Wednesday, October 19, 2016
Please post your two narratives from the interview activity here! Remember, one should be structured linearly, the other should be based around an event. It is okay and understandable for some information to overlap. Each should be no more than a page double spaced (but no less than half a page). So, in total, you should have written between 1 and 2 pages for this assignment. Bring a hard copy on Friday as well for the editing/revision exercise that we will be doing.
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Abbey Dearden
ReplyDelete18 years ago, Abbey Dearden made an appearance in Orlando, Florida. This was her residence for five years up until her family and her moved to Ashburn, Virginia. She was not alone when moving, luckily she had a little brother Grant who was two years old at the time. I guess he was a Christmas miracle, since he was brought into this world on Christmas day. Her dog Holly follows this Christmas trend and in her words is “the best dog in the world.” Ashburn was where Abbey and her family resided the rest of her life. She was captain of a lacrosse team, greatly enjoys running, and Pasta, french toast, and ice cream are among her favorite foods. Traveling is a passion of hers, constantly she immerses herself into the different cultures of every new place she goes too. A few of the many countries she has gone to are: Ireland, Scotland, Germany, Poland, and the Czech Republic. Since she loves traveling she already has plans to study abroad to Switzerland in the near future. Coming to FSU was quite a distance from her home, but she couldn’t picture herself anywhere else. Abbey is the 3rd generation of her family attending FSU. She had a grandma, three uncles and aunts, as well as, six cousins come to FSU so clearly it was in her blood. Abbey is a hard worker planning to major both in Hospitality and Business management to pursue her dream job. She plans on becoming an event planner to plan out charity balls which truly shows the selfless person she is.
Leukemia Ball
Every year in the Spring a charity ball is put on. This is a charity ball unlike no other that takes place at the Kennedy Center in D.C. Imagine this: you walk into this huge ballroom, with tables stretching across the room, savory food, bottomless drinks, and all the while, performers bring entertainment. The people sitting at these tables have paid 10,000 dollars to be there. In Abbey’s words it is a “sophisticated prom” for the rich. Her dad is a private banker for the Leukemia Society, the ones who put on this charity ball every year. He is involved in calling for special packages and puts together baskets to auction off. This event every year earns money for doctors that work to find cures for Leukemia. One doctor sponsored by this event cured 17/25 patients which is unheard of. 25 million is raised every year for this cause. Abbey’s dad's career has influenced and inspired her. Abbey because of this event, has developed a desire to want to help people, to throw charity balls just as this one, and to raise money for cancer patients. This event has molded a path out for her life and she is grateful to have gotten to be a part of this life changing experience.
LJ Rosenthal
ReplyDeleteIn the town of Sleepy Hollow, NY a fiery, independent soul was born. Eighteen years later she found herself a true city girl in every sense of the word, living and breathing Westchester. Fast paced just like the city, LJ knows the ins and outs of the city. She's street smart, a Leo, and more importantly, the youngest of 6 siblings. As the baby of the family with a 22 year age gap between herself and her eldest sibling, LJ was spoiled as if she were an only child. LJ has been no stranger to tough situations, and cites Anne Frank as her role model, admiring her strength in the face of adversity. LJ's passion is people and music. She wants to change the world, and I believe she will do just that. Whether she pursues a career in molding the minds of college students or works with music festivals like EDM as promotion manager, she will undoubtedly give whichever path she chooses her all. Back home in NY are two sisters who each share the same tattoo as LJ. A rose with the initials "J. J. L." can be found on each sister symbolizing their loyalty and forever love for one another. Coming as no surprise due to her vibrant personality, LJ chose to come to Florida State University due to its rich history and warmth and the ever-present social scene.
Family
It was complicated. If three simple words could sum up LJ Rosenthal's family life, those were the three. Fostering a constant environment of love and nurture in a house full of six kids is no easy task. Being loving and nurturing always to six kids as you battle a serious, destructive mental illness is near impossible. LJ'S mother suffered from both schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Physical and mental abuse were commonplace in her home as she grew. Although her parent's marriage ended in 2014, it was over long before the papers were finalized. It was in this struggle that LJ came to find a best friend in her father. During her sophomore year of high school LJ was sent to live with her father. To this day LJ describes her father as the most influential person in her life and loves him dearly. LJ's mother has since sought out help and has come to know Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior.
EJ Rodger
ReplyDeleteEJ was born on March 22, 1998 in Plantation, FL. His parent’s names are Eddie and Tara. EJ is an only child and it 18 years old. During High School he was very involved in sports. EJ played ice hockey and football for his school, Arch Bishop McCarthy. His other activities that he likes to do involve watching football, particularly FSU which is his favorite team, playing video games, and partying. EJ is a very outgoing person as well. Currently he is enrolled as a freshman at FSU. He is planning to get his degree in Finance. After college he would like to apply his major by either taking over his Dad’s business or if that does now work out, go and work in the corporate world, which he is very interested in. His role model growing up and to this day is his Dad, because he has taught him a lot and they are very close.
High School Football Senior Year
EJ played football all through high school as an offensive guard. He worked very hard every year and grew as a leader. His senior year he became captain of the Arch Bishop McCarthy varsity football team. EJ’s sophomore and junior year, the team really struggled. Their record was 2-8 sophomore year and 5-6 his junior year. But, something changed his senior year. They beat one of their biggest rivals, Key West, during the regular season and finished the rest of the season undefeated. Once they got to the playoffs they won every game and made it to the Championship, who again they would face their big rival, Key West, at home. They went on the win the championship and finish and 13-0 undefeated season. His senior year football season is one of EJ’s greatest memories that he wishes he could experience again.
Jake Carter
ReplyDelete19 long years ago in the town of Rock Hill, South Carolina a potential golf prodigy was born. Jake Carter was the son of Brian and Nanci Carter. Brian is a current medical sales representative in South Carolina while Nanci is a Biology teacher at the local high school. Jake also has one younger brother 3 years younger than him. The family then moved while Jake was still young to a near by town called Aiken, South Carolina. This is where Jake would spend the remaining amount of time before he attended Florida State. He went to the local high school there names South Aiken High School. He loved growing up in this environment because part of his personality is made up by his love for nature and the outdoors. He loves being in nature around a campfire, and he also loves going out to hunt and fish. He would usually go hunting with his dad and grandpa. He considers his grandpa as his role model because of all the important timeless lessons he has taught Jake. One of the most important lessons he's taken from his dad and grandpa is discipline. He has truly showed his mastery of discipline through his golf game. Golf a sport that takes a great deal of mental strength and discipline is not for everyone. He loves golf so much that Jake, his father, and his grandpa traveled to Scotland in search of some new golf adventures. While he was there for 8 days he enjoyed the company and played 9 rounds of golf. Jake has exceeded at this sport earning himself a golf scholarship at Florida State. This scholarship is what made him chose this place as his current school. He is a current Business management major at FSU. His future plans for life are either working his way onto the PGA tour to play his favorite sport against some of the best in the world. If he choses to stick to a normal work life he would like to move into the construction management field.
Hunting Trip
The setting is a thanksgiving break night during Jake’s senior year, and he anticipates his future plans. He had just finished packing for a week long trip down to Texas. Jake and his friend Alex had been dreaming of this day and its finally the night before and he's buzzing with excitement. The sun rises on a new day and Jake knows it’s time for his new adventure. They got in their truck and set off for Texas. Though the ride was too long, the boys stopped and spent one night in Lake Charles, Louisiana. The next morning the boys woke up to be back on the road. He finally arrived at his Aunt and Uncle’s house in a small town outside Houston known as Katy, Texas. From there, Jake, his aunt and uncle and Alex traveled down to the hunting grounds of Marble Falls. This town down near Austin, Texas proved to very fruitful for the boys. They spent 4 days out in nature, one of Jake’s favorite things. He was effectually spending his thanksgiving break the best way possible. After shooting down one deer on the trip, Jake felt accomplished and it was time to travel back to Katy for Thanksgiving dinner. Thursday night they came together to feast and celebrate this great holiday. On Friday, the boys then traveled to the local High School in Texas to watch the game under the Friday Night lights. The next day, after a successful trip, Alex and Jake packed up their things to head back to Aiken, South Carolina. Jake specifically enjoyed this vacation and hunting adventure above all other for the combination of his three favorite things. Jake was able to use guns to hunt, he was able to watch a good football game, and finally he was one with nature spending almost everyday in the outdoors. This combination truly lead to a vacation that will never be forgotten.
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ReplyDeleteElliana Mortello
ReplyDeleteElliana Mortellaro was born in Orlando, Florida, where she didn’t stay long. Throughout her lifetime, she has moved six times, including out of Florida to New Hampshire and North Carolina, where her family now resides in Sarasota, Florida. Every two years (approximately) her father was re-positioned, which was the main factor in why her family had to relocate so often. Elliana has a 16 year old brother named Carson and her family owns a dog. Elliana traditionally been a very hard and motivated worker. She utilized these skills when participating on the track and soccer teams, which she has been involved in since she was young. In her free time, Elliana was involved in (NRHH), Operation Smile, and, Navigators (a Christian organization). Being so involved in many aspects of her various communities assisted Elliana in finding friends easily when she moved to a new town.
Family is an extremely important factor in Elliana’s life. Her role model in life is her mom, who is selfless and willing to sacrifice anything for her family. She has taken her mother’s qualities and values and applied them into her own life today. Elliana continued her strong work ethics her mom instilled in her to attend Florida State University, where she flourishes in the competitive academic setting.
Moving
The biggest impact on Elliana’s life has been her frequent moving around. While unfortunate to consistently leave friends and familiar places, it taught Elliana important life lessons. At first Elliana realized how difficult it was to keep in touch with old friends. She quickly learned the importance of finding true friends and how those friendships will be tested in the future. The experiences Ellianna has made from moving place to place has taught her to be more open-minded and accept all situations that come her way. Elliana has gained significant people skills from continuously having to make new friends wherever she goes, which is only going to assist her in the future.
These experiences have paid off already with the transition to college for Elliana. While most first year students struggle with the battle of being homesick, the transition has been significantly easier for her. Making new friends and finding her place is like muscle memory while other students have a hard time finding where they fit in. It is evident that moving has made the biggest impact on Elliana’s life, ending with extremely positive outcomes.
Reannan Riedy
ReplyDeleteOn July 27, 1998 Reannan Riedy became child to two first time parents in Hollywood, Florida. Her mother a Tennessee native and her father born and raised in Miami, Florida. To this day she remains sibling-less and still resides in Hollywood except for when she school is in session where she attends Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida. Growing up Reannan has developed a love for drawing and other hands on arts and crafts and recently she’s fallen in love with the mellophone. Reannan learned to play the mellophone at the age 14 and since then has been working on perfecting her skill. In summer of 2015 she became a part of the elite Boston Crusaders Drum and Bugle Corps. Since then she has been admitted to Florida State University and tried out for their prestigious marching band, The Marching Chiefs. To no surprise, she got her spot on the team playing the instrument she loves. Some would say Reannan is just beginning life now as she makes new memories by the day with the new people she’s met and befriended.
Boston Crusaders Drum and Bugle Corp
To marching band fanatics and instrument players, its known that Boston Crusaders Drum Corps is one of the most prestigious groups to be apart of as a young adult. Many train for years, day in and day out practicing with their instrument and still some do not meet the cut. Reannan had only been playing the mellophone for about 3 years and she landed a spot in the Corps! Not unheard of but not common either. Reannan felt on top of the world being able to travel the nation and play the instrument she loves. Until one day during a grueling 14 hour practice she broke her ankle doing the backwards jazz run. She cried out in agony but the leaders of the band only told her to toughen up and finish what needed to be done. They kept telling her it was only a sprain and thought she was lying about the pain she felt every time she put pressure and took a step, considering it was a marching band, infinite steps are taken during the season. Feeling the wrath of both her injury and the insensitive directors, Reannan pressed on and completed the whole summer season marching. She was, however, doing it for herself since she worked so hard to earn her spot on the team. That doesn’t go to say that when the summer finally came to an end, and with it the marching season, Reannan was full of joy despite her meatball of an ankle. At this point she finally thought it was time to get it checked out. Turns out it was in fact broken. To say the least Reannan is a champ and will most definitely not be returning next season to Boston and their barbaric drum and bugle corp.
Claire McCarthy
ReplyDeleteClaire McCarthy is a blonde, glasses-wearing Florida Keys native currently pursuing a BA in Theatre (considering a double major in Environmental Science) at the Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida. She was born to a mother and father with a family consisting of two brothers already, both attending the University of Florida (she is obviously the smartest in the family). Her family has been split since she was two but with her parent’s civility and clashing personalities, she couldn’t imagine them ever being together. Her small tourist town has shaped her to become a talented young woman, who defines herself through the arts. She knows the importance of indulging one’s self in their interests, even if it seems impossible, through participating in the least funded activities in her small town’s high school. This lack of support from her high school has only fueled Claire’s love for the arts and has helped realize the value in her goal of one day being on the prestigious Broadway stage. Until then, Claire is excited about living and learning comfortably at Florida State, hopefully spending sometime at the campus in London.
Cancer.
Elementary school is probably the only time we went to school and actually had a decent time. We had recess and everybody was pretty much nice to everybody else. We were all just kids living our lives like we had nothing else to do, not worrying about anything our parents worried about. This was a different time for Claire McCarthy whose grandmother died of cancer while she was young, about elementary school age. No one knows when they are first going to experience the loss of a loved one, but no one expects it to happen so early in the development in one’s life, either. Being so young, Claire was unsure of how to react to her grandmother’s passing. She knew she should be sad but she was so young, and this being her first encounter with a loved one’s death, she was still unsure how to process her feelings. Instead, she pushed her emotions down and didn’t really try to process them. To this day, Claire does’n’t really remember the whole experience except that she didn’t know how to react and pushed her feelings away. Her experience has made her grow in ways she didn’t realize then, but recognizes now, and she understands herself in new ways.
Amanda Chica
ReplyDeleteEighteen years ago on May 28th, Amanda Chica was born in the town of Kendall, a part of South Miami. She was born to a father of Colombian descent and a mother with Korean heritage. Her parents never married and went on to have children with other partners, giving Amanda four half-brothers. With separated parents, she had the freedom to live and go wherever she wanted at that moment. After receiving a job transfer, her mom went to work in Key West. Unwilling to give up going to school in the same neighborhood she always had, Amanda chose to live with her grandpa for a while, blessing her with the opportunity to develop a close relationship with him. With her father’s support and encouragement, Amanda began playing softball at the age of nine. When she was 12, her team travelled to the National World Series to compete in their age division. However, she found herself feeling conflicted – did she truly love this sport or was she just doing it because of her dad’s encouragement? This uncertainty faded as she began to play softball in high school. Because she loved her team and loved playing the sport with them, she soon found herself playing for herself and her own enjoyment, rather than her father’s approval. Amanda met her current boyfriend in her sophomore year of high school and bonded over sharing the same birthday. They began dating in their junior year and are still going strong despite the geographical distance between them. In her senior year, Amanda applied only to Florida State University, her top choice. She is now pursuing her passion in math by majoring in accounting.
The Car Crash
Senior year holds countless important events in a person’s life, from getting accepted into colleges to attending senior prom. But by far the most important event is graduation, the day when one can finally say that many years of hard work have paid off. In the days before graduation, Amanda found herself getting prepared for one of the biggest days of her life. However, what began as a simple trip to get her nails turned into a horror story. Driving along the curving road away from her nail appointment, Amanda realized a bug was on the inside of her window. Assuming the curve to be much wider than it was, she glanced down to check where the button was so that she could roll down her window and let the bug out. However, she had misjudged the road. The curve was actually a sharp turn, and before she knew it, her car was wrapped around a large tree. Car crashes seem to be a recurring event in Amanda’s life. Multiple members of her family had been involved in car crashes much more serious than her own. One relative got seriously injured while driving after a night of drinking. Another incident involved her own father and one of his friends. He could not use his legs for several months after the crash. While surveying the damage, Amanda was understandably upset. Her car was completely totaled and because her birthday had just passed, she knew she wasn’t likely to get a new car anytime soon. However, she knew she still had much to be thankful for. The only major injuries she experienced were a burn on her neck and bruises on her hips, both of which resulted from the seatbelt restricting her during the impact. She found herself realizing just how quickly life can change. Within a matter of mere seconds, she went from thinking about graduation to trying to deal with the shock of crashing into a tree. What should have been a simple errand turned into an eye-opening experience, teaching her that life can take a drastically different turn whenever and at whatever speed it wants to.
Zoe Degraw
ReplyDeleteOn December 29, 1998 in the city of Woodstock, Georgia, Zoe Lee Degraw made her grand entrance into the world. She spent majority of her life in a suburban neighborhood in Canton, Georgia with her mother and younger sister. Zoe's outgoing and a self-proclaimed flawed human being who has had a number of unique experiences such as her trip to the rain forest in Puerto Rico and her family cruise. She's a Capricorn who loves to sing in the shower, she is very ambitious and easily adapts to change. Because of her parents' lengthy divorce process, from ages 3-8, Zoe found herself mentally maturing at a young age, and by her teen years was always very cautious of whom she dated. Zoe credits everyone she encounters as a role mode, because she believes that there are admirable traits in everyone, like Mother Theresa's kindness and even Kylie Jenner's style and ambition. Zoe's major is Psychology. She chose psychology, because she found the study of the brain and mind to be very interesting. She one day hopes to become a psychologist, but her ultimate goal is to make a positive difference in the world in whatever pathway she chooses to follow. Zoe decided that Florida State University was the right fit for her because of its stimulating work load, and it is relatively close to her father and stepmother.
Parent's Divorce:
At the tender age of three, Zoe's parents separated. Although her parents never argued in front of her, she could feel the tension and blamed her father, Bryan, for his lack of faithfulness to her mother, Suzanne. The divorce process, as expected, was ugly, spanning over the course of five years. This separated her from her father, and fostered feelings of resentment and anger toward him. Her younger sister was just born and all she remembers, quite vividly is her sister and mother crying, all of which weren't tears of joy. To some extent she also hated her stepdad, because she felt her mother had moved on too soon and was attempting to replace her dad. She hated her stepmom because she had crazy eyes. The situation was a strain on her because everyone involved felt they had to take sides, which lead to a lack of communication with her father for six years from the ages of 10-16, crucial years in a girl's life. She eventually reached out to him her Junior year in high school and they are starting to build their relationship back.
Vivi Huynh’s parents were both born in Vietnam, but later moved to California around their adolescent years, then to Florida. While living in Pensacola, they had three kids, Vivi being the youngest. Her parents were very hard-working people; they both worked full time in a nail salon, so she grew up with different adults watching her at home. She looks back at this fondly, and really enjoyed her childhood. Throughout her whole life, she attended a private Catholic school, and was known as a curious child, a self-proclaimed “wild child.” Now attending Florida State University, she is a bright, bubbly and intelligent person. She is known for riding her roller skates all over the campus, as she had grown up ice-skating and this became second nature to her. For the next four years, Vivi wants to study engineering.
ReplyDeleteVivi was inquisitive as a young kid. One of her most vibrant memories was of her four-year old self. As a small child, she was constantly playing outside, exploring the nature, especially the red patches of clay. She had always believed that if she had stuck rocks in the little holes, a giant tree would grow out of it. Vivi would then wait and wait and wait for the sprouts to start growing right of the ground. She’d stare at it for some time, and when it did not grow, took them out and put in different ones (they had to be defective) and start all over again. It wasn’t until her preschool teacher taught her about Johnny Appleseed that she learned the truth about how trees really grow, and boy was she shocked.
Francis Robinson
ReplyDeleteBorn on the day of love in 1998, Francis Robinson came into existence. He was born and raised in Miami. His parents are both from Honduras. Francis lived with his mother Dunia and step-father Bladimir or Tony (Francis’ nick name for him). Growing up Francis loved playing soccer and socializing with friends. His favorite spot to go to is the beach. He isn’t an only child, Francis has one blood-related sister who is five years older than him and two younger brothers that are his step-fathers. As his high school days were coming to a close, the only school he was looking at was Florida State. When he got in the amount of excitement he felt was unimaginable. Science was his favorite subject throughout high school and he wants to pursue in majoring in chemical engineering. His big plan is to get into the engineering school at FSU, then go to grad school for genetic engineering. After all that his hopes are to move back to Miami and find a nice apartment that faces the beach.
Sister
Throughout his adolescence Francis’ mother worked multiple jobs to support her kids and to make sure they had food, shelter and clothes on their backs every day. Because of this Francis’ sister had to grow up early and take care of him at the age of five! Since then, Francis and his sister have a bond like no other. When he needed someone to pick him up or needed advice he would go to her for guidance. The hardest thing for him to do was to leave her and move to a place seven hours away. They still talk every day as if they were still together. His role model is his sister because of all the hard work and sacrifices she made for him.
Born and raised in rural Malabar, Florida by her parents, Karlee Dykes grew up with the benevolent harassment of two older brothers and a deep care for and closeness with her family. Both her immediate and extended family have taught her a lot about who she wants to be; some lessons were good, some examples were not. Though she cannot point out any specific traumas, she witnessed many family members work through addictions at Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous meetings, showing her to be careful because of her family history of addiction. And while she wants a large family, watching her relatives become very young parents allowed her to understand that she didn’t want it too soon. Her formal education took place in public schools, where in later years she took dual enrollment classes, allowing her to step out of another environment she didn’t care much for. Now, she is studying Environmental Science at Florida State University, where she hopes to continue learn how to create a positive impact.
ReplyDeleteKarlee Dykes cares about her environment- in more ways than one. Growing up in a rural part of Florida where camping and other “outdoorsy” activities are popular, she has learned to care about the Earth and the thought of “the environment” that the term commonly evokes. Living with a loving family that she very much cares for created a desire for one of her own. So, when her area faces issues with pollution and her family works through addiction and young pregnancies, she was affected and cared enough to want to create positive change in these environments.
So she worked hard, studying in AP and dual enrollment classes to better her education so that she could serve both environments, attending Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous meetings with family members, and ensuring that she completed her education before considering a family. She continues to work for her environment, studying environmental science and making people’s days better at Florida State University.
Leah Noelle Gramkow
ReplyDeleteLeah Noelle Gramkow is a young woman of many talents. While it is impressive for an individual to be able to play one instrument, Leah is skilled in three different instruments: piano, violin, and clarinet. She also dabbles in dance, volleyball, chorus, and art. The early education of this highly adept, first-year college student started with the teachings of Protestant Christianity, attending church camp every summer. Leah attended private elementary school during her early years, but due to some life difficulties, her education was switched to a public education. Around this time, the only child was dealing with the separation of her parents. Due to the household changes and personal “finding myself struggles,” Leah’s experience in public school did not help for the better, and she eventually switched to Florida Virtual School for academics. Around the time Leah took part in Florida Virtual School, she began to sharpen her skills in art. Art became her passion, and her artistic abilities became so refined that an art school recognized Leah’s work and wanted her admission there, which she declined. Now, Leah attends Florida State University pursuing an Art major.
The Shoreline
Leah spent her summer after junior year at the Milwaukee Institute of art on a three week college art program. under clear skies and beside beautiful, deep blue waters, Milwaukee became the place where Leah's would constantly be exposed to challenges and opportunities in which she faced head on. By doing so, she was able refine her artistic skills from great to extraordinary. While art opened this opportunity for her, the memory that she cherished most in this experience was when her friends and she went to the shoreline of Lake Michigan before sunset. They would travel down hills and through woods; due to this adventure being spur of the moment, none of them were prepared for the hike. The air chilled more as one inched closer to the water, being greeted by slightly strong winds. Eventually, Leah and her friends found their way to a concrete area that was a popular spot for kids. While their intended destination was a park, the group decided to enjoy each other's company at the concrete area and watch the sunset. After all were content with the farewell of the Sun, Leah and her friends decided to make their way back. With little light to spare, all of the surrounding colors wee slowly changing into darker shades. It was during the darker part of the night when twinkles of light started to peak their heads out of their hiding places. Dancing in the sky, it was the first time Leah saw fireflies.
Alfred David Martin
ReplyDeleteAlfred David Martin, sometimes known as Alfie, was born but not raised in New York. With a family increasing in size and New York being pretty crowded him, his parents and two sisters moved down to the sunny South in spacious Palm Beach County, specifically West Palm. There he went to high school made friends in the up and coming city and dove into his passion for baseball and marching band. The true holistic package, Alfie’s been playing baseball since he was a young boy and also became very involved in the marching band along with excelling academically. This Yankee fan is an all around smart kid double majoring in Business Administration and Biology, Alfie hopes to be a dental oral surgeon helping him reach a high end lifestyle earning lots and lots of money. He actually was able to experience what life as a dental oral surgeon is like due to the amazing opportunity of interning with his aunt who he seems to show much respect for. Admiring his parents and hoping to be successful, Alfie is now attending Florida State University as a Marching Chief eager to see where the next four years take him.
Coming to FSU
When asked the question “Why FSU?” Alfred said “got a scholarship, like it and its easy going.” The transition from high school in West Palm to college over at the Florida State University has been all-around smooth for the biology and business administration double major who is rooming with his best friend. As a fellow Marching Chief Alfred takes pride in the fact that he’s able to go to practice everyday and perform at the football games, a crucial task knowing that it entails playing an instrument while marching under the blazing sun. His dream school initially was NYU following the footsteps of his mother and father, sadly he couldn’t attend it because the tuition costs were ridiculously high, thus he chose FSU. Missing his parents, he shares his go-getter spirit at FSU recounting on the story of how his father was able to reshape his life and go to law school. His father told him “you can do anything” and Alfred took that to heart. He intends to find his way at FSU and I sure know that he’ll have a good time doing it.
Michael Corak:
ReplyDeleteMichael Corak was born in Cocoa FL, where he had an amazing time growing up with absolutely no regrets. One time in the past Michael wishes he could relive was 7th and 8th grade, due to all the fun times he shared with his friends. When Michael was in high school he decided to wrestle, which he says you need to be extremely dedicated, despite how hard or painful it was, and have a good amount of mental strength. Also in high school, he realized how interesting of a subject marine science was. He also became really close with his teacher, which was a very positive experience for him. One thing that really interests him is psychology and sociology, because he wants to learn more about how people think. Someone who Michael respects in history is John F. Kennedy, for the man he was and what he did with his time in office. One quality that helps characterize Michael is loyalty, because he finds it necessary for people to know that people can rely on him. He believes that his upbringing is one of the greatest factors that defines himself as who he is. One thing that Michael loves is fantasy football, as he loves sports in general. After FSU he wants to become a mechanical engineer, and hopefully move back to Cocoa, as it is the one place he would truly love to live in again.
Michael's brother getting brain surgery in Boston:
Michael’s brother Adam was only a few months old when doctors discovered he had a tumor in his brain. At the age of 9 months his brother had 80% of it removed, but after a few months they found the remains were still progressing. Michael says that after this they decided chemotherapy was the best option, which went on for about 18 months until the tumor started showing signs of progression again. Michael and his family realized after researching that radiation is the most effective way to treat tumors, the only problem was that it can have the most collateral damage on children’s organs which are still developing. They then found out about a treatment called “proton beam therapy,” the only issue was that there are only 5 places in the country that offer this sort of therapy. In December 2005, Michael flew to Boston with Adam, and they reviewed his case. They then realized that a 30-day treatment was the best option, which is what they ended up doing. The lead radiation oncology physician said that there may be some damage to surrounding organs, but it will be minimized with proton beam therapy. After this, Adam has had other issues after this, but Michael says he can get through anything. Michael sees Adam as a hero because of all the tough things he’s been through, and how he always keeps a smile on his face.
Ryan was born and raised in a small town named long beach in Illinois. When he was growing up him and his family would often go to the beach as long as it wasn’t too cold as to not being enjoyable. Growing up he lived very close to his grandparents, on his father’s side, and would visit them often of the weekends. He attended a small religious school for his early education until 9th grade when he moved to the central high school for the town. It was a weird transition because the he went from a very small school to a school with thousands of students. While in high school he took many challenging and important courses especially AP Lit because it really made him have to focus on what he was reading and do a lot of work. He then moved from Illinois his junior year, down to Sarasota where he attended Booker high school.
ReplyDeleteIn the middle of the New Mexican desert, Ryan and his family backpacked for what seemed like months across the state for several days. During the backpacking trip he and his family were forced to carry with them all their supplies needed to survive including bland trail food. The blazing sun struck their eyes and backs as they continued their journey each day until they would reach the safe haven of camp checkpoints where even the sight of fresh fruit felt like a miracle. The experience may not have been the most fun trip, but it was the most rewarding because after every day of hiking you were rewarded with food and a comfortable bed that made the day’s journey worth it.
In 1998, Abbey Karrah was born in a rural town close to Daytona. She lived with her mother and father and has a younger sister. A lot of her distant family lives very close. They are a very close family and even more close to the relatives nearby. They spend birthdays and every holiday together. She went to private school for most of her life until high school. The graduating 8th grade class only consisting of 18 individuals; all whom she grew up knowing and becoming close with. Going through a little bit of a difficult time throughout her school years, she realized what it meant to be a true friend and how to spot real friends. In high school, the switch from private to public school was quite a drastic one. She enjoyed the very different atmosphere of the new school, everything was busy with so many more people. Likewise, she joined a small group of individuals in the IB program. She likes surrounding herself with those who are similar to herself. She was ready for the independent transfer to college and joined a living learning community, to again establish herself with a small community away from home. Since being here she’s grown into a more independent person and found some true friends.
ReplyDeleteSince a lot of people in her family are nurses in the medical field, Abbey always found herself not wanting to pursue the same career path. But as things chance as you grow older, she is now studying and planning on becoming a nurse. With a genuine and caring soul, Abbey always found herself wanting to help people in any way she could. This is what changed her mind towards aspiring to be a nurse. She wants to specialize in caring for children, since she’s always been good with caring for them.
Josetta Becerra, born September 18th in Ecuador moved to the United States at the age of three with Spanish being her first language. She and her three older half- brothers moved to Miami Lakes, a neighborhood she describes as suburban and surrounded by other family oriented neighborhood families with plenty of little kids. Since the age of three Josetta had found her passion. Dance. This passion continued as she matured and her passion for the art only grew as she was on her high school, Barbara Goleman Senior High’s ultra competitive dance team. In fact, Josetta’s ambition went so far as trying out for the school’s dance team even with a twisted ankle at tryouts. Unfortunately, Josetta’s performance and dreams of dance were cut short when she was told she would never be able to dance ever again due to shoulder and knee issues. With Strength Josetta carried on and instead infested herself in other school Academic clubs such as honor societies and even an occasional Beach clean-up opportunity. When college came around her first choice was University of central Florida but once she caught eye of the Florida state Campus she was captivated and knew this was the one. Her luck began to change as Florida Stata actually granted her more financial aid and her dream school became a reality. Currently she is majored in accounting but plans to minor in criminology for her dream job of being a forensic accountant. Josetta currently describes herself as impulsive yet shy with loyalty and independence being true to her heart. She keeps her family close in her thoughts with dreams of becoming happy and passionate in whatever she does with financial security being in her future. She remains strong and confident in herself with ambition to one day skydive, commit to international volunteer work and possibly even Study abroad in either Italy or Japan, and hopes to maybe even learn a language or two.
ReplyDeleteAt a time, which many call the best time of your life- high school, Josetta Becerra received the hardest news- she would never be able to pursue her dreams and that she could never preform ever again. From the age of three Dance captivated little Josetta’s thoughts and even her dreams, as she describes it as her favorite thing in the whole wide world. Dance was her outlet when life got too hard and states that she “would pour her hearts and soul” on every single performance. There was something about the beauty and grace of being on stage and preforming after a nice long day for her. A moment in her life that she describes as most memorable is the anxiety of trying out for her school’s dance team. A school that could get you places in the art of dance. Josetta revealed that during auditions she danced through a painful twisted ankle but she pushed through. The excitement and shock filled her when she received news that she made it, when she was so convinced there wasn’t a chance. But there was. Although her injury ended her dance career Josetta won’t ever forget the happiness and fullness her passion gave her heart and how the happiest memories are filled with preforming at her school’s dance team for months. Her coach was a very large inspiration to Josetta as she was a former Miami Heat dancer and even interested Josetta to want to audition to be a Heat Dancer after High school. Never the less dance still remains close at heart to Josetta as it gave her expression, acceptance and peace of mind.
I interviewed my classmate Tykeise Oliver, Ty for short. Ty was born on February 14th, 1998, better known for being Valentine’s Day. He even has a heart shaped birth mark on his ankle! He is from Millen, GA located near Augusta GA, but he said he has been back and forth between Florida and Georgia most of his life. He attended two different high schools, but finished his high school career in Florida. He is double majoring in psychology and criminology here at Florida State. Living in his small southern hometown, everyone was close knit which was nice, but also unfortunate because everyone seemed to know everyone’s secrets. One of Ty’s hobbies is singing. He informed me that he used to sing in his Baptist church choir, which he loved because he was able to be close to his family. He attended a performing arts school for two years during elementary school, and he loves all genres of music except for heavy metal. Some of his favorite, most challenging subjects he learned in school were anatomy and science, as well as forensics psychology. His ideal learning environment is small classroom sizes that are taught by passionate teachers. One painful lesson he had to learn in life was because his father was absent most of his life, and the motto of “out of sight, out of mind” helped him cope with his absence, but overall he sees how life has turned out for the better and this has taught him to have faith in the fact that everything happens for a reason. He was raised by his mother and grandma, and has 3 half siblings. One of the best experiences in his life that he wishes he could do again was the family road trip to Missouri. He had a great time bonding with his family members on the long trip. A quality that Ty feels best describes him is humble, which is how he has become after these events in his life.
ReplyDeleteAs I mentioned before, one of the best experiences in Ty’s life was his family road trip to Missouri. In the fall of 2007, Ty’s family, consisting of cousins, his mom, his nana, and his uncle, all came together and decided to take a family road trip to surprise his aunt at her graduation. She was graduating from basic training at Fort Leonard Army Base in Pulaski, Missouri. They rent two large vans, stocked up on snacks, piled all their luggage in and headed off on their 800-mile journey up I-24. The drive was over 12 hours long, but because his family was extremely close and all have similar personalities, their drive was full of laughing, singing, and good vibes. It was one of the few experiences where him and his family could all be together enjoying each other’s company without the distractions brought on now-a-days by cell phones and iPads. Ty said he would never forget his nana waking him up at the crack of dawn while they were driving through Nashville TN, just as the sun was rising to see the mountains overlooking the water. He described it as one of the most beautiful sites he had ever seen. As he has aged, he looks back on that trip with a full heart. He appreciates the beauty he saw and the vast amount of love he felt between his family members. The lesson he took away from his journey was that when your actions are driven by love, you will never have regrets.
Zoe Dewith grew up in St. Augustine, Florida. She actually lived in California until she was seven, but she calls St. Augustine home. She lived in a small town where everybody knew each other, so coming to a school like FSU is very different. Zoe wasn’t really involved in many clubs in high school because she preferred to be alone, but she did play softball every year to stay in shape. She applied to both UF and FSU, and for a long time believed that she would be attending UF, but after touring, she realized that UF didn’t feel comfortable and it was not where she belonged. Zoe took a chance of FSU and fell in love with it at Orientation. During her time here, she is majoring in Math and hopes to eventually become a college professor. Both of her parents are good at math and her mom actually majored in math too, so the subject comes naturally to her.
ReplyDeleteZoe didn’t have the same care-free, innocent middle school years that most of us had because her 7th grade teacher, Mr. Holt died. This was her first encounter with death and it was made especially hard because she was so young. No one close to her had ever died before and her family didn’t know this teacher, so she was going through this traumatic experience all alone. It was a very weird time for her and she didn’t know what to do so she prayed. Both of her parents grew up with different religions and did not put any religious pressure on her. She was also allowed go to church with her friends, so she was exposed to many many different religions. In this time of grieving over her teacher, people had suggested to pray, so that’s what she did. Today, Zoe identifies as Agnostic. While interviewing her, one of the things she said really stood out to me and I believe that it summarizes this experience and her ideas about religion quite well. “I’m unsure about a lot of stuff, but I’m confident in what I’m unsure about.”
Lauren Dominguez
ReplyDeleteBorn in the city of Miami in a little area called Fountain Bleau is currently an exploratory major but will soon become a environmental policy and communications major. She wants to have her own show about here and how she protects the environment. She was happy with her upbringing in Fountain Bleau and liked it a lot. She is an only child and she lived with her parents. Neither of her parents went to college so she is starting heater in higher family’s lineage in higher education. She did theater in high school and absolutely loved it, but I’ll get to that. She’s a really nice, sweet, and pretty girl with her hopes set high and her ambitions knowing no bounds. She’ll make it far in what she wants to do because she loves it and because she is determined to make our world a better place.
Theater
When asked about a life event Lauren couldn’t give me an answer, instead she told me of something that encapsulated her rather than defined here in one story. Theater has been there for Lauren for her entire high school life. She used to have really bad stage freight but she eventually got over as the years went by and by her senior year she was completely used to being on stage. Lauren loves and appreciates all arts including music, art, and dance. She actually used to dance when she was younger but she kind of grew out of it with age. She had also tired singing when she was younger and that to a degree added to her theatrical career. Unfortunately, she kind of grew out of theater as she grew older but she still loves it and appreciates it as an art. She considers herself a massive theater geek to this day.
Christian was born in New Jersey but moved to Fort Lauderdale when he was still young. His parents are from Ecuador and Columbia. As a young boy Christian had to deal with moving around a lot. He moved and switched schools about 5 times in elementary school, 3 times in middle school, and twice in high school. Christin has a lot of siblings and lives with his mom whom he really admires. Growing up one thing that Christian found consistent in his life was his love for baseball and other sports. As a young child he also that he loves Frank Sinatra even to this day. He hopes to turn his passion for sports into a job working at fox news which is why he chose to attend FSU.
ReplyDeleteMany of us experience not so fun relatives but for Christian and his mom it was worse than most. Most of his extended family has abuse behavior towards themselves or others but somehow christian’s mom made it through without being the same way. Christian’s mom is a big part of his life and he truly admires how she pulled through all the crap life threw at her. In fact, not only did she overcome it but now she goes around and speaks at conventions to inspire women who are in abusive relationships. I can only imagine the amount of pride and happiness that Christian must experiencing watching his mom shine. This explains why christian is a person who overcomes challenges and who truly values the uniqueness of individuals.
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ReplyDeleteSarah Mae Cagle
ReplyDeleteSarah Mae Cagle was born on March 15, 1998 to both of her welcoming parents in Pensacola, Florida. She is a biological only child, but she does have a step-sister also named Sara (without the “H”). She was raised in Pensacola with a single mother, and it is evident that she loves her mother very, very much. As a child, Sarah wanted to be the President of the United States, but currently wants to be a social worker; a juror consultant specifically. Sarah is very passionate about people. The human race interests her because she has a strong belief that every person in the world has a purpose. Sarah wants people to understand that they were put here for a reason and that no person is a waste. Her mother, as stated before, has played a key role in who Sarah has become. Her mother is her role model, a woman who is disabled and cannot walk and has showed Sarah what the true meaning of strength is. Sarah’s mother’s faith is unwavering which has had a strong impact on Sarah’s Christian faith as well. Sarah’s father and her are not as close. Sarah defined their relationship as “business partners”. That title is true though because her father has funded her photography and has helped her purchase the equipment she needed for this passion of hers. Sarah chose Florida State University because it was the perfect distance from home- not too far, not too close. She also chose FSU because of their Social Work program. Sarah’s favorite qualities about herself are that she is a very personable person. It is very easy to talk to Sarah, and it’s obvious she is always engaged in what you are saying which makes her so comfortable to talk to. She wants to work on being present in the moment. She grew up surrounded by adults which serve as a reason to her old soul characteristics. Her current life goals are to graduate in three years, move to Nashville where her boyfriend lives, and go to grad school there. After graduation Sarah hopes to save the world from itself.
Blog
“I write; I love to write.” Sarah spoke with a smile on her face as she described her blog. Her blog is titled, “THOUGHTHEMOUNTAINS” with a sub header “though the mountains may crumble He will not || Striving to be a voice to the voiceless & a revealer of hope to the hopeless.” Sarah’s blog is very faith based, aiding her readers in remembering the saving grace of the Lord. Her blog inspires her readers to take a step back and remember they all have a purpose and that the Lord scatters their sins and saves all. Sarah even wants to get a tattoo of the compass but only the E to W portion of it to have a constant reminder that the Lord has the power to, and does, scatter our sins from East to West. Sarah has been writing since she was very young. At age 11, Sarah had already written her first 300-page book on Schizophrenia. 300 pages at age 11 is an accomplishment very few children can claim as their own. Sarah’s passion for people is one of the many reasons she writes, and her writings truly cater to the reader and consist of positive vibes and encouragement. Sarah closes the about me portion of her blog with this, “I hope in taking the time to read these posts you may be encouraged. Take heart, my friends! For He who has promised is faithful to move mountains.” You can read more about Sarah and her blog at www.thoughthemountains.wordpress.com.
Christina Gomez
ReplyDeleteLinear: Moving had never been hard for Christina. She’d done it since she was young and had learned to never get too attached to anyone or anything. Contrary to what you may think, this wasn’t a cynical outlook, but a more realistic one. She loved everyone and everything she’d experienced, but she knew that family came first, especially in a Military family.
She became involved in theatre early on, and carried it with her wherever she went. It gave her a sense of community and home that was difficult to hold on to after moving eleven times. She wouldn’t forget any of the places she’d lived or the friends she’d made along the way, but she’d always miss Hawaii. It was different than anywhere else. Rich in both culture and beauty, the native pride for the land led her to fall in love with the island.
Specific: Standing backstage waiting for her cue, she took a deep breath, pushing the cold sweat of nervousness away. “We’ve been practicing for months Christina” she said to herself, “We’re gonna be fine”. The next thing she knew, she was standing under the bright stage lights going through the act just as she had every day for the past four months. The cast moved together seamlessly, as if they were sharing one mind, never missing a beat. It came as no surprise to Christina or her fellow cast members that they made it through the first round of the competition. Hamlet had become their life, and they were good at what they did.
Over the next two weeks before the next competition, they continued to rehearse day in and day out, honing their near perfect performance. On the day of the show, they were more than ready. They knew their lines inside and out, had their timing perfected, and knew everything would go as planned. As they walked off stage, it was all they could do to contain their excitement. It was their best performance yet! What they didn’t know however, was that they had gone a mere five seconds over time. The shocking news came, coupled with word that they had been disqualified. The cast rallied together and congratulated each other on a good run. They’d made it this far, and nothing could stop them next year.