshefinishedeating,webothsatdowninthe diningroomchairs.Isetmyphonedownwherethecamerais onbothmymomandme.Aftersettlingintoourchairsand ourconversationaboutstudyingabroadforoversixmonths began.
Suddenly,IfoundmyselfinItaly,1997…
Learningtospeakadifferentlanguagecanbe crucialfortravelingtodifferentcountries.Paulsonshares howitwashardtocommunicatewithpeopleatthestartof hertrip,butwhenshestartedtolearnmoreItalianfrom schoolandothersaroundher,shestartedtoenjoyhertime more.
Paulsonsoftlystates,herhandsbeginningto intenselyaidhernarration,“Backthen,itwasasignof respecttospeakItalian.”
Wantingtoearnthisrespect,Paulsonbeganto focusonlearningItalian.Travelersshouldlearnsomebasic wordsorphrasesforthatlanguagebeforetraveling,which willmakeiteasierformorepeopletolikethembecausethey showrespect.Youneverknowwhatitmeanstopeopleifa touristknowstheirlanguage,whichcanleadtomany differentthings.Notonlydoesknowinganotherlanguage helpwithbeingrespected,butitalsohelpswithyour communicationskillsandformeetingmorepeople.
Differentcountrieshavedifferentwaysofhaving conversationsthatwedonotevenknowof.Paulsonstated howdifferentlifewasinItaly.Notonlythatbutthedifferent waystheyinteractwithoneanother.Paulsonrelates,“More becausetheyweregenuinelyinterestedinyourbackground, andwhereyoucamefrom,andwhatyouhadtosay,andyour thoughtsonpoliticsandreligion.”Thishelpswithmeeting morepeopletherebecausetheycareandcouldcarrya conversationbetter.ThisisdifferentfromtheU.S.wherewe donotusuallytalkaboutthatstuffandtalkaboutsportsor notimportanttopics.Whichgoestoshowhowdifferent thingscanbeinothercountries.Ifeellikeinourcountry, mostpeoplearenotinterestedinwhatwehavetosay,which canmakeinteractionsboringandone-sided.
Findingpeoplewhoarelikeyouanddothesame thingsasyoucanbehelpfulinothercountries.Whenyousee peoplewithsimilarities,youfeelmorecomfortableinthe thingsyoudobecauseyoucanalwaystalktothemabout something.PaulsonfoundpeoplethatwerealikeherinItaly untilshegotmorecomfortablewithhernewspace.Paulson recountsallthedifferentthingsshelookedforwhenshefirst gotto,“Youfindthepeoplethatspeakyourlanguage,and looklikeyouandtalklikeyou.”
Thisdemonstrateshowshemusthavefelt comfortableafterfindingthepeoplethatsheeitherknewor foundthatwerealikeher.Relatingtothethirdparagraph,she didnotknowItalianthatwell,soshefoundthepeoplewho spokeherlanguageuntilshelearneditmore.Although peoplewerestudyingabroadatherschoolatthesametime, shestillmetotherpeoplewhospokeEnglish,whichhelped herduringthattime.Indifferentcountries,itishardertodo thisbecausetheydonotspeakthesamelanguageandhavea differentculture.Ontheotherhand,intheU.S.itiseasyto meetotherpeoplebecausemostspeakthesamelanguageas usandhavethesameculture.
“NowI’minyourspace,inyourcountry.” Respectingothercountries'culturescanprovideabetter experienceinothercountries.Onewayyoucanhaveabetter experienceisbymeetingnewpeople.Peoplewillstart recognizingthewaytheyrespecttheircultureandwillbe temptedtotalktopeople.Anotherwayisbylearningmore aboutothercountries.EspeciallyinItaly,theyhaveagreat history,anditwillimprovethetraveler’sknowledgeofthat countryandothercountries.Tocompare,iftheculturegoes handandhandwithanothercountry'sculture,itwillhelp themembracetheothercountry'sculturemore.Paulson shares,“Youhavetorespecttheirculture,theirrules,their wayoflife.”Thisdisplaysthatwhenyougointoanother country,youmayhavetojustsitbackandwatchuntilyou learnhowtheydothings,howtheytalk,andhowtheylive. Onceyoufindouthowtheylive,youcanstarttoembrace theirculturemorewhichwillhelptravelersmeetnewpeople.
“NowI’min yourspace,in yourcountry.”
Itishardnottomisseverythingthingwhenpeople areawayfromhome,especiallywhentheyaregoneforthat long.Whentravelingtoanothercountry,travelershaveto experiencebeingawayfromtheirfamily,friends,house,etc. Thiscanmakeithardforsomeonetostudyabroad.Although mostofthetimestudentsaretherewithotherstudentsfrom thatschool,mostpeoplethattheyareusedto,are gone.Paulsonremarks,“Honestly,Imissedhome.”
Paulsonsaysthisasherfirstanswertoshowhow muchshemisseshome.Whenstudyingabroad,isespecially hardbecausestudentsarejustgettingstartedwithbeing independentandhavingtodomostthingsbythemselves. Thismeansthatincollege,mostpeopleliveinadifferent placethantheyusedto,anddonothaveotherpeopletohelp them.Inadifferentcountry,itisthattimetwo.Studyabroad studentsdonothavetheirfamilyorfriendstorelyonbecause theyareacrosstheocean.Thismakesiteasytomissthem becausethethingsthattheydidwithandforthem,aren’t thereanymoretohelp.Additionally,askingforhelpfrom peopleinthatcountrycanbehardsincetheymostlikely speakadifferentlanguage.
Goingtoanothercountryisagreatexperience, whichiswhytravelersshouldembraceitwhiletheyare there,notafter.Althoughitmaybehardatfirst,oncethey embracebeinginanothercountry,itmakestheirexperiencea
lotbetterbecausetheyunderstandwhatitisallabout.Onthe otherhand,ifyouembraceitafteryouleavethere,you realizehowmuchmorefuntheexperiencecouldhavebeen. Paulsonvocalizes,“NowthatIlookbackatit,I’mlikeman, IwishIwasmoreinvestedinthetimethatIwasthere.”
Paulsonannouncesthisinasoftbutmeaningful tonetoportraytheimportanceofthis.Meaning,sheregrets notembracingthefood,culture,andwayoflifeinItaly. Somepeopledonotunderstandthatoneofthebest experiencestheywillhaveinlifeisexperiencinganother culturebybeinginanothercountry,whichiswhyyoushould embraceitwhileyouarethereandafter,notjustafter.
Studyingabroadortravelingtoothercountriescan leadtomorerespect,meetingmorepeople,moreknowledge ofothercountries,andmoreunderstandingofothercountries' cultures.IappreciatethatPaulsontooktimeoutofherdayto beinterviewedinsteadofdoingsomethingelse.Afterthis interview,IlearnedmoreaboutwhatIneedtodowhen travelingtoothercountriesandhowgoodofanexperienceit couldbebydoingit.Whoknows,maybeonedayIwillstudy abroadjustlikePaulson.Forfuturetravelingorstudying abroad,nowIknowtobeopentomeetingnewpeople, embracingtheculture,andlearningnewthings.Ifatraveler weretocomeuptomeaskinghowtohavethebesttime whiletraveling,Iwouldtellthemtoreadthis.
Bill Ragen Making Utopia
By: Thomas Ragen
My father Bill Ragen has been a shining example for me my entire life. It’s not because he is perfect. It’s because of the good example and valuable lessons he has taught me in my life.
Bill has experienced many different challenges in his 49 years of living but, he says the hardest challenge so far has been transitioning to being a parent. Prior to becoming a parent, Bill lived a sweet life filled with fun times and some forgettable times, but he says, “I would not change a single thing.”
He also says he’ll tell me more about his college days once I’m older. Bill is a character: he loves to sing, dance, and watch sports. Bill says that March 3rd, 2011, my birthday, was one of the most important days in his whole entire life.
Before I was born, Bill was scared as he worried like he did before for his children’s births. He was challenged with questions like “am I going to be able to take care of two children”, and “do I need to make sacrifices to take care of both of my children and balance work”. Bill’s wife Claire was very busy as an associate at a large law firm packed with work during my early childhood. Bill didn’t know if he could persevere through these challenges. Even though he says it hasn’t always been easy, it has always seemed to me as a kid that Bill was able to balance everything through his love and compassion for me my brother Billy and my mom and he made it work.
While interviewing Bill, I asked him his experience with 9/11. Luckily, Bill did not happen to be New York during the crashes but those events affected him significantly. As a Chicago native, he has lived in Chicago almost his whole life. Bill said it started when the first plane hit. He was in the car with a couple of his buddies and he they all knew immediately that it was a horrific day. Bill said, “It felt like everybody in Chicago had a worry that one of the planes was going to hit the Sears Tower.” Bill and his buddies were frightened because they knew people who were in New York at time. Bill never wants to go through something like this ever again. Bill had a tough time getting through 9/11 because he had friends who were in the attack.
My dad Bill has always told me one thing that he has stood by his whole life and that thing is to be kind. My dad is one of the kindest guys you’ll ever meet. Bill is always inclusive to everybody.
He thinks about other people before himself. There are many examples of his sacrifices for others. He skipped his very important work meeting in New York and surprised me with a brand-new Odell Beckham Jr Jersey (that was my favorite player) so he could be home with me on my birthday.
Bill is the main reason I am the way I am today and it’s because as he often says ” Put others before yourself and the generosity will come back to you”. Bill has been telling me this quote since as long as I can remember. One example of a sacrifice my dad made in his lifetime is his time working with kids with diseases. My dad lived in Dallas as a Jesuit volunteer helping kids with HIV/AIDS right after college.
“Put others before yourself and the generosity will come back to you.”
He told me that even though there was a lot of difficulty, like he only was paid $75 a month, the main thing about this experience is that he made his best and most trustworthy friends during this time. These organizations weren’t very wealthy so they couldn’t pay my dad a lot of money, but the personal growth he experienced was worth more than the money he earned. His experience at the HIV center gave my dad a better understanding about why to help others and what sacrifice means.
Bill has been an influential person in my life through helping me with homework, sports, and friends. Since I was young, I always wondered why he is so good at helping me with everything and so influential in my life. Recently I asked what his trick was with helping me overcome my problems and he said it wasn’t him. He said it was God making It easy. My Dad has always been a big Christian often making me go to church. This summer I got a stronger relationship with God because of my Dad. He prays with me before dinner and whenever he feels like it’s a time to pray.
To conclude Bill has been a great example for me. He has shown me that life has struggles and challenges, but the important thing is that there are valuable lessons that can be learned even in hard times and that hard times can make you a better person.
LookingUpToFamily: CherylMiller’sLife GrowingUp
By:SydneyRehal
Ianswermyphone,myheartbeatingfast, nervousfortheinterview.But,whenIseeCheryl Miller’s,smilingface,Icalmdown.Millerisinher normalniceshirtandpants,andhershortblonde hairislightlycurled.Sheissittingatherdiningtable withafriendlysmileonherface,readytostartthe interview.
Millerismygrandmother,andshehasnine grandkidsincludingme.Shealsohasthreechildren namedCara,Chase,andCullen,andsheismarried toCharlieMiller.Millerisverysuccessful,andshe wasthefirstpersoninherfamilytogotocollege. ShewenttotheUniversityofIllinoisandbecamea PEteacherandlaterascienceteacher.
Sheisanamazinggrandmotherandloves teachinghergrandkidsnewthings.WhatIlearned frommyinterviewwithMilleristhatoften,people canfindsupportiveandlovingpeopleintheirlives whowillalwaysbethereforthem.
Miller’sdadlovedandsupportedher throughthehardtimesherfamilywentthrough. Whenshewasgrowingupherfamilywasverypoor, andshelivedinabasementhousethatherdaddug withashovel.HecaredalotaboutMillerandher siblingsandspentlotsoftimeworkingonbuilding thetopoftheirhouse,whileworkingathisjob,and tryingtobethebestdadhecouldpossiblybe.
Millerreflects,“Myfatherwasvery supportive,andhegrewupwithoutafather,his fatherdesertedhimwhenhewasyoung,hewanted tobeareallygoodfather.”Whilereflectingonthis, Miller’ssmileshowedmehowmeaningfulher father’shardworkwastoher;Icouldtellshewas talkingfromherheart.
Miller’sfatherwasaverymeaningful persontoherandinspiredhertobelikehimasa grandmaandmom.Millergrewupwithalotof lovingpeopleinherlifeandherfatherwasjustone ofthem.IreflectedonhowmuchIlovemydadand momandhowtheyarecaringandloving.Whilemy parentsarenotbuildingahouseforme,theywork hardformeandmysisterstogotoschool,andthey loveandcareaboutmeandmysisters.
Miller’sgrandparentsplayedabigpartin herlife,shapingherintothepersonsheistoday. Hergrandparentswerefromhermom’sside,and shewasveryclosetothem.Sheusedtospenda coupleofweeksinthesummerattheirhouseand shelovedandenjoyedspendingtimewiththem.
WhilerememberingthesemomentsMiller hasahugesmileonherface,andsheisproudtobe sharingthesememorieswithme.Hergrandparents taughthersomuchasachildandsheisproudto passthatontoherchildrenandgrandchildren.
Millershares,“Mygrandmother,shewas
justkindofquietandlovingallthetime,andshe wasjustverypositive,everythingwaspositive… GrandpaFramorGrandpaFredwashisname,he lovedussomuchandhetaughtmehowtomakea kite…”Millerdescribeshergrandparentsassheis deepinthoughttryingtoremembereverylittle detailshecansharewithme.
Miller’sgrandparentshadaverybigimpact onherlife,andshelookeduptothemforadvice.I realizehowmuchMiller,mygrandmother,islikeher grandparentsandhowlovingandkindsheis,and herloveforteachingallhergrandchildren.
Milleralmostdiedwhenshewasyoung, andherlovingandsupportivegrandmother,from herdad’sside,wastherewhenshewokeup.Miller wasaverysickbabyandchild,whenshewas seven,shehadhertonsilsremovedandshewent intoacoma.Shealmostdidn’tsurvivebutwhen shewokeuphergrandmotherwassittingand prayingnexttoher.
Millerrecounts,“AndIrememberwaking upandlookingatherandshesaid,it’samiracle she’salive!Andthatwasaveryemotionaltimefor mebecauseIdidn’trealizethatIwassosick.” WhiletellingmethisMillersmiles,remembering hergrandmother.
Miller’sgrandmotherwaswaitingforher andsittingthereknowinghergranddaughtermight notwakeup,butshestayedhopeful,prayed,and waited,andshewassohappywhenMillerwokeup. Milleralwayswantstobethereforherkidsand grandkids,inthetimestheyneedhermost,justlike hergrandmotherwasthereforherwhenshewas sick.
Millergrewupinasupportiveandstrict environment.Millerhadstrictrulesgrowingup,her parentsandgrandparentsallhadstrictrules.For example,herandhersiblingshadacurfewand otherrulesthathelpedherbecomearesponsible person.Millerwasalsothefirstpersoninherfamily togotocollege,becauseofthisshefacedmany challengeslikebeingnervousanddecidingon whereshewantedtogo.Itwasveryhardbeingthe firstpersoninherfamilytogotocollege,buther familysupportedherthroughthewholeprocess.
Millerstates,“Iwasalwaysencouragedby mygrandparentsandmyparentstodomyverybest andtheywereverystrict,wehadverystrictrules.” AsMillertellsmethis,shelooksexcitedandhappy togettosharethisinformationwithme.Thisshows howMillerappreciatesthewayshegrewupand howsheenjoystellingmeaboutherlifegrowingup. ReflectingonthisIrealizehowmygrandmagrewup hasbeensimilartohowIamgrowingup.
Millerlooksuptoalltheinfluentialpeople inherlifeandthinksofthemwhenevershemakes
choicesasaparentandasagrandparent.Cheryl Millerandherhusband,CharlieMiller,wereboth raisedstrictlygrowingup,soshewantedtoraise herchildrenthewaytheywereraised.Thatmeantin asupportiveandlovingenvironmentwherethere wererules,makingitstrict.
Millerstates,“AndIrememberonetime whenyourmomgraduatedfromgradeschool,or maybeitwashighschool,highschoolshethanked yourgrandfatherandIforbeingsostrictwithher.” AsMillerremembersthismoment,shesmilesto herself,proudtobeusingwhathergrandparents andparentstaughther.
ThisshowsthatMiller’sgrandparentsand parentshadaverybigimpactonthewaysheraised herchildren.TheirdecisionsinraisingMillerhelped hertomakedecisionsinraisingherownchildren. ReflectingonthisIrealizethatmymomanddadare raisingmeandmysistersinasimilarwayMiller’s parentsraisedher,andMillerraisedmymom.
Inconclusion,Millerhadaverylovingand supportivelifegrowingupandsheisaveryloving andsupportivemom,andnowalovingand supportivegrandma.Iwantpeopletoknowhow Millergrewupandaboutallthelovingand supportivepeopleshegrewupwith.Iappreciate howshehasusedwhatherparentsand grandparentshavetaughtherforwhenmymom wasgrowingupandthroughoutmylife.Throughout theinterview,itisshownthattherewilloftenbe supportiveandlovingpeopleinpeople’slivesthat willalwaysbethereforthem.
“Myfatherwas verysupportive,and hegrewupwithouta father,hisfather desertedhimwhenhe wasyoung,hewanted tobeareallygood father.”
National Responsibility
Since she was a child growing up in Garden City, Michigan, Lisa Hermatz has always felt beneath others because of her deafness. At school, in her neighborhood, and at home, she always just felt different. Hermatz is my great-aunt. Even though we live on almost opposite sides of the country, her living in Los Angeles and me living in Chicago, we stay close. Even before the actual interview itself, I got a feeling she knew exactly what it was going to be about, mainly because of how inspiring this specific aspect of her is, meaning she most likley hears about it an abundant amount.
On the phone with Hermatz via Facetime, she was elated to tell me about her journey in America as a deaf person. She was seated in a room flooded with sunlight, and her two daughters were walking around in the background. The breeze through an open door leading to her newly renovated backyard, done by the “Property Brothers,” and selected by world famous deaf actor Marley Matlin, blew her hair slightly.
We began by greeting each other, cracking jokes, and discussing how we had been recently. As always, Hermatz was very quick to get to the point, so the interview quickly began. Lisa then began to tell me about her entire life, as a deaf person.
Hermatz experienced many difficulties in her lifetime as a deaf person in America, but one of the hardest things was the discrimination she faced. Unfortunately, throughout her life, Hermatz has experienced many different forms of discrimination. From not getting the help she needed in the classroom, to people avoiding her because they thought being deaf was a sickness that they could catch. Throughout her childhood and adulthood alike, this continued to happen. Every time people show prejudice towards her, the theme of feeling beneath the hearing people of the world occurs. She described this feeling by saying, “As a deaf person… I have always felt beneath. All my life I have felt like a broken-hearing person.” Being beneath means to be put down and victimized. For her, being deaf was more about not being what society says is normal than anything else. This shows how hard it is to have people perceive you as different, and how hard it is to act on it.
“I finally understood myself, and my identity as a deaf person. Before, I was a broken hearing person. Then, I was a proud deaf person.”
What would you do if everywhere you went, the opportunities that people who are not like you could get in the blink of an eye, and it took you five times as much work as they did? Well, Hermatz had a great solution to this problem. Because of the difficulties Hermatz faced throughout her life, she had to learn to persevere in the areas she wished to excel in. She did this in many ways, from learning what her legally provided accommodations were, to simply just working harder than others. Throughout the time I have known her, Hermatz has always stressed the value of working hard.
Broken to Bold
Lisa Hermatz,
An American deaf advocate, is helping deaf voices be heard.
By Donovan Reidy
She has juggled getting a college education, being a key member and founder of an organization called “KODA West” (A non-profit that supports children with deaf parents), and somehow managed to raise two daughters as a single mother. She was motivated to work this hard because of the discrimination she experienced. She spoke on this work ethic by saying, “Do you realize that if you get an A on your paper, and I get an A on my paper, I worked 5 times as hard as you did?”
This suggests that having a disability is also having a motivation to work harder than everyone else to succeed. We also see that there is a life lesson being revealed for everyone whether you have a disability or not. If someone puts you down, or you have difficulties with something, that can be used as motivation to excel in the areas you wish to.
After Hermatz learned to develop her work ethic, persevering through the discrimination she faced, her hard work paid off. She then learned how to find a shift in her identity, which was an especially important part of her life as a deaf person, and everyone around her saw the difference as well.
Eventually, she found herself at California State University Northridge studying for her bachelor’s degree in Deaf Studies and ASL (American Sign Language) literature from 2018-2020, and at Gallaudet University studying for her master’s degree in the sign language education program later in life from 20202021. She said that going to college was a big decision for her, but it helped her gain more “Knowledge” and helped her connect with others like her. Hermatz did not only find herself physically at college, but figuratively as well. Being around other people in the deaf community, she earned how to be proud of herself.
She told me about this shift in personality in a little bit of a dramatic fashion. After looking down at the floor for a moment, she produced the words, “I finally understood myself, and my identity as a deaf person. Before, I was a broken hearing person. Then I was a proud deaf person.”
This shows that at college, she learned about herself and her identity, so she could be successful in life. This reveals a lesson to everyone, no matter their circumstances, that it is extremely important to find who you truly are and embrace it.
Working around the clock at college for a degree, Hermatz changed a lot, and she did not hide it. Her family noticed, and she made sure her friends did too. After learning to be proud of who she is, Hermatz forced herself to shift her personality a bit as well.
Growing up, and throughout her time in high school, she was known as a reserved and positive person, especially after she was deprived of being around other deaf people like herself in the classroom. But, during college, something clicked. Hermatz was done with her old self and learned to make positive personality changes.
She relayed this to me by saying, “At college, I switched from the positive, shy person that everyone knew me as, to someone who was like: ‘I dare you. Spit in my face.’ By saying this, she means that she learned to stand up for herself and make sure she gets what she needs.
Even if she might come off as aggressive, knowing Hermatz, it is well worth it for her rights, and other people who identify as deaf. This shows that she continued to shift her personality and identity because now she does the important thing of advocating for herself. This can be seen in all our lives, because we all struggle to stand up for ourselves, others, or what we believe in. We learn from Hermatz through this because we see how important it is to stand up for what is right.
Hermatz’s work ended up paying off, and she succeeded in embracing her identity as a deaf person by getting an elite education at college and being around other people like herself. Anyone who knows Hermatz appreciates how she persevered through discrimination. For years she was taught to think she was not like a person should be, just because of her disability. But she learned to use this as motivation.
We can all learn a lesson from Hermatz here. This lesson is that when someone tries to make you lower, use it to make you just go even higher up. Like a trampoline, where the lower the netting goes, you go higher. She turned this into motivation by being proud of her identity as a deaf person. If there is one thing to take away from Lisa Hermatz’s life, is that hard work pays off. If you work hard enough to achieve your goals, through blood, sweat, and tears, it will come in handy.
As a founder of “KODA West” Hermatz helps children with deaf parents have the resources they need, in a safe, united environment. Lisa (far right) is pictured here with the fellow founders of KODA West.
Back Then
At 7:15 am, Raluca Baldwin, my sister Presley, and rushed into the car to get to school. In the car, I reminded Baldwin that I needed to interview her. The second she started driving on the road, I rushed to grab my stuff that needed for the interview and turned on the recording, asking her complicated questions and making sure that we covered everything. The first time I met Baldwin was when was 3, now she has been my nanny for around 10 years, babysitting me and my sister. She has always been a role model for me growing up and like another mother to me. As she knows almost everything, I always wonder why she didn’t become a doctor or teacher. I soon realized when was interviewing her about her life during communism, that she knew various skills such as cooking, cleaning, helping when I’m sick, and teaching me new strategies to help with school. I was amazed to find out this new story behind Baldwin’s life.
Baldwin had faced many challenges when growing up in a communist country. It was difficult because she was young and didn’t understand that what was going on wasn’t normal. They lived in hard times and even sometimes would run out of food, so they would have to go to the neighbors and ask to borrow some food. It was always challenging, but Baldwin and her family always made the best of it. In Romania, it was a struggle to make food as the government gave little food, for example only 1 kilo of flower and 1 kilo of sugar. Only privileged people would get animals like cows and chickens, and the poor would go months without meat.
Her grandma would live with the family and help them with chores around the house such as making food, cleaning, gardening, and feeding the animals. She stated, “My grandma thought the communism would never end, so she would teach me how to milk the cows and grab the chickens and make them food.”
Baldwin’s grandmother would show her how to do chores and how to be independent. At the age of six, Baldwin was making the chickens’ food and milking cows and by that time they basically had their own mini farm. They had two houses, a suburb house, and their house they live in. They made their suburb house a mini farm because they had so many animals, such as pigs, cows, bulls, and chickens.
Because they would have all their animals there, Baldwin and her family also had 15 dogs and 10 cats; the cats would protect the chickens so the rats wouldn’t try to hurt or eat them. Baldwin’s grandma trained them and taught them how to keep rats away.
Communism equaled less electricity and water. Growing up in Romania there was electricity and water, but It was very limited though 2 hours of water in the morning and 2 hours at night. Same with electricity 2 hours in the morning and 2 hours at night.
Baldwin lived in a building, and she lived on the 7th floor even thought there was elevators they were in bad condition so she would walk up and down 7 flights of stairs in pitch black every day. If somebody was coming down or going up also you would have to scream “COMING UP” or “COMING DOWN” so people would know you were in the stair well because they couldn’t see in pitch black.
They didn’t have any of the technology like we do now, they didn’t have phones or anything. If it was me walking up the stairs in the dark, I would just put my flash on from my phone but that’s not how it was back then in Romania.
In the morning when the water would turn on for the 2 hours they got, her mom and dad would have to grab tubs and big containers to fill up with water so they could have water to drink, for animals and to cook with. The water was also not filtered so her mom would boil the water on the stove every day so there would be lots of pots on the stove boiling water. “Electricity would be shut of 2 hours later in the evening and you would sit in the dark. Which for me as a child it was fun because I thought it was normal obviously it wasn’t.” This made it hard to do stuff around the house because you couldn’t see so they wouldn’t be able to cook or anything so they would just sit around or go play outside or go to work. She has a brother, and they would play together. Also, they didn’t have gas pipes they would use gas tanks like the ones you can find in grills to cook. And they would be in the house so if you weren’t carful you would blow up.
Communism prevented them from outside world. During communism they were not allowed to leave Romania. The government was very controlling of everyone and if you didn’t go to school or work you would go to jail. Some people would secretly leave Romania and secretly and bring stuff back from other countries like a movie than they would all gather in an apartment and watch the movie. The person hosting the movie would get money. But if someone told the police or government they would go to jail.
When communism was over people didn’t leave for 5-6 years because they weren’t ready. As a young child she always wondered if the outside world was the same, Baldwin mom would tell her stories about how it was outside of Romania. Her dad would sometimes be allowed to leave because he was associated with the military and government so he would bring stuff back from other countries. “On the TV they were not allowed to show the outside world.”
They didn’t want people to see the rest of the world and to see how Romania wasn’t normal at the time. The president at the time made border police at the around the border so no one could leave. If people would try to leave without a real reason, then they would go to jail but not many people would try to leave because they were scared. The government was very controlling and didn’t allow people to have their own opinion. They thought their society is fine, but they don’t realize that what’s going on isn’t normal
“My grandma thought the communism would never end, so she would teach me how to milk the cows and grab the chickens and make them food.”
The government was very controlling during the communist time. During communism, the president at the time had a very good life he was rich and had anything he wanted. He served as their president for more than 15 years, but he also was very controlling and made-up communism so that he would earn more money and have more power. He took poor people's money and everyone's power so that he could be the most powerful person in Romania during the communist time.
He was a very unfair ruler. He had gold, unlimited food and water, servants’, attention 24\7 he had everything anyone could ever want. In the end the military and everyone else realized what he was doing and how he was manipulating everyone.
Then he was assassinated by the military. Even he knew what he was doing was wrong, so he accepted his fate. All the citizens wanted him dead. “Ceausescu lived rich and everyone else was poor we were in poverty for around 10 years due to him.” He created communism because he wanted more money and power. Him and the government became so greedy that they took poor people's money and limited their resources, so that they could have more money and power. The government would follow what he would say and tell them what to do because Ceausescu was the most powerful in Romania so he would influence the government.
He limited water electricity and food it was already hard enough for these people to live and he just made it harder. They didn't even have the right to vote on who they wanted to be president he just became president because he was powerful.
You can see how Baldwin’s life was hard growing up, it's very different than how it is in the 2000 and how kids live life now because we have more privileges than they were back in the 1900s. They would have to live independently from the government making and growing their own food.one thing I can appreciate from her is that she always puts in maximum effort and is always nice even in a bad mood. I don’t think she would be the same person without communism because it shaped her and showed her new things and how to be independent. This is showing how you should always be grateful for what you have and what your given.
Captain Raluca is the tall one in the middle. This was when she was 12 in Romania with her friends.
Raluca Baldwin talks about how life is during a communist time.
By Blake Rember
Picture taken by Hortenzia Baldwin (Raluca's mom)
Ta'Fanesamekeya Davis: A Tragic Experience with Gun Violence
A Chicago native retells a story from her young adult years.
BY SERENITY ROSA
It was a dark evening in the apartment in Lisle, Illinois. I came out of my room and into the living room, wanting to the get my homework over with. I walk up to my mom, Ms. Davis, who was in the middle of reading one of her books. Davis, known as a friend to some, a grandma to three, and a mom to me and my five siblings, she is a chubby, short black woman who will not take anyone’s mess. Her coily black hair is in a ponytail at the back of her hair. She resides in a small apartment with me and my brother.
“Mom,”I call out to her, getting my surface ready to record, “it’s time for my interview.”Ms. Davis looked up from her book and smiled warmly at me. “Alright,”she replied softly, putting her bookmark in her book, and sitting the book down. I started to set up my surface, using her computer to hold up my surface while I record. I held my beat up squishmallow pillow, Gigi, an orange cat, between my legs instead of sitting her on the dirty floor. After I finished setting up my surface and pressing record, I sat next to her, nervous. We then started the interview.
Davis loved hanging out with her friends. “Well, we were always a group of friends uhh… it was Zuri, Melvin and I.” She hung out with them every evening after school. Zuri and Melvin would walk her home, despite them living in different neighborhoods.
One day, while hanging out, Zuri pulled out a gun, pointed it at Davis and Melvin, and started laughing. “… that was a little terrifying – it was his normal laugh ‘cause he was always laughing – but it was terrifying because it was a matter of is he taking this seriously?” Davis and Melvin was afraid, not knowing what to do other than obey what Zuri wanted. Zuri made Melvin and Davis do embarrassing things like dance.
Davis tensed up as she recalled what was around her. “And one of the most things that I didn’t realize then, that I
realize now, that really scared me, is that there was no adults.”She was afraid that if something bad happened to her, there would be no one to help her.
Davis recalls how different neighborhoods are today is from back then. “… cause the way we grew up, everybody knew everybody. It’s not like it is now…” Ms. Davis used to live near her grandmother, Mrs. Davis, and so did much of my family. Everyone in the neighborhood knew each other from simple friendships. Now, not many people in neighborhoods know each other, maybe one or two.
Davis retells how gangs and shootings were normal when she was a teenager. “We-we just knew, Fridays, Saturdays – you might get lucky on a Sunday night – to hear gunshots was like just normal. You just turned off the lights and just kinda sit in silence for a while.” Gangs and shootings was normal during her upbringing. It never really happened to her, so she never really worried about her safety when playing outside during the day.
I appreciate that Davis had the courage to tell me about this traumatizing memory. I can understand why she would disagree with most of her family and feel empathy for people going through gun violence. I can feel even more empathy for those suffering through gun violence more than I already do. People should help others who suffered from gun violence instead of not caring because they didn't go through it. Anyone can be harmed by their friend no matter if they're close or not.
"Back in that day when we was growing up, the bad guys had their time, and the decent people had their time."
Davis is now an account manager at Chicago Friends School.
EllenRose’s Experienceof9/11
ByLouisaRose
EllenRoseisa50-year-oldwomanlivinginChicagowith herthreechildrenandherhusband.
RoselivedinHinsdaleIL.,Shelovedtodanceanddo socceratthetime.Byhighschoolshefocusedonsoccer.After movingtoKansasforcollegeafteralittleshedecidedtohavea changeandmovetoanall-women'sschoolinBoston.Rosewasa collegestudentatasmallallwomen’scollege.Aftergraduatingin 1995,RosemadeherwaytoNewYorkCitywithhersignificant other,BenRose,andgotmarriedin2000.
Rose,in2001,wasjustonapeacefulwalktoherjobasa teacherinManhattan,NewYork,butsomethingwasgoingto changeherlifeforever.
Ellenhasexperiencedmanyscarythingsinherlife.But oneofthescariestmomentsofherlifehappenedrightin Americanhistory.Ellenwasateacherduringtheterribletimeof 9/11.Luckily,Ellenwasnotinjuredinanywaybutthismomentin herlifewouldcarrythiswithhertherestofherlife.Withjust movingtoNewYorkrightoutofcollege.So,youcanimaginehow scarythismomentwasfora27-year-oldjusttryingtofinda careerinNewYork.AsprogressingthrewthroughNewYork, findingjobssuchasawaitress,teacher,museumdirectoranda shoedepartment.After3yearsoflivinginNewYorkEllen’s theorythatshehasbeenscaredaboutcametrue.Rosetoldme, inaseriousandsadvoice,“AtthetimeOsamaBinLadentriedto striketheWorldTradeCenterandeversinceImovedtoNewYork Iwasalwaysscaredhewasgoingtotryanddoitagain.”Roseall throughoutherNYCexperienceshehasthisterrifyingfeelingthis wasgoingtohappen.Justtryingtofindalifeandhadtocarrythis allthroughoutherexperience.
EllenwasateacherasshemovedtoNYCandworked withallgradesandsubjects.EllenreallylikedworkinginNYC.She reallythoughthercollegelifereallypreparedherforthislife aheadofher.Ellen’steachingjobwasinthenorthernpartofthe city.Ellenstates“IworkedintherightcollarboneinManhattan.” Sheexplainshowyoucouldseethewholeskyline–today, coveredinbillowing,blacksmoke–fromherjob.Fromwhere Ellenlivedandfromherteachingjobwasan8-milewalk.Andon Ellen’swalktoherjobon9/11atabout8:30inthemorningthe firsttowerwashitonthewalktoherjob.Ellenrealizedthefirst towerwashitwhenshegotaphonecallfromherfriendsaying thattheweirdestthingjusthappened...
Ellendecidedtokeepwalkingtoherjob.Ellenrecalls, “AssoonasIwalkedintotheschool,Iknewsomethingwas wrong.IwasterrifiedbutIknewIhadtostaystrongforthekids.” Ellenknewexactlyasshewalkedintotheschool;shenow realizeditwasn’tjustastrangething.Thiswasforrealanissue. Ellenknewshehadtostaycalmbecausethisschoolwasak-12 school,andshedidnotwanttoactscaredbecauseofthelittle
kids.Buttheolderkidsstartedtorealizewhatwashappening becausetheyhadphonesonthem.
Ellennowisamomof3childrennolongerinNewYork andlivingwithherfamilyinChicago.AfterthetragedyEllennot solongaftermovedtoLosAngeleswithheroldestandhusband. OneyearafterlivinginLAshemovedtoChicagowithstillone childbutafterayearlivingthere,shehadhersecondbornchild andayearlaterthethirdchildwasborn.ButRoserecalls“The bestthingabout9/11wasthatisbroughtAmericacloser.”Rose issayinghowallthetragediesthathappenedthatday,allthe dreadfulthingsthatdayallwentawaybecauseAmericawent closertogetherasacommunitybyhelpingeachotherout. Despiteeverythingthereisstillagoodssideaboutthisstorythat Americawenttogetherasonecountrylikeweare.
Noonewasleftbehindnoonewasalonefamilieswho losttheirlovedones.Firefighters,police,andmedicshelped peopleinthosetowersallthatday;noonewasalone.People helpedtocleanupthecitiesandhelpeddrivepeoplehome.Allin all,Rosethinks,“Thereisalwaysapositivewayoflookingat things”whichshowshowevenifsomethingissobadacountry outcommunityallcametogetherandhelped.
DuringthisinterviewIlearnedthatRoseisaverywarmheartedpersonandsomeonewhoworkshardandalwayshasa positivewayoflookingatthings.Ialsolearnedaboutthe perspectiveofapersonduringthishorrifictime.Normally,Iread booksabouttimeslikethisinUShistory,butdonotalwaysgetmy questionsanswered.Thiswaslike“Rose”book,andIhadthe honorofwritingit.
“Iwasterrified, butIknewIhad tostaystrong forthekids.”
Challenges and diversity of international travel
Gary Rozier’s Alpha Core presentation cover Challenges Gary faces out of the country
being an African American man and how he faces and resolves these challenges.
In the cold, misty Asian winter, Mr. Rozier walks to the building where his business meeting is held. He notices the people as he walks: how they look, dress, and talk. None of these things Mr. Rozier is completely familiar with, as he looks around more, he realizes he stands out. He is much taller and darker than people of his surroundings. However, this lived; when he enters the building, he is greeted with the familiar sight of an African American man. , Mr. Rozier talks to the man for a while, and suddenly the feeling of isolation disappears. Two long years later, this interaction never changes. This is the story of Gary Lidell Rozier, -seven-yearold investment professional traveling the world. When he is not traveling internationally, he is working hard at home in Chicago.Atwenty-year Chicago native, dad of three, time hard worker, Gary has a lot to juggle.
. Rozier spends a lot of his time out of the country experiencing new cultures and different types of workspaces. As a result, he must understand many kinds of customs and communicate with many different people. To cope with this, he tries to remember that at the end of the day, we are all the same: “I always just try to take a step back and remember we're all just people.” Mr. Rozier is presented with different ethnicities and cultures daily, but rather than taking this at face value, he tries to see past this and remind himself that we all have more in common than it might seem. Mr. Rozier infers that looking past race and differences makes his job easier and less complicated. He understands that all the investors he encounters hold the same goals and values. Therefore, Mr. Rozier makes it a goal to treat everyone equally and help them accomplish their goals despite cultural differences.
The hardest part for Mr. Rozier specifically about traveling is the constant flip between home and being away. With an airplane ride, Mr. Rozier is transported from his comfortable environment of home to a completely different setting, language, time zone, traditions, and even season. Mr. Rozier believes that “When you can take something from every place you go, you will ultimately become a better person.” He embraces the cultural differences and tries to learn something new from his travels, allowing him to grow as a person.
Mr. Rozier travels to many different places, such asAsia, the Middle East, Europe, and even Australia. Being presented with so many different cultures can be hard and difficult to navigate. This is why Mr. Rozier tries to incorporate something new from each country’s culture into his everyday life.
When Mr. Rozier is out of the country, he may sometimes feel out of place; although this feeling usually doesn’t last long, he has a lot of ways to cope and really embrace himself in their specific culture. He is grateful that he is not mistreated or seen as different in these places. Although, he understands that this is not the case for everyone. He reflects by saying, “I’ve never been treated in any adverse way and can say that I’ve been warmly embraced in most places, which has been a blessing.” Mr. Rozier states that when he travels, he has not experienced any prejudice or hatred in the countries he has visited.
Although Mr. Rozier has been treated kindly and respected throughout his time out of the country, he understands that he is fortunate to have that experience. He knows that some people are not treated as kindly, and he can only be grateful that he isn’t one of these people.
When Mr. Rozier is
traveling outside of the country, he cannot help but notice the difference between the average American’s appearance and those of other cultures and countries. Things like height, skin tone, and clothing can determine the average appearance of others’ cultures. Rozier thinks that appearance does not matter, and that one can never really judge someone just from looks. Reflecting on this, he states, “I tend to stick out when I am in places likeAsia, and it is fairly obvious that I am probably not from there, but even still, they usually don’t know I’mAmerican until I start to speak.” Rozier infers that appearance can sometimes be helpful, but it can also be misleading, and even when he travels to places likeAsia where he has the opposite skin tone, it is hard to know he isAmerican until he starts to speak.
“I always just try to take a step back and remember we're all just people.”
Another example of this is his experience in many Middle Eastern countries. He describes how “When I go to the Middle East, there’s a lot of culture coming into one place, and nobody really looks at me differently because it is really hard to figure out who's from where.” In contrast to Asia, the Middle East has a wide spread of things like height, skin tone, and clothing, making it harder to determine
one’s culture. This is why when Mr. Rozier travels to the Middle East it is harder to depict if he is from there or not. Still, nobody knows for sure where you originate from until you start to speak your native language. Although traveling in and out of the country are two very different things, I can connect to Mr. Rozier. When I travel to Lancaster, PA, to meet my grandparents, the majority of citizens are of Caucasian culture, so when I am there, I may get a few confused and shocked looks from one another. I don’t take any offence from this though this is because the people of Lancaster may not be presented with many people of the same culture as myself.
All in all, we can see how Mr. Rozier faces many obstacles and hindrances throughout his time outside of the country but always has a method to overcome them. My dad, Mr. Rozier, teaches me so much every day. This is what I’ve tried to portray in this article: in just thirty minutes of conversation, Mr. Rozier has given advice on many problems he faces. This is what I want people to take from this article, no matter the size of the issue, there’s always a way to resolve it. I believe Mr. Rozier shows this thinking very well when he is outside of the country
By Tyson Rozier
Donald Moy and His Lifelong Legacy
Donald Moy was dedicated to his education and worked hard as a student.
It was a sunny fall afternoon, and we had just finished eating lunch. Me and my grandpa, Donald Moy, proceeded upstairs, and sat down. Moy sat in a fancy lounge chair, and I sat on a chaise lounge, and got into a relaxed position. I had always been close with my grandpa, but I wanted to know more into his deeper backstory and how life then compares to now. After a few deep breaths, we began the interview, and we began to dive deep into the story of Donald Moy.
Donald Moy jumped right into it and started off by explaining how his education was like; first, he finished grade school in Chinatown and transitioned to the local high school in Chinatown as well. Moy had also joined a chess club and baseball. Chinatown was where Moy spent all his childhood with his family and friends. When Donald Moy was applying for college, he chose to attend NIU and took classes there while balancing a part - time job to bring in extra income for him and his family. During his college years, he worked and managed to also graduate at Loyola University, completing law courses there. This was during the time of the Vietnam War. Moy relives his college years and, “I attended NIU, Northern Illinois University, and I took multiple classes, such as math and English. I eventually switched to Loyola University, and I took law courses to graduate there. During these years, I had a full – time job, so I was busy a lot.” This shows Moy’s dedication to education and money. I can reflect on this because the college process will happen sooner than later, and that I should start to prepare more to get into a college of my choice, like Donald Moy did.
Moy states, “During my final year in college, the Vietnam War was in full swing, and there was a lottery to get drafted to go to war. But, in my first three years, students in college were not required to go. My number was #138, and I am glad I was spared from the war, unlike some of my close friends who went to war.”
often reflect on this backstory, knowing that I need to fulfill the duty of graduating college and find a well-paying job or passion to later succeed in. This is a great learning lesson to persevere and not give up, whether in regular times, or times of war.
During Moy’s fathering years, he was also a loyal and hardworking businessman and a father of four, and a husband. Moy worked at UIC, or the University of Illinois Chicago, in their financial offices, and it was a 9-5 job. Moy was determined to give the best lives for his children and wife, through determination and hard work, although this meant sacrificing some family time. The Moy’s took annual road trips through the United States, and they took trips to Disneyland and Disneyworld every once and a while. He mentions, “My occupation and salary got better and better over time and effort, and now I am at a perfect stage in life where I can do what I want. All my children and grandchildren are now successful in life, and I am glad everything has turned out well. Yet, at first, I did not nearly make as much. Inflation is a rising issue, which has taken up some of my savings and earnings.” This provides proof that although Moy faced hardships at first, he was able to overcome them with a good sense of relief, while not having to worry as much about his kids and family. I can learn from this to not let hardships stop me through my daily endeavors just how Moy did.
with a sense of relief, “All my children are doing well, my grandchildren are doing well, and I am glad that everything has turned out to be well and perfect.” This shows he does not have to constantly be worrying about things, whether minor or major, and enjoy his personal time and life, I can relate to this that hard work and determination will pay off in the end. After years of work as a full-time father and businessman in the UIC college, Donald Moy is now thankfully enjoying his life and watching his family succeed in life just like he did.
After we wrapped up the interview, we got up and hugged. This interview let us connect on a deeper level and learn a lot about my grandfather’s life and backstory, from college, to a full-time job and father, and now. I personally learned remarkably interesting facts about how life was back then and how our society has evolved over time. As I reflect on the legacy of Donald Moy, I believe it can teach us to work hard and not give up, even in times of trouble or financial issues, and to be resilient. I now have a greater perspective on Donald Moy, my grandpa who got us here today.
Moy seen studying in grade
school.
By Alex Sabzali
Moy later states that every boy at the time had to take a physical test before they apply or get chosen to go to Vietnam. Disturbed by his physical test remembrance, Moy later shares, “No one should have to go through a physical.” I often reflect on this because my grandpa, Donald Moy, may have become a different man if he went to Vietnam, physically and mentally. Thankfully, this was not the case for Donald Moy. This truly shows that Moy was fully capable to graduate, especially in times of the Vietnam War, without distracting his mindset. At the time, he met his future wife, Chun Moy, and they began dating after being set up by friends. I
Donald Moy had a lot of hobbies and participated in multiple activities in his youth, such as football, church basketball, men’s volleyball, and chess club, but Moy exclaimed that his favorite era and times was the 1970’s and 1980’s. He states while reliving nostalgia, “My favorite times were the seventies and eighties. The people were happier, more peaceful, and they were not in a rush all the time like these days. Crime rates were lower, and the rules and customs that apply now were less in that time.” Moy elaborates that it was less stressful, and people were in a slower pace then. Moy also says before technology, people had more time to focus on family time, friends, and hobbies. I can relate to this because today there is a lot of screen time and increased violence unlike those times, and the world is always changing. Moy also feels that the time is flying by, and I can fully relate and agree with statement.
Now in Donald Moy’s retirement stage, he enjoys relaxing, traveling, playing weekly golf with his friends when it is warm outside, and hanging out with his family. Moy remarks
“My occupation and salary got better and better over time and effort, and now I am at a perfect stage in life where I can do what I want.All my children and grandchildren are now successful in life, and I am glad everything has turned out well.”
Architect and interior designer, Stephanie, talks about her experience going back to college after over 20 years.
Back to School Season!
By
Victoria Sax
I always wondered how people felt going back to college after many years of already receiving a degree. I wondered how they felt, what other people thought, and what it was like. I finally got some of these answers after interviewing my aunt, Stephanie. Stephanie is in her 50s and lives in Scottsdale, Arizona and she first graduated from University of Southern Indiana in 1994. She got her degree in interior design and architecture, and now has a design firm that specializes in interior design, commercial, retail, and residential interior design. She is the inspiration in my life and has always supported me in anything art related.
Other than being a role model, she is the best aunt I could ever ask for and is always there to encourage me when I need it. Another thing about her is that she is a hard worker she is someone who sets goals and sees them through. Her character has inspired me my whole life, so I hope this small story about her inspires you, too.
In 2020, Stephanie went back to college to stay current in modern architecture and interior design; and continue learning despite already getting her degree in 1994. She has not stopped to this day and often tells me about what she’s doing. In her field, interior design and architecture, technology is always advancing, and it is essential that she stays current in the progression of technology used to create 3D drawings and tools
used by people in the interior design and architectural industry. But before even going back, there were challenges. One of the biggest hinderances of going back to college, she said, was finding the time to attend classes. Her job made it hard to find consistent and enough time to invest in a full course, but after COVID-19 spread and everyone was on lockdown, she finally found the time she was looking for. When I heard about her decision to go back to college, I wondered most about what her experience would be like not being the stereotypical age to be in college. During our interview, when I asked her if she thought there was perhaps a stigma towards older people going back to school, she responded with, “it’s a current trend, older people going back to school. Be it changing their degree, getting a different degree, or becoming more efficient and better at your current position.”
Stephanie’s determination led her to do what she wanted despite what other people might think, and that is something I think we can all learn from. Age has nothing to do with what and can and cannot do it is a mindset. Some people might think negatively of someone learning new concepts later in life, but the important thing is the learning itself. Knowledge itself is priceless, and going down a path that is important to you is better than restricting yourself just because others may think differently or have conflicting opinions.
After she overcame the hurdle of finding time, she came to find it was not exactly easy to jump right back into learning especially online. Because of the significant advancement of technology after she received her degree, Stephanie found it a hinderance to navigate the new software that was used in the courses she was taking which were centered around technological architecture so, naturally, it mostly involved the use of technology. Another point, it was especially hard since she and her classmates were learning online for the first time making communication between teachers and students difficult. She told me that she had to work hard to catch up and teach herself the unfamiliar software that were essential to the progression in her courses. During our discussion about whether there was or was not a stigma behind going back to college as someone older, she gave me an answer I had not thought of before something that changed the way I viewed this question.
Stephanie replied with yes, and “I think there’s a learning curve. When I originally got my degree, computers were new.” After that, she went on to tell me about how the advancement in technology since when she graduated has intimidated other people her age enough to discourage them from trying. The same people who are now in their 50s and 60s are not as experienced with technology and did not grow up with it like a lot of us did, which made learning online a significant obstacle during the pandemic. Ever since the pandemic, technology has been advancing more and more, and software used in school and everyday life widens the divide even more between older people and technology. Even if there were some challenges, Stephanie was still able to persist and keep up with the class and its work, showing that her commitment and hard work got her to where she wanted to be.
As the owner of a design firm, Stephanie made clear the importance of “staying current” in technology and interior design/architecture. She also mentions how important her education is to her and how much of a positive experience it has been. She told me about her positive relationships with her teachers and classmates, and how she enjoys helping them her tone adamant as she says, “You’re never too old to quit learning.”
As her niece, she often tells me the importance of my education, and now I see why. Her strong feelings for education shined throughout this interview, the emotion in her voice giving it away. After our interview, I finally realized why she would always tell me to take my education seriously despite how annoying it was at the time and that the harder I pushed myself, the more enriching the results will be. Hard work is another thing she would often lecture me on perhaps more than school. In the interview, when we talked about the hardships of starting college, she mentioned one being having to teach herself how to use new software and technology; and the time she had to put into doing so. She said that “Through working in the industry, taking classes along the way, I pretty much self-taught those pivotal programs.”
Stephanie’s hard work and dedication shines through here, and we can see how she was determined to keep up with her class despite the obstacles she had to overcome. A key takeaway from this is that hard work truly pays off no matter what it is for. The determination displayed by Stephanie also tells all of us indirectly that, even in unfamiliar environments, there is still so much we can learn.
Despite the long and strenuous work to catch up along with staying on top of schoolwork Stephanie had told me the experience was truly one that brought her great joy being able to learn more and meet new people. I could hear that what she said was something she genuinely felt, and, I admit, I was a little surprised when she answered with so much sincerity and enthusiasm. One might think she would be discouraged after her restarting her journey through college with a slight disadvantage, but she stayed resilient and optimistic throughout and made the most of her experience a lesson I try to remember every day.
Today, she is still in college, and, in the interview, she told me with great optimism, “I enjoy it so much that I already received my degree, and I just keep going back.” What stands out in Stephanie’s comment is how she mentions she does not need to go back, but still does for enjoyment. The power this statement holds is that she found an unnerving opportunity and turned it into a passion.
In the end, Stephanie was able to overcome any obstacles in her way that would have discouraged many and persisted on with a good attitude. An important lesson I was reminded of after speaking with her was, “You’re never too old to quit learning.” From what I know, Stephanie is not one to back down because of what others may think of her. When she has a goal: she chases it. Not only does this teach us that we should discount others’ judgmental opinions, but this also illustrates that our biggest ambitions can lead to something unexpectedly good.
“I enjoy it so much that I already received my degree, and I just keep going back.”
Garcia pictured receiving a Taekwondo award.
The Challenging Journey to Achieving a Dream
Erick Garcia’s childhood dreams shaped who he would become as an adult.
By Chloe Senga
It was a chilly afternoon; I was sitting on my couch waiting for my Taekwondo coach, Erick Garcia, to arrive. Soon, I heard a knock on my door. I knew that it was Garcia. I stood up, took a deep breath, opened the door, and greeted him. We sat down for a second and he looked at me and nodded. I turned to my notebook, grabbed it, and flipped open to a familiar page. I then opened my computer that had already been laying on the table and hit “record. ”
Erick David Garcia is a taekwondo coach at my local taekwondo studio. He has worked as a coach for many years and has been learning taekwondo since the age of 19. However, his childhood played a large role in why he went down the career path.
Ever since Garcia was a child, he had wanted to learn martial arts. Like many kids today, Erick Garcia had his own special interests. His childhood self looked up to martial arts stars. Garcia recalls his love for martial arts since a young age: “when I was a kid I used to love watching these martial arts movies.” Garcia was very inspired by these movies. He
claims he loved various martial arts movies that were released at the time. However, Garcia was unable to attend martial arts classes as a child. Though he was unable to attend classes yet, he never gave up on his dream; He knew he wanted to practice taekwondo in the future.
“I was going to work and I was training so I didn’t have enough time for myself.”
When Garcia was old enough, he knew what he wanted to do. He began to learn the martial art of Taekwondo at the age of 19. Though the training was long and intense he never gave up. Garcia describes: “When I was old enough, I started training, taking classes… I was going to work and I was training so I didn’t have enough time for myself.” Garcia began training as soon as he could. He was training every day for hours. Though he was very tired and did not have time for himself he did not quit taekwondo. He was dedicated to becoming a martial artist just like the stars in his favorite movies.
While taking his own lessons, Garcia deeply enjoyed helping his fellow students. When needed, Garcia would help other students at lower belt levels, and he expresses how he deeply enjoyed it. Though he was not yet a teacher he assisted the kids who trained with him. Garcia states: “When I was doing my classes I loved to help the kids.” He was motivated to help kids and teach them new skills he had learned in his years of training. This had inspired Garcia to become a coach in order to help kids and adults full time. He now works at Attack Taekwondo, training many people from young kids to older adults, helping them to start their own martial arts journey just like he did those years ago.
Through Garcia’s life practicing Taekwondo one can learn to be strong and push through struggles. Garcia continued practicing even though it was hard and left him with no time to himself. However, those struggles resulted in him being a strong and resilient taekwondo coach just like the martial artists in the shows he used to watch. I believe it is important for one to learn from this story as one can learn to push through struggles and continue doing what one loves. After all, you never know what your childhood dreams might amount to.
Loving, Caring, and Helpful: Jan Burns is a Special Person
Jan Burns with her son-in-law, Michael, in Ireland in 2024.
One woman’s point of view on the September 11th, 2001, tragedy.
It was a calm Sunday morning, and I was getting ready to interview my grandma. I was getting my phone, and it was warm because it was just charging, and it was making a loud whirring noise. When I finally called her, it was cutting out a lot because her house has bad internet She had a soft soothing voice, and her beautiful white smile made me feel secure and safe. She was wearing a nice blue dress with flower pattens and held the camera very close to her face. As soon as asked her the first question I could tell she was ready for the interview.
Jan Burns, my grandma, lives in Chicago but spends time in Montana and Mexico since she is retired. She was a teacher and then a stay-at-home mom to three children. She has six grandchildren and one of them is me. She will be telling her harrowing story of 9-11.
Burns has had to watch and hear about many hard things in her life, but she said 9-11 was “The most tragic event in her lifetime.” On the day of 9-11 Burns and her husband were going to pick up their daughter from the airport because she was in Kentucky for a horse race. On the way home they stopped in a bar to get food, and she saw everybody huddled around a little TV and she did not think anything of it. It was not until later that she found out that it was not a movie at all but a real event I can imagine her looking at the TV thinking this movie is horrible and then after hearing what was really happening feeling sad and scared looking at those events happen
Burns recalls thinking, “This is the worst movie I have ever watched ” When she said this, I felt a weird feeling in my gut, and I could not quite pinpoint what that feeling was, but it wasn’t good I just felt horrible that she had to witness this and not even know it was a real event. As she
continued her story, her voice was serious but also empathetic, because she also felt bad for all the people who lost their lives For me hearing about this brings me chills. It Is hard to imagine having to watch these horrific events
While talking to Burns about 9-11, she remembers, “you were glued to the television, and you were waiting for more horrific events.” To me this quote haunts me because even after the two towers were hit, they didn’t know if it was over or if they were safe. This also haunts me because imagine if they didn’t know if your family was safe that must be horrifying
Burns was asked to talk about 9-11 and she informed me that she knew somebody who survived 9-11 He was eating breakfast at a restaurant next to the north tower and when the first plane hit, he saw the smoke, but he thought it was a busted AC. When he saw the second plane hit, he ran out of there as fast as he could.
“She was always a kind and generous person always offering a helping hand.”
Reflecting on what Burns said, I cannot imagine knowing a friend being involved in a tragic event and not knowing if they were okay. I also have friends who survived a tragic event. During quarantine I did not know if my friends were okay Looking back, we can think about what we went through together, similar my grandma and her friend
After retelling this harrowing story, our conversation moved to a new topic: her mother. I could immediately detect a change in her tone. When I heard the change in her voice, I could really tell how serious this topic was to her Also, it made me feel different about the topic because I know how sad the topic was. Also hearing this from a primary source made me really feel this horrid event. “She was always a kind and generous person always offering a helpinghand.”
After interviewing Burns, I could tell that she is a kind and loving person. She was very welcoming from her big smile and calming voice. I also learned about her point of view on many things such as 9-11 and her family. I appreciate that Burns was ready to talk and elaborated on what she said.
By: Finn Siciliano
When he finally got to a nearby city about 75 miles away, he was able to buy new shoes and rent a car to get home. In addition, he was running in dress shoes, khakis and a suit so running/walking for that long must have been painful and difficult. Burns remembers him saying, “You could barely breath for all the smoke it was total confusion you couldn’t see where you were going ”
Christine Silva, mother of two, in New York City years after immigrating to the U.S.
Christine Guerra Azevedo Malhaes da Silva was born and raised in Petropolis, a city in the mountains in Brazil. Silva attended grade school, high school, and college all in Brazil. Silva grew up as a middle-class child and was always grateful for what she was given. In Brazil, she met Bernardo Silva, her future husband. Together, they both determined that they would have better opportunities to succeed in the United States. Silva describes boarding the plane the hardest part. Only a small part of her everyday life packed into two small suitcases. Butterflies filled her stomach as she did not know if she was making the right decision. How would it feel to go to sleep in one world and wake up in a new one, one where you know nothing, and you feel lost?
Silva had all the pressure in the world on her back as she left everything in Brazil behind to pursue a career inAmerica. Silva knew this decision would be tough as she had one major challenge she had to conquer. She had little to no experience with English. She also would be joining an entire new education system with new standards and new ways of learning. Her diet would consist of entirely different foods, and she would have to learn what foods she should consume for her health. Finally, she would have to deal with the homesickness and missing the milestones of people close to her such as weddings, family holidays, and birthdays.
Silva sought further education after migrating from Brazil and chose to attend Northwestern University to pursue her education. Silva initially came to the United States to expand her horizon in the education world as she was studying to become a lawyer. Her plan was to receive her degree and return to Brazil. However, upon coming to the United States, she was exposed to new opportunities which she thought would be better for her to follow these chances to live out her dream.
Silva’s parents, unbeknownst to all of this, had initially thought that she would return. Silva had to face the challenge of telling her parents her decision to stay in the United States to build a family and to pursue her dreams. Luckily, her parents were extremely supportive, and they would be content watching her further her career. Silva describes, “We had no interest to continue living in the United States, we just came to pursue our education and go back to Brazil. When we moved in, we had new opportunities and life happened.” Silva used this message to convey that life is not a matter that is set in stone and can often fluctuate for better or for worse.
AWhole New World.
Silva experiences many changes and challenges as she embarks on her journey as a newly found U.S citizen.
By Lorenzo Silva
Photograph by Lorenzo Silva
Silva realized this when she was presented to new ideas, dreams, and opportunities over her tenure in the Unites States. Silva made a last-minute decision that changed the trajectory of her life and completely changed her children’s future for the better in her eyes.
Silva faced many different challenges inAmerica due to the many differences in culture, but the most hindering was not being a fluent English speaker. Due to English is not being her first language, Silva had a hard time understanding her professors and not grasping knowledge as fast as herAmerican peers. Silva described having to study in Portuguese for the class before going there to help herself. She did this so that when she went to her classes it was all review instead of learning it. However, Silva worked hard overcome these hardships and did not let them get the best of her. Silva triumphed over all the challenges she had faced in her education and ended up with her degree in law. Instead of letting her unique trait hinder her, she used it for the better and decided to take a job that lets her work with
people internationally.Although she did not pursue a career in law, she still overcame her difficulties and used her degree to get into more jobs in the future. Silva describes her hardships, “Studying in a new language of course there are some barriers you have to adapt.” From the jump she had known that this path would not be easy as she was not an English speaker. However, she still chose to pursue this career path and did not back down from any challenge that life presented. This quote is powerful because it prompts that life presents many challenges that vary in severity, but many times are irreversible. This sets up room for adaptation to overcome these challenges.
Silva experiences many changes in the way she lives her life after moving to the U.S due to the exposure to new foods, culture, and traditions. Coming from Brazil, Silva describes the people as more welcoming, inviting, and energetic than they are in the U.S.
Growing up in Brazil, Silva was always in a position to meet people. She would often go to beaches and parties where everyone interacted with each other without technology. Silva thinks that people are more joyous in Brazil partially due to the weather and music. Silva also mentioned differences in healthcare. Silva says that the healthcare system in the U.S is set up for success abut less personalized whereas Brazil is the opposite. In Brazil, she points out that the healthcare is more personalized, and you have a connection with your doctor.
Despite all these major changes in her life, she began to adapt to these lifestyles, and they became normal to her. One thing that did not change was the food. In Brazil, the foods are more natural made with natural ingredients due to the tropical climate and easy access to fruits and natural resources. Silva, reflecting on her past, explains the differences in the quality of food, “In Brazil we eat things that are fresher, but when I moved to the U.S organic wasn’t a thing.” Silva uses this powerful message to show thatAmerica uses more processed items and chemicals in their everyday foods that sometimes can be crucial to health of citizens. In contrast, Silva explains that she never ate worse or more just because of the food differences and always opted for the healthier choice.
“We had no interest to continue living in the United States, we just came to pursue our education and go back to Brazil. When we moved in, we had new opportunities and life happened.”
Though all these challenges take a toll on Silva, she believes that she made the right decision by pursuing her career and migrating to the United States. During Silvas time in America, she missed out on many of her friends, family’s achievements in life that she would have loved to attend.
Although Silva expresses regret for not being there for her family, she ultimately believes she made the right decision by sacrificing one big part of her life for her future. Silva’s sacrifices would pay off as she would find herself a stable job and visit her family in Brazil every year while also building a family in the U.S. Silva describes one instance where she was not able to attend one of her husband’s family members wedding and felt defeated. She had to miss out because of a matter of having to study and having to pay for college at the same time. Silva describes these moments, “There are a lot of things we had to miss and it’s not always fun to miss.” This is detrimental to understanding what Silva had to experience. Choices in life come with consequences whether good or bad.
Some sacrifices are needed to better our person for the future. If Silva had decided to pursue a different route solely because she wanted to be close to family, she would not be where she is today. Instead, she chose the hard route knowing more challenges would present themselves and she would sacrifice her friends and family big milestones to succeed in her academic and professional career.
Silva experienced many unfortunate setbacks while coming toAmerica but chose to stay. Silva is a strong individual who overcame these hardships and had to do so alongside her husband who was also new to the U.S and together they advanced in their respected career paths. They displayed selflessness as they could’ve gone back to Brazil at anytime but chose to stay in the U.S as they sought a better life for their children. Silva worked hard day and night and pushed her own boundaries of what she thought she could accomplish. Silva adapted in many ways and had to work with what life gave her. Silva triumphed over all of the challenges life gave her including overcoming her hardest challenge of not knowing any English. Silva eventually became fluent in English and landed herself many jobs where she is able to work with people from all around the world. Silva still visits Brazil once every year to catch up with family and brings her kids with her so they can experience part of their heritage. Silva says that even though she lives inAmerica, she still feel so far from home.
Life Under Pressure
Dr. Keersmaekers talks about what life was like working as an ER doctor during Covid.
By Annabel Simon
When choosing a major for college, becoming a hero isn’t usually on the roster. However, for the feature of our story and my dear family friend, it was the only one.
May 2010, Doctor Charlie Keersmaekers had just graduated Michigan University. He was about to walk up to the big stage ahead of him in front of all his smiling peers and teachers, matching their smiles himself. After 4 years of medical school, he was now finally fulfilling his dream of becoming an Emergency Response doctor. He was confident in himself that he would now be able to heal anyone who came to him. As he got up and reached for his diploma, he was able to imagine all the families who would get to have their loved ones healed because of him and his smile only grew bigger. As he walked down the platform and sat down, ready to go out and celebrate with his family, friends, and future wife, he had no idea that in just a few short years he would be faced with the disease killing hundreds of people per week, which we know as Covid19.
Dr. Keersmaekers first reactions to Covid was the same as many: complete disbelief. This couldn’t and wasn’t going to happen. There had been to many flukes that started out just like this that had been absolutely nothing to worry about. Covid was just something that the media had fixated on and would be gone before it even hit America. But, just like many other Americans, he was very wrong.
Before he or anyone else knew it, this disease was coming to hospitals, which being an ER doctor, he saw firsthand. When Covid first became known, the Doctors and Nurses at Beaumont Hospital made a room where they would keep all people who had symptoms of Covid to prevent from spreading to other patients or staff. This worked for a little while, until about three weeks later, when people ailed by Covid began to appear in waves. He remembers “It wasn’t one case. It was like, 40 in a day. We went from zero to a lot really fast. And then the next day, that number doubled, and within a week, it was all we were seeing”
As we can imagine, the suddenness of it all had to be overwhelming for all the workers and it seemed like no one knew how to handle it. Just imagining the stress they were feeling while having to keep on a positive face for the patients can demonstrate how strong the doctors and nurses attending to Covid patients were. Reflecting on how much pressure they were under to save people’s loved ones, you can understand the phrase that not all heroes wear capes.
Once the initial shock wore off, the stress was still very much alive for workers everywhere when nothing seemed to be working. In all their years of helping people, they had never seen anything quite like this and it was nearly impossible to deal with. Through all of the years of school and training, Covid seemed to go against everything they were used to treating and every lesson they had learned. Where normally you would put someone on a respirator for the low oxygen levels they were seeing, that only seemed to make them worse. They were forced to tolerate bad conditions in people as they had no idea what to do. Dr. Keersmaekers explains that “Everything you would normally and conventionally do for a typical illness didn’t work for Covid. We had to start working completely backwards.”
Just imagine, all the years of school you had gone through, all the work you had put through to be here, was doing virtually nothing. In fact, a lot of the stuff they were trying to do made the patients worse. He also talks about how “The hardest part was feeling helpless.” This sense of helplessness and sadness is often associated with victims to the disease, but the doctors can feel it just as harshly.
As if the stress of dealing with the nation’s pandemic and hundreds of sick people each day wasn’t enough, Dr Keersmaekers also had to take extreme physical precautions just to ensure his kids, family, and friends’ safety. When Covid was beginning, he had to sit down with his wife and have a discussion on what life was going to look like for the indefinite period of time in front of them.
They decided that since he would be around sick people all day long, he wouldn’t see his kids or wife until it was safe. He didn’t have the chance to see his kids often, and when he could, it would be while they were walking outside standing six feet apart. As for his coming home each day, he would change all his possibly infected clothes out in the garage and then would sleep in their guest room in the basement. And the precautions didn’t just apply at home. He recalls, “I would wear all of the gear. I would wash my hands probably several hundred times a day and then I wouldn’t eat at work. I would never take my mask off.”
Severe conditions just became a part of his everyday life. There was no escaping this bad lifestyle that everyone in the Keersmaekers family had to become accustomed to.
“The hardest part was feeling hopeless.”
The day lockdown ended was a positive experience for everyone, but Dr. Keersmaekers was probably happier than most. The idea of a normal life, getting to see his kids again, the ability to sleep in his own bedroom, eating at work and not changing in the garage were such luxuries now that anyone would be grateful to have back. He got to take four years to adjust back to normal life, one where Covid cases could be treated with ease and where he got to see his kids daily. And now that it’s over, he is able to look back and reminisce some of the more positive side of it “One thing that was really nice was that there was a lot of reach out from the community. Almost daily we would have lunches or dinners delivered to the nursing staff from local restaurants or business owners of catering companies… I think that meant a lot to the staff.”
Doctor Keersmaekers is a doctor who helped people survive a global pandemic and sacrificed so much to do so, just like doctors and nurses everywhere. And having helped so many people for so long, I think he is someone we should all attempt to see in ourselves.
Dr. Keersmaekers is now living proof of the fact that selflessness, while draining to the person performing, can go beyond where we ever imagined. He had to perform straining and depressing tasks daily and didn’t back down once. That’s not to say he hadn’t thought about it though. He remembers “Oh there were definitely times that I wanted to quit. But I couldn’t.”
He constantly wanted to go home and get away from all the dying to spend time with his loved ones but when he saw all the people depending on him, he knew that if he didn’t help, he wouldn’t be able to live with the thought of people dying because he got sick of helping. This is a great example of how his acts of selflessness had so much outreach. He talks about how “I still have people who I took care of who stay in touch to thank me for helping them.” I think these simple acts that saved thousands are some of the most selfless things a human can do, and I am grateful to know such a person.
Doctor Charlie Keersmaekers, an ER doctor who saved hundreds.
Travel Around the World
Loredana Esprey reveals hidden truth found by traveling the world
By: Georgina Sinclair
Walking to the door she looked back seeing the rooms she wouldn’t go to again, the air she wouldn’t breathe again, the person she wouldn’t be again. The door inches away, felt miles away. Hand on the doorknob. Feeling the cold on her hand. Opening the door all her strength. She felt breeze blowing on her face as she stared. Staring at the green grass and flowers blooming on the yard. Resisting the urge to look back, she walked knowing it may be her last time walking on this porch again.
Loredana Esprey, my grandmother, was born in San Vito, Italy and now lives in Virginia. My grandma’s journey took her all around the world ending in America.
Esprey adapted to new environments throughout her life. Esprey has learned three languages speaking Italian at home, English around south Africa, and Afrikaans in school. She was born in Italy and later moved to south Africa. She lived in south Africa till she was fifty and then moved to London. While in London she had
to adapt to the new environment.
The difference between the houses was very significant. She expected big rooms, a spacious backyard. She got a tiny apartment sized town house. She had to donate most of her stuff. She nodded and looked forward thinking saying, “You just have to adapt and enjoy what’s available.”
This makes me think that since she travels a lot, she has to adapt to the different places she goes to. Adapting to different environments is really hard! You have to act the same way, eat the same way, and you have to adapt to the norms. You can’t expect something because you never know what the people and places are going to be like.
I travel a lot, and I always must adapt to the new setting and characteristics of the new place. Sometimes it is hard for me to adapt, so when she said this, she mentioned a good point. When you travel you can’t rely on everyone being exactly like you. You need to realize that this place may not be the same and that you have to enjoy what is around you.
Esprey enjoys differences between the places she has been to. When moving to London there were many differences between the places she went to. There was very different weather in London than in south Africa. In South Africa you would walk outside to sunny warm weather, feeling the breeze on your face. In London you walk out getting a sheet of rain falling on you, sending cold shivers down your spine.
She also had difficulties finding permanent accommodation in London. She smiled and looked at me saying, “I enjoyed the differences between the places I have been to.”
Even though moving to London was hard she made do and even enjoyed the differences and changes between London and South Africa. I think the special meaning behind this is that differences don’t always have to be a bad thing, they can be special in their own way.
Usually when something is different people tend to dislike it. Esprey on the other hand enjoys differences. This is very powerful knowing she does not care that it is not what she is used to. She still enjoys everything that is brought to her. She helped me realize differences are not always bad.
“Everywhere you go there is history.”
Esprey has seen history in every place she has been to. When moving to London and America she has been to many museums and historical places. She loved going to historical sights and throughout her life has explored many museums. She used to go to all the museums in Europe and would call my mom saying all the things she read about giving us every detail. Every restaurant and park she went to, she would always see the history of the place. When she goes
somewhere she always asks questions on why a statue is there or why they chose this painting. She thought and picked up a picture saying, “Everywhere you go there is history.”
This suggests that everything has a backstory and has a reason. Every place you go to has history to learn about and nothing is boring and pointless. When my grandma mentioned this, I think she was trying to talk about how in her life she has seen so much history in the places she has been to. I don’t usually look at the history of something but seeing her always looking for the history in things, made me change my opinion. Seeing the history in something changes your perspective and view of the topic.
This is a picture of my grandma in Braunschweig Germany in 1978.
Esprey will never forget the places she has been to. During her move to America, she has still remembered all the places she has been too. Throughout the time of the move, she never forgot the memories and places she went to throughout her life.
Even today she can still tell me everything that has happened in south Africa, Italy, and Europe. Telling me all the flowers dropping from the trees on her hair. The type of people saying hi to her. The places she passed. She looked down at her hands stating, “You don’t forget, it will just never be the same again”.
This is powerful because even though there may have been better moments in life, she never forgot the little things. You don’t forget things you just don’t realize that it will never be the same again.
My opinion on the quote is I think that when you remember something in your past, you know it can’t happen again.
Through Esprey’s life she has gone to many places and has explored many sights. She has helped me understand that you have to adapt to new environments, accept differences in places, and remember all the places you have been to.
She always makes traveling more fun because she always brightens the mood and helps me learn more about the places I go to. Always know that everywhere you go your attitude is always what helps you.
LearningAboutSomeof Life’sGreatestChallenges
IsatintheroomwithSinhaonmy beanbagwhiledrinkingapplejuice.Shilpa SinhawasquitesurprisedwhenIasked heraboutheryoungerlife,andshewas happytoshare.Shesatupstraightinmy bedroomwithacomfortablesweatshirton andbegan.Iaskedherthefirstquestion anditoriginallytookacoupleminutesfor hertostarttalkingbutwhenshefound herwords,shewasdoingwell.Shespoke vividlyfor30minutes,andshementioned somanyofheryoungeryears.Sinhaismy momandadoctoratCookCounty HospitalinChicago,Illinois.Sheis currentlyadermatologist,andshe teachesresidents.Shehasonesisterwho isabanker.Sheis47yearsold,andshe livesinChicago,Illinois.Sinhausedto swimasachild,andshealwaysloved biology.Iwasabletointerviewheron someoftheimportantthingsfromher childhoodandIlearnedalotaboutherjob andsomeofherearlierlife.Ialsolearned thatyoushouldalwaysgoforyourdreams andnevergiveupevenifitdoesnotwork outatfirst.
MyconversationwithSinhabegan torevealsomeofthesimilaritiesbetween schoolstodayandbackwhenshewasin school.Shebelievesthatschoolshelp withmanythingsbeyondacademics. Smiling,sheproudlyshared,“Aschoolis inspiringallofustobeourbestselves andthathasn’tchangedatall.”Thisisone oftheideasthatSinhahasaboutmoderndayschoolingandsheishappythather schoolwasalsolikethis.NowIgettohave thesameexperiencebecauseSinha thoughtthatFXWwouldbeawonderfulfit thatalignedwiththosebeliefs.Sinhafeels encouragedbecauseFXWbuildsthe student’sconfidenceandhelpsusthrough theway.Ialsobelievethatmyschoolis inspiringmetobemybestselfjustlike Sinhasaid.
Sinhahadagreatchildhoodand anamazinggroupoffriendstohelpher alongtheway.Shenostalgicallyreflected onherhighschoollifeandsomeofher bestexperiencesalongtheway.Sheand herfriendshadplanstogetintothesame jobandcontinuetobefriendsforlife whichtheystillare.Sheexcitedly remembers,“Ihadagroupoffriends, therewere5ofus,andallofuswere
preparingtogetintomedicalschool togetherandbecomedoctors.”Thisishow Sinhawouldplanthingswithherfriends;I couldtellthiswassospecialtoherbythe wayshehappilyexpressedherselfand beganmovingherhandsasshetoldme aboutherfriends.Ialsorelatetothis becauseIalsohaveagroupoffriendsthat Ispendtimetogetherwith,andwedo manythingstogether.
Throughouttheseexperiences, Sinhawasabletoimproveherselffrom someofherbadhabitswhenshewas youngertobecomethepersonthatsheis today.Sheshareshowthecollegeshegot intowasabigrelieftoherparents:“Iwas luckyenoughtohaveafullypaid scholarship,andonceIgotin,Iwasable tofocusmyself.”Smiling,sheproudlytold meabouthowherparentswereso impressedbyherandhowshewasableto changeherselftogetin.Thishelpedher throughoutherentirelifethroughherjobs asshewasabletokeepthesegoodhabits tocontinuetodowellinlife.WhenIamat thispoint,Iwillalsotrytoreplicatesome ofherhabitstohelpme.
“Ialways wantedto workinan academic center,which wasmyfirst ideaofajob.”
Aftermedicalschool,Sinha workedinaprivatepracticeinthesuburbs ofChicago.However,thiswasnotalways thefirstjobshedreamedofwhenshewas younger.Sheoriginallysaidthatshe alwayswantedtobeadoctor,butthenshe changedheranswer.Sittingupstraighter andadoptinganexcitedtone,she revealed“Ialwayswantedtoworkinan academiccenter,whichwasmyfirstidea ofajob.”Thisturnedouttobetrueas Sinhaiscurrentlyaskindoctorwhotrains herresidents,soshewasabletogetboth ofherdreamjobscombined.Thismight alsobeanoptionformewhenIamolder, asIwatchSinhaeveryday,shelovesher job,andsheisincrediblygratefulthatshe wasabletogetthejobthatshehastoday.
AsadermatologistattheCook CountyHospital,Sinhahasmanyidols. Sheneededacoupleofminutestothink aboutthembecauseshehashadsome greatpeoplethroughoutherlife.She eventuallyleanedtowardshercurrent boss:“Myidolwouldprobablyhavetobe mybossandchairmanwhoisaphysician beforeheIsafatherandbeforeheisa person.”Again,Sinhaperkedupandbegan excitedlytalkingwithherhandsasshe explainedhowshewasincrediblypleased andgratefultobeabletoworkunder someonewhoissuchagreatpersonwith greatqualities.HehasalsohelpedSinha alongherlengthycareerinmedicine. Thesetraitsthathehasaresomething thatmaybewhenIamolder,Icouldtryto obtainasIalsowanttobeagoodand collaborativepeertoeveryonewithwhich Iwillwork.Sinhawasproudthatshewas abletogetsoluckywithsuchagreatboss toleadherthroughtheway.
IlearnedalotaboutShilpaSinha, mymother,throughthis30-minute interview.EventhoughIcouldnottell earlier,IrealizedSinhahadasimilar childhoodtome.Thinkabouthowyour parents’childhoodwaslikeyoursandyou mightlearnsomethingsthatyoudidnot knowaboutthemlikeIdid.Parentscanbe apowerfulhelptous,andtheyhelpus learngalot.
Challengesand SecretsofaRetired
ProAthlete
EricaProsserfacedbothphysicalandmental obstaclesduringherbasketballcareer.
Photoused wheninducted intotheHallOf Famefor Lehigh.
AlaughthatseemtorememberflashesmebacktothedaysIwasinthegymtraining.On aniceSundayafternoonEricagotacallfromherstudent’smom.Sheanswerswithagleamingsmile assheisveryhappy.Sheissittinginherapartmentoutside.SheisclosetoIllinoisUniversityso,in thebackgroundthereisalotofyellingandnoise.Shejoinswithelatedenergytotalkabouther basketballcareer,whichendedover5yearsago.Prosser’sbasketballcareertookalotofturnswhich kepthermentallytough.
Prosserhasalwayshadapassionforbasketball.Training,playing,andwatchingasmuchas shecould.Shestartedasalittlegirllovingthesport.Sheplayeditforfununtilshecouldnot. Prosser’sdadplayedintheNBAso,inthebackofhismindheknewhewantedtoraiseabasketball star.WhenProsserstartedgettingolderherdadwasslowlypushingherharderandharder.The trainingandhardworkstartedthesummerbeforeeighthgrade.Growingupasayoungwomanshe wantedtohangoutwithfriendsandrelax.Herdadhadotherplansasheknewthatshewantedto begood.Healsoknewthesacrificestobegood.Prosserexplainedthatherdadwoulddragherto thegymtoworkout,train,andshoot.
Prosserdescribeshowsheneverwantedtogoandhowsheandherdadwouldyellat eachother.Shehadtofightwithherdad,andthisgrewtensionbetweenthem.Prosserconfesses, “WeirdfeelingthatIhatedmydadoverasport.”Prosserhadtolivewithherdadeveryday.Mostof thetime,shewaspushedandpressuredtotrainwhichgrewahatredanddevelopedrepetitive stressfromtraining.Prosserhadtogoagainstherwillandtrainbecausesheknewshewantedtobe goodevenifitpainedher.
Hearingthis,Irecognizedthesacrificesthathavetobemadetobegood.Ialsowantto makesacrifices,likegivingupspendingtimewithfriendsorrelaxingphonetime,inordertobe good.However,Idonotwanttoarguewithmydadeverytimehewantsmetogotrain;Ican compromisewithhimbyfindingtimeinthemorningstotrainwhilealsospendingtimewithfriends.
Prosserhadtofacementalblocksandchallengesduringherbasketballcareer.Luckilyher parentsandcoacheswereverysupportiveofher,andshehadagoodlineofpeoplewhowere willingtohelp.Although,thisstillhurtherconfidenceandperformanceinbasketball.Inherhigh schoolyear,shestartednotbeingher.Shestartednotasstrong.Shewasmissingwide-openlayups, openshots,andespeciallyfreethrows.Herdadalwaystoldherthatfreethrowsarefreesomake them.
Prosserexplainedthatwhenshewentuptotheline,shejusthadnoconfidenceinherself. Shefeltasifshecouldnotmakeit,andasifsheknewshewasnotgoingtomakeit.Thiswasa problemthewholeseason.OnestoryProsserhighlightedisthatshewasinhersemifinalgameinthe lastminute,andherteamwasdowntwopoints.Prosserwasfouledandhadtomakehertwofree throwstotiethegame.Prossergoesuptothelineandmissesboth.Shelaughs,butIknowhow muchthataffectedherinthefuture.Shedescribesthisby,“Ijusthadamentalblockinmyheadthat Iwasbadatfreethrows.Thistookmyconfidenceovertheedge.”Prosserthenhadtogetatherapist forherconfidenceandfree-throwshooting.Sheillustratesthatshehadtodoabunchofvisualstuff andwatchingtheballgointhehoop.Whilesheisdescribingaboutthisshelaughsasifsayingitout loudsoundsstupid.
Prosserhadtobuildmentaltoughnessbecauseherconfidencewascomingintoeffect duringgameswhenshegotfouled.Hearinghertalkaboutfreethrowsisdeepeningmeasayoung basketballplayerwhoseconfidenceislowandwhostrugglestobelieveinherselfattheline.Iknow thatifathleteslackconfidence,itisokaytogototherapytofixthisrealproblem.
WhenthesubjectofquittingwasbroughtupProsserbroughtusbacktocollege.Prosser wenttoplaycollegebasketballatLehighUniversity.Shewascomingintotheseasonknowingthat shewouldstartrightaway.Shestartslaughingbecausesheknowshowembarrassingandhumbling theexperiencewasforher.Shedescribesthedifferencesbetweenherstartingandsomeofthe seniorsandjuniorssheplayedagainstfirstyear.Shedescribesherselfasascrawnyfreshman.She hadhighstandardsforherselfstartingcollege,butnotonlyherselfmanyotherpeopledidtoo.She feltlikeshewasfinallygoodenoughgoingintotheseason.Shethenreflectsonhowafterherfirst gameshefeltashotofreality.Sheretells,“Idon’tthinkIcanliveuptotheseexpectationsthatmy teammates,coaches,andmyparentsholdonme.”Prosserissharinganexperiencemanypeople haveahardtimesharingasanathlete.Shehasalwayshadadreamofplayingbasketballandthe thoughtofquittingatatimelikethatjustgoestoshowyouhowasmallbadgamecanruin somethingbigger.Prosserwasprobablyshakenbyherperformancewhichmadehertracetothe thoughtofquittingaftershemadeitthatfar.
WhenProssersharesthisasabasketballplayeritmakesmerethinkthetimeswhereIhave badgamesorthetimes,Ihaven’tdonethebest.Prosserstoryjustgoestoshowonebadgamedoes notdefineyouandyouhavetoremembernottoquitonsomethingthatyoucareabout.
ImentionedoneofProsser’sbiggestaccomplishmentsandhowshegotthere.Prosser retellsthatwhenshefinishedcollege,sheknewrightawayshewantedtogetanagentandlookto gooverseas.Sheaddsthatheragentknewherprettywellandsensedwhatshewanted.Heragent foundateaminSwedenthatseemedagoodfitforher.Sheillustratesthefeelingsthatcircledher. AtthetimeshefacedmanychallengesinEurope:shehadneverbeenoverseasalone;shewas homesickandneededtoadjusttoanewlanguage.Shesaidthattheonlythingsheknewwhenshe landedinSwedenthattherewasgoingtobesomeonetopickherup.Shesighedandsaidthiswas themostnerve-rackingexperienceshehadeverexperienced.Sheonlyhadaweekbeforeshewent toherfirsttryout.Prosseraddsthatthespecificthingthatalwaysstoodouttoherwhilelooking backatthestoryisthatshethoughtshehadneverplayedbetter.Sheleftfeelingproudandwithher headhigh.
Thenlatershegotcalledintothecoach’soffice.Shesaidthatshewassurebadnewswas notonherwayuntilshefacedreality.Shegotcut,“Igotcutforthefirsttimeinmylife.Istartedto questionmyself,amIreallygoodenoughtoplayprofessionally?”Sheexplainedthattheworstpart aboutittherewasnogoodreason.Soabout24hoursafterthefirsttryoutItookaflighthome.I
realizedhowincredibleitwasthatshehadneverbeencutinherlifeuntilaftercollege.SheandIfelt thedefeatfromwhenshehitthatdetailandachangeinmood.
Prosserhadtheworsthappentoherwhenshefeltthebest.Thiskilledherandshedidnot evenknowifshewantedtokeeptrying.Shehadtolearntofightback,andthisreflectsonmeasa basketballplayerbecauseProsserwashitintheheadwhenshefinallyhadherheadhigh,andthis goestoshowhowmanyhighsandlowsyouhavethroughoutyourcareer.Prosserhadtomakea hugedecisionifshewantedtokeepontryingorifsheknewshewasnotgoodenoughandshe shouldgoadifferentroute.
Prosserbelievesthateverysportthatyouplayinyouryouthandstickwith,canteachskills thatareworthalifetime.Prosserbroughtthisupwhenshewasdescribingthelessonsshelearned fromvolleyball.Shestartsbyreflectingonhowsheisinlawschool.
Shedigsalittledeeperintothelessonshehaslearnedandhowthatappliestolawschool. Shetalksaboutworkingwellwithothers.Prosserexplainshowitstartedonher2nd-grade basketballgameandwillendwhensheretires.Prossertalksaboutbasketballandexplains,“Doesn’t matterhowgoodyouarebasketballisateamgameandnomatterhowbadyourteammatesareyou havetoworkwiththem.”Prosserhadmanyteamssheplayedwith,mostoftheteamsshewasthe starplayer.Shehadtoputoffwithlosingeventhoughsheplayedbadly,soshehadtobounceback evenknowithurthermentality.Shehadtolosegamesforreasonsthatwereoutofhercontrol.She laughstryingtostayhumbleeventhoughitwasthetruth.WhatProssersaidconnectstoanyplayer onthecourtorinanylifesituationbecauseit’snotjustProsserwhowentthroughhardshipasan athletealmosteveryathletehasto.
“Doesn’tmatterhow goodyouare: basketballisateam gameandnomatterhow badyourteammatesare youhavetoworkwith them.”
Ithasbeencomingtotheendoftheinterview.Prosserhasbeenlaughingupthehardest issues.Oneconcludingconceptisadvice.Prosserhasbeenthroughitall.Shestartsbystatinghow thisadvicecangoalongway,anditcanapplytoanyathleteplayinganysport.
ShespecificallydescribestheproblemsthatIgothrough,andthatshewentthrough. Laughingtogetmyattention,shesharedherfinaladvice,“Onlyplayifit'sfunanddon’tplayfor otherpeople.Whentrainingorplayinganysport,yourvoiceshouldbetheloudestvoiceinyour head.”Prosserknowsbest.Fromstarttofinish,shehasbeenthrougheveryobstacle;shesharedthis soyoungathletescanavoidtheseproblems,includingme.
Inconclusion,Prossershowsbasketballisnoteasyandthestrugglewastherewhen competingatahighlevel.Prosserdevelopsinherstorythatittakesatoughmentalityand perseverancetobegoodandgofar.Basketballisnotonlyaphysicalchallengeitisalsoamental challenge.Prossersoughthelpduringthosehardtimes.AsProsserdemonstrated,tryingtodosome thingsbyyourselfwillnotalwaysworkout.
Writtenby:EllaSkarbek
Challenges and Opportunities in School
Lunch Food Service Delivery
A story about a young woman followed her dreams to help schools provide not just healthy but delicious meals and till this day she continues to thrive.
By Desiree Smith
“Wait up,” a young voice says. “I’m right here,” she replies then stops to wait. She steps in front of the tall building. When her daughter catches up, she grabs her mom’s hand. The mother looks up to take in the beautiful building that is now legally hers. Both walk in hand in hand into the building with nerves and anticipation. When walking in, the building, it looks more like a factory than a regular building. One would describe it as old and empty. Even so, it just makes Leslie more excited to get started on her dream. Then, it hit her, “This is all actually coming true,” she thought out loud. There was a hint of sadness in her voice, but she quickly covered it up with, “Can’t wait to get started.”
Leslie Fowler is the CEO of Afya foods, a school lunch food service company. Leslie Fowler is fifty-three years old light skinned black women with a bright smile and a tall presence. She is a black woman in an almost all white industry who has faced many challenges as a small business owner. She is still overcoming and handling those throughout her career. She works on her passion, changes business challenges into opportunities, better providing her service, and finding the best resources.
Fowler does her best to find the resources with the best quality meals to serve for kids to consume for lunch. Fowler has trouble finding the right ingredients for the
kid’s meals. She told me that, “Finding a hamburger that is 100% beef, versus a hamburger that has a lot of fillers” is very challenging because of the different chemicals that are in all the foods and meat. The chemicals are unhealthy and don’t have good nutrition.
But once she does, she has trouble finding the right amount she needs. Sometimes, she has a problem with the price because some healthier items are more expensive or sometimes healthier thing are out of stock because everyone wants and rarer to find. She expresses that she loves to find the healthy version or the version with fewer chemicals because these meals are sometimes the only meals that some kids have in a day. She feels it is her job to make them enjoy lunch and feel excited for the next lunch. She wants to make an impact on the kids’ lives. “The school-fed meals are the only meals they receive in a day because of low income and limited resources so we want to make sure that the meals they have in school are one of the best meals they enjoy.”
I recognize her hard work; she cares and works hard to find the best foods. Her idea of the best outcome is when lunch healthy and tasty. She does this, because the responsibility of feeding kids comes with the responsibility for the health of the food. This makes me think the easier thing is not always the right thing or the healthier thing.
Fowler works hard to provide the right service for each school. She provides lunch service to schools that aren’t that fortunate enough to have money to have a full team of lunch servers. She also serves to some schools that don’t want to make their lunch plans. She mostly provides this service in the Chicago Cook County district.
She sometimes provides the school a team of her workers when the school has no lunch team. Sometimes the school wants lunch to be served by professional workers. But if the school does have a team, she just provides meals for the school. “We provide food services either with labor and without labor in school districts, that don’t want to operate their food service program because it’s so heavily federally regulated and funded.” When she says, “With labor and without labor,” she means that if schools that need a school lunch and team or they just need the school lunch. This is important because some schools can’t afford a full-time team that is always there. It’s also not easy to find a team of dependable workers.
Fowler has faced a lot of problems and now she is on her way to solve those problems. She states that my company is always, “open to new investors and partnership.” She accepts challenges by looking at them in a different light. She doesn’t see challenges as problems, “Some challenges are just challenges…business challenges are all about learning”, she says. She exclaims that some challenges don’t need to be solved, or they just stay a challenge because they don’t go away that easily. She doesn’t seem like she wants to solve the problems, she just wants a way to cope with them. It reminds me of the quote, “Don’t fix what’s not broken.” One of the most frequent challenges is her race, since she is in an industry that is majority all white men. This is a problem because sometimes, they don’t think she can complete for contracts, so they don’t try to help her. The men are sometimes surprised that she made it so far or that she is successful. She keeps going because she loves to feed kids.
Fowler loves her business of feeding kids and has a passion for it. Every day is the same routine where she shows up, ready to work. She steps in a big factory space with the sounds of machines boxing food. When she arrives, she thinks that she is really doing a good cause. After she walks in, she confidently starts to get to work. She feels like she accomplished giving the kids healthy and hearty food. She
always knew that she wanted to make sure everyone got a meal. She said she had a passion for teaching kids to eat healthy and using that so they can be healthier. “Anything you have a passion for you will work harder at.” In her mind doing a job that you love and put effort in, will always make you do improve. This is something she takes with her, and this is her advice to anyone who wants to start something they love. She found something she loved, made it a business, and she works hard every day to work on improving her business. She feels like all her hard work for finding the right resources was worth it. It connects to my sports life, whenever I’m in my season I can feel my passion for that sport. My instincts are just to do my best and work harder. I feel like my hard work pays off.
She does her best every day and makes it her responsibility to make an impact in these children’s life.
She loves her job so much that it’s feels like her mission. She does her best everyday and makes it her responsibility to make an impact in these children’s life She tries to solve problem in her company. Her company solves problems for schools. The healthy meals solve hunger and nutrition for students. No matter how hard it gets she completes her mission. I want the reader to know that she’s a woman who doesn’t give up easily and if there’s a problem that’s not what her mindset is set on. I want you to think how I can change my perspective and mindset when things get hard. Which makes me wonder, what’s better than being successful in helping others?
Public Schools’ facilities chief Leslie Fowler at a schools meeting.
Road to the Show
The story on how former minor leaguer Jacob Serrato made it that far.
By: Mason Stephens
10-year-old Jacob Serrato, lying in his bed at night, thinking about his passion, baseball. This is the night that he decided that he wanted it all. These thoughts of his major long-term goals carried him to work every day so that someday he could finally reach that goal. Serrato always embraced challenges because he knew that he would get better at his craft. As a baseball coach currently, he hopes to pass his legacy onto me, and all the and the next generation.
In Serrato’s high school years, he excelled on the field at Mather High School on the north side of Chicago. In his early years coach Butler showed him the importance of getting his body in shape for the long season ahead, so he could be in the best shape and condition to succeed. This helped him throughout his career because when he played on, through college and the minor leagues, he would start playing 20-plus games a month. In his later high school years, coach Friccum allowed him and his team to play in front of high-level scouts like college and MLB scouts. As he says, “He pushed me to be a leader and to excel in his sport.”
This was in his later years of high school when Coach Friccum started exposing him to high-level D1 scouts. As he said in the interview, he did not get overwhelmed when he was put under pressure in front of these scouts. This helped him get his D1 scholarship to Georgia Southern University. Often, I think about this because sometimes when I am playing basketball and baseball, I am in front of such scouts, just not at the college or pro level.
Jacob Serrato’s college years were much different than many other people’s. Leading up to his college years he was committed to Georgia Southern, but he went to a junior college because of injury. This was a minor setback, but he managed to come back and dominate at his Junior College in Iowa. He played so well that he got a call from his scout one day when he was playing a game with his friends. The scout said that the Chicago Cubs were thinking about drafting him. Serrato felt that it was one of his friends messing with him, so he hung up, “Then he called back and said, ‘This is not a joke, I am the scout of the Chicago Cubs, and we have liked the way that you have been playing and we like your potential.’”
This was a huge turning point in his life, and it was the reason that he played in the MiLB. This was a crucial time for him because it changed his life for the better and let him play professionally. This was also a challenge for him because he would still be a kid, far away from home, playing professionally with and against guys who were much bigger, older, and more experienced. But Serrato did not back down. He embraced the challenge of going up against some of the best baseball players in the world. This relates to me because someday I want to be drafted to play in the MLB.
Jacob Serrato made it to the highest level of professional baseball in the MiLB. He had dreamed about this his whole life and now he is here. He was playing for the Chicago Cubs minor league teams during his early professional years. During the MLB strike in 1994 and 1995, he spent some time playing ball internationally in Mexico and the Dominican Republic. This was a tremendous change for him because he was playing overseas in different countries. After the strike, he ended up with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays minor league team. He played there for a couple of years and then retired. One thing that he learned most from all the talent that he played around, especially during spring training, was to have a sense of work ethic.
As he said on work ethic, “work ethic is something that you need to have if you want to go far in this sport.”
Serrato learned an exceptionally good sense of work ethic from MLB catchers. This took him far because he had a “first one in, last one out” mentality. This helped him pass up many people to get to the highest level because of his work ethic. He said this mentality will help you be the best version of yourself as you can be on and off the field because no matter what, you will always need the best version of yourself if you want to succeed.
“I just love the game, baseball was my life, and it still is.”
After Serrato’s pro-ball years, he started giving his skills and knowledge back to the next generation by coaching. Serrato is currently coaching his program, the Plainfield Tornadoes, and he is also a private instructor for hitting, catching, and infield work. He started doing this because he thought that he had a lot of knowledge that he could share with the next generation. He also wants to help kids like he was helped in his childhood because he knows that some of his childhood baseball coaches had a message that stuck with him during his lengthy career. He also never wants to stop getting involved with the game. As he says, “I just love the game, baseball was my life, and it still is.”
This was incredibly significant to me because I never want to stop playing baseball and I also want to help the next generation to come after me. Serrato is also a high school coach right now in Plainfield. He wants to teach the kids important ways to take care of their bodies and embrace the challenges of pressure when many scouts watch them play the game they love.
Through all the tough times, Jacob Serrato never took his mind off his dream. Ever since he was a kid, he always had the “first one in, last one out” mindset. This carried him and pushed him to be the best baseball player that he could be. After his journey through the game, he wanted to give back to the next generation through coaching. Currently, as my hitting coach, he has inspired me to be like him someday and to play professionally.
Serrato on a baseball card from 1993 in his Cubs uniform
Out of Oakmark
By George Stoops
My mom Katie Gerdes’s life out of work and how she got to be who she is. I chose this title because she currently works at Oakmark a finance company.
My mom Katie Octavia Gerdes fight, push, struggle. Never quit. Gerdes is that kind of person. Born in Bellville Illinois 1971 she faced struggles with appearance which you will read about. She wore a mouthpiece around her mouth which didn’t help her self-esteem. Struggles with perseverance too. On her life out of school she is a different person. Stronger whereas in school she faced normal middle school drama. During the interview though it seemed like nothing bothered her. She was folding laundry but acting like she was doing something fun like reading a book. Mom has changed profusely throughout her life. She said that she used to be bothered by small things like appearance in middle school which we all are bothered by and how the world views ourselves. As she got older though she realized people's opinions don’t matter because if you’re pretty no one can change your opinion. If someone thinks you're lying and you’re not, at least you know it’s not your fault.
Gerdes has learned many valuable lessons throughout her life. She struggled profusely in college. Because her parents weren’t around, she felt like she had the freedom to party and have fun all the time, which resulted in her grades going down. She was struggling so much that she left college. In college she majored in theater which she never got into which is funny because my dad majored in business, but he owns a theater.
She went to Northwestern to work in a business school, which is where she improved her study habits, going to the library, putting work before fun, going all in for learning. Northwestern is where she discovered her most valuable quote from her lifetime. It came from St. Jerome but was introduced to her by her geometry teacher. The infamous quote is “good, better, best never let it rest till your good turns to better and your better turns to best.” This catchy quote, remembered throughout her life, is one of the many lessons she was introduced to. She said it in a happily and I could see clearly that she was an inspiration.
It means that we all start okay at something then we start getting good at it. We keep improving from good than we get to better and eventually we can become the best we can personally be and maybe if you try hard enough the best in the world.
This is a paragraph about her life out of work. There is a sleep away camp I go to every year called Cheley in Estes Park Colorado. Because it is in Colorado there are many fun activities to do. We hike, camp, backpack, SUP board, raft, do sports, fun activities in town, even swim sometimes. Backpacks are when people have a large camping bag and hike with all the food and supplies, we need to survive. We did a four-day backpack.
I love backpacks. I did three this year and Gerdes
loves them too. In fact, something crazy happened on one of her backpacks she was on. “I was like a turtle on my back with a slicker on and had a big mouth of braces, and they were buzzing. So, my counselor handed me a stick and said put this stick between your teeth to stop the electricity.” Gerdes got struck by lightning, but it didn’t faze her! After she fell, she stood back up and finished the hike to her next camping ground. She said it in a funny sort of way. She personally it is cool to have been struck by lightning, but I can tell it wasn’t great in the moment.
She had such a fun experience backpacking that she convinced me to do it. saw many moose, an elk stole someone’s water bottle, and a greedy bear went through our campsite. It ate our food, bit a Nalgene, and broke it and stepped on a camelback. After all these fortunes and misfortunes, we were still glad that we did those backpacks, and hope I do some more again sometime.
“Gerdes helped the foster kids and was almost a parent to them as she is a parent to me.”
Camp is a crucial place to become more independent and connect with others and the world around us. A camp of any type is important. Camp is an important and inspirational place for our family. Sleep away camp is a concept that not everyone can handle and comprehend. In some ways camp is kind of like boarding school. At some boarding schools you go away for the week and come back home on the weekends. We learn and challenge ourselves to be the best like the quote in the first paragraph! Camp at Cheley is hard and long (a whole month) but that’s part of the fun. Gerdes went to camp a long time ago, but it hasn’t changed a bit. The buildings are the same, no technology is allowed, and the food and experiences are the same. I thoroughly agree that “The whole point of camp is to live outdoors on your own terms.” Camp is deep and helpful for most people. think it’s good to be homesick, people are all the time. That’s life we can’t always be with our family. In fact, I
backpacked the same mountain that Gerdes did. The Indian Peaks.
Gerdes is a very helpful person who is always getting out there and doing kindness for people. Gerdes is a very helpful person who is always getting out there and being kind to people. I didn’t mention it before but there was some time between college and business school that she did something else. It’s a job helping others less fortunate she was especially helpful in the foster care system because there is a big debate that they don’t need parents most of their life which is weird because parents are the ones who sign us up for activities, teach us lessons, and let us show our talents and abilities we never thought we had. Gerdes helped the foster kids and was almost a parent to them as she is a parent to me. She said a very smart quote that “Your life is like service hours.” Which means we are in this world for a reason to help people. Physically and mentally. Even if you’re helping the wrong people, you’re still serving someone. Our service can help the present get fulfilled, the past gets discovered, and the future get made. One hour of service can make a huge difference, especially with other people’s help. As famous and honorable Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Everyone can be great, because everyone can serve. This country will not be a good place for any of us to live in unless we make it a good place for all of us to live in. I have found that among its other benefits, giving liberates the soul of the giver.”
My mom is a very good role model and person to follow. You don’t have to do all of her attributes but try to strive for one. Get out there, help people challenge yourself, if you’re a kid use this to help grow up to be an amazing person like my mom. You don’t have to live to her standards but try to live well. Try something new like a backpack and if you’re struggling like mom in college than we can all work on that. Try your hardest put in 100% or go exceeding and put in %111 (my 4th grade math). What new thing do you want to try. You could even write about it!
This photo represents Frank Tercek’s high school photo, after overcoming polio
Against All Odds
A story that recounts the inspiring journey of Frank Tercek throughout his experience with Bulbar Polio at 5 years old.
By: Avery Tercek
The year is 1952, and my grandpa, Francis (Frank) Louis Tercek, is being carried in an itchy green blanket by his father out of his welcoming house to a distressing hospital. He arrived at the Cleveland Clinic, preparing to conquer a new challenge on his hands. With him, he transports nothing but fear and uncertainty considering the unpredictable future. Within minutes, 5 year old Frank was diagnosed with Bulbar polio, a serious illness that can lead to fatality or even paralysis. Unfortunately, he had polio before any of his friends which gave him no past knowledge as to the symptoms or side effects that might come with the illness. He and his whole family were extremely terrified at the potential outcome of his disease. He could potentially lose his life to this illness, or he could survive with a big story to tell. Since he was young and weak, even doctors could not tell how his roadblock would play out. His only form of control was to hope for the best and savor his moments with his favorite people: family and friends.
Grandpa had his difficulties, but stayed optimistic and believed that his polio could be resolved. With the help of Frank’s perseverance and determination, he became a remarkably successful father and husband, while instructing people around him to never give up and remind them that good things will come.
Tercek faced an extremely dangerous illness when he was just 5 years old. Following 1952, Tercek spent most of his early childhood in a hospital bed, at the Cleveland Clinic, due to a life-threatening disease called polio. Back in the 1950s, polio was considered and epidemic and was seriously contagious through person-to-person contact. Although there are many different forms of polio, they all can potentially cause serious paralysis and even death. In fact, people with polio have a higher chance of death at a younger age. At the time, none of Tercek’s friends or family members had polio, but it was only a matter of days before the first polio victim was diagnosed. When Tercek woke up one ordinary morning, he had no idea he would end up lonely, sick, and unlucky. One dreary day, Tercek’s sister, Josie, thought she had polio due to the many common symptoms she had that came with the illness. Since it was an extremely fast spreading illness, they sent a doctor to Tercek’s house at once, looking to see if any members of her family had polio. The doctor brought Josie to the hospital and after scans, they found out she was polio free, and she just had a bad cold. However, it was policy back then, to check the entire family for polio just in case. One by one, Josie and her family were scanned cautiously, making sure they could catch even the smallest amount of polio. Unfortunately, after thorough searching, her brother, Frank, was diagnosed with polio. The doctor quickly insisted that Tercek had to go to the hospital just down the street. Tercek was carried straight to the Cleveland Clinic in a dark green blanket by his father. Tercek was terrified and though he was noticeably young, he was aware that having polio would profoundly change his life.
“No matter your circumstance, be grateful for the gifts you have.”
After intense scanning, doctors discovered that the polio was called Bulber polio. Bulber polio is more deadly, there are way more fatality rates compared to spinal polio. Words could not explain the fear in his 5-year-old self. He was soon informed that the polio had spread to his stomach, and to his right leg. It was hard to process the amount of damage polio could do too little Tercek’s body. Worst of all, Tercek was forced to be left alone, no family, as a 5-year-old in the hospital for 1 month. Thankfully, his parents would check on him daily to see how he was doing. Somedays, Tercek’s aunt would even bring him a chocolate milkshake from her personal restaurant. Tercek reflects solemnly by saying, “I was laying in the hospital bed wondering what the future would look like for me.”
Tercek was left with nothing but his thoughts. Often, he would get so caught up thinking about the struggles of the future, that he would completely forget about the events that he was experiencing in the moment. His main strategy for coping with his anxiety was breathing and meditation. On rough days, he would have doctors, nurses, and sometimes even his parents give him peaceful breathing exercises and meditations. This helped him to slow down his negative thoughts and regain his focus on the physical world.
Although Polio shifted Tercek’s lifestyle, he was not alone. Although his polio forced a stay at the hospital for 1 month, that did not stop him from seeing his close friends and family. His parents and four siblings would come greet him daily in the morning at the hospital. When he felt alone, nurses would play games and do everything they could to keep him entertained. Sometimes, if he were lucky, his close friends and family would even stop by with a little treat as a gift showing their sympathy for him. Additionally, nurses would make sure he had as much time as he could to be a kid again. From meeting new friends at the hospital, to enjoying exercise in the courtyard of Rainbow baby children’s hospital. Tercek desperately missed being with his three younger siblings, but he knew that he would reunite with them at one point or another. Thus, Tercek felt determined to realize that his polio was no reason to give up, and that there was still hope for his future. Tercek states resiliently that, “Although my Polio was a big childhood obstacle to overcome, it was no excuse to give up on the things I love.”
Tercek was given the hindrance of polio but chose to find the light in the situation. For example, he knew that polio gave him a new point of view and it gave him the chance to become incredibly grateful for what he had, considering other people’s situations compared to his. Unfortunately, he had to skip most high school sports (especially football) due to his little arm strength, but he took part in baseball, even though the only position he could play was pitcher. It was extremely dangerous to play rough as his arm could potentially fall off. He used his free time to get closer with his loved ones and form forever bonds with his friends. His dad was constantly telling him the idea that high school “is only 4 years, so instead of feeling sorry for yourself, you should be focused on the things that mattered most.” Tercek often reflects on this quote and later noticed that his dad was trying to tell him to remember his friends and family, although he might be worried about other
disadvantages. This overall gave him the chance to be aware and taught him to look at the bright side even during major roadblocks – which I strive to do in tough positions.
Polio weakened Tercek’s physical abilities, which forced him to change his life ways. By the age of 8 or 9, Tercek was given a surgery which would potentially remove a piece of his shin bone and replace it into his shoulder to regain some of his muscle to do everyday things. To his surprise, the surgery failed as he was a ‘guinea pig’ and they did not practice this surgery on many people at the time. He was given the chance to redo the surgery, but he did not want to have to go through the entire process again just for it to fail, considering his loss of hope due to the previous surgery. Due to the failure of this surgery, he had to use his non-dominant left hand. This means on top of everything else, Tercek would need to learn how to do most things with his left hand. He knew it would require lots of practice, but he considered his disadvantage to prove that he could do things, despite his challenge of polio. Tercek proved this by saying, “I could pick up a pen or a pencil and write on paper, but when achieving tasks that involved the movement of my entire arm, I had to write with my left hand.”
It made it easier that he could use his right hand in school, but he had to learn to become ambidextrous. Since he was only five when the illness took place, it was easier for him to adapt to becoming left-handed, as he was not yet fully taught how to achieve daily tasks with his right hand at the time. As expected, using his left hand was a disadvantage to him at the start. He was not other kids because they had learned to do everything relying on a dominant arm to help them. However, Tercek was left with just his left arm. In fact, his right arm became so weak at a point, that he could not lift or pick up anything above his head.
Tercek faced many obstacles due to polio such as his limitations of sports ability. Fortunately, Tercek could still take part in youth baseball, securing an enjoyable hobby that he could still do, despite his arm limitations. Starting at just 8 years old, baseball gave Tercek the chance to expand his love of sports as well as becoming a supportive teammate. Due to his polio, his right arm was extremely weak, and his muscles were lost. Because of this challenge, he had to learn to become left-handed. However, his coach and teammates wanted to make sure he could still have a role on his team. Therefore, his coach gave him the opportunity to be the team’s pitcher. As a pitcher, though, he would still have to pitch with his left arm due to the extraordinarily little strength his right arm had. He knew that being the pitcher required positivity, leadership skills, and determination. But he never failed to bring the team to victory during close games. In the interview, he proudly states “In terms of baseball, I was selected the biggest role… My coach and teammates really believed in my ability to take over the game.”
Tercek did not give up due to his conflict. Instead, he could be seen at the baseball field (once done with his homework), developing his baseball skills. Given the circumstance, he knew it would be hard to immediately succeed. But with time and effort, he proved his resilience through his leadership role on the team. Rather than Tercek complaining about his disadvantage, he realized that he had a new opportunity. He taught other that they can do anything they put their mind to. Often, I reflect on his situation and aspire to be just as resilient as he was, especially during tough times.
Tercek shared his strength of perseverance and determination through his long-lasting journey through polio. Additionally, he inspired his family and peers to fight through adversity and respect the gifts they were given. Tercek stated that, “no matter your circumstance, be grateful for the gifts you have.” Through Tercek’s life experiences as a kid, many individuals around him also learned to be grateful for their health, given they were safe and healthy. Tercek’s amazing personality is shown through his daily life. Being 5 years old, hearing that your life will be changed due to an illness seems hard to take in. But the fact that Tercek pushed through his challenge while leaving no excuse to lack tasks, and still being optimistic is extremely commendable. Any days I am feeling stressed, I think back to Tercek’s amazing achievements, and I instantly feel a sense of self – confidence. I have come to realize that even though times can be hard, someone always has it worse. Therefore, I have learned to be appreciative of life knowing am extremely fortunate for all I have.
TheFighter’sPath:HowSeijoImazakiTurnedHardshipintoTriumph
SeijoImazakihasbeena senseiatImazakiDojofor overadecade,helpingkidsall overthecityfindtheirvoice andlearnkarate.
HowSeijoImazakiperseveredthroughhardships tobecomeasenseiandhelppeopleallover Chicagothroughkarate.
By:SofiaThason
I
twasSeptember1stof2017.ThefightImazakiwouldrememberfortherestofhislife.Imazakiwas goingagainst170-poundAngeloRiveraJr.andthehardestfighterhewouldencounter.Theywerecompetingfor the4AcesWelterweightChampionship.ThemomentfinallycamewhenImazakiwouldenterthecage.Themats wereavibrantblueandthewholeroomwaselectricwithanticipation.Theannouncer,atallmandressedina blacksuitandredbowtie,flippedonhismicrophoneandgaveaneagerintroductiontoAngeloRiveraJr.The crowdcheeredenthusiastically,waitingtoseetheirfavoritefighterbecomeachampion.Imazaki,anxiously bouncingtokeephimselfmoving,knewthatthiswouldbeahardfight.Herememberedhiscoachtellinghimonly momentsbeforethefighttowrestleandnotstrikeinthecageduetoRivera’sstrikesbeingincrediblystrong, maybetoopowerfulforImazaki.Initially,whenImazakiwasgiventhefight,hiscoachwarnedhimnottotakeit becauseRiverawas15yearsyoungerandImazakiwasnotfamiliarwithRivera’sfightingstyle,meaningthefight couldbepotentiallydangerous.Imazakitakesananxiousbreath,lookingathisopponent.Theannouncerturnsto Imazakiandintroduceshimtothecrowd:
“Ladiesandgentlemen,hereheis,SeijoImazaki!”Imazakigetsintoplaceandthefightbegins.The crowdischeering,coachesareyellingoutpunchcombinations,andthesmellofsweatandgritpermeatesthrough theair.Everythingbecomesablur,combinationsmoldingtogether,andtheroundsbeguntofeellongerandlonger witheverypunch.Thefinalbellringsandthefifthandlastroundisconcluded.Imazakicanhearhisheartbeatin hisearsandhischestisheavinganxiously,yetheiscompletelycontentwithhowthefightturnedout.He dominatedthemajorityofthefightanddespitetheuncertaintyandfearfeltbyhiscoachesandmentors,hedecides tobelieveinhisabilityandskillstofight,andheultimatelyprevails.Hestandsnexttothereferee,waitingtosee ifhewillwin.Helooksdown,nervously,palmssweatingforadifferentreasonnow.Theannouncerseemedtobe talkingforever.Suddenly,Imazakifeelshisarmbeingpulledup,signingthatheisthewinnerofthefight.Imazaki throwsbotharmsabovehisheadintriumph.TheannouncerlooksatthecrowdanddeclaresthatSeijoImazakiis thewinnerofthefightandnowtheChampionoftheWelterweightChampionship.SeijoImazaki,a46-year-old senseiandownerofImazakiDojoinChicago,Illinois.Imazakihasnotonlybeenaclosefriendtomyfamilybut alsoamentortomybrotherandIforyears.MybrotherhasbeendoingkarateforelevenyearsandIjoinedthree yearsago.Imazakihasempoweredus,mentoredus,andtaughtusskillsthatcouldbeappliedtoeveryaspectof life.Today,IcometoImazakiDojotobringlighttohisstorysootherscanlearntoperseverejustashedid.
ImazakigrewupinWhitePlains,NewYork,asuburboutsideofNewYorkCity,wherehismother unfortunatelypassedawaywhenhewasyoung.Afterthat,itwasjusthim,hisfather,andhisbrother.Duetohis brotherandfatherworkingalot,itwasjusthim.Imazakididnothaveamentororgoodinfluencewhengrowing upwhichmadehimhavetofendforhimselfandnavigateobstaclesonhisownwhileeveryonearoundhimwas havingacarefreechildhood.Hereflects,“Ilostmymotheratayoungageandgrowingupwithoutamotherwas hard.Igrewupwithmyfatherandbrother.BeforeIturnedeighteen,Ilostmyfather,anditmademegrowup withoutmuchguidance.”Theabsenceofstrongadultfiguresduringhismostformativeyearshadaprofound impactonImazaki’sdevelopment,andhewasforcedtotakeonresponsibilitiesthatmanychildrenwouldnever face,whichnotonlyacceleratedhisownemotionalmaturity,butalsolefthimfeelingisolated.
Thislackofguidancemeantthathehadtonavigatelifelargelythroughtrialanderrorlearning hardlessonsonhisown.Italsofosteredastrongsenseofresilienceandindependence,traitsthatwouldlater definehisapproachtolifeandmartialarts.Whileotherchildrenenjoyedthesecurityofastructured,carefree upbringing,Imazakifacedadulthoodfarearlierthanmost,whichgavehimauniqueperspectiveandstrength.
Imazakitriedallsortsofsportsbeforehelandedonwrestling.Hefoundacomfortinwrestlingthat hecouldnotfindanywhereelse.Duringthetimeafterhisfather'spassing,Imazakifaceddepressionandsadness, andwrestlingwashisescape.Wrestlingmadehimfocusonhisopponentinfrontofhiminsteadoflettinghismind wanderintosomethingelse.BecauseofImazaki’snewfoundloveofwrestling,hesoonbecamethebestonhis team.“Wrestlingsoonbecamethemostimportantactivityinmylife,”Imazakishares.“Iplayedothersports beforebutwhenIstartedwrestlingitgavemesomethingtoworkhardfor.”Wrestlingnotonlybecameapassion forImazakibutalsoservedasacrucialturningpointinhislife.
“Onceweopenedthedojo,wecouldn’t denythatitwasanecessityandthatthis wasmycallinginlifetopursuethiscareer path.”
Imazaki’sexperiencesinNewYorkCityexplainhowoverwhelmingcircumstancescanpushsomeone intoemotionalturmoil.Withnosupportsystemorpositiveinfluencestoguidehim,hewaslefttodealwithhis strugglesonhisown,leadingtomomentsofintensehighsanddeeplows.Thislackofexternalguidancenotonly affectedhisemotionalwell-beingbutalsomadeitharderforhimtochangethedifficultpathhewason.Imazaki recalls,“SometimesIwasontopoftheworld.SometimesitseemedasifIhadnothing.”
Thepeoplearoundhim,facingstrugglesoftheirown,werenotequippedtohelphimnavigatethe intenseemotionsandchallengeshewasexperiencing.Asaresult,hewaslefttofacethesefeelingsinisolation. Therangeofexperiencesheencounteredheightenedtheintensityofhisthoughtsandemotions,makingitdifficult forhimtofindclarityordirection.Despitemomentsoffeelinglikehewaspowerfulandsure,heoftenfeltas thoughhedidnothaveanything,reflectingtheemotionalturbulencehefacedduringthisperiodofhislife.
Unlikeothersportshehadtried,wrestlinggavehimasenseofbelongingandanavenuetochannelhis energy.Thisrecentlydiscovereddedicationlikelyinstilledastrongworkethicanddisciplineinhim,traitsthat wouldbenefithimnotonlyinwrestlingbutinotheraspectsofhislife.Ultimately,wrestlingbecamemorethan justasportforImazaki;itwasadefiningfactorthatshapedhisidentityandguidedhispathforward.
WrestlingwasImazaki’sfirstexposuretomartialarts.Although,onceheundertakenkarate,his wholelifechangedAfterhisshort-livedcareerinmodeling,hedecidedtomovebacktoNewYorkCity.Hethen stumbledacrossWorldOyamaKarate.Oncehetriedkarate,hefellinlovebecausehefinallyfoundsomething similartowrestling.Itwassomethingforhimtoliveforandenjoy.Imazakilovedtakingthekarateclassesbut neededtofindawayforhimtopayforthem,soheworkedatthedojotopayoffhisclasses.Imazakiexplains,“I dedicatedmylifetokarate,anditgavemeapurpose.Ithelpedmeovercomesomeofthehardestthingsinmy life.”Imazaki’sconnectiontokaratewentfarbeyondjustphysicaltraining.
Karatebecameanemotionaloutletforhim,providingasenseofpurposeandstabilityduringdifficult times.Karateallowedhimtochannelhisenergyintosomethingproductive,offeringamuch-neededescapefrom theemotionalburdenshecarried.Throughthedisciplineandstructureofkarate,Imazakifoundawaytocopewith thechallengeshefaced,makingitnotjustahobbybutanimportantpartofhishealingandself-discovery.
Afterdiscoveringkarate,theimagewasclearforhim:openinghisowndojoandhelpingpeople discoverkarateandsharehispassiontoeveryone.Imazakididnotgrowupwithalotofpositiveinfluenceswhich dictatedhisdecisions,andwhichmadehimultimatelyfeelthatthereneededtobeachangeinhislife.He musteredupsomecourageanddecidedtotakealeapoffaithandmovetoChicagotostartanewlife.
Oncehe,hiswife,andhissonmovedtoChicago,theyfellinlovewiththecity.ThisiswhenImazaki knewthatthisiswhathewantedtodofortherestofhislife.Imazakidescribeshisfavoritepartofbeingasensei is:“beingabletocontributetoandmaketheirlivesbetter.Toinspirethenextgeneration.”Imazakiwantedtobe thementorheneverhad.Hewantstobetherolemodelheneededwhenhewasgrowingupandwhoheneededas achild.Imazakiwantstowatchhisstudentsgrowandthrivenotonlyinsidethedojo,butineveryaspectoftheir life.HisdojowasadreamcometrueforhimandmanyotherkidsfindImazakiDojotheirhomeawayfrom home
Imazakirealizedthatopeningthedojowasmorethanjustapracticaldecision—itbecameclearthatit washistruecallinginlife.Reflectingonthispivotalmoment,heshared,“Butonceweopenedthedojo,we couldn’tdenythatitwasanecessityandthatthiswasmycallinginlifetopursuethiscareerpath.”Thiscaptures thepath,butoncethedojoopened,hesawtheundeniableimpactithadonbothhislifeandthelivesofthosein hiscommunity.Itwasnotjustaboutteachingkarate;itwasaboutprovidingaspacethatfosteredgrowth, discipline,andemotionalhealing—somethingthatresonateddeeplywithhisownjourney.
BeingaSenseigavehimasenseofdirectionandfulfillmentthathehadnotexperiencedbefore, solidifyinghisbeliefthatthiscareerwasmeantforhim.Hisstoryshowshowtakingaleapoffaithcanleadto thediscoveryofadeeperpurposeandthatsometimesthetruesignificanceofadecisiononlybecomesclear afterithasbeenmade.Byfollowinghispassion,Imazakifoundnotonlyacareerbutalifecallingthatgavehima renewedsenseofpurposeanddirection.
Imazaki’sjourneyservesasareminderthatourmindsetnotonlyaffectshowwefacechallenges,butit alsoshapestheoutcomesweexperience,empoweringustoriseabovedifficulties.Hefacedunimaginablethings andnowhegetstosharehiswisdomwithsomanypeople.Hehasbeenthementorthateverychildneedstothrive bymakingsuretheyhaveagoodworkethic,arestrongbothmentallyandphysically,andbuildsuptheselfesteemofhisstudentstoensurethattheyneverhavetoexperiencethehardshipshedid.
Now,hisapproachinlifeisrootedinconfidenceandself-belief,seeingobstaclesastemporaryrather thaninsurmountable.Hisabilitytostayfocusedonthepositive,eveninthefaceofadversity,reflectshis developmentintosomeonewhoembraceslife’sdifficultieswithresilienceandfaiththateverythingwillturnoutas itshould.Thisevolutionshowsthatwithdeterminationandarefusaltogiveup,anyonecantransformtheir perspective.
Imazakifacednumeroushardships,yethemanagedtomaintainaremarkablypositivemindset throughout.Whenaskedhowhestayedoptimisticindifficulttimes,heofferedasimpleyetpowerful philosophy:"Believeinyourself.Lookforthepositiveandkeepawayfromthenegative.Everythingworksout likeitissupposedto.Theonlywayyouwillloseisifyougiveup.OSU!”
AsIstepoutofthedojo,thephilosophyofImazakiDojolingersinmymind.Itismorethanaplacefor training;itisavisionbroughttolife,asymbolofstrength,unity,andtheresiliencethatshapesus.ImazakiDojo speaksofgrowth,andechoeswiththebeautyofadreamfulfilled.
life.
Dave Zeglis an Adventure
Through Life
A man who has been through thick and thin but still has a positive outlook.
It was a warm Monday night, and I had the pleasure to sit down and interview David Zeglis, my grandpa. As we sat down in the cold basement, Zeglis sat on his bed, and I sat across from him in a big comfy chair that he used to call his. He previously moved to Florida and had given us the chair. He had to move because of the hurricane. I explained to him the “terms” of this interview. He agreed, and I pressed record. Then this whole story unfolded.
In 2017, Zeglis became very ill. He started to grab his leg as he recalled the memory of this horrible instance. I could almost feel the tension in his muscles as he told me about his leg and he recalled to me, “I had a blood clot that got infected with sepsis. [Sepsis is a disease where your body improperly fighting an infection], and then there was an aneurysm… I had nerve damage and I still have drop foot. It was a challenge.”
always is grateful for the little things. When this happened to him, I felt like there was even more in life for me to do and to be grateful for.
When talking about recovering from his sepsis, Zeglis began talking about his favorite hobby, golf. When he started to mention golf, he eased up. When I asked him if it was challenging for him to get back into golf after the incident with his leg he shares, “If you like it, and you keep trying, you will get better and better.”
After this he mentioned how even if something bad happens to you, you have to relearn things. I have always been taught that if you want something you should go get it. If you love something, you should go do it. When I am his age, I would want to be living life to the fullest and enjoying everything I do, just like my grandpa who has worked for everything he has.
nap and then go to dinner.” He was quite happy with this routine he said it made him feel happy because he got to do the thing he loved every day. This was so special because he had worked so hard his whole life consequently now, he gets to enjoy himself every day and he deserves it.
By Patrick Tivin
As he said more, he recalled how he was at the complete mercy of the hospital system. This was because he did not know any doctors and had just moved to the other side of the country. Even though the experience was horrific, it effected his life in both a positive and a negative way. For instance, even though he has limited mobility, he is
After he had reacquainted himself with his golf game, Zeglis started to enjoy golf a lot more. He mentioned how in the winter when all his friends are down south getting away from the cold.Also, it was peak golf season he would have routine. He had described to me this routine,” You play golf in the morning, come home, take a
While writing this text I have realized how blessed I am to have this man, my grandpa, in my life. During the time where I drafted, edited, and wrote this article, I learned so much about him. He has had so many interesting things happen to him, for the positive and the negative. He has been through thick and thin. Yet, he always stayed positive and look for the next good thing to happen. Consequently, he is a very happy person and always gives people a smile on their face when he walks in a room. So to conclude, Zeglis has been through everything and still has a positive outlook on life. How can we be more like him and show positivity in all aspects of life?
“If you like it, and you keep trying, you will get better and better.”
Zeglis enjoying
Aa a victim of colon cancer my dad had to fight through so much to be here today
“Dad can I interview you for a school project?” At first, he was hesitant but with a little convincing, he agreed As the interview began, I realized just how serious this was as we had never really talked about it. The longer the interview went on the deeper it got. He told me about when his brother got it, about when he got it and everything that happened during and after the cancer. Little did I know how scary of a situation this truly was. Leading up to the accident, it was terrifying since his brother had just been diagnosed with colon cancer. It came as a bit of a surprise that he had gotten it because he was healthy and colon cancer is very common in people with eating or drinking problems. Regardless, due to the uncertainty of how he got colon cancer, everyone in my dad’s family had to get checked for colon cancer. So my dad went to the doctor expecting nothing of it, because similar to his brother he is healthy and it would be unusual if he had it. Then the results came back he had colon cancer. There were many theories of how he got it One of the theories was colon cancer ran in the family since my dad and Uncle had it Due to that they concluded that was the cause: “It is just a genetic disposition”. A genetic disposition is a genetic mistake that runs in your blood, in my dad's case it was colon cancer. A good example of this is diabetes if someone in your family has it you are more likely to get it.
Once my dad found out he had colon cancer he was very stressed. He still understood how lucky he was since his brother had it they scanned it and found it in its early stages so he would not have to do chemo or anything like that. The treatment process was simple, all that was going to happen was he would have surgery and they would take it out. “I was nervous I was worried I did not really know what the outcome would be”. He went into getting colon cancer and the surgery feeling this way. But he was not wrong to think this his brother had it and it was a much more difficult and scary process. The surgery went well, they took out the cancer and nothing unusual or bad happened when they opened him up.
A Survivor’s Story
My dads remarkable story shows you even in the most dire of times its not over.
By Ryan Torchen
I was sitting at the dinner table with my dad, (Steve Torchen) my mom (Laura Torchen), And my 2 sisters (Grace and Claire Torchen). We were talking about school, sports, etc. and then I asked,
Shortly after the surgery there was some pretty important setbacks. The first and smallest setback was he was not able to drive in the days following the surgery because of the medicine he was under Another handicap was that after the surgery he was experiencing extreme pain, causing him to need to take pain medication. But the worst hindrance was in the days after the surgery he could not walk due to the surgery which caused him to stumble and fall a lot. Some of these may seem like tiny problems he was experiencing all of this while under significant stress due to the surgery
Although my dad had some pain and hindrances shortly after his surgery it was nothing compared to the long-term repercussions. Most likely the main one is his doctor strongly recommends no red meats. For about the first year after his surgery, he just stuck to not eating red meats but shortly after he decided to stop eating meat altogether and became a pescatarian: “Probably in
2016-17 I stopped having it.” Another obstacle he faced was that once a year he had to get a colonoscopy. For those of you who don’t know a colonoscopy is when you go to the doctor, and they stick a camera up your butt to see if you have colon cancer. This may not seem too bad but on the day before it, he is not allowed to eat anything or drink red liquids. This is because they do not want to confuse anything with colon cancer.
Even when all seems down my dad stayed up.
Throughout my interview, I slowly realized how hard and scary a battle with colon cancer is. My dad shared his story in the interview, and it gave me a better understanding of the gravity of the situation. I had heard so many stories about people beating cancer and their fights against it, but it is so much different when it is someone close to you. If I were to leave my reader with one final message it would be you can never judge how difficult a situation is until you go through it or get insight on it.
TheHardWorkin Life
BrianUmbenhauersucceedsinlife byworkinghardandmakingbig lifechanges.
\ It's4p.m.onaSunday,I’mwalkingintothegalleryinmyhouse, dressedinacomfortablepairofsweatpantsandahoodie.Icansmellmymom cookingpasta,andIhearmybrothersintheroomnextdoor.Isitdowninthe whitechairacrossfrommydad.Irecognizehimwearingacream-colored hoodieandapairofVioripantsIseemtoremember.Iseehimadjusthisglasses
whichheclaimshedoesn’tneed.Helooksatmewithhismoviestarsmileand thenIknowit’stimetostart.InoticehimtakeabiggulpofcoffeewhileIgive himabriefoverviewofwhatIwillbeaskinghimwhenIstarttorecord.Once heagreesIhitthestartbuttononmyphone.AsI’mreadingthefirstquestion thatIhadwrittendownpreviously.IfeelmyhandsstarttosweatandIcanfeel thesunbeamsshiningthroughtheceilingwarmingmyskin.
Umbenhauerfacedmanychallengesinlifeincludingnotbeingexpected togotocollege.Everyonealwaysthoughthewouldjustliveathisparents’ househiswholelifeandtakeoverhisdad’sjobonceheretired.Hewouldhelp raisemoneyforhismomanddadworkingatthefamilybusiness,thebarin downtownPennsylvania.Umbenhauerexpressed,“TheonlythingIknewwasto haveajo.”Heexplainedthatthewholereasonthathedidnotbelieveinhimself togotocollegewasbecausehedidnotknowwhatitwouldbelikeifhelefthis momanddadandiftheywouldbeabletosurvivewithoutthelittleextracash, theywouldgetfromhimnowandthen.
Umbenhauerhashadsomanyjobsincludingworkingatanautobody shopashisfirstjob,thenhislocalappleorchard,hislocalgrocerystores,local bakeryshops,landscapingforothers,andaclothingstorecalledChessKing.His all-timefavoritewasthelandscapingjob.Thisiswhatheenjoyedmost:helping othersbuildtheirforeverhomeandevenbuildingforthingssuchasgrocery stores.
Heexplained,“Whenmybestfriend’smomaskedifIwasgoingto college,Iwaslikenoandsothebiggeststruggleinmyearlyyearsistryingto figureouthowtomakethatareality.”Hethenrememberedquestioning,“How canIhelpmymomanddadwhoreally,Iguessnever,consideredcollege?Who neverevengraduatedhighschool?AppreciatethatIwasgoingtodosomething different?”
Umbenhauerdidnotgiveupandpushedsohardtofinallyreachhisgoal ofgoingtocollege.HestoodinfrontofPennStateUniversity,lookingupatall thetallbrickbuildings,andIimaginehimsayingtohimself,IdiditI’mthefirst oneinmyfamilytomakeittocollege,--mydreamcollege.
Noonebelieveditwasgoingtohappen,buthedidnotdoubthimself andsucceededinhisgoal.Hewantstheworldtoknowthattryinghardwillpay offjustlikehishardworkpaidoff.Lookatwhereitgothimtoday:livingagreat lifewithalovelywife,threeamazingchildren,adog,abeautifulhousetosleep under,andagreatjob.
Ilearnedthatthemostimportantthingtorememberisthattheonlything Ineedismyself.TheUmbenhauerfamilyneverexpectedhimtogettowherehe istoday,buthejustprovedthemwrong.Hehasalwaysthoughtthatwhatyou believeinisalwayspossibleandtoalwaystrustyourinstinctsforthegoodor thebad.Umbenhauerdescribed,“Youhavetotrustyourinstincts,youhaveto knowwhensomethingsrightorwhensomethingswrong.Trustyourinstincts, followyourheart,dialafriend,andworkhardandhopefullygoodthingswill happen.”
Umbenhauerhasbeencommunicatinginspirationalthingshethinks everyoneshouldandcanuseintheireverydaylife.Hesaidthishasbeenoneof themosthelpfulthingshehasusedinhislifeandwantstopassitdownso otherscanreachtheiraspirationalgoaltoo.Iwillalwaysrememberthatnothing isimpossibleunlessIthinkitisimpossible.
Ifsomeonehadtodescribeyouinthreewordstotheworld,whatwould youwantthemtosayaboutyou?Wouldyouwantthemtostateinspirational thingsaboutyou,funnythingsaboutyou,orevenbasicthingsaboutyou?Or wouldyouwantthemtosayaboveandbeyondthingsaboutyou?Umbenhauer wantspeopletousewordsthattheyreallymustdigdeepfor.Gettothebottom oftheicebergtodescribehimintherightwayheprefers.Inthepastyears, Umbenhauerhasbeendescribedassustainableandinspiring.Itwasnotthathe didn’tpreferthesewordstobeusedtodescribehimeventhoughtheydidgo alongwithwhathestandsforandwhathedoes,buthetrulybelievedthatother wordscoulddescribehimbetter.Evenincludingthosewordsinthedefinition butusingmorespecificmeanings.
Umbenhauerretellsthathecanmakeabigimpactontheworldand peoplearoundhimbutnotleaveanythinginabigmessormakedamage.Onthe otherhand,inspiringdescribedthathecarvedpathsforothers,inspiredothers, andtheirfutures.
ThisiswhoUmbenhauerwantspeopletodescribehimas“Authentic, that’simportant,alwaysshowupinyourtrueself.Caring,Ialwaystrytodofor othersasIwishtheywoulddoforme.Andimpactful,Ihavemadeabigimpact onotherslivingaroundme.”Thisallexemplifiesthateveryoneisdifferentand uniqueandusesdifferentwordstodescribethemselvesandtheirtrueself.
“Youhavetotrustyourinstincts; youhavetoknowwhen somethingisrightorwhen somethingiswrong.Trustyour instincts,followyourheart,diala friend,andworkhardand hopefullygoodthingswill happen.”
Believinginyourselfiscrucialforgrowth.Whenyoutrustinyour abilitiesandmaintainapositivemindset,youwillopendoorstocountless opportunitiesandovercomechallenges.Self-beliefempowersyoutotakerisks, learnfromyourmistakes,andachieveyourgoals,leadingtoyourgreatsuccess.
Alwaysrememberthatthejourneyyoudecidetotakebeginswiththe confidenceyouhaveinyourself.Overcomehardthings,workhard,anditwill allpayoff.Brianisalwayskind,caring,helpful,andfullofjoy.Haveyouever facedabigchallengeorsurvivedbigchallenges?
By:NatalieUmbenhauer
BrianUmbenhauer
industrial,andus constructing business.
The Evolution of Sandy Watson
Sandy is a HRBP(Human Resources
Business Partner) at Chicago Public Schools. She was born on June 19th, 1976, inAuburn Gresham on the south side of Chicago. Growing up a Haitian household was not easy for Watson and her other siblings, especially being the only girl in the family. They had to achieve good grades and be very respectful. My mom was a respectful child, and she completed school without any bad grades. It was one Sunday afternoon; I was sitting on the couch with my family watching the Sunday afternoon football game. I turned towards my mom and asked if I could interview her, she replied “Yes of course, I don’t see why not, but I must finish making Sunday dinner.’’I hopped off the couch and my dog also jumped off too. I went to my room and grabbed my writing notebook that had the questions in it from my backpack that was sitting on my desk.About 3 hours later at 8:55pm my mom was finally ready for me to interview her. I was in my room and I hear a knock on my bedroom door I said come in. My mom comes in and says “do you still want to interview me?’’ I said yeah its for a assignment for school.’’She replied oh okay I’ll be in the living room meet me there when your ready.’’The interview lasted about 45 minutes. She was wearing a Nike hoodie and black sweatpants; she was sitting up straight like she was at her work desk.
The life of Sandy as she evolved into the woman that she is today.
By: Maddi Watson
My first question I asked Watson was who do you admire and why? She began to state, “I admire my parents because they migrated to the USAfrom Haiti not knowing how to speak the language and what or where to go.” She also said that it was hard for them to find/receive a job because they did not pronounce words correctly, and they had to change their date of birth specifically her mother. Her parents also had to get remarried because they needed a new marriage license for the USA. Watson and her brothers had to grow up with parents who were very clueless on what to do and how to do things in theAmerican culture and systems. They also made fun of for the way that they spoke and how heavy their accents were.
Watson sat up in the interview and remembers on report card pick up day Watson and her siblings would have to translate what the teacher was stating and they could tell if you were not telling the truth and could tell by the look on your face, when you would come out of report card pick up they would either get mad at you for not telling the truth and/or getting bad grades. Mostly the boys got bad grades, Watson would always get good grades no matter what she was going through or what had happened at home.
Every single Sunday, Watson and her brothers would have to clean the whole house and prep for a new week of school. They did this to get into a new mindset and make sure the whole house did not have a speck of dust anywhere. Watson would have to do the laundry, iron clothes, wash dishes, and water plants. She didn’t have to complete any of the manly duties, her brothers would complete mopping, sweeping, and washing the cars, etc.
Watson’s parents believed in gender roles and what girls/boys should do and not do. They really thought that since they were young, they should learn these things at a very young age and grow up to do these things for their future. Watson felt that she could do the manly things in the house, but her parents would not let that stand a chance in their household. In the interview Watson was very soft spoken but was confident about what she was saying and sitting up straight and very relaxed.
Up to now Watson does not follow these traditions in her household now she believes that girls and boys should and could do the opposite gender roles. On Sunday’s we put on a playlist and start cleaning the whole house to get in the correct mindset for the entire week and it makes the house look clean when company comes over during the week unexpectedly. It also shows how clean you as a person in general. Watson said ‘’On Sunday’s I was left in the house to clean and cook with the boys but I wasn’t allowed to do any of the manly work.’’This is stating how she was left in the house to complete all of the chores while her parents were at work.
“The achievements of an organization are the results of the combined effort of each individual.’’
Watson was born and raised on the South side of Chicago she stated that the southside of Chicago is not the same as it was when she was growing up, they were able to walk to the store and walk to the park alone without anybody trying to take them or asking for money. She also stated that the Chicago we live in now is not the Chicago she grew up in. Watson grew up with little to no shootings, the gang members were also not the gang members that we have now on the south side. Watson has now raised a family in Beverly, south side of Chicago. She also said growing up on the south side of Chicago was like a melting pot for her because it taught her a lesson on growing up around different people and having different experiences. Her immediate family has also been raised on the south side of Chicago and they also said that it was a learning experience for them.
Watson’s parents only let her and her brothers hangout with their cousins. Their parents didn’t trust anybody since they were new to the USA, her cousins parents only trusted their other family not anyone they went to school with and or the neighbors. They were very protective over their children in the Haitian culture. They also were not allowed to have sleepovers with their friends, only their cousins. On the weekends after Watson and her brothers were done doing their chores, they would go outside only during the summer because of Chicago weather, they would have a big wheel and they would all take turns using it because they had to learn how share and those were the only people that they would have to play with. This is why Watson, and siblings and cousins remain best friends till this day. Watson believes that the way she was raised was a bit of over kill but it has made her the person that she is today and would choose to raise her child differently from how she was raised.
Now that I know more about Watson’s life, I feel empowered by her as a person and how she handled growing up with very strict parents and bullies. I learned how hard it was growing up in a Haitian household and strict parents. I admire her because of how much of a great person she is and has become and how she is a great mother/wife.
Sandy Watson as a HR strategist in 2021
An image of my mom
Elizabeth Wolicki.
Life Growing Up
Elizabeth Wolicki’s experiences growing up in Chicago
By Henry Wolicki
On a Sunday afternoon I walked into my mom’s bedroom. It was 9:00pm and the sun was down. The walls were white with a bed that had white sheets and white pillows by the wall to the right. There was a TV on the left wall that was turned off and a window in the front of the room with the curtains down. I sat down on my mother’s (Elizabeth Wolicki) bed and started to record audio with my phone. I asked her a question and she answered while smiling.
My mom was working hard and was stressed out about school papers because she wanted everything on it to be perfect. This is because her parents wanted her to do well on her schoolwork. When schoolwork started to get difficult for her in high school at Lab school, she always would spend a long time working on her schoolwork. She was trying to get a perfect grade on all her assignments. She wanted the best grade on every assignment which caused her a lot of stress. After constantly wanting everything to be perfect her mom said, “perfection is the enemy of the good.” This quote means that wanting everything to be perfect makes good things less enjoyable. This also means to enjoy what you
have instead of wanting it to be perfect.
My mom would go shopping a lot with her friends. This also shows that she enjoyed the friendship she had with her friends and how she would walk around Chicago. She would go shopping at the Water Tower and eat at Food Life. She used to also go shopping at Bloomingdale’s to try on clothes. She also went to the movies on Oak Street. She describes it as being fun because she liked to have independence from her parents. She described “going shopping on Michigan Avenue.” This also shows the activities she enjoyed and what she did growing up and how she was spending time with her friends.
During her childhood, my mom liked to read. She liked reading and read a lot of books and many kinds of book such as books by Beverley Cleary, Anne of Green Gables, The Little House on The Prairie, The Baby-Sitters Club, and Sweet Valley High books. She said, “That was one of my favorite things growing up to read.” This means that she liked to read and loved books and was one of her favorite hobbies growing up.
She would go shopping at the Water Tower and eat at Food Life.
In December of 2005, she was worried about if she would pass her finals in law school. She was stressed and her dad loved to buy cards for her. Then she got sent a card from her dad that said, “When you are stressed find the beauty in things around you.” This is important to my mom because she uses her cards that her dad sent her for advice. This quote means that even when you are stressed there are still good things around you and that you could sometimes take a break and enjoy the beauty in the things around.
My mom, Elizabeth Wolicki, is kind and caring and loved her life growing up.
Hard Work: The Key to Finding Success in Life
By: Max Zahr
Marc Zahr, a hard-working businessman, reflects on his past choices and what he had to do to get to where he is today.
2024.
It was a dark night. I was sitting on the couch with my dad in the family room. It was me and my dad, alone. All I could hear were the droplets of rain that were hitting the window outside. The one thing louder than that was my racing thoughts. Thoughts and questions were flooding my mind all at once. “How do I start the conversation?” “What should I ask first?” I felt stuck, like cork in a wine bottle. I just sat there, waiting, dangling my feet off the couch. Something then caught my attention… a certain smell, a sweet but dark one. It was coffee. My dad had just made a coffee prior to all of this. My dad grabbed the mug and approached the couch. My heart started to race; I was preparing for what was to come next. I certainly did not want to be the one to break the deafening silence.
“Ring!” A loud noise went off. I felt a vibration under me. It was a phone, my dad’s phone. “Sorry, someone from work is calling me. I will be right back.” My dad said in a low and calm tone. I calmed down and prepared myself for when he would come back. After about 5 minutes or so, he came back and sat down. “You ready?” He asked me.
“Always” I replied in a confident tone. I started to ask him questions, and it led to his childhood. My dad then told me a remarkable story, which was hard to forget.
He was a little boy. He had moved to Kuwait from Appleton, Wisconsin. My dad, his dad, and his mom were sitting in their living room watching the news. Just then they heard a loud “bang!” noise. This was in the 1990’s, and at this time, there was a little conflict between Kuwait and another middle eastern country. My dad’s parents knew exactly what to do, they ran upstairs and each of them climbed into the bathtub. My grandma quickly hurried and handed my grandpa and my dad a wet cloth. She told them it was for protection from the chemicals, which were put into the air during the war. They waited in the tub until it was all over.
My dad told me that it was one of the first times in his life, that he felt real fear. I thought that that was truly a remarkable story. My dad is one remarkable person. Zahr is a 45-year-old businessperson. He lives in Chicago, Illinois
and was born in Appleton, Wisconsin. Zahr has three kids and a wife. Most importantly, Zahr is my dad. Throughout the interview, Zahr taught me that you can do anything that you set your mind to. That is a great life lesson, and Zahr applies this theme within every day of his life.
Zahr is a fitting example of how hard work and grit can deliver unexpected results. Zahr was an only child. Even though his parents did not have a lot of money, he was given a lot of attention from his mom and dad which gave him a lot of confidence to work hard and to go out and accomplish his goals and dreams. One of the most important moments of Zahr’s life was, the birth of his first-born son. He describes, “I would say the one thing that I remember is that it was the first time in my life that I loved someone more than I loved myself.” That feeling motivated Zahr to go out and to try to deliver his son a better opportunity, than he was given at an early age by his parents. By Zahr having his first son, that motivated him so much to go out and accomplish what he always wanted to do. Right around the time of Zahr’s first sons’ birth, ironically, that is when his business started to take off.
One of the keys to Zahr’s success has been in his focus. He talks about working extremely hard and not letting setbacks prevent him from losing that focus. This shows how much Zahr’s demeanor has changed over the course of his life. Zahr went from a kid who did not work hard at anything, to a man that makes everything in his life a challenge. Zahr states, “I try not to dwell on past failures.” I think that quote says a lot. It shows that Zahr tried to focus on the good and kept moving forward even when times were hard. Zahr understands that failing is a crucial part of the journey, in order to succeed. Failing only got Zahr, one step closer to achieving his goals.
As talked about in the previous paragraphs, mistakes are a very crucial part of a person’s life. Mistakes are the only bad things that end up being good. What I mean by this is, you make yourself better from your mistakes. Well, at least Zahr does. Zahr was not perfect all his life. Zahr majored in communications in college, when asked why he said, “because it was
the easiest.” One of the biggest mistakes Zahr has made in his life, was not taking school more seriously. Once Zahr graduated, he realized that he needed to change. Zahr needed a better work ethic. A work ethic like Kobe Bryant’s – a man who wants more, even after he has the most. The only reason he realized he needed to change was because, the mistakes that he made in the past. In an appreciative tone Zahr says, “The mistakes that you have made along the way, make you who you are today.” Zahr became successful once he learned to embrace his mistakes.
Zahr loves to be challenged. In fact, Zahr looks forward to overcoming challenges in his day by the second he wakes up. Zahr really did not have much growing up, and that is one of the biggest motivating factors for him. He works extremely hard, but also spends his time very wisely. My dad goes to work every day, but of course, still has plenty of time with the kids. Zahr loves to be challenged everyday: “Every day to me is like if you’re not being challenged, you’re not spending your time wisely.” This quote really stands out to me because, most days I do not even want to get up for school. It utterly amazes me how hard my dad works one day, and then just does it all again the next day. That is determination and being locked in.
Zahr is an incredibly wise and hard-working person. Zahr spends every day challenging himself and making himself a better person. One attribute that Zahr has is making others around him better. Zahr teaches great lessons to his family and teaches his family respect and how to work hard. I know this for a fact because, my dad pushes me to be the best I can be in school and in sports. One thing about Zahr that I want you to know is that he is an inspiration. Not only to me, but to others as well. I look up to my dad every day, When I grow up, I want to be just like him. And I will always love my dad for being a great dad to me.
“I try not to dwell on past failures.”
Marc Zahr at Blue Owl Capital,