As I interviewed Diego Mendoza, his main “big event” that occurred in his life was him moving to the United States at a young age. This meant that he had to leave everything behind in his country in Peru. The reason he had to move was because his parents wanted a better life for him, his brother, and sister. America meant more opportunities and nothing could really hold you back or at least compared to Peru. It was really rough for him having to make such a big transition at nine years old. Growing up, his father was really strict, having to work two jobs, so by the time he came home, he was always stressed. However, it was for the best because his father wanted to support his family and make sure everything was intact. Diego’s mom could not work because she did not have the correct papers. When Diego first reached America, specifically the New York international airport, he was in awe. There were a lot of super shiny cars and later he saw many buildings that appealed to him. Basically, “everything” looked different. On a good note, in New Jersey, where he lived for five years, everything was walking distance, which he was used to back in Peru. Diego did not know any English when he came to the United States, but surprisingly, he did not think that learning English was hard because he had a good teacher who helped translate from Spanish to English. Starting over was very difficult. He was always thinking about his friends back at home. His lifestyle was different and definitely the environment around him. Slowly, things were getting better. He caught on with English, was able to make friends, and started to accept that America was his new home. Later, his father got a better job opportunity, which made them move to Cooper City, Florida. It was another big move, but not as big of a move like Peru to New Jersey. Diego enjoyed Cooper City. He went to high school there and felt like he was able to fit in comfortably. All in all, moving to a different country at the age of nine was much difficult for Diego, but he was able to overcome it.
Sydney and her older sister, Shelby, seemed to always bicker and fight, which drove her parents crazy. Their mom calls out from the kitchen, “I can’t wait for you guys to go back to school so I don’t have to hear you fight anymore!”. “I can”, Shelby says knowing that Sydney will be joining her in high school this year. As summer comes to an end, the girls pack their backpacks and lay out their clothes for the first day back to school. “Don’t forget to take your sister to school!”, their dad says to Shelby as Sydney is scrambling to get ready. Sydney sits in her first period class as the morning announcements come on. She mostly tunes the dull intercom voice out until the speaker makes the announcement for tryouts for the girl’s soccer team. Knowing Shelby would be absolutely annoyed, Sydney decides to go to tryouts knowing she will make her high school’s team with her many years of prior experience. As Sydney walks onto the field ready for tryouts, the soccer coach announced that Shelby has made team captain. Now that Shelby is captain, Sydney knows she will have a hard time making the team, she has to play her absolute best. Sydney nails all of the drills and dribbles, catching the coach’s eye, she earns a first string position on the varsity team. Shelby’s filled with rage, “my 14 year old sister is on varsity...with me? You must be joking!”, she says to herself. The sisters spend so much time together at home, school, and at soccer practice. They still have the occasional disagreement, but as the season progressed they began to bond over the sport they both love. Sydney began to look up to her older sister and take her advice at practice in order to better herself. The sisters notice how happy their parents are seeing them getting along on the field and at home. The team has been practicing hard for the past couple of weeks because of their high school rivalry game. Game day arrives; the sisters are playing and cooperating better than ever. The game is tied with 20 seconds left on the clock. Shelby passes the ball to Sydney and she kicks it the first opportunity she gets. “GOALLLLL! THE DENKERT SISTERS WIN IT FOR THE TEAM!”, the announcer booms over the loudspeaker in the stadium. Sydney and her sister embrace in a hug. “I love you”, they say to each other. After Shelby graduated and moved away for college, Sydney followed in her sister’s footsteps and continued to pursue soccer. Sydney’s senior year, she made captain and received offers from many different colleges to play soccer for them!
While interviewing Alex Lizano, I found out that his family did not used to be in a good place financially. He grew up not so well-off for a majority of his life and he believes that the big event of his life was when his father started up his own company. For a while his family wasn't seeing results with the company, but as time progressed they started to see the company explode and their lives started to improve. His father had started up a company for a Drug and Alcohol Abuse Treatment facility that would help save the lives of many. As Alex entered high school the company started to really explode. This was crucial for Alex because he was able to focus 100 percent on his studies and his athletics without worrying about his family's financial situation on the side like he used to as a kid. He went on to become one of the best players on his high school club team as well as an outstanding player on his high school football team. He was also getting good grades in all of his classes and impressing all of his teachers. Along with this, he was now able to buy anything that he may have needed for school or for his athletics such as equipment and school supplies. With his life starting to become slightly stress free, Alex was able to get a good GPA in high school and go on to attend Florida State University where he studies Entrepreneurship in hopes of following in his father's footsteps of creating his own business/company. He believes that his father's choice to start up the company was not only big for him and his life, but for his entire family. They are all now able to live a happier stress-free life and focus on the things they love to do as well as all spend quality time together. Alex is now 21 years old and hopes that he will one day provide the type of life for his family that is full of endless possibilities just as his father has.
When I interviewed Charlize, she told me an incredible story. Charlize decided to go to sleepaway camp and get away from everything for a little. Her step mom went to this sleepaway camp in North Carolina and she figured this would be good to get away and go to a camp someone she knew enjoyed going to. When Charlize was eleven her mom had passed away and because of this she thought going away from Florida would be good for her. Two weeks after her mom’s passing, she decided to go to this camp. When she first arrived at the sleepaway camp she was very shy and awkward towards others who tried talking to her. But, once she interacted with other campers and counselors and watched them talk about their personal stuff she saw how comforting everyone was towards each. After watching others open up, she gained the confidence to do the same and doing so allowed her to make her feel more outgoing and appreciative about the fact she had friends to be there for her whenever she needed them to be. She hoped this camp would give her the opportunity to change and feel something amazing and this camp did exactly what she wanted. Charlize told me this camp was very distracting to her and the way she was describing how amazing this camp was to, her I could tell by her facial expressions she truly felt this was life changing. She and others really looked up to the camp counselors and she liked how helpful they were to the kids. These counselors were great mentors to all the campers there and she really loved the interactions and friendships she made with them. After this amazing experience, of three weeks away from home, she returned the following five summers to get to reconnect with old friends and experience new things. Looking up to her counselors so much, she decided she wanted to become a camp counselor herself. She wanted that feeling of having kids look up to her and help them with any problems or just to be there for them to hang out and be their friend just like she did. she truly enjoyed working at this camp, she has been a camp counselor for three years now and she plans on returning this summer and many more to help kids and be a mentor to them.
Kelly Hartigan has said before that she is not a “very exciting person” yet has done a very daring and brave thing that has changed her life. Moving to college is always an exciting thing, but how about moving almost 1200 miles away from family and friends. A much more considerably brave thing to do, and that is exactly what Kelly did. As an out of state student at Florida State University, Kelly is one of few that has gathered enough confidence to change her scenery significantly. From the Long Island in New York, to the humid Tallahassee, Kelly has long awaited the opportunity to attend Florida State. When Kelly was in high school she did a project that allowed her to explore the opportunities at Florida State. Kelly’s sister once lived in Alabama that was only a short drive from the university. Once Kelly visited her sister she took a trip to visit the campus and fell in love with the university. Now that she knew where she wanted to go, next she had to consider downsides of the decision, to leave her family and friends for a new life and environment. This was not and could never be an easy decision and had its consequences, but eventually Kelly took the leap forward and accepted enrollment into the college. Kelly knew just a single person from her old school that also decided to attend Florida State, and that was it. No other family or friends were there, a difficult position for some but Kelly adapted. Her friend that had come with her to this new experience eventually went back home and left the university leaving Kelly to make new friends in her new home. Her roommates and suitemates are nice but it’s hard to find new best friends in such a cluttered and wild place. Regardless Kelly continues to excel in school and show why she was able to attend the university in the first place. After this courageous move to Florida, she still continues to visit her family on breaks and will pursue Florida State until she has finished her degree.
Gloria Chae, a Korean-American girl was only 12 years old when she experienced something unimaginable. This experience was the death of her dog named Gemmy, her mother was the one that broke the news to her. Her heart stopped as soon as she heard the news, all she could think about was her dog and their life together. She always wanted a dog but her father was never into the idea of getting one, until one day he changed his mind. When deciding to buy a dog, her father’s only condition was that he would name the dog. They decided on a beautiful husky mix, the dog was golden brown like caramel, one eye was light blue like the ocean, and the other was half brown and blue. Her father named the dog gemmy, he chose this name because he said the dog is a gem. She got the dog at an early age, it was a great friendship from the start, they immediately clicked. The two were inseparable, Gemmy would sleep at the end of her bed at night and would wake up when she was heading to school. They grew up together, Gemmy was just a pup when they got her and Gloria was only a few years old. As the dog got older, it became sick, by the time they took her into the veterinarian, they had found out the Gemmy was going to pass away. Gloria was not there the day that they put Gemmy down but she knew that she was going to lose her best friend. With the losing of her best friend, she was extremely saddened and was upset that something like this could happen to her and her beautiful dog. Her father, although he did not want a dog initially became very close to Gemmy and was a big loss for the whole family. Gloria did not think that she would ever get another dog but her father surprised her with one a year after.
It was a cloudy day in Weston, Florida on November 8, 2016. Lauren woke up with excitement because the presidential election was taking place that evening. November 8, 2016 was going to be a historic day, either the first woman president was going to win, Hillary Clinton, or an unexperienced bigot, Donald Trump. Unluckily, she was born on December, 1998 and was not 18 years of age so she could not vote. She believes that voting is a privilege and not a right in this country and trusted the nation’s people to vote with their conscious. Lauren and many other people were anxious about this presidential election. The two candidates were very unique. On one side we had an experienced leader with bad reputation and on the other we had a business man with no political background and a man that has accused of sexual misconduct. Anyone looking from outside the country would say that the experienced leader was going to be win but in reality it was a close race. The time has come and now all voting polls have been closed, the numbers are starting to come in. After, a couple hours Lauren finds herself in shock and disbelief, Donald Trump was going to be the 46th president of the United States. Lauren was in shock and couldn’t believe the results, it took a couple of days for her to realize the truth. Lauren realized that this country wanted something different, someone different. But, it also showed a deep separation within the country. Lauren was not happy with the results of the election and with the events that happened after. A lot of hatred and hostility arose from this election but it was not going to stop Lauren from believing that this country can be united once again. Lauren set out to seek the middle between both parties and see their difference and try to come up with a middle ground. Lauren has been talking with many students and people about their different positions and has found a reasonable ground for herself to understand.
As I was interviewing Ava, she told me a personal story about herself that was very intriguing. For the first 12 years of Ava’s life, it was just her, her parents, and her 2 older brothers. She always thought these were the only siblings she had until one day when her and her mom decided to watch a television show together. Instead of hanging out with her friends on this day, her mom asked to watch a movie. It was a gloomy day and there was not much she could have done with her friends anyways. Not thinking much into this, her and her mom went through the television shows and movies until they found one they liked. Immediately, when it was displayed on the screen, Ava picked American Idol to watch. This was her favorite show at the time. It was a show were people would audition in front of 4 famous artists and would sing for them. The winner of the show usually got a music deal and would become very famous. Mid way through the television show, her mom abruptly paused it. She started to make conversation with Ava and went on to tell her that she has a half-sister. She told her that her sisters name is Lauren and that she is 21, now 27, and living in Nebraska. Shocked at first, Ava stormed away. She was very confused by this and how she did not know about Lauren for the first 12 years of her life. Ava had always dreamed of having a sister so when she found out she had one that she didn’t know, she was upset. Ava wanted to know more about this mysterious half-sister of hers. She would continuously question her mom about Lauren for months and months and ask if she would ever be allowed to meet her. Reluctant at first, Ava’s mom eventually gave in. Her sister flew out to New Jersey to meet her. Ava was very nervous because she was finally meeting the sister that she had always wanted. They got lunch and caught up on their lives and now keep in touch as much as possible.
While I interviewed Andrew, I got to hear about his experience on his mission trip to Granada. Andrew is super involved in his local church, Saint Ann catholic. During the first months of his Senior year, he heard about the trip through a family who belonged to his church. The church was sponsoring the trip, sending 20 students and two doctors along with them. Andrew was invited and had an amazing opportunity that he couldn't resist. For preparation, they held local bake sales as a fundraiser and did toy drives to collect items to donate to the children of Granada. The trip was from July 8th to the 15th. Being his first time out of the country and flying in an airplane, he was very nervous, yet excited for the experience he was about to endure on. When he arrived, he landed in the only airport in Granada. He was a little skeptical, especially since Zika was very prevalent during this time. But by the time he left the airport and saw the island, he knew it was going to be an experience of a lifetime. The first thing he noticed was that the drivers drove on the opposite side of the road and drove in the passenger seat. Living a week with no air condition in a gated community, it was very hot, yet he felt very safe. Andrew and his 19 other volunteers spent their time at Saint Georges University. There, they constructed houses, built out houses, and repainted schools and things in need. He also got the opportunity to get to know the kids of school and spend quality time with them, playing soccer and drawing. One day out of the week, they got the chance to go site seeing. He spent his day on a boat where he got to go snorkeling. All in all, he felt very safe. This trip allowed him to connect to god and get a sense of clarity. Being able to help other that are in need is a huge priority for Andrew and it humbled him to see that he helped benefit others' lives. He learned not to take things for granted and to live every day to the fullest.
Lexi is in high school. She is young, rebellious, and spontaneous like every other kid her age. One day, her and her friends decided to sneak out for the first time.Her and her friends decided to meet, late at night in Germany, travel around the city and then return before their parents woke up. They all planned to meet at a friends house after they snuck out. When Lexi left the house, she turned on the fan and took the house key so that her parents wouldn’t hear her and if they decided to lock the door, she could come back in. She snuck out successfully and went to the railroad tracks and other random places around Stuttgart, Germany and even ended up at a friends place for a bit. She ended up having a lot of fun and lexi came back around 4 a.m. when she knew her dad was getting up for work. She snuck back in again, turned off the fan and pretended to go to sleep. Her plan went as accordingly and she even woke up for school at 6 a.m., the next day. In the same week that Lexi snuck out, her sister was cat sitting the neighbors cat while her neighbor was on vacation. Her sister was about to head over to feed the neighbor’s cat until she could not find the key to their house anywhere. Turns out, instead of grabbing her house key, she grabbed her neighbor’s house key and ended up losing it while she was out having fun. At this point, the key could have been anywhere in Germany. Regardless, lexi still didn’t tell anybody in her family. Her sister panicked the most because she was responsible for the cat. Long story short, the cat ended up starving for a week until the owner came back and her sister had to pay for the key and ended up getting into a lot of trouble from her parents. To this day, they still do not know that it was secretly her who snuck out and lost the key.
While I was conversing with Max Berlowitz in our interviews we discussed about a "big event" that has happened in our lives so far. Max's "big event" was starting his journey to adulthood in starting college at Florida State University, much like myself. Technically being "on his own" for the first time in his life, Max has learned to do basic skills that every adult does eventually like doing laundry, buying groceries, cooking, et cetera. In getting to meet new people here at Florida State University, Max joined the Fraternity AEPi and has met and became friends with a lot more people. With attending a University, Max would need to seek a degree to graduate with and pursue a career after graduation and start that chapter of his life. Max has always had an interest and passion for sports, with playing sports such as water polo, football and more, with his favorite to play being basketball, and watching some of the same. With his passion and interest for sports, Max is pursuing a Sports Management degree and hopes to become a Sports Agent after college. Max had to decide between Florida State University and Indiana University, both being great schools and both having a degree program for Sports Management, but Max felt better off attending Florida State, which has made an impact and start to his adult life. I believe Max will achieve his goal in becoming a Sports Agent and it'd be great if one day he can represent one of his favorite players or teams. All of this started when he accepted the acceptance from Florida State University back during his senior year of High School. This event can relate to a vast amount of other people, including myself and this event will shape Max's future and lead him to become the man that he will be. If he attended a college back home or a different University out of the state of Florida, like Indiana, then the event would still be the same but could have different aspects to it. Starting college for Max has so far been a great experience and that experience will just keep growing as these next few years go by and they will keep getting better.
In February of 2010, Matt Middlebrooks life was forever changed. This would be the month where his family would relocate from Jacksonville, Florida to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Moving from the south to up north was such a shock that he was not exactly prepared for. Matt was only eleven years old when his family made this move. They were forced to move due to his father's promotion for his job. Moving so far away was not exactly something that an eleven-year-old in fifth grade would want to do. In Jacksonville, he attended Neptune Beach Elementary where he grew up with some of his best friends. Although he was worried about how he would keep in touch, over the years social media and cell phones have helped him out a lot to communicate with his friends back in Jacksonville. He remembers feeling different emotions as he prepared to make this major move. Matt was feeling nervous, he was not sure who he would meet. He also was worrying about finding a group that he would "fit in" with. Going from a beach town to a suburban jungle was a culture shock for Matt, his parents, and his younger sister. Moving in February, they arrived in the prime of the cold weather. He had never seen snow before in his eleven years of living and when he arrived in Philadelphia it was snowing. There was one thing that Matt said helped him make this move. It was his father's boss who wanted to help ease the pain. He told their family that he was going to gift them one thing of their choice. His family came together and agreed on one thing. They all wanted a puppy. Mac, a Shih Tzu, was the newest addition to the family and they were all so excited about this. He adjusted much easier than he thought he was going to. Matt played basketball and football and he believes that being involved in these sports helped him to make friends pretty quick. The friends he made when he first moved are still some of his best friends till this day. Majority of his friends currently attend Penn state. He enjoys visiting them as much as he can, but it is not the easiest because he has to fly from Florida to Pennsylvania.
When I interviewed Tarren, he said moving around his whole life was something that really shaped his life. He was born in Virginia, moved to Oregon, moved to Washington, and then finally wound up in Florida. This was due to his dad being in the military, getting stationed at all these different places, and going back and forth to visit his mom. Even with the obvious stress of making new friends and adjusting to his new homes, he enjoyed being able to experience new environments, which ranged from constant rainy days in Washington, to blistering heat in South Florida, to snowy winters in Virginia. The diverse climates allowed him to learn snowboarding and skiing, but also be able to experience constant beach weather. It’s hard as it is to leave and move away to college and leave your friends, but Tarren has done this 4 times in his life. Doing this has made him more open to travel and seeing what’s out there in the world. Some people may be scared of such big changes, but Tarren does this with confidence. In fact, he travelled by plane all by himself when he was just 6 years old, and said he felt “so cool” being able to do it. Not many 6 year olds would feel the same way he did. I know many kids who have moved to different places and been sad and angry to leave their friends, but Tarren accepted this and made the best out of the situation. All this exploring has encouraged Tarren to want to go overseas, having already been to Canada, Mexico, and obviously the states. Though he lives in Florida, he visits Washington to see his mom, and is looking forward to doing the same over summer break from FSU. He’s excited to be back with his friends, who also go to school far away from home. Though I’m sure he misses his friends from all the towns he’s been, he doesn’t let that affect his current situation. The traveling in his life has made him more open to new experiences, in turn letting him see all the beautiful sights that not many can say they’ve seen.
Football. It is the sport that brings this country together. No matter the age or level, competitive football always knows how to influence big events, high animosity, and great memories. The air was thick in Winter Haven. The Blue Devils cheer squad took the road out to one of their biggest rivalry football games of the season. Kristin sat on the team bus anxiously waiting the game and the atmosphere awaiting them. Her boyfriend was the quarterback on the team, Brad. Brad’s dad was also the head coach of the football team, and a math teacher at Winter Haven! So with lots of reputation on the line and people to impress, the whole town knew this game would be one to remember. The opponent was the Lakeland dreadnaughts, a neighboring school. The stadium was packed, and Kristin witnessed it all on the shoulders of her teammates, chanting “De-fense” as the blue devils pushed for victory. Her confidence pushed out of the sky during halftime when she succeeded in landing 20 front flips in a row! The place went nuts and the entire Winter Haven side of the field was feeling very confident. That was until the final drive. Kristen stood tall cheered as hard as she could. The blue devils scored a touchdown to bring them down 1 point in the remaining seconds. The place was electric as a critical decision was needed. Should the blue devils kick a field goal to try tying the game? Or should they go for the 2 point conversion to win it all. Brad and his dad stood field side talking, and before any fan or coach could voice their opinion, Brad and the offense ran back on to attempt the game winning conversion. The ball was snapped, Kristin watched with her eyes wide, Brad ran left and… BANG… a defender comes flying in from the corner and ruins Brad! The game was over and Kristin’s entire night had taken a sudden turn for the worst. It was one of the most mood changing events that one could witness. They all had a dreadful trip home, sad nobody could celebrate a team win.
Smart, beautiful, involved in the community, and a great friend, Julianne Lee has got it all figured out. What a lot of people don’t know about Julianne is that it took her a lot of hard work and dedication to get where she is now. Recently at Florida State, Julie applied for an office position for a prestigious medical club. Only expecting the treasurer or secretary or not a position at all, she received word that she was selected as vice president. In order to make it official, she just needed to put together a quick speech describing who she was to her new club members and why she choose the medical route in her education. Every person’s heart in the room went out to Julie as she explained her story. Her first language was Korean which she learned from her family in Korea that she goes to visit every summer. Growing up in an American public school, she was picked on a lot because she was different. It wasn’t until high school that her English was perfect without an accent. Her elementary and middle school years she struggled more than her classmates and peers with the classes and material. In the fifth grade, Julie took an anatomy test which all her classmates failed. Julie, however, aced it and was inspired to begin her studies in science and eventually becoming a doctor. She then explained her goal to attend graduate school and he plans for the future. Needless to say, if anyone deserves the vice president position in her new club, it should be Julie for she is the most driven and passionate.
After having a great conversation about life and getting to know Alec Pedraja, it came to my attention that his “big event” is just like mine. Coming to college without anyone, on your own is very hard. He said it was very hard to adjust to the fact that he was not with his family anymore and on his own. He said the hardest part was going to publix and having to vend for yourself. This includes doing laundry, cleaning, etc. Alex’s change from highschool to FSU made him realize that this was the beginning of his adulthood. Making friends for alex has not been hard at all. Even though Alex told me he has zero clue what he wants to pursue when he gets older, I know that he loves sports and would love to become a sports agent but he said there is really not a lot of job opportunities in that field of work. On the other hand, when Alex was applying to colleges, he was choosing between FSU and UCF. Choosing FSU decided Alex’s adulthood and it seems like he is very happy with where he is at right now im his life. He is doing just fine in school and being on his own and wishes to continue to thrive.
"I peaked in high school," Alonso claimed as he recounted his life from youth to adulthood. Alonso has always had a love for soccer and the competitive nature of the sport. He's been playing since he was 5 years old and loves watching professional soccer teams play. It has become a tradition in his household to watch soccer games as a family and celebrate their team's wins. This year for the 2018 World Cup, located in Russia, Alonso plans on throwing a huge party to celebrate the sport he loves dearly. Every four years, his family has visited Peru during the time of the World Cup, but he plans on staying in the U.S. this year. Furthermore, it is his dream to attend an upcoming World Cup Tournament, such as the one in Qatar in 2022, after he graduates college. In his early teenage years, he would play on travel teams such as Weston FC where he increasingly gained skills on the field and created life-long friendships. In high school, he tried out for the soccer team and made it along with his brother, Diego. According to Alonso, Cooper City High School is an underdog school when it comes to sports, especially in soccer. They actually ranked 230 out of all high school soccer teams in the state of Florida. Not many believed in the team, but with an abundance of support and motivation from their coaches and families and long hours of training, the team strived to make it to State Competition. To everyone's surprise, during Alonso's junior year, his team made it to District Competition and played against Western High. Cooper City ended up winning the game by a landslide, and Alonso says that is his greatest memory thus far. It had been 29 years since Cooper City High had won, "so the win felt even better." His girlfriend Valentina, who also plays competitive soccer, was in attendance and cheered him on the entire time. Although the team did not make it to States, Alonso and his teammates were extremely satisfied and content with the fact that they won for their "underdog school."
For Charlene, one of the most memorable moments for her was one of the several trips she has taken to the Philippines. Being that her mother is from there, and she still has family in the Philippines, Charlene and her family have taken the long flight across the world several times. One of her first trips over when she was four years old was one of the most eventful trips for her. While staying at a tourist resort in the Philippines, she drank water that had been filled with the Philippine water and was full of bacteria. Because of this, she began to get sick and had horrible stomach problems and even ended up getting dehydrated from vomiting so much. Whatever she ate or drink would not stay down and her Aunt, Uncles, and parents knew right away that this was because she had drank the water that her body was definitely not used to. As the night went on her parents and family grew more and more concerned and eventually took Charlene to the hospital. From where they lived, the nearest hospital was about a 30 minute drive to a city called Naga. She became scared at the hospital because they had to use needles and IV and she became queasy just thinking about this memory from years ago. She stayed in the hospital overnight and she became so comfortable there that she did not want to leave. The next morning she was released from the hospital and for the rest of the trip her and her family were very cautious and made it an absolute certainty that they would not drink the water again. Her and her family continued with the rest of that vacation without trouble. Then returned to the Philippines a few years later, and her dad left to go back to the US a little sooner than everybody else. While in the airport, they ate ramen noodles and the water did not completely boil, and once again Charlene got sick from the water. Once again she had to go back to the doctor, who just told her to instead go the hospital. At the hospital they again had to give her an IV and she had another overnight hospital stay. A few days after this hospital visit, her family decided to go to a water park, and she made sure to keep her mouth closed wherever she went because she did not want to once again go to the hospital because of the water.
During my interview with Wendi Halpryn, she informed me of her overseas experience of a life time. Her high school gave every student a chance to sign up for a trip called March of the Living. The March of the Living invites students from all over the world. The trip consists of leaving the United States for two weeks and spending one week in Poland and one week in Israel respectively. Wendi heard about this once in a life time trip through both of her sisters and heard their experiences. When she heard all the great stories, she knew she had to go for find out herself. Throughout her senior year, all the students who signed up would have meetings once a month prior to the journey to discuss money situations and newcomers. Days before the trip, Wendi was nervous about leaving her family and home behind for two weeks but found out some of her friends from summer camp were attending the same trip. She was glad to hear her friends from Canada and New York were joining her for the adventure, so she did not feel completely alone. Wendi first visited Poland and toured a couple of concentration camps. While touring, Wendi’s group had a survivor of the holocaust and would tell their memories bout the concentration camps. Wendi was speechless as she imagined herself in the survivor’s shoes going through that horrific and brutal experience. Wendi was in dismay when she learned that 100s of victims would sleep in a single room and she felt haunted by the frightening stories the survivor would tell. Her group marched from Auschwitz to Birkenau concentration camp and visited memorials, museums, and graveyards to examine the roots of intolerable prejudice and hatred towards Jewish people in the mid 20th century. Wendi looks back on that week as eye-opening and empowering. Wendi took a leap of faith with her religious side when she went to Israel and visited huge tourism attraction sites. She got to see beautiful scenery and tour the dead sea and western wall. Wendi also visited small markets to collect souvenirs for herself and her family. She would look back on this extraordinary two-part trip and be very glad she had the ability to experience it.
Molly told me about one of the most big decisions and events in her life which was deciding where she was going to college. Growing up and watching her big sister go to the University of Florida, as well as many other family members, Molly dreamed of joining her sister and family as a gator and keeping it in the family. She wanted to go to a big school with big sports, since she is an avid football fan, which is what University of Florida has. As well as applying to the University of Florida, she applied to Florida State University, Indiana University, University of Maryland and University of Central Florida. Although she applied to schools far away from South Florida where she lives like Indiana University and University of Maryland, in the end she wanted to stay close. Molly has never been away from home for more than a week without her family and especially her mom, who is she closest with. Although she wanted to overall stay in Florida, she didn’t want to stay too close in the south Florida region which is why when she got accepted to University of Central Florida, she decided to not attend. When Molly heard back from University of Florida, her number one school, she was devastated. Unlike her sister, she did not get accepted and now had to rethink all of her decisions when it came to attending college. A little while after, she got accepted to Florida State University and decided that this was the school she was going to attend. She was reluctant at first since many of her childhood to high school friends would be attending University of Florida and not as many kids that she was closest with would be joining her in Tallahassee. After visiting Florida State University with one of her friend’s sisters and getting to see the campus and people in a different light, she was excited to attend and looked forward to being a Seminole for the first time. She planned on rushing and meeting new people and knew that in the end it would be okay and she would come to love Florida State.
Travis moved from his home in New Jersey to Florida at the end of this past summer and now pays in-state tuition. When his father retired with a pension as the chief of police, his mother decided she did not really need to work either and so they decided to move down to Florida, closer to their family. Travis was in his junior year of high school when he found out about the decision but knew his family would be keeping the house until the end of the summer after he graduated so that he could enjoy one last summer with his friends. Unfortunately, the house sold quicker than expected and Travis and his parents had to move out in May. As his older sister was already enrolled at UCF at the time of the move, she was not as affected as Travis was, seeing that she had already made friends and lived in Orlando. Travis was completely against the move and the Monday night he had to leave the house to temporarily live in a condo for two months, he cried remembering all the memories he had had in the house he had grown up in. Travis took pictures and videos of each room of the house as well as the backyard and the pool because he didn’t want to ever forget what it looked like. Travis’ house was his favorite place to be and him and his friends would always hang out there; it was more than just a house, it was his home. His dad was in charge of most of the moving process and took the eighteen hour long drive in the moving truck down to their current residence in Port Charlotte, on Florida’s west coast. Travis’ best friends are scattered amongst various schools in the country and they do keep in contact regularly by texting and through FaceTime. However, when his friends return to New Jersey during the school breaks, it is now difficult for Travis to see them and hang out. Travis would like to visit there often but would feel bad staying at his friends’ homes and does not want to put that on them.
Throughout my interview with David Ryber, I had the opportunity to hear about an experience that will most likely change him and his family’s lives forever. David was born and raised in the small suburb of Troy, Michigan (just minutes outside of the Detroit area). He played baseball, was heavily into golfing, and was an active cross country star throughout his high school years. When it came time for his senior class to choose which college to attend the following year, the majority of his friends went with Michigan State University or The University of Michigan. However, David had other plans in mind. Over the length of time he lived in the Troy area, he grew increasingly aggravated by the cold winters. So, when it came time for David to pick a college to attend he decided to go out to an out of state university. He toured a variety of schools but eventually went with Florida State as his first choice. He also was heavily drawn to Michigan State University and still even cheers for their football team today (except when they play FSU of course). Fast forward a few months later, David moved over 900 miles away from his home. He left behind friends, family, and even memories. Now, instead of driving down the street or meeting up with his friends or family, he has to take a three hour flight to be able to see them. Not only has David committed to moving to the Tallahassee area, his parents are also planning on moving here as well. They are currently looking for homes near David and are finishing their career obligations back in Troy. He admitted to me that the transition has not been the easiest of tasks. He often misses the life he left behind and is still very thankful for his time in Michigan. However, he still remains focused on his academics and life in Florida as he understands that this decision to move across the country will have extremely positive impacts on his future. He hopes to graduate in three years and start a successful career.
One of the biggest events that occured in my life was the birth of my baby sister Zoe. Zoe Bella was born December 3, 2007. That's almost exactly 10 year age gap between use since I was born December 1, 1997. The day she was born my entire family got up at 4:30am to get to the hospital for her early delivery since it was scheduled to be a cesarean section. For hours my sister and I waited in the living room for notice on when we could go into the room to see our new baby sister! But a few hours after my mom was checked into the hospital a saw my dad rushing past the room we were waiting in with a team of doctors all huddling a cart with my baby sister. I could tell something was wrong because when I asked my dad to see her my cousins held me back as I could see my dad fighting the tears. About an hour later someone from my family had decided to tell my 10 year old self that something was wrong with the baby but they only old me she was born with a tiny ear. For a moment my aunt got to see take me to the unit where my sister was and behind a glass door full of other newborns I finally got to see my baby sister. Since all babies look the same I made the joke to my aunt that “e should just look for the one with the tiny ear” but she quickly scolded me on how I can't judge people based on their characteristics and sometimes people are born different. In my eyes this was only a joke but to her it was a very serious matter that confused me. Next I saw visited my mom room where she was laying in her bed looking very sad and telling me that we were going to have to stay with my Aunt for a few days while everything got sorted. At the time this sounded awesome since I loved hanging out with my aunt but still a bit odd. The next day I found out that there had actually been complications at birth and Zoe was helicopters over to Miami children's hospital where my dad had accompanied her. It was then I knew something wasn't right. The following day I was able to visit by baby sister in the newborn ICU unit better known as NICU where she spent the first 1 and half of her life at.
When I interviewed Kamaren Sandhu, he talked about how much his life changed after moving to Orlando Florida from Chicago Illinois. Getting used to his new environment and home were the biggest adjustments for him. He was used to the big city of Chicago, with its tall skyscrapers and beautiful skyline, and now he found himself in the sprawling suburbs of Orlando. One part that he missed about living in Chicago was how close it was to the water. Chicago sits on the bottom of Lake Michigan and provides a beautiful backdrop for the city. It also allowed him to have a fun place to hang out or relax that was relatively close to home. Although, he does really like Florida’s beaches and the ocean, he has to drive farther to get to them than he did in Chicago. Another aspect of Chicago that he misses a lot is the amazing food Chicago is known for. The deep-dish pizzas and Chicago style hot dogs were some of his favorite foods. He is struggling to find a good replacement for them since most places in Florida don’t make it as good as back home. One difference between Orlando and Chicago that he actually preferred was the warmer winters with no snow or ice. This allowed him to play golf year-round, which is his favorite thing to do when he has free time. This was also a difficult time for him to move because he was in his final year of high school, and planned on graduating with his friends. He found it odd that he would be finishing his last year of high school at an entirely different school. He never imagined that he would be finishing high school without the people he had known his entire life. It took a while for him to become used to his new situation, but he eventually found his spot at his new school. His shyness wore off, and he found a good new group of friends that he shared many interests with. Since golfing was his favorite thing to play and watch, he was happy when he found others that were into it as well.
As I interviewed Diego Mendoza, his main “big event” that occurred in his life was him moving to the United States at a young age. This meant that he had to leave everything behind in his country in Peru. The reason he had to move was because his parents wanted a better life for him, his brother, and sister. America meant more opportunities and nothing could really hold you back or at least compared to Peru. It was really rough for him having to make such a big transition at nine years old. Growing up, his father was really strict, having to work two jobs, so by the time he came home, he was always stressed. However, it was for the best because his father wanted to support his family and make sure everything was intact. Diego’s mom could not work because she did not have the correct papers. When Diego first reached America, specifically the New York international airport, he was in awe. There were a lot of super shiny cars and later he saw many buildings that appealed to him. Basically, “everything” looked different. On a good note, in New Jersey, where he lived for five years, everything was walking distance, which he was used to back in Peru. Diego did not know any English when he came to the United States, but surprisingly, he did not think that learning English was hard because he had a good teacher who helped translate from Spanish to English. Starting over was very difficult. He was always thinking about his friends back at home. His lifestyle was different and definitely the environment around him. Slowly, things were getting better. He caught on with English, was able to make friends, and started to accept that America was his new home. Later, his father got a better job opportunity, which made them move to Cooper City, Florida. It was another big move, but not as big of a move like Peru to New Jersey. Diego enjoyed Cooper City. He went to high school there and felt like he was able to fit in comfortably. All in all, moving to a different country at the age of nine was much difficult for Diego, but he was able to overcome it.
ReplyDeleteGloria Chae
Sydney and her older sister, Shelby, seemed to always bicker and fight, which drove her parents crazy. Their mom calls out from the kitchen, “I can’t wait for you guys to go back to school so I don’t have to hear you fight anymore!”. “I can”, Shelby says knowing that Sydney will be joining her in high school this year. As summer comes to an end, the girls pack their backpacks and lay out their clothes for the first day back to school. “Don’t forget to take your sister to school!”, their dad says to Shelby as Sydney is scrambling to get ready.
ReplyDeleteSydney sits in her first period class as the morning announcements come on. She mostly tunes the dull intercom voice out until the speaker makes the announcement for tryouts for the girl’s soccer team. Knowing Shelby would be absolutely annoyed, Sydney decides to go to tryouts knowing she will make her high school’s team with her many years of prior experience.
As Sydney walks onto the field ready for tryouts, the soccer coach announced that Shelby has made team captain. Now that Shelby is captain, Sydney knows she will have a hard time making the team, she has to play her absolute best. Sydney nails all of the drills and dribbles, catching the coach’s eye, she earns a first string position on the varsity team. Shelby’s filled with rage, “my 14 year old sister is on varsity...with me? You must be joking!”, she says to herself.
The sisters spend so much time together at home, school, and at soccer practice. They still have the occasional disagreement, but as the season progressed they began to bond over the sport they both love. Sydney began to look up to her older sister and take her advice at practice in order to better herself. The sisters notice how happy their parents are seeing them getting along on the field and at home.
The team has been practicing hard for the past couple of weeks because of their high school rivalry game. Game day arrives; the sisters are playing and cooperating better than ever. The game is tied with 20 seconds left on the clock. Shelby passes the ball to Sydney and she kicks it the first opportunity she gets. “GOALLLLL! THE DENKERT SISTERS WIN IT FOR THE TEAM!”, the announcer booms over the loudspeaker in the stadium. Sydney and her sister embrace in a hug. “I love you”, they say to each other.
After Shelby graduated and moved away for college, Sydney followed in her sister’s footsteps and continued to pursue soccer. Sydney’s senior year, she made captain and received offers from many different colleges to play soccer for them!
Charlize Couto
While interviewing Alex Lizano, I found out that his family did not used to be in a good place financially. He grew up not so well-off for a majority of his life and he believes that the big event of his life was when his father started up his own company. For a while his family wasn't seeing results with the company, but as time progressed they started to see the company explode and their lives started to improve. His father had started up a company for a Drug and Alcohol Abuse Treatment facility that would help save the lives of many. As Alex entered high school the company started to really explode. This was crucial for Alex because he was able to focus 100 percent on his studies and his athletics without worrying about his family's financial situation on the side like he used to as a kid. He went on to become one of the best players on his high school club team as well as an outstanding player on his high school football team. He was also getting good grades in all of his classes and impressing all of his teachers. Along with this, he was now able to buy anything that he may have needed for school or for his athletics such as equipment and school supplies. With his life starting to become slightly stress free, Alex was able to get a good GPA in high school and go on to attend Florida State University where he studies Entrepreneurship in hopes of following in his father's footsteps of creating his own business/company. He believes that his father's choice to start up the company was not only big for him and his life, but for his entire family. They are all now able to live a happier stress-free life and focus on the things they love to do as well as all spend quality time together. Alex is now 21 years old and hopes that he will one day provide the type of life for his family that is full of endless possibilities just as his father has.
ReplyDeleteKamaren Sandhu
ReplyDeleteWhen I interviewed Charlize, she told me an incredible story. Charlize decided to go to sleepaway camp and get away from everything for a little. Her step mom went to this sleepaway camp in North Carolina and she figured this would be good to get away and go to a camp someone she knew enjoyed going to. When Charlize was eleven her mom had passed away and because of this she thought going away from Florida would be good for her. Two weeks after her mom’s passing, she decided to go to this camp. When she first arrived at the sleepaway camp she was very shy and awkward towards others who tried talking to her. But, once she interacted with other campers and counselors and watched them talk about their personal stuff she saw how comforting everyone was towards each. After watching others open up, she gained the confidence to do the same and doing so allowed her to make her feel more outgoing and appreciative about the fact she had friends to be there for her whenever she needed them to be. She hoped this camp would give her the opportunity to change and feel something amazing and this camp did exactly what she wanted. Charlize told me this camp was very distracting to her and the way she was describing how amazing this camp was to, her I could tell by her facial expressions she truly felt this was life changing.
She and others really looked up to the camp counselors and she liked how helpful they were to the kids. These counselors were great mentors to all the campers there and she really loved the interactions and friendships she made with them. After this amazing experience, of three weeks away from home, she returned the following five summers to get to reconnect with old friends and experience new things. Looking up to her counselors so much, she decided she wanted to become a camp counselor herself. She wanted that feeling of having kids look up to her and help them with any problems or just to be there for them to hang out and be their friend just like she did. she truly enjoyed working at this camp, she has been a camp counselor for three years now and she plans on returning this summer and many more to help kids and be a mentor to them.
Sydney Denkert
Kelly Hartigan has said before that she is not a “very exciting person” yet has done a very daring and brave thing that has changed her life. Moving to college is always an exciting thing, but how about moving almost 1200 miles away from family and friends. A much more considerably brave thing to do, and that is exactly what Kelly did. As an out of state student at Florida State University, Kelly is one of few that has gathered enough confidence to change her scenery significantly. From the Long Island in New York, to the humid Tallahassee, Kelly has long awaited the opportunity to attend Florida State. When Kelly was in high school she did a project that allowed her to explore the opportunities at Florida State. Kelly’s sister once lived in Alabama that was only a short drive from the university. Once Kelly visited her sister she took a trip to visit the campus and fell in love with the university. Now that she knew where she wanted to go, next she had to consider downsides of the decision, to leave her family and friends for a new life and environment. This was not and could never be an easy decision and had its consequences, but eventually Kelly took the leap forward and accepted enrollment into the college. Kelly knew just a single person from her old school that also decided to attend Florida State, and that was it. No other family or friends were there, a difficult position for some but Kelly adapted. Her friend that had come with her to this new experience eventually went back home and left the university leaving Kelly to make new friends in her new home. Her roommates and suitemates are nice but it’s hard to find new best friends in such a cluttered and wild place. Regardless Kelly continues to excel in school and show why she was able to attend the university in the first place. After this courageous move to Florida, she still continues to visit her family on breaks and will pursue Florida State until she has finished her degree.
ReplyDeleteGloria Chae, a Korean-American girl was only 12 years old when she experienced something unimaginable. This experience was the death of her dog named Gemmy, her mother was the one that broke the news to her. Her heart stopped as soon as she heard the news, all she could think about was her dog and their life together. She always wanted a dog but her father was never into the idea of getting one, until one day he changed his mind. When deciding to buy a dog, her father’s only condition was that he would name the dog. They decided on a beautiful husky mix, the dog was golden brown like caramel, one eye was light blue like the ocean, and the other was half brown and blue. Her father named the dog gemmy, he chose this name because he said the dog is a gem. She got the dog at an early age, it was a great friendship from the start, they immediately clicked. The two were inseparable, Gemmy would sleep at the end of her bed at night and would wake up when she was heading to school. They grew up together, Gemmy was just a pup when they got her and Gloria was only a few years old. As the dog got older, it became sick, by the time they took her into the veterinarian, they had found out the Gemmy was going to pass away. Gloria was not there the day that they put Gemmy down but she knew that she was going to lose her best friend. With the losing of her best friend, she was extremely saddened and was upset that something like this could happen to her and her beautiful dog. Her father, although he did not want a dog initially became very close to Gemmy and was a big loss for the whole family. Gloria did not think that she would ever get another dog but her father surprised her with one a year after.
ReplyDeleteDiego Mendoza
It was a cloudy day in Weston, Florida on November 8, 2016. Lauren woke up with excitement because the presidential election was taking place that evening. November 8, 2016 was going to be a historic day, either the first woman president was going to win, Hillary Clinton, or an unexperienced bigot, Donald Trump. Unluckily, she was born on December, 1998 and was not 18 years of age so she could not vote. She believes that voting is a privilege and not a right in this country and trusted the nation’s people to vote with their conscious. Lauren and many other people were anxious about this presidential election. The two candidates were very unique. On one side we had an experienced leader with bad reputation and on the other we had a business man with no political background and a man that has accused of sexual misconduct. Anyone looking from outside the country would say that the experienced leader was going to be win but in reality it was a close race. The time has come and now all voting polls have been closed, the numbers are starting to come in. After, a couple hours Lauren finds herself in shock and disbelief, Donald Trump was going to be the 46th president of the United States. Lauren was in shock and couldn’t believe the results, it took a couple of days for her to realize the truth. Lauren realized that this country wanted something different, someone different. But, it also showed a deep separation within the country. Lauren was not happy with the results of the election and with the events that happened after. A lot of hatred and hostility arose from this election but it was not going to stop Lauren from believing that this country can be united once again. Lauren set out to seek the middle between both parties and see their difference and try to come up with a middle ground. Lauren has been talking with many students and people about their different positions and has found a reasonable ground for herself to understand.
ReplyDeleteAs I was interviewing Ava, she told me a personal story about herself that was very intriguing. For the first 12 years of Ava’s life, it was just her, her parents, and her 2 older brothers. She always thought these were the only siblings she had until one day when her and her mom decided to watch a television show together. Instead of hanging out with her friends on this day, her mom asked to watch a movie. It was a gloomy day and there was not much she could have done with her friends anyways.
ReplyDeleteNot thinking much into this, her and her mom went through the television shows and movies until they found one they liked. Immediately, when it was displayed on the screen, Ava picked American Idol to watch. This was her favorite show at the time. It was a show were people would audition in front of 4 famous artists and would sing for them. The winner of the show usually got a music deal and would become very famous.
Mid way through the television show, her mom abruptly paused it. She started to make conversation with Ava and went on to tell her that she has a half-sister. She told her that her sisters name is Lauren and that she is 21, now 27, and living in Nebraska. Shocked at first, Ava stormed away. She was very confused by this and how she did not know about Lauren for the first 12 years of her life. Ava had always dreamed of having a sister so when she found out she had one that she didn’t know, she was upset.
Ava wanted to know more about this mysterious half-sister of hers. She would continuously question her mom about Lauren for months and months and ask if she would ever be allowed to meet her. Reluctant at first, Ava’s mom eventually gave in. Her sister flew out to New Jersey to meet her.
Ava was very nervous because she was finally meeting the sister that she had always wanted. They got lunch and caught up on their lives and now keep in touch as much as possible.
Molly Hauser
While I interviewed Andrew, I got to hear about his experience on his mission trip to Granada. Andrew is super involved in his local church, Saint Ann catholic. During the first months of his Senior year, he heard about the trip through a family who belonged to his church. The church was sponsoring the trip, sending 20 students and two doctors along with them. Andrew was invited and had an amazing opportunity that he couldn't resist. For preparation, they held local bake sales as a fundraiser and did toy drives to collect items to donate to the children of Granada. The trip was from July 8th to the 15th. Being his first time out of the country and flying in an airplane, he was very nervous, yet excited for the experience he was about to endure on. When he arrived, he landed in the only airport in Granada. He was a little skeptical, especially since Zika was very prevalent during this time. But by the time he left the airport and saw the island, he knew it was going to be an experience of a lifetime. The first thing he noticed was that the drivers drove on the opposite side of the road and drove in the passenger seat. Living a week with no air condition in a gated community, it was very hot, yet he felt very safe. Andrew and his 19 other volunteers spent their time at Saint Georges University. There, they constructed houses, built out houses, and repainted schools and things in need. He also got the opportunity to get to know the kids of school and spend quality time with them, playing soccer and drawing. One day out of the week, they got the chance to go site seeing. He spent his day on a boat where he got to go snorkeling. All in all, he felt very safe. This trip allowed him to connect to god and get a sense of clarity. Being able to help other that are in need is a huge priority for Andrew and it humbled him to see that he helped benefit others' lives. He learned not to take things for granted and to live every day to the fullest.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteLexi is in high school. She is young, rebellious, and spontaneous like every other kid her age. One day, her and her friends decided to sneak out for the first time.Her and her friends decided to meet, late at night in Germany, travel around the city and then return before their parents woke up. They all planned to meet at a friends house after they snuck out. When Lexi left the house, she turned on the fan and took the house key so that her parents wouldn’t hear her and if they decided to lock the door, she could come back in. She snuck out successfully and went to the railroad tracks and other random places around Stuttgart, Germany and even ended up at a friends place for a bit. She ended up having a lot of fun and lexi came back around 4 a.m. when she knew her dad was getting up for work. She snuck back in again, turned off the fan and pretended to go to sleep. Her plan went as accordingly and she even woke up for school at 6 a.m., the next day. In the same week that Lexi snuck out, her sister was cat sitting the neighbors cat while her neighbor was on vacation. Her sister was about to head over to feed the neighbor’s cat until she could not find the key to their house anywhere. Turns out, instead of grabbing her house key, she grabbed her neighbor’s house key and ended up losing it while she was out having fun. At this point, the key could have been anywhere in Germany. Regardless, lexi still didn’t tell anybody in her family. Her sister panicked the most because she was responsible for the cat. Long story short, the cat ended up starving for a week until the owner came back and her sister had to pay for the key and ended up getting into a lot of trouble from her parents. To this day, they still do not know that it was secretly her who snuck out and lost the key.
While I was conversing with Max Berlowitz in our interviews we discussed about a "big event" that has happened in our lives so far. Max's "big event" was starting his journey to adulthood in starting college at Florida State University, much like myself. Technically being "on his own" for the first time in his life, Max has learned to do basic skills that every adult does eventually like doing laundry, buying groceries, cooking, et cetera. In getting to meet new people here at Florida State University, Max joined the Fraternity AEPi and has met and became friends with a lot more people. With attending a University, Max would need to seek a degree to graduate with and pursue a career after graduation and start that chapter of his life. Max has always had an interest and passion for sports, with playing sports such as water polo, football and more, with his favorite to play being basketball, and watching some of the same. With his passion and interest for sports, Max is pursuing a Sports Management degree and hopes to become a Sports Agent after college. Max had to decide between Florida State University and Indiana University, both being great schools and both having a degree program for Sports Management, but Max felt better off attending Florida State, which has made an impact and start to his adult life. I believe Max will achieve his goal in becoming a Sports Agent and it'd be great if one day he can represent one of his favorite players or teams. All of this started when he accepted the acceptance from Florida State University back during his senior year of High School. This event can relate to a vast amount of other people, including myself and this event will shape Max's future and lead him to become the man that he will be. If he attended a college back home or a different University out of the state of Florida, like Indiana, then the event would still be the same but could have different aspects to it. Starting college for Max has so far been a great experience and that experience will just keep growing as these next few years go by and they will keep getting better.
ReplyDeleteAlex Pedraja
In February of 2010, Matt Middlebrooks life was forever changed. This would be the month where his family would relocate from Jacksonville, Florida to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Moving from the south to up north was such a shock that he was not exactly prepared for. Matt was only eleven years old when his family made this move. They were forced to move due to his father's promotion for his job. Moving so far away was not exactly something that an eleven-year-old in fifth grade would want to do. In Jacksonville, he attended Neptune Beach Elementary where he grew up with some of his best friends. Although he was worried about how he would keep in touch, over the years social media and cell phones have helped him out a lot to communicate with his friends back in Jacksonville. He remembers feeling different emotions as he prepared to make this major move. Matt was feeling nervous, he was not sure who he would meet. He also was worrying about finding a group that he would "fit in" with. Going from a beach town to a suburban jungle was a culture shock for Matt, his parents, and his younger sister. Moving in February, they arrived in the prime of the cold weather. He had never seen snow before in his eleven years of living and when he arrived in Philadelphia it was snowing. There was one thing that Matt said helped him make this move. It was his father's boss who wanted to help ease the pain. He told their family that he was going to gift them one thing of their choice. His family came together and agreed on one thing. They all wanted a puppy. Mac, a Shih Tzu, was the newest addition to the family and they were all so excited about this. He adjusted much easier than he thought he was going to. Matt played basketball and football and he believes that being involved in these sports helped him to make friends pretty quick. The friends he made when he first moved are still some of his best friends till this day. Majority of his friends currently attend Penn state. He enjoys visiting them as much as he can, but it is not the easiest because he has to fly from Florida to Pennsylvania.
ReplyDeleteWhen I interviewed Tarren, he said moving around his whole life was something that really shaped his life. He was born in Virginia, moved to Oregon, moved to Washington, and then finally wound up in Florida. This was due to his dad being in the military, getting stationed at all these different places, and going back and forth to visit his mom. Even with the obvious stress of making new friends and adjusting to his new homes, he enjoyed being able to experience new environments, which ranged from constant rainy days in Washington, to blistering heat in South Florida, to snowy winters in Virginia. The diverse climates allowed him to learn snowboarding and skiing, but also be able to experience constant beach weather. It’s hard as it is to leave and move away to college and leave your friends, but Tarren has done this 4 times in his life. Doing this has made him more open to travel and seeing what’s out there in the world. Some people may be scared of such big changes, but Tarren does this with confidence. In fact, he travelled by plane all by himself when he was just 6 years old, and said he felt “so cool” being able to do it. Not many 6 year olds would feel the same way he did. I know many kids who have moved to different places and been sad and angry to leave their friends, but Tarren accepted this and made the best out of the situation. All this exploring has encouraged Tarren to want to go overseas, having already been to Canada, Mexico, and obviously the states. Though he lives in Florida, he visits Washington to see his mom, and is looking forward to doing the same over summer break from FSU. He’s excited to be back with his friends, who also go to school far away from home. Though I’m sure he misses his friends from all the towns he’s been, he doesn’t let that affect his current situation. The traveling in his life has made him more open to new experiences, in turn letting him see all the beautiful sights that not many can say they’ve seen.
ReplyDeleteFootball. It is the sport that brings this country together. No matter the age or level, competitive football always knows how to influence big events, high animosity, and great memories. The air was thick in Winter Haven. The Blue Devils cheer squad took the road out to one of their biggest rivalry football games of the season. Kristin sat on the team bus anxiously waiting the game and the atmosphere awaiting them. Her boyfriend was the quarterback on the team, Brad. Brad’s dad was also the head coach of the football team, and a math teacher at Winter Haven! So with lots of reputation on the line and people to impress, the whole town knew this game would be one to remember. The opponent was the Lakeland dreadnaughts, a neighboring school. The stadium was packed, and Kristin witnessed it all on the shoulders of her teammates, chanting “De-fense” as the blue devils pushed for victory. Her confidence pushed out of the sky during halftime when she succeeded in landing 20 front flips in a row! The place went nuts and the entire Winter Haven side of the field was feeling very confident. That was until the final drive. Kristen stood tall cheered as hard as she could. The blue devils scored a touchdown to bring them down 1 point in the remaining seconds. The place was electric as a critical decision was needed. Should the blue devils kick a field goal to try tying the game? Or should they go for the 2 point conversion to win it all. Brad and his dad stood field side talking, and before any fan or coach could voice their opinion, Brad and the offense ran back on to attempt the game winning conversion. The ball was snapped, Kristin watched with her eyes wide, Brad ran left and… BANG… a defender comes flying in from the corner and ruins Brad! The game was over and Kristin’s entire night had taken a sudden turn for the worst. It was one of the most mood changing events that one could witness. They all had a dreadful trip home, sad nobody could celebrate a team win.
ReplyDeleteSmart, beautiful, involved in the community, and a great friend, Julianne Lee has got it all figured out. What a lot of people don’t know about Julianne is that it took her a lot of hard work and dedication to get where she is now. Recently at Florida State, Julie applied for an office position for a prestigious medical club. Only expecting the treasurer or secretary or not a position at all, she received word that she was selected as vice president. In order to make it official, she just needed to put together a quick speech describing who she was to her new club members and why she choose the medical route in her education. Every person’s heart in the room went out to Julie as she explained her story. Her first language was Korean which she learned from her family in Korea that she goes to visit every summer. Growing up in an American public school, she was picked on a lot because she was different. It wasn’t until high school that her English was perfect without an accent. Her elementary and middle school years she struggled more than her classmates and peers with the classes and material. In the fifth grade, Julie took an anatomy test which all her classmates failed. Julie, however, aced it and was inspired to begin her studies in science and eventually becoming a doctor. She then explained her goal to attend graduate school and he plans for the future. Needless to say, if anyone deserves the vice president position in her new club, it should be Julie for she is the most driven and passionate.
ReplyDeleteAfter having a great conversation about life and getting to know Alec Pedraja, it came to my attention that his “big event” is just like mine. Coming to college without anyone, on your own is very hard. He said it was very hard to adjust to the fact that he was not with his family anymore and on his own. He said the hardest part was going to publix and having to vend for yourself. This includes doing laundry, cleaning, etc. Alex’s change from highschool to FSU made him realize that this was the beginning of his adulthood. Making friends for alex has not been hard at all. Even though Alex told me he has zero clue what he wants to pursue when he gets older, I know that he loves sports and would love to become a sports agent but he said there is really not a lot of job opportunities in that field of work. On the other hand, when Alex was applying to colleges, he was choosing between FSU and UCF. Choosing FSU decided Alex’s adulthood and it seems like he is very happy with where he is at right now im his life. He is doing just fine in school and being on his own and wishes to continue to thrive.
ReplyDeletemax Berlowitz
"I peaked in high school," Alonso claimed as he recounted his life from youth to adulthood. Alonso has always had a love for soccer and the competitive nature of the sport. He's been playing since he was 5 years old and loves watching professional soccer teams play. It has become a tradition in his household to watch soccer games as a family and celebrate their team's wins. This year for the 2018 World Cup, located in Russia, Alonso plans on throwing a huge party to celebrate the sport he loves dearly. Every four years, his family has visited Peru during the time of the World Cup, but he plans on staying in the U.S. this year. Furthermore, it is his dream to attend an upcoming World Cup Tournament, such as the one in Qatar in 2022, after he graduates college.
ReplyDeleteIn his early teenage years, he would play on travel teams such as Weston FC where he increasingly gained skills on the field and created life-long friendships. In high school, he tried out for the soccer team and made it along with his brother, Diego. According to Alonso, Cooper City High School is an underdog school when it comes to sports, especially in soccer. They actually ranked 230 out of all high school soccer teams in the state of Florida. Not many believed in the team, but with an abundance of support and motivation from their coaches and families and long hours of training, the team strived to make it to State Competition. To everyone's surprise, during Alonso's junior year, his team made it to District Competition and played against Western High. Cooper City ended up winning the game by a landslide, and Alonso says that is his greatest memory thus far. It had been 29 years since Cooper City High had won, "so the win felt even better." His girlfriend Valentina, who also plays competitive soccer, was in attendance and cheered him on the entire time. Although the team did not make it to States, Alonso and his teammates were extremely satisfied and content with the fact that they won for their "underdog school."
For Charlene, one of the most memorable moments for her was one of the several trips she has taken to the Philippines. Being that her mother is from there, and she still has family in the Philippines, Charlene and her family have taken the long flight across the world several times.
ReplyDeleteOne of her first trips over when she was four years old was one of the most eventful trips for her. While staying at a tourist resort in the Philippines, she drank water that had been filled with the Philippine water and was full of bacteria. Because of this, she began to get sick and had horrible stomach problems and even ended up getting dehydrated from vomiting so much. Whatever she ate or drink would not stay down and her Aunt, Uncles, and parents knew right away that this was because she had drank the water that her body was definitely not used to. As the night went on her parents and family grew more and more concerned and eventually took Charlene to the hospital. From where they lived, the nearest hospital was about a 30 minute drive to a city called Naga. She became scared at the hospital because they had to use needles and IV and she became queasy just thinking about this memory from years ago.
She stayed in the hospital overnight and she became so comfortable there that she did not want to leave. The next morning she was released from the hospital and for the rest of the trip her and her family were very cautious and made it an absolute certainty that they would not drink the water again.
Her and her family continued with the rest of that vacation without trouble. Then returned to the Philippines a few years later, and her dad left to go back to the US a little sooner than everybody else. While in the airport, they ate ramen noodles and the water did not completely boil, and once again Charlene got sick from the water. Once again she had to go back to the doctor, who just told her to instead go the hospital. At the hospital they again had to give her an IV and she had another overnight hospital stay. A few days after this hospital visit, her family decided to go to a water park, and she made sure to keep her mouth closed wherever she went because she did not want to once again go to the hospital because of the water.
Travis Ardin
During my interview with Wendi Halpryn, she informed me of her overseas experience of a life time. Her high school gave every student a chance to sign up for a trip called March of the Living. The March of the Living invites students from all over the world. The trip consists of leaving the United States for two weeks and spending one week in Poland and one week in Israel respectively. Wendi heard about this once in a life time trip through both of her sisters and heard their experiences. When she heard all the great stories, she knew she had to go for find out herself. Throughout her senior year, all the students who signed up would have meetings once a month prior to the journey to discuss money situations and newcomers. Days before the trip, Wendi was nervous about leaving her family and home behind for two weeks but found out some of her friends from summer camp were attending the same trip. She was glad to hear her friends from Canada and New York were joining her for the adventure, so she did not feel completely alone. Wendi first visited Poland and toured a couple of concentration camps. While touring, Wendi’s group had a survivor of the holocaust and would tell their memories bout the concentration camps. Wendi was speechless as she imagined herself in the survivor’s shoes going through that horrific and brutal experience. Wendi was in dismay when she learned that 100s of victims would sleep in a single room and she felt haunted by the frightening stories the survivor would tell. Her group marched from Auschwitz to Birkenau concentration camp and visited memorials, museums, and graveyards to examine the roots of intolerable prejudice and hatred towards Jewish people in the mid 20th century. Wendi looks back on that week as eye-opening and empowering. Wendi took a leap of faith with her religious side when she went to Israel and visited huge tourism attraction sites. She got to see beautiful scenery and tour the dead sea and western wall. Wendi also visited small markets to collect souvenirs for herself and her family. She would look back on this extraordinary two-part trip and be very glad she had the ability to experience it.
ReplyDeleteAndrew Dorsey
Molly told me about one of the most big decisions and events in her life which was deciding where she was going to college. Growing up and watching her big sister go to the University of Florida, as well as many other family members, Molly dreamed of joining her sister and family as a gator and keeping it in the family. She wanted to go to a big school with big sports, since she is an avid football fan, which is what University of Florida has. As well as applying to the University of Florida, she applied to Florida State University, Indiana University, University of Maryland and University of Central Florida.
ReplyDeleteAlthough she applied to schools far away from South Florida where she lives like Indiana University and University of Maryland, in the end she wanted to stay close. Molly has never been away from home for more than a week without her family and especially her mom, who is she closest with. Although she wanted to overall stay in Florida, she didn’t want to stay too close in the south Florida region which is why when she got accepted to University of Central Florida, she decided to not attend.
When Molly heard back from University of Florida, her number one school, she was devastated. Unlike her sister, she did not get accepted and now had to rethink all of her decisions when it came to attending college. A little while after, she got accepted to Florida State University and decided that this was the school she was going to attend. She was reluctant at first since many of her childhood to high school friends would be attending University of Florida and not as many kids that she was closest with would be joining her in Tallahassee.
After visiting Florida State University with one of her friend’s sisters and getting to see the campus and people in a different light, she was excited to attend and looked forward to being a Seminole for the first time. She planned on rushing and meeting new people and knew that in the end it would be okay and she would come to love Florida State.
Travis moved from his home in New Jersey to Florida at the end of this past summer and now pays in-state tuition. When his father retired with a pension as the chief of police, his mother decided she did not really need to work either and so they decided to move down to Florida, closer to their family. Travis was in his junior year of high school when he found out about the decision but knew his family would be keeping the house until the end of the summer after he graduated so that he could enjoy one last summer with his friends. Unfortunately, the house sold quicker than expected and Travis and his parents had to move out in May. As his older sister was already enrolled at UCF at the time of the move, she was not as affected as Travis was, seeing that she had already made friends and lived in Orlando. Travis was completely against the move and the Monday night he had to leave the house to temporarily live in a condo for two months, he cried remembering all the memories he had had in the house he had grown up in. Travis took pictures and videos of each room of the house as well as the backyard and the pool because he didn’t want to ever forget what it looked like. Travis’ house was his favorite place to be and him and his friends would always hang out there; it was more than just a house, it was his home. His dad was in charge of most of the moving process and took the eighteen hour long drive in the moving truck down to their current residence in Port Charlotte, on Florida’s west coast. Travis’ best friends are scattered amongst various schools in the country and they do keep in contact regularly by texting and through FaceTime. However, when his friends return to New Jersey during the school breaks, it is now difficult for Travis to see them and hang out. Travis would like to visit there often but would feel bad staying at his friends’ homes and does not want to put that on them.
ReplyDeleteThroughout my interview with David Ryber, I had the opportunity to hear about an experience that will most likely change him and his family’s lives forever. David was born and raised in the small suburb of Troy, Michigan (just minutes outside of the Detroit area). He played baseball, was heavily into golfing, and was an active cross country star throughout his high school years. When it came time for his senior class to choose which college to attend the following year, the majority of his friends went with Michigan State University or The University of Michigan. However, David had other plans in mind. Over the length of time he lived in the Troy area, he grew increasingly aggravated by the cold winters. So, when it came time for David to pick a college to attend he decided to go out to an out of state university. He toured a variety of schools but eventually went with Florida State as his first choice. He also was heavily drawn to Michigan State University and still even cheers for their football team today (except when they play FSU of course). Fast forward a few months later, David moved over 900 miles away from his home. He left behind friends, family, and even memories. Now, instead of driving down the street or meeting up with his friends or family, he has to take a three hour flight to be able to see them. Not only has David committed to moving to the Tallahassee area, his parents are also planning on moving here as well. They are currently looking for homes near David and are finishing their career obligations back in Troy. He admitted to me that the transition has not been the easiest of tasks. He often misses the life he left behind and is still very thankful for his time in Michigan. However, he still remains focused on his academics and life in Florida as he understands that this decision to move across the country will have extremely positive impacts on his future. He hopes to graduate in three years and start a successful career.
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ReplyDeleteOne of the biggest events that occured in my life was the birth of my baby sister Zoe. Zoe Bella was born December 3, 2007. That's almost exactly 10 year age gap between use since I was born December 1, 1997. The day she was born my entire family got up at 4:30am to get to the hospital for her early delivery since it was scheduled to be a cesarean section. For hours my sister and I waited in the living room for notice on when we could go into the room to see our new baby sister! But a few hours after my mom was checked into the hospital a saw my dad rushing past the room we were waiting in with a team of doctors all huddling a cart with my baby sister. I could tell something was wrong because when I asked my dad to see her my cousins held me back as I could see my dad fighting the tears. About an hour later someone from my family had decided to tell my 10 year old self that something was wrong with the baby but they only old me she was born with a tiny ear. For a moment my aunt got to see take me to the unit where my sister was and behind a glass door full of other newborns I finally got to see my baby sister. Since all babies look the same I made the joke to my aunt that “e should just look for the one with the tiny ear” but she quickly scolded me on how I can't judge people based on their characteristics and sometimes people are born different. In my eyes this was only a joke but to her it was a very serious matter that confused me. Next I saw visited my mom room where she was laying in her bed looking very sad and telling me that we were going to have to stay with my Aunt for a few days while everything got sorted. At the time this sounded awesome since I loved hanging out with my aunt but still a bit odd. The next day I found out that there had actually been complications at birth and Zoe was helicopters over to Miami children's hospital where my dad had accompanied her. It was then I knew something wasn't right. The following day I was able to visit by baby sister in the newborn ICU unit better known as NICU where she spent the first 1 and half of her life at.
When I interviewed Kamaren Sandhu, he talked about how much his life changed after moving to Orlando Florida from Chicago Illinois. Getting used to his new environment and home were the biggest adjustments for him. He was used to the big city of Chicago, with its tall skyscrapers and beautiful skyline, and now he found himself in the sprawling suburbs of Orlando. One part that he missed about living in Chicago was how close it was to the water. Chicago sits on the bottom of Lake Michigan and provides a beautiful backdrop for the city. It also allowed him to have a fun place to hang out or relax that was relatively close to home. Although, he does really like Florida’s beaches and the ocean, he has to drive farther to get to them than he did in Chicago. Another aspect of Chicago that he misses a lot is the amazing food Chicago is known for. The deep-dish pizzas and Chicago style hot dogs were some of his favorite foods. He is struggling to find a good replacement for them since most places in Florida don’t make it as good as back home. One difference between Orlando and Chicago that he actually preferred was the warmer winters with no snow or ice. This allowed him to play golf year-round, which is his favorite thing to do when he has free time. This was also a difficult time for him to move because he was in his final year of high school, and planned on graduating with his friends. He found it odd that he would be finishing his last year of high school at an entirely different school. He never imagined that he would be finishing high school without the people he had known his entire life. It took a while for him to become used to his new situation, but he eventually found his spot at his new school. His shyness wore off, and he found a good new group of friends that he shared many interests with. Since golfing was his favorite thing to play and watch, he was happy when he found others that were into it as well.
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