Gena's Interview
by Aleigha Wright
Rochester,
New York on a not so sunny Wednesday afternoon with chilling winds and slight
snow fall is the first time I sat down to talk with Gena. When our conversation
first started out, things were a tad bumpy. Once we got more comfortable with
each, other the interview began to go smoothly almost like a old friends. Upon
first meeting Gena she was a happy soul, all smiles and laughter with a kind
and friendly face. Currently she goes to School of The Arts and loves the
friends shes come to know. While talking about her life after high school, she
expressed her love for architecture saying, “I'd like to be an urban designer. I
live in the city and want to be able to design some of the building I see”. I
then went on to ask how her education and major at School of the Arts would
continue to impact her down the ro
ad. “I'm a creative writing major so
hopefully when I get into college, I will be able to write well and efficiently,”
she says. “Also I hope my time management skills will be improved." After
taking a minute to comprehend what was said, I asked where she saw herself ten
years from now. “Probably in Rochester. Most of my family is here,” she says.
“In ten years I hope to have a job as an urban designer with a dog and maybe a
family living near a park”. Talking with Gena I would say she is a friendly,
approachable, and bubbly person. This got me thinking about how her friends
would describe her. “I think they would say I'm pretty outgoing, a stressed but
chill friend, and decisive” she says. “ I know what I want”. Upon hearing her
say she was a “stressed but chill friend,” I asked whats one thing she would
change about herself. “Make myself more chill or give myself perfect teeth. I
never did get braces, so I wish I could go back and tell twelve year-old me to
just get them”. At the end of the interview my mind was stirring with
everything she had to say. For my last question I asked what her defining
moment was, why, and what she took from
it. After a moment or two of silent thinking she responded. “ I would have to
say getting into School of The Arts. I feel going anywhere else I would not
have had the same friends or experiences” she says. “Hopefully having friends I
can call no matter what and take with me the knowledge I was given”.
Interview with Michael
by Carly Swift-Horth
It was a wannabe winter day in Rochester New York when I first sat down with Mike
Mayer. He was a really friendly guy with a good sense of humor and very sociable. Both a little
anxious about the assignment, we were kind of hesitant to begin. It was all in good fun, we had
to remind ourselves. Getting into it took a little push, but we had a major breakthrough. I
suggested we start off easy with a question that we had all been asked a million times in our
lives, especially as seniors. Pick three words to describe yourself. I’d forgotten how rough it
really is to pick three words, because they have to be good, but you also want to make yourself
seem modest. “Man, I had a really good answer for my senior exit interview, but I can’t think of
what it was,” he said to me. After taking a minute, we laughed it off and decided to come back to
it in a little while. In the end, he chose attentive, pensive, and cooperative, which all seem to
complement each other nicely. The next question was a bit more interesting to kind of see his
priorities. He described what his ‘picture perfect moment’ would look like in his life if he could
have everything his way. He told me that as long as he was emotionally and economically stable,
then that was what was most important to him. Having a family would be nice too, but he is
more concerned about his stability. Very practical reasoning, I’d say. Being able to balance the
two in this day and age can get rough.
Getting a bit more relaxed, I brought up the question of wishes. “If you could wish for
one thing, anything you wanted, what would it be?” I asked. He did not skip a beat and said,
“Time travel!” He came up with many different reasons, and one that stuck out to me was that
he’s done some things, and made some decisions with a different mindset from his current one,
and would ultimately like to change them. To sum up the question he said, “Because, why not?”
His answer was a smooth transition into the next thing that I asked him which was a whole
scenario. “Time machines have been invented-“ I began. “YES,” he interjected. I laughed and
continued, “You have one shot to go into the future or back into the past, and once you go, you
stay. What era would you travel to? Or would you stay? You can bring a friend.” He looked at the
floor for a second, and then back up and said, “Definitely not the 80’s!” We agreed the 80’s was a
bit too overdone. “Maybe 1985 so I could have a smooth transition to the 90’s,” he concluded.
“I could talk to you forever about what a theatre tech major does,” he said when I asked
him about the creative stages in School of the Arts productions. They work with the director and
their vision for the set, come up with conceptual designs by throwing out ideas and then they
draft it. After a final draft, the size is planned, and then they paint. His favorite part of the
production process, however, is the lighting design, and his second favorite is being stage
manager. As he talked about his roles as a theatre tech major, his eyes lit up and it was clear that
this was something he was passionate about. After a couple of minutes of explanation on his
roles, he proceeded with, “I think in the future I want to try set design.” As we neared the end of our conversation, I asked him one last question that I was unsure
of what to expect as an answer. It was asking about obstacles and success. He thought for a while
on this one and as if a wall had fallen down, he said, “Well, until 10th grade, I wasn’t a good
student. I felt out of place so I didn’t try. I overcame it myself because I realized that graduating
was important to move forward, so I guess you could consider that my ‘obstacle’.” Perfect
answer, I thought. As for successes, it took a lot of idea throwing. We were both trying to think of
ideas for the answer, but they just weren’t really clicking. I asked him about his band, Red Inc.
and if there was something there that was successful for him. “It didn’t really bring success to
bring us forward, but-” I cut him off and said that it doesn’t necessarily have to be success to the
public eye, but just to himself. “Well, I guess the first time I performed on stage, we won the
battle and it really solidified my love of music,” he said.
Interview with Duncan
by Jasmyn Streater
One cold winter’s morning, just a couple days before
Christmas break I sat down with Duncan for an interview getting to know him and
what he wants to be in the future. When we first began, it was awkwardly silent
since there’s never been an occasion when we actually had a conversation. Although
Duncan and I have never had a conversation before, it wasn’t hard for us to get
comfortable. Just to ease into the interview, I first began to ask Duncan,
‘What are the three best words that your friends will describe you as or better
yet how would you describe yourself?’ His response was, ‘Brawny, lazy and
misunderstood.’ Duncan feels that although his friends think they know him,
they truly don’t understand him as a person. As the conversation continued,
Duncan began to mention his future plans after high-school and how he planned on
utilizing his talent (visual arts major). He plans on extending his major by
minoring in college where he’ll design sketches for his dream job. Curious
about what his dream job was I went from there and asked, “What exactly is the
job you wish to pursue?” He expressed his interest in the scientific field and
said, “I’m not sure what kind but I plan on becoming some sort of biologists.”
Interested in his choice as a career I then proceeded to ask, “What people in
your life have best contributed to who you are today?” I was intrigued to see
who exactly he would say inspired him. “I’d probably have to say my dad. He’s
relatively successful and has worked really hard for his job as an engineer.”
At that moment the conversation took a turn as I learned that Duncan’s family
moved last year due to his dad’s career. Conversing with Duncan I could tell
he’s a very genuine person. He was very open and honest throughout the whole
interview. Before I could even get to my last question my mind was still trying
to process all the information he shared. I finally asked, “What are some goals
you wish to accomplish within the next few years?” There was a slight pause,
almost unsure of what he actually wanted to say or what he thought for that
matter. After the slight moment of silence he responded, “I plan on getting
some biological degree in college but from there the rest is to be determined.” 
Rachael’s Interview
By Molly Elliott
On a
cold, cloudy Wednesday afternoon in Rochester, New York I sat down to talk with
Rachael Rapoza. The first thing asked was for her to list three words that she
thinks describes her. She answered with competitive, determined, then after a
moment of thinking, her final choice was indecisive. I asked how her time at
School of the Arts and her focus on violin has prepared her for the future.
“It’s showed me the importance of music in everyday life and how it can shape
your mood,” she said. I asked about her plans for life after high school
graduation. She excitedly said “I actually just got accepted to Geneseo! My
plan is to study biology and eventually become a doctor. In the summer I’m
working as a life guard.” After congratulating her on her acceptance I wanted
to know more about why she wants to become a doctor. “I want to be able to help
other people,” she replied. I wanted to know about her obstacles and successes.
I asked to hear about something that she has struggled with. She said that AP
Calculus had been a struggle for her. I wanted to know about a success too. “A
success… When I won RCAC,” she said proudly. I wasn’t sure what RCAC was. I
learned that it’s a cross country race. I could tell that cross country is
something she really enjoys and is really proud of. I was interested in what
else made her happy, so I asked what inspires her to get up every day. “Learning
more and being able to eventually help people by becoming a doctor. And my
family!” I closed the conversation by asking about how she envisions her life
in 15 years. “I hope to be a doctor by that time. Hopefully I’ll be married
with 1 kid.”
Interview with
Shakeiya
by Claire Rebholtz
When I sat down to interview
Shakeiya I was eager to get the interview started. It was a little awkward at
first but we quickly grew more comfortable and the conversation started
flowing. Shakeiya seemed like a very kind and good hearted person. I couldn’t
wait to hear her answers to all of my questions. I decided to start the
interview with asking about a difficult experience that impacted her life. She
responded by talking about the time when she failed her chemistry exam. It was
the first exam she had ever failed. It took her a long time to get over and the
whole situation was an eye opener for her.
Next I moved on to talking about
the future and how she anticipated her life unfolding. Shakeiya took time to
think about this question. She eventually responded with saying she most likely
would be an English Instructor but that she was still figuring it out. “I like
to focus on the now.”
Continuing with the topic of the
future, I asked Shakeiya about something that she is nervous about for the
future. She expressed how at first she is a very shy person and is nervous
about having to interact with people she does not know.
To learn even more about Shakeiya I
asked her about a favorite indulgences of hers. “Chocolate and everything about
it” I then proceeded to ask “If you could eat dinner with five other people
dead or alive who would you choose and why” Shakeiya put a lot of thought into
her answer. She ended up choosing Jesus, her grandmother, Michael Jackson,
Barack Obama, and Mozart. “They each have something interesting about them” She
felt she would be able to ask them thought-provoking questions.
The interview ended with Shakeiya
stating five words to describe herself. “Shy, determined, kind, hardworking,
and serious.” I thought about her answer and concurred, they summed her up
perfectly.
Darren’s interview
By Adianah Martinez
On December
17, 2014 in Rochester NY, for the very first time I talked to Darren Mathew. I
got to get to know how one of my fellow classmates experience at SOTA was, and
his future plans in life. The conversation started off very calm and easy.
After I asked him what his future plans will be after graduation he said;
“college and married with no kids”. We both giggled due to the act we shared
something in common, not having children in the future. He explained how having
younger siblings are the reason for that. After 4 years of high school everyone
has something they learned from experience in SOTA. Darren said; I learned not
to worry about what others think, your judgment is the best judgment.” When I
asked if there was anything he would tell the lower-classmen to do that he
didn’t he said; “I would tell them to do their work, it’s easy! Don’t be lazy.”
Darren’s first few years have caught up to him now that’s he’s applying to
colleges. He wished he never fooled around because he knows he could’ve done it
better. Lately seniors believe that after high school they will never see any
of the same people again in life and none of their current friends will remain.
I asked Darren if he believed it was true, he said; “No because I’ve seen
people I was friends with in college after graduation, and I’ll also be going
to college with them”. We both agreed that it was a Myth. After being at School
of the Arts, everyone has something the enjoyed or will be missed. Darren says
“I didn’t enjoy anything!” joking around “but I liked seeing my friends, I
guess that’s about it.” There is one thing I think every senior is thinking
about… Will I be ready to be set into the world on my own after high school?
Darren said “I don’t know? I feel like I’m not, but I probably am and it won’t
be as severe as I think it will”. For a typical senior it is normal to
overthink and get nervous but it usually turns out better than you expect. I then
got all the answers out of him and are interview concluded, happy we got to
share our own opinions and be listened to.
Tim's Interview
by Seyvion Scott
Mid-afternoon on December 17th, I sat down with Tim to conduct an
interview. The room was crowded, our neighbors noisy, but my heart and ears
were open. I began the interview by mentioning to Mr. Schuler that I had
prepared, what I thought, were great questions. I then began, with my tone was
light and enthusiastic, to ask the questions.
“Everyone faces adversity in life” I
began, “it’s how you respond to them, that defines you who are. Talk about your
biggest challenge, and how you managed to overcome it.” Mr. Schuler was very
prompt in his response.
“I think motivation to do hard work
is the biggest challenge I’ve faced.” “Can you elaborate, and give me a
specific example of something you’ve struggled to have motivation for?” “AP
Computer Science” he responded matter-of-factly. Putting myself in his shoes, I
could completely understand.
Moving on, I proceeded to ask my
next question. “There’s been a lot of news in the media about police brutality,
with Eric Garner, Ferguson, the Trayvon Martin case, etc. What are your views
on the current police violence that has taken place, and what do you think
should be done to prevent these crimes from happening again?” “Well, I support
putting cameras on officers, so that we can monitor what they’re doing.”
Trying to keep up, I quickly jotted down what
he was saying. “Profiling is an issue too” he stated, “and I believe amends
should be made.” More fascinatingly, he went on to mention “white privilege.” Tim believes white privilege does
exist (unlike others I have met), and that should be something done about it. I
enjoyed this response.
Next I asked if he believed
everything happens for a reason, and his opinion on God. Very confidently he
says, “Everything happens for a reason... And I don’t believe in a specific
power.” I kept nodding as he spoke. “Religion breeds conflict, and missionaries
are bad people. For example, some missionaries go to Africa and force their
ideas on the Muslims there.” He also went on to mention the crusades, and how contradicting
the motives and its beliefs were, etc., etc. I responded to him by telling him
I completely agreed.
The fourth question I asked, which I
felt the most eager to know is: What are some of the things you want to do
before you die? Why do you want to do these things?
Tim responded by listing
falling in love, having children, travelling to Europe, and experiencing
success as an adult. He choose those four because it “shows different sides of
life.” From that response, I could tell Tim wants to have a
well-rounded life before he hits the grave.
We concluded our interview by
shaking hands, and both agreeing that this was more fun than we imagined.
Maya’s interview
by Zach Orcutt
The
other day I sat down with Maya and was able to ask her a few questions to get
to know her better. It wasn’t one of the best days in Rochester, New York but
it wasn’t one of the worst. Maya attends School of the Arts where she is a
dance major. I decided to sit her down next my computer because that was most
convenient for both of us. When I asked her about the type of animal she would
want to be she replied with “a leopard because I like their fur especially the
pattern on their fur. I think they are so cute.” Which goes to show she is a
person that is attent to detail, I wanted to know more about her life and she
first felt she did something meaningful when “my god sister would copy
everything I would do and that showed me I’m a role model, which to my god
sister everything I do is meaningful.” That showed me she is close to her
family and cares for them because she wants to be a role model which is
something everyone should want to be. In light of her telling me about herself,
I thought I would ask her what is one thing that really bothers her, “when
people chew with their mouth open, which I find extremely annoying,” she said,
but one thing she finds pleasure in that most don’t, “I love English but a lot
of people don’t like it.” I felt like I needed to know something from her past,
so I asked her what would she have done differently in the past, Maya said “I wouldn’t have cut my hair when I
was ten because my hair was all the way down to my butt and it was cute,” it
shows Maya takes pride in how she looks. I felt this was the perfect time to
ask her what would be five words that describe her, “Cute, funny, crazy,
classy, and artistic,” Maya said, I then asked why she chose those words, she
replied with “I have self-evaluated myself and I feel I have evaluated those
words to the tee.” I can see that Maya is a very proud with herself and her
image, so I asked her one last question, describe a time you felt you were
right but still had to follow directions, “When my dance teacher was teaching a combination wrong but then I tried
to correct her and she said I was wrong, but I wasn’t!! I then just left it
alone.” During the interview Maya wasn’t feeling well and lost most of her
voice so she was up close to my ear responding to my questions.
by Elizabeth Clark
Wednesday afternoon was
bleak as I began the interview process with my partner. Students roamed the
halls interrupting our recordings, “Can they just go away?” exclaimed Alice.
Our interview began with awkward laughs, neither of us that comfortable with
the situation. Once we began to delve deeper into the questions the tension
dissipated and it transformed into a comfortable atmosphere. My first question “Tell me about an
experience at SOTA that you feel defines your years here” prompted the response
of “Um, I would say last year my AP Chem class was like, really close
because we were all good friends and we had fun together and I feel that
defines my high school career. It was just a really fun class and when I leave
I’ll think of the happy moments and I’ll try to forget the ones that weren’t.”
I proceeded on with the question “Everyone experiences failure, tell me one you
had and how you processed or learned from it.” Alice responded with “This
summer I applied for an internship as a counselor at my camp for the rest of
the summer and twenty people applied for it and he only accepted four. But, I
didn’t get it and I felt sad. I felt like a failure as a counselor and even
though a lot of people were told no it felt like it was personal and I just
wasn’t good enough.” My next question attempted to lighten the mood, “Now let's
switch over to a positive situation. Tell me of an experience where you had a
goal and accomplished it. What strategies did you use?” She laughed and replied
with “This fall I set a goal to improve my 5K time in cross-country because it
was my first season and I was doing it just to have fun but I did want to see
some improvement. I accomplished this goal by giving 100% at practice and not
saying things like ‘Oh its my first year and its my last year too because I’m a
Senior so I don’t have to do anything’ and then I would practice on Saturdays
and go on runs.” I tried to relate to school in the next question “How has your
favorite subject has your favorite subject helped you and in what way will it
down the road?” Her response was one I didn’t expect “Math has helped me
because it’s shown me I’m not bad at everything and something I can be successful
at. It will help me down the road because I want to go into medicine and you
kind of need to know Calculus for that. I guess it will also help me because
math has always come to me but this year its hard so it shows me not everything
is easy in life.” After covering her time at SOTA I wanted to switch it around
and ask about her future “What are your life expectations for the next ten
years?” She had big plans, “ I expect myself to go to college and then I’d like
to at some point, its been my dream for a while, to go to Ghana or Kenya and
volunteer at orphanages there so I’ve set myself up to do that. I would like to
either go to medical school or physical therapy school and start working.” To
wrap it up I hoped to get her to realize how short of a time she has left here
You have six months until graduation, how will this unfold for you
academically, socially and emotionally?” She began to get reminiscent towards
the end with her reply “I think, although I’m ready to, you know, go to college
and move on, it will seem different when it comes and I’ll actually miss it. I
think since SOTA is 7-12 everyone is kind of getting sick of each other and is
ready to move on. But, I am really happy I’ve met all my friends here because I
think we all have learned from each other and the experiences are positive if
you think back overall but I also am ready for some change.”
Clarissa’s Interview
By Chloe Schneider
While counting down the days to
Christmas break, Clarissa I, a fellow SOTA Senior, sat down and talked and
answered some questions. We decided to go simple, starting with the easiest
questions and then working our way up. When discussing her major, instrumental,
she mentioned she didn’t see it helping her career much, “I don’t want to
pursue it as a career, I want to be a nurse,” and when asked what she does like
about it she expressed how she finds it calming. Leading into the next question
I asked what you would wish for if you could wish anything, rather speedily and
excitedly she responded “to have more wishes,” she then added, “to be able to
jump into my career, to not have to take any tests or even go to college.” I
found this funny after learning she wanted to be a pediatrician and knowing all
the school that was still ahead. Taking our minds off of school we talked about
what she like to do in her free time. When asked about when she felt most
accomplished she brought up her track career. “I went to Nationals in June,
it’s something everyone runner strives for, it was like a dream come true for
me.” I could tell Clarissa is a motivated and down to earth person so it got me
wondering about my next question, who would you invite to dinner if you could
invite anyone? Her answer was surprising knowing all the famous or historical
people others might mention but instead she chose some of her family and friends.
“I would bring my friend Dennis, he gives really good advice, and my grandma,
she’s always there for me and extremely caring.” This got me thinking about who
else she values in her life. For the end the interview I wanted to finish with
my favorite question, if you were on a crashing plane and had time to make one
phone call who would you call? At this point in the interview I could tell
Clarissa valued her friends and family. After a moment of thinking she responded.
“I would call my dad, he would say something special.” Finished with our
questions I was glad I got to know another new person.
Interview of Seyvion
by Timothy Schuler
I was not very familiar with Seyvion
and we had only spoken in passing. I will a little uncomfortable with the idea
of picking a stranger’s brain at first. However, after the first few minutes I
became very comfortable with the experience.
I opened by asking her what she felt was the single most important
thing that she learned in high school. She thought about for a few seconds and
gave a great explanation of the independence that she has developed in the past
few years. She further explained the way that she values self-advocating and
self-motivating. She really enjoys being her own leader and finds this skill
fundamental for success in post-secondary education.
After
getting a better idea of her values, I felt like asking her what about the
future scares her the most, both personally and globally. She elaborated quite
thoroughly about the unknown aspects of the future and how scary they are. She
said that the future only has a rough outline and it is really scary to think
that death, illness, money, and many other factors can drastically change your
plan. From this idea she went on to explain that globally, the idea of our
water supply running out terrifies her.
I
then asked about her most prominent pet-peeves. Surprisingly, she had quite a
few. The biggest was being touched or having her personal space violated. She
views this as a sign of disrespect and believes that everyone deserves simple
respect.
Next
I asked her about the hardest decision she has made recently, hoping to find
out about her character from her decision making process. I found her answer
and explanation to be interesting and informative. She recently had to choose
between missing her first day of work for her youth group and skipping the
youth group for work. She chose work because of the potential opportunities that
making a good impression at work can have for her, not because of the money.
Lastly
I asked what her ideal work day would be in 10 years. This seems like a pretty
tricky question, but Seyvion handled it very well. She imagined being happy,
free, and working with responsible and caring people. She really wants to help
others and believes that humanitarian work is the most fulfilling and is
therefore where she wants to see herself.
After
this interview, I feel like I know a lot about Seyvion and I now know the value
of the interviewing process.
Shantia’s Interview
by Emma Wagner
Wednesday afternoon there was a class room full teens having
quite conversations amongst each other. This is where I had the pleasure of
talking to Shantia a School of the Arts senior. From the beginning of our
conversation Shantia was very confident in what she was saying, she spoke loud
and clear so I was able to hear her. She sees an average day for herself in 10
years as having a “waking up, having a 6-12 job, and going home to her family.”
She told me her goal was to become a homicide detective and that to help her
achieve that goal she would “need to get a masters and would want advise from
other exercised people in the same field.” After we stated talking about what
she would wish for if she had one wish, she said “I would change my life
mistakes in my school and personal life.” Shantia feels her suggest in life are
dance, and sports and her failures are “…my personal life, because I have no
control over what happens in it, but in dance and sports I do control what
happens.” She also stated that “I’d like to have control over what happens, but
that’s not the case most of the time because people perceive you in different
ways.” Shantia enjoys hanging out with her friends, dancing sleeping and
watching Netflix in her free time. We talked about who she would want to bring
back to life she said without any hesitation “my Grandmother, she most effect
on my life and need the same guidance she once have me.” 
by Jeremiah King
S.O.T.A. Wednesday, December 17th another typical
day at S.O.T.A and time for my interview with Emma. She took the seat next to
me and awaited my questioning. Things were awkward, as can be expected of
complete strangers, yet somehow I had the feeling that this interview was going
to go better than expected so I introduced myself and began the interview. I
began by asking her “what is your favorite genre of book was?” she took a
moment to think and then assuredly stated “Historical Fiction”. This caught me
off guard, here I was with the idiotic notion that the favorite genre of any
teenage girl must be romance or something of the sort, curiously I asked her
what it was about the genre that drew her to it. She stated that she didn’t
really know they just interested her and said something about it being the way
they are written. Satisfied I moved on to the next question and the mood moved
from awkward to pleasant. I asked her “is it possible for a human to always be
truthful?” and she replied “no” saying that we all tell “white lies” as a way of
protecting ourselves and I smiled coming to the realization that I was speaking
with an individual with whom I could find common ground. Instead of inquiring
further I was curious to hear her next answer and as such asked her “If you
could revive one historical figure, who would you choose and why?” This caught
her off guard and she took a few moments to think. She came to the conclusion
that she would bring back Anna frank (I believe that who she said, somehow I
had forgotten to record in writing what her answer was, not very professional
on my part) and I asked her “why?” with genuine interest, for I had only
thought of bringing someone back with the purpose of continuing their work. She
said after some thought “To let her Know that she made a difference”, I was
shocked as this was a whole new side to the question that I had overlooked. And
though I didn't do much follow up Emma put so much of her character into her
answer that I felt like I already understood her point of view on things and
found myself in a wonderfully intelligent conversation with someone who felt
more like a friend than a stranger. I moved on to the next question “If you had
to choose between saving the planet earth or saving the human race which would
you choose?” I asked. She took some time and then decided that she would save
the human race, mostly because if she saved the earth she would have no way of
knowing what would happen afterward and the human mind has conflicts with
nonexistence. Pleased with the answer I was eager to ask the last question (My
favorite question) “If an omnipotent being creates a rock so heavy that even
the omnipotent being can move it, is it still omnipotent?” and she had a very
interesting reply. She stated that since the omnipotent being created something
beyond its own power, it would still be feasible for people to have faith and
belief in this being, making it omnipotent in the eyes of the worshipers even
though it may no longer be omnipotent. It was a side to the argument I had
never thought about and for that I was grateful. That question concluded the
interview and I thanked her for her time, and she went about her business, and
though we started out strangers in the end I found my self actuated with
another intelligent individual capable of various levels of critical thought
and reason.
Interview with Julia
by Phalyn Hayward
I interviewed Julia two days ago before our school’s
winter break had begun. Julia and I have never spoken to each other longer than
a minute or two, so I was very curious to learn about who Julia really is. I
held my interview outside of our classroom, so the setting would be much
calmer. However, start of our interview was pretty goofy; I was fumbling my
words like a football player and Julia felt a little silly too (or maybe she
was just laughing at my nervous stuttering). But after we got our laughs out,
the interview went much smoother. I asked Julia, “Do you plan on furthering
your theatre experiences into college?” and she replied “I do plan on majoring
in theatre in college. I want to earn a BFA in theatre at SUNY Purchase.” Julia
also told me that if she could have a lead role in any show, she would love to
play “Cinderella” in the Veronica Sawyer Broadway version. Another question I
asked was “Assume you chose another field. What aspects of your theatre
training would transfer into your life?” She explained that she would use her
theatre communications skills and her ability to speak to an audience. As our
interview went on, I realized how much of a cool person Julia is. She’s a very
sweet person but is very determined, which is something I can relate to. We
became comfortable to the point that we didn’t realize that our interview was
coming to an end. The last question I asked her is “What are your actual goals
after high school?” As before, she told me she plans to attend college and earn
her BFA in Theatre. She also said “I would really like to start in small
theatre shows, and work my way up. I think that’s the best way to deserve
something- especially a role.”
Kudos to you Julia, and good luck!
Interview with Abram
by Joyce Parker
On a frosty yet beautiful afternoon at School of The arts December, 17, 2014, I got
the pleasure of speaking with Abram in a formal manner for the very first time. I very much
enjoyed my dialogue with this intelligent, understated and courteous gentleman. His attitude
was genuinely winning and engaging. Abram is a Vocal major who enjoys every aspect of music.
As I continued to dig deeper into the world of this young gentleman, asking him "what do you
enjoy doing for pleasure?, "I like to go go-kart driving at the Henrietta mall when I am less
busy" he says. He does a lot of singing as well, but his real musical aspirations lie in playing
instruments and he is devoted with great discipline to this demanding skill.
Abram participates in the Band program at The School of the Arts, which he feels gives him the
perspective that he values. After asking him to tell me how he envision his life five years from.
What career and personal goals he hopes to accomplish, he went on to say "I intend on going
into the air force as an aerospace engineer".
Intrigued at his response, which was a bit unexpected from his previous characteristics,
I asked "what is your thought and action process when you want to set a goal for yourself?" He
responded by saying, "I say this is what I want to do and this is what I have to do to get there,
then I go on and get it done". As we all know from experience, everyone has challenges. So to
go more in depth with Abram ways of dealing with things under pressure, I ask him to tell me
about one challenge he's faced and how he handled the situation. He stated "I had a solo across
a song I had to do once, but I was very tired from continuous practices. Things weren't going
very well during my performance so instead of going on and messing up, I decided to improvise
something simple". Absolutely beautiful, quick thinking seems to be another thing he's good at.
Stepping more towards his spiritual side i asked him to tell me a little about his spiritual
beliefs and how they impact his life. "I am a born again Christian and the church I go to made
it real easy for me to build a closer relationship to god and other people." He says to put a fold
on things, Abram has described himself as being a happy, sociable, musically talented, lazy and
athletic individual. Abram reminds me quite a bit of my former friend back in Ghana . A bright,
understated, friendly but disciplined and quietly driven musician.
Deon’e Hazelwood’s
Interview
By Enuma F. Okafor
As the classroom bustled loudly with
partners forming and the printer pushing out an endless supply of paper, it was
decided by Deon’e Hazelwood an interview would be better had in the library. We
walked down the few flights of stairs and it seemed the closer we got to our
destination, the more anxious and nervous Hazelwood became. Before entering the
library, she expressed her concern for the interview and reluctance to proceed
with the interview. She also elaborated the reason she wanted to go to the
basement was to get away from everyone else and ensure they could not hear her
answers. I finally coaxed her out of her nervousness, slightly, and we found a
seat in the rear of the library. While we had been walking to the seat, several
people went out of the way to say hello to Hazelwood and she relied graciously,
confusing me further as to why she was so conservative about sharing answers
when she seemed truthfully to be fairly ‘popular’.
Settled,
I got straight to my first question wanting to understand who Hazelwood really
was. “How do you believe your upbringing (childhood) has developed you into the
person you are now?” Hazelwood scoffed, “Enuma you said these were going to be
easy questions.” She proceeded, “I think my parents’ divorce helped me a lot to
grow into the person I am. Mostly because growing up with your mom that’s hard
too, but when your use to growing up with your mom and dad the change is
difficult.” Hazelwood’s eyes flickered around for a moment trying to gather her
thoughts. “It’s really different because it change how you go through each day.
I have realized how lucky I am to even of had both parent because they are still
both in my life.” Her tone took on an honest texture, “Though at the end of the
day it’s not the same.”
By
this point in the interview Hazelwood seemed to have loosened up and looked as
though she wanted to share more. I went on with an evermore-challenging
question to further push her comfort zone. “What was the hardest thing in your
life you had to overcome, and what mechanisms did you use to cope?” She sighed
seemingly taken by the question; then she responded, “The hardest thing in my
life was probably my grandmother death. I had never lost anyone before. I
didn’t know how much it would hurt and I think having my family around helped.”
Hazelwood then looked me directly in the eyes, “My first reaction was I didn’t
believe it at all and then I didn’t really think about it. That’s what helped
me the most even though its sounds pretty morbid,” she laughed quietly. “ The
denial did help, but when it finally hit me I thought, ‘this is really
happening right now’. Having family around made me realize this thing, death,
happens to everyone eventually.”
Shocked
by her brutally honest answer I wanted to keep the conversation rolling, “If
you could go back to your younger self, what advice would you give?” She
chuckled, “I would tell myself not to be so shy. Growing up I was probably the shyest
kid in the class, I never spoke up and I had friends but I never really talked
to them or hung out like outside of school and stuff like that. But now that I
am in high school I am a lot more open and I realize how easy it is and when
you’re just yourself people don’t judge you as much.”
As
a further attempt at cracking whom Hazelwood was I asks her an intense
question, “What doe you consider to be your greatest strength and weakness? How
has that weakness held you back?” Hazelwood paused thinking deep into the
question, “Actually my weakness and strength are the same which is my need to make
everything around me perfect. Being a perfectionist is a strength when going
out for a job or something ad getting my work done so I excel in school. But it
held me back because I was focused on making things perfect when they did not
need to be.” That statement really stuck with me, because to acknowledge ones
strength as their weakness takes a big amount of humility.
To
end the moving interview I wanted a question that summed up the life of Deon’e
Hazelwood. “How do you find joy in your life?”
Hazelwood
frowned, smiled, and had a sense of realization wash over her face in a
fraction of a second. “The little thing, they are the best part of life. There
are so many things to be grateful for and it’s the small things like being able
to see. This sounds harsh, but you see the girl in school who has the cane and
is going blind more and more each day.” She continued, “Its sad to realize she
can see her moms face one morning and the next day she will never she her
again. I think a lot of people take that for granted not understand your eyes
and sight are a fundamental part of you. When you’re able to see the day all the
colors the world has to offer, you have to appreciate it. When someone says hi
to you in the hallway and it brightens your day. It is the little thing that
count.”
Interview with Jacob
by Heidi Hardenbrook
It was a cloudy Wednesday at School of the Arts. I waited
until Jacob came and sat down next to me. He seemed really relaxed. We
exchanged greetings as most would. I never really talk to Jacob until toil
then. The only time I saw him was in band classes. I asked him about his
hobbies in his free time. “I like to look up people building things”. I wasn’t
sure what he meant with he said building things so I asked if he meant
architecture. “No, more like artistic sculptures.” was his response. I didn't
peg him to like more art related things rather than music. I knew Jacob like to
play the trumpet so I asked what made him want to play the trumpet. He
responded with “my mom played the trumpet and I would sometimes play with it
and make disgusting sounds.” This made me think of how many other people whom
play instruments look back in the childhood and remember how silly the play
their instruments. I eve laughed a little at his response. I then went for a
different approach, I asked him what obstacles get in the way of his life and
how he handled it. “It would be that people expect me to be like my brother and
I tried to handle it by being like my brother.” I can understand that
expectation to live up to your family so I relate to him in that sense. On a
sillier note I asked him if he was a cartoon character what he would be. “I
would be a super hero, save people from bad guys.” From only 4 questions I can
tell that he cares about his friends and he a bit more outgoing then I thought
he would be. No insult to him. He seems like a calm person who is nice to whom
he cares about and that’s something rare in our modern world that we in habit.Jackson Bell
Shelby’s Interview
By Jackson Bell
On
Wednesday, December 17, I got a chance to sit down with someone I hadn’t been
able to talk to for a while: Shelby. I’ve known her since 7th grade,
when we had a computer class together. However, we sort of lost contact over
time, not for any negative reason, but because our friend groups were
different. Therefore, it was nice to sit down with her and catch up on her
life.
Although
I’ve known her for a while now, I never really knew about Shelby’s life prior
to School of the Arts. I asked her what made her want to come to this school,
and she said that she had older friends that went to SOTA, as well as a desire
to improve her knowledge on the French horn. However, she explicitly stated
that she wasn’t planning on continuing playing her horn regularly once she is
out of high school. “I don’t think of it as a career path; it’s more of a hobby
to me.” Shelby said that she’d rather work with children when she gets older,
teaching them basic learning and life skills. I asked her about what makes her
special, and she said that her personality and friendliness well prepare her
for working with kids. “I am usually a happy person, and I like listening to my
friends’ problems in order to help them reach solutions.”
Next, I
asked her how well connected she felt she was to the school’s and public’s
social pipeline. Shelby said that she liked having a close, small group of
friends rather than a large list of names. “My friends are like my family, and
the closer we are, the better.” I agreed with her, for I too have a certain
group of friends that deeply care for, and we behave like a family of
squirrels.
Moving on to a more personal topic,
I asked her what previous life experience impacted her the most, and how that
experience shaped her as a person. After some thinking, she told me that moving
out of her parents’ house was the most impacting event. She now lives in her
own apartment and takes full responsibility for her well-being. “It made me
more mature, because I basically have to take care of myself.”
From what I can tell, she is
balancing her school and personal life well, and she’s focused on reaching
graduation. I asked her what she wanted to do before graduation, and she said
that she wanted to take a trip to Italy and Switzerland, as well as enjoy her
last year in high school with the friends that she’s made her. Overall, I
enjoyed getting a chance to talk to Shelby again, and it surprised me how much
we had in common mentally. She’s a really cool person, and I hope she enjoys
her senior year and future.
Interview with Mystique
by
Ethan Gresko
December
17, 2014
Early afternoon on Wednesday at
School of the Arts, Mystique sat down next to me to conduct an interview with
one another. We were both a little unsure of how to begin, so we cut straight
to the interview. As things progressed, the two of us became more comfortable,
being open about how much she needed to think and how she felt about the
questions. I conversed back to Mystique about her responses and how I felt
about them, agreeing and admiring her answers.
I
began with a topic I feel strongly about, what students are taught in school,
and asked how she would change our education system in terms of what is taught
or what could be taught. She decided that students should be taught “more real
world things,” things that we could use throughout our lives. “Stuff like
taxes, insurance, useful stud to know that’s helpful.”
I
branched out more after that to questions where Mystique would have to think
deeper. Mystique was asked what she would do if she knew she had three weeks
left to live. She complimented my question and responded with things you would
assume anyone would say: pay off debt, invest most of it and spend the rest.
However, she then said she would travel, which appealed to me.
Staying
with the open-themed questions, I asked Mystique what she would do if out of
college, she received a blank check with whatever amount she wanted on it. She
replied with skydiving, because “it’s scary but it will be fun.” This showed me
that Mystique is the kind of person that isn’t afraid to live without things
holding her back. If something looks appealing, it seems like Mystique would
definitely do it.
I
went back to the topic of traveling, knowing that Mystique was keen on
traveling if she had the money to do so. I asked her if she were travel with
one person, who would it be and where would she go? She answered as if she had
already made up her mind before I asked the question. “With my mom. My mom
really wants to go to Belize, because it’s warm and tropical.” She told me she
would like to have her mom retire in Belize, which I thought was sweet; it is
nice to see when people really care about their mother.
A
topic I like to know about people is what kind of food they like, because I
like food, and it is a topic many people like to talk about. Mystique was asked
next what three people, dead or alive, she would eat a dinner with, and what
she would eat. Again, Mystique was quick to reply, “I would eat spaghetti.
Spaghetti is my favorite food,” she chuckled. She took a little bit to think
over her options for her dinner guests and finalized, “Justin Timberlake, Bruno
Mars, and Natalie Portman.” I followed up with why those people, and she said,
“Justin Timberlake, I would just be star struck. He has everything. Bruno Mars
is pretty cool and Natalie Portman is an awesome actress.” We chatted for a little bit about Portman’s
movie “Black Swan,” which we both agreed was quite the movie.
Finally,
I asked Mystique to describe a favorite indulgence. This question stopped
Mystique in her tracks, and she noted it was a really good question. It took
her a couple of minutes, and she decided that by the time she is 25 to 27, she
would like “an all black everything Range Rover,” because that is her dream car
and she likes how it looks, plus “I’m kind of small and I want a truck.” We
ended our interview comfortable with each other and glad we had one another to
interview.
Simon's Interview
by Lillian Feldman
It was
Wednesday, the 17th of December when I sat down to interview Simon
in the second floor hallway at School of the Arts. It was another run-of-the-mill windy winter
day in Rochester, New York. Simon and I seemed nervous at first but it was
clear that he was taking time to think about my questions before offering an
answer. Simon Lin is a Visual Arts major here at School of the Arts. When asked
why he chose this major he thought for a second before responding: “My family
was my motivation.” He went on to tell me that his cousins and his brothers
were all Visual Arts students and they had pushed him from a young age to
develop his artistic talent.
Simon,
like the rest of us, was hesitant about reflecting upon the ways that others
perceive him as a person. He grinned sheepishly and admitted that the only
thing he could come with was that his friends thought of him as “the quiet
type.”
While reminiscing, Simon told me
that Junior year was his best year in high school. He was able to spend time
with his friends and he learned to “view life from the perspective of others.”
I questioned Simon on a time where
he was unsuccessful or was criticized. I asked him to reflect on what he might
have done differently. I was surprised by his answer. He told me about a
conflict that he had in middle school. A fellow student insulted Simon. He let
tension build over the course of a week until finally he exploded. The conflict
ended in a fist fight and Simon was suspended for two days. Simon admitted that
if this had happened today he probably wouldn’t have fought the kid and instead
would have told a teacher.
Simon
is planning on attending a 4 year college and majoring in Chemical Engineering
because Math and Science have always been his strongest subjects in school. If
he cannot get into a four years college, he plans to enter into the 2+2 program
at Monroe Community College.
I asked Simon a question “If you
were to go down in history, what do you think it would be for.” I knew his
answer almost before he said it. “I would like to make in impact in the field
of Science.” I asked him to go into more detail. “Theoretical Science,” He
concluded.
Simon struck me as an ambitious,
humble, and friendly person. It was a pleasure to interview Simon Lin.
Interviewing Jackson
by Shelby DeVries
I got the opportunity to interview with Jackson Bell
yesterday. We both realized that out of the five years at School of the Arts we
haven’t ever heard a conversation with each other just by ourselves. As I
started to ask my questions Jackson would look away at something else with a
blank face trying to focus on the question. If Jackson could change anything
that has done it would be” Holding back from somethings. There isn’t anything
in particular that I can think of but wouldn’t have doubted myself and just did
certain situations.” I was puzzled by his response and asked him if he could
come up with a concrete example, “My organization strategies, especially in Mr.
Fusco’s class I would go back and try to fix them”. As I take his response into
consideration I move forward to the next question. “What is your biggest
challenge?” “I consider my biggest challenges to be time management,
self-esteem and ADHD. Time management is a struggle whether it’s planning my
homework assignments or just balancing any day to day commitments. ADHD My self-esteem
bothers me because in 10th grade I always felt unsure of what I
thought was the right decision. As I sat there and nodded my head at his answer
I tried to get the understanding of how ADHD has effect on one’s ability in
school. I continued on to the next question, “What do you think your parents
would want you to do after high school? He felt that “My parents have always
been supportive of my decisions, never forced anything on me, let me learn from
my own mistakes. They will support me as long as it’s not illegal.” We both
chuckled at his comment about the decisions being illegal. There was a quiet
pause as we both calmed down from the joke. We got right back to work and
jumped into the next question. “Is there any outside activities that help you
in school?” Jackson looked up at the ceiling trying to think of an answer. “I
work at the YMCA were I feel that it has opened my eyes to teamwork and
communication, which could be useful in and out of a classroom. We looked down at the paper and had realized
we were finished, we always realized we had started a longer conversation.
In the
second floor computer lab, I sat down with Carly Swift-Horth, a student I could
identify by name and face, but no more. She and I felt a mutual discomfort with
the idea of prying into another person’s private thoughts and feelings, but
even more so with the idea of being put into the spotlight that is being
interviewed. I first asked her if she felt prepared for life after high school,
a topic universally frightening for seniors. “Nope” left her mouth as soon as I
asked, and she elaborated on how things like college tuition, getting a house,
taxes, and insurance were frightening and mysterious. I wondered if there were
any hobbies or disciplines she had that may have affected her in a way that
would affect her transition out of high school. Playing the piano made her a
perfectionist, but in a way that made her feel she was “never good enough for
herself.” Being a Creative Writing major, however, made her feel a bit more
prepared for college and the other “hard stuff in life,” as the grading is
harsh and the assignments are demanding.
I wanted to
know more about the things that shaped Carly as an individual, and she said
that while each year has affected her personality in one way or another, the
age of 16 was a defining point for her, or as she said it, “so much shit went
down.” She was always feeling sick, and had begun performing poorly in school.
It turns out she was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes (the genetic one), causing
much unwarranted self-blame and anger. While the experience was almost entirely
negative, she feels she grew up a lot from it. Diabetes was her biggest
insecurity for some time, she now feels insecure about her ethnicity. With the
issue of ethnicity being put into the spotlight with events like Ferguson
occurring, it’s hard to know what to expect being a black person in America.
Another worry about adulthood is experiencing racism in daily life. Even though
she’s an intellectual and talented person, she fears that she’ll be seen as
“just another black person.”
And she
“doesn’t really like [her] height, either.”
Interview with Nate
On an
average day in Rochester, cold and breezy outside, I sat down with Nate for an interview. It was a little rough at first, considering I was not
actually supposed to interview him at all. But with time, the conversation
began to flow, and it was less artificial. The first thing I asked of him was
to tell me three words that his friends would use to describe him. “Funny,
smart and caring,” were his choice words. He answered this much more quickly
than I had expected him to. I went on to ask him what his greatest achievement
was, to which he replied “Getting into School of the Arts was my greatest achievement.”
I then asked him how he found out about School of the Arts in the first place, and
what possessed him to want to attend. He replied “A teacher at my old school
was the person who told me about SOTA, and some of my close friends were going.
I also thought it would be a good way to explore careers. This prompted me to
ask him if he thinks School of the Arts has prepared him for college. “AVID
prepared me the most because it helps high schoolers get a feel for college.” He
said that in the AVID program they are given college level work so that they
are ready to graduate high school and move on to college. I asked him what he
wanted to major in in college. “Robots, computer tech, engineering and theatre
tech. He hopes that in ten years he will be working at a “well-known computer
company using technology that furthers education.” My seventh and final
question was simply: When you die, how would you like to be remembered? “I
would like to be remembered as someone who didn’t sit back and let things pass
by. Who took every opportunity he could.” With that said, the interview was
complete. 
Interview with Heidi
by Jacob Polcyn-Evans
In Journalism class I sat down with
Heidi, hoping to learn more about her. I’ve never had a conversation with her
so I thought I’d open up right away with the generalities. I asked her, “What
is your biggest motivator in life and how does this impact you in your daily
life?”
Heidi says “Hmm,” and pauses only
briefly. I realize she knows exactly what she wants to say. “I would say my
urge to learn more about culture. Specifically Japanese culture. I strive to
get to the point where I can actually go to Japan. Yeah.” She lets out a
familiar laugh, as if remembering her goal of going to Japan is indefinite.
The next question was “Where does
your mind take you when you have time to yourself?” Heidi remarks this as a
good question and then answers. After a long pause, she says “A lot of the time
it’s music. And learning more about how music works. And how it’s actually put
into play when you hear music on the radio. Like a random song you’d think to
yourself, and then, what are the components to that song”
As an instrumental major, I can
sympathize with Heidi. I too ponder the way composers decide which instruments
to pick when writing music, and why.
“What do you believe is a cold hard
truth that you think the average person refuses to accept?” Almost instantly,
she responds that “Everyone can learn something new. Teenagers think ‘Oh I’m
mature. I’m past this point where I can learn from my parents.’ No you’re going
to learn from your parents until… forever.” Heidi was presenting herself as a
person who’s looking into the future, with great insight to prepare for it.
“As a kid, what was your worst
"My parents are going to kill me" moment?” She pauses to recall a
moment from her past and lets out a giggle as she remembers. “When I cut my own
hair and stuffed it in the couch.” We
laugh together before she completes her memory of the aftermath of the memory.
“I had a mullet for like 3 months after that because my mom didn’t want to cut
my hair” In the same way she prepares for her future, Heidi recalls her past mistakes
as learning experiences. We laugh and move to the next question.
“What is something someone said
that forever changed your way of thinking?” She lets out a long sigh and says
“That’s a good question” matter-of-factly. “When I was little, my brother was 8
years older than me, so he always tried to teach me things about high school
that I’d eventually learn. He said that no one can ever tell you who you are or
what they think of you because it’s just an opinion. And to this day I just
don’t care about what people think.” As I thought over her answer, I say
“That’s a good one” and thank Heidi for the interview. Just as we sat down, we
got up not knowing each other anymore, going on like nothing ever happened.
Interview with Betty
by
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With Christmas spirit in the air, and
the chill of winter rapidly approaching, I first sat down to speak with Betty
Ralph. Betty and I have been classmates for many years, but on this particular
Thursday we really got to know each other.
Betty currently goes to School of the Arts in Rochester, New York where
she was born. She’s participated in plays such as Peter Pan and Hairspray. She
doesn’t want to pursue theater but enjoys having something to do and be a part
of. Although she was born in Rochester, Betty spent a portion of her childhood
living in Schenectady and moved around in foster care. Once Betty became more
comfortable I noticed that she really opened up, and it became easier to
understand her background. After asking about her family I soon understood that
she had mixed emotions about them claiming that they are “very encouraging, but
very crazy.” Her Uncle, who she considers to be “somewhat of a bad influence,”
has always been there for her, and really inspires her to do her best. Within
Betty’s family she has overcome many obstacles. I learned that she struggled
with her mom and the emotional toll of her mom’s drug abuse. Her family is one
of her biggest struggles and wishes that she lived in “a stable home with less
crazy parents.” Betty revealed that to her, honesty is the most important
quality a person could possess. Betty believes “If you can’t be honest with
yourself, you’re lost.” Once I asked about how she sees her future, it was very
clear that her past played a huge influence on her plans for the future. Betty
wishes to become a nurse so she can help others which is something she has
always enjoyed doing since a very young age. Growing up with a hectic family
life she wants to grow up and have nothing more than a “stable life, career,
family, and one perfect child that she can spend all of her attention and time
on.”
By Betty Ralph
In the stillness of a winter after noon I sat
down to speak with Quinn. At first I had the impression that I
wouldn’t get much information out of her, but once we began talking things
changed. I was surprised to see she was very open to conversation and seemed
very comfortable speaking with me. Quinn seemed to be a very friendly and outgoing
person. When asked to describe her life
in five words Quinn replied “Complicated, confusing, entertaining, friend
oriented, and spontaneous.” At first I was perplexed with these answers, but
later in our conversation I was enlightened. When asked if she was concerned about
her image and how she felt about how people perceived her, Quinn replied, “To
an extent, I Just don’t want people to think I’m judgmental, unfriendly or
boring. This made it evident that Quinn wanted people to see her as a good
person. As our conversation progressed
things began to unfold, I was starting to understand Quinn’s reasoning to behind
her prior answers. Quinn is overall a
very personable, a friendly person, with a tender heart. She values her cats,
family and friends. Again I was puzzled when she mentioned her cats. She went on
to explain that in the past she had trouble with disloyal friends and that
unlike those individuals, at the end of the day her cats were always there to
comfort her. She further explained that her cats were not judgmental. This made
it evident that Quinn fancies open minded entities and that she herself is an
open-minded person. Mid-way through our conversation I had a good sense of who
Quinn was. I now wanted to dig deeper to see what things made her the way she
was. I went on to ask Quinn who has inspired the most and why. Quinn replied,
“My grandma, she had my dad when she was
18”, she then went on to explain how her grandmother did not fall victim to her
circumstances but instead persevered and now has her license in ministry. This
information was very insightful. When I asked Quinn what one thing was that she
wanted to accomplish was she said she wanted to go to Australia. With
excitement in her eyes she explained to me how traveling a part of her family
tradition was. She explained how that was one place she had never gone and how
it would be a great achievement to go. As we neared the end of our conversation
I had a solid understanding of how Quinn viewed life and what type of person
she was. Quinn was an all-around fun girl who just wanted to live her life to
its fullest potential. Although her life was sometimes complicated, confusing,
and spontaneous, she loved her friends, family and cats and just desired to
live carefree.
The
weather outside was frightful but my interview with Jasmine was quite
delightful. The interview began with a question asking about political
affiliation and about what hot topics she is most spirited about. At first
jasmine said that she was a Democrat but after much reflection she realized she
was really more independent and didn’t identify with and particular party and
she doesn't believe in abortion and is pro-life.
The next question I asked was
regarding her spirituality and if she practiced a traditional religion. Jasmine
stated that she is “not religious at all.” Religion has impacted her life
because she has multiple religious relatives who can be zealous at time.
I then
asked what some of the most positive experiences in high school were. Her
response was that bonding with other people and making great, lasting friends
were some of the best times in high school. She also added that she had a good
time joining different groups for her musical endeavors.
When
asked about some of the most important things she has learned so far she said
that being patient and keeping a positive mindset are some important lessons
learned. After that I asked her about her plans for the future. She said her
top choices are University of Buffalo, University of Albany and Fredonia.
When I
inquired about what her motivation and spark that makes each day worth living
she said that most of her inspiration comes from her mother and grandmother.
She is close with these people and finds them to be good role models. I also
found out that she is not close with her father and doesn’t really connect with
him.
by Deon'e Hazelwood
Enuma and I have something in common: we both attend
School of The Arts but I never got the opportunity to really speak with her one
on one. Yesterday I was able to sit down and chat with Enuma. My first question
that I posed to Enuma was “What sets you apart from other 17 and 18 year old
girls.” At first Enuma was flustered, pondering the question because of course
sitting down face to face with someone whom your barely know is always just a
tad bit awkward. She answered “Well, I fend for myself on the daily. My father works
a shift from 7:30 to 5:30 and for the entire length of time I am by myself. I
have bills I have to pay, I clean. It’s not little stuff. It’s been difficult
because I still have to manage my homework and do other things.” Once she was
comfortable Enuma was no shy soul. I
learned some pretty big things about Enuma like when I asked her “Looking back
what has been the hardest time of your life and why?” Enuma Responded with
“2014! This whole year has sucked. In January or February I found out that my
grandma was starting to go downhill. In March my mom committed suicide. In May
my grandfather passed away, but he was schizophrenic—he was f***ing crazy! My uncle
passed away in Nigeria, my grandma died two days after my birthday in October.” Enuma didn’t want to focus just on the
negative though, she then proceeded to add “Besides that we’ve also had a lot
of amazing things happen too, one of them is huge! My Sister graduated from
Harvard and now she’s working at a company for google.” I was happy to get to
know Enuma and get a taste of her personality that many people heavily enjoy. I
wondered if Enuma enjoyed her own self as much a everyone else does. So for my
last question, I posed the age old question “Are you who you want to be? And if
not, who is that person?” Enuma’s response completely amazed me, “I am exactly
who I want to be. I love myself 100%. Every single day I wake up, I’m miserable
most of the time but I wake up and I’m like ‘You go Enuma! You’re the Sh*t!’
Then I go on. My whole thing where I have been able to reach that point of me
is that I have no regrets. Every single thing that I do, I do for a reason and
I learn from it. I learned a lot and it helped me keep going. Another thing is
to have really good confidence about myself, so.”
Interview of Deja
by Nathan Pembrook
Alison's Interview
by Brittany Lu
Lauryl’s Interview
By Nathaniel Torres
Wednesday afternoon with cold winds and grey skies was
what I saw outside when I sat down with Lauryl to start our interview. At first
things were a bit strange, but interviews can always be awkward but after some
time got used to the questions the atmosphere became very lax and comfortable.
I started off by asking if she could go back to any day good or bad, what would
it be and why, a question presented to me once. When asked she gave a very nice
and sentimental response, “I’d go back to the day before my grandfather died
and most likely try to prepare myself for what was to come.” We progressed and
as we talked I asked her about what major she enrolled for at School Of The
Arts and how that she fells it has impacted her life and if it has prepared her
for any of her future endeavors. “My Major has had a big positive impact and I
feel it has prepared me very well”, she said. I wanted to see whether shed ever
given any thought to what major she’d like to switch to if she could, she said:
“ Not really, but if I had to choose id change to dance, I’d like to be a dance
major.” This came as a surprise to me but I’ve learned that one should never
judge a book by its cover and as we had already started down that path I asked
what she thought was her most radiant quality and what were some of the
qualities her friends possessed that she admired, she paused contemplating what
her answer might be, we started laughing due to how quiet things got and
finally said, “I think my most radiant quality if my positivity, I try my best
to keep a good outlook on life.” “Also I like how funny my friends are they are
very easy to talk to and in the end we just have many common interests.” As our
time was coming to an end I decided to ask a very deep question about her life
and what she wanted to be her legacy after she’s gone and after some careful
thinking she responded. “I’d like to be remembered as a positive, caring person
who helped people when they needed it. I’d also like to be remembered as
someone who was close to my family.”
Nathan’s Interview
By: Deja Wormely
Late
Wednesday morning brought upon a gloomy and chilly day. The hallways of School of the Arts in
Rochester, NY were quiet as students were seated in their designated classes.
During this period, I sat down to talk to senior Nathan Pembrook. The
conversation was calm as we discussed his time here at SOTA and his future
after graduation.
I
started out by asking Nathan about his plans following graduation. “Go to
college, for 4 or 6 years. Might major in Geology or Physics.” From there I
preceded to ask him to describe his life five years from now. He plans to have
an apartment, go to work, research, and lastly end his day with family during
dinner time. He later explains that his parents are supportive and encouraging.
As
we continued to talk, we transitioned our conversation to school and
accomplishments he made in his years here. “Everyone has moments they would
like to redo. Tell me something that you’ve experienced in the last 6 years
that you would handle differently.” Nathan went on to say he would try harder
in physics. For his accomplishments, his last soccer season at SOTA was
successful. They won 5 games this season. He also will feel accomplished when
graduation comes. “It will be fun.”
As
our discussion came to an end, my last question pertained to advice. Not
necessarily about giving advice to others, but the advice he would give to the
younger version of himself. His answer was an accurate statement that younger
classmen should remember. It can be taken into consideration on a social and
academic level. “Have more fun in high school because it ends sooner than you
think.”
Samiya’s Interview
By Tessa Garbacik
It was a cold Wednesday in December that Samiya and I sat
down to talk. Right from the beginning she seemed cheerful and almost excited
to have our conversation. After seeing Samiya in a few of our school’s
productions, I started off with an easy, laid back question: What has been her
favorite role so far and why? She played Tituba in this year’s production of
The Crucible and played Tituba, which was her first real lead that she put a
lot of emotion into portraying. She enjoyed this role most. She hopes to play
Morticia when the school does The Addams Family. After a couple simpler
questions, I asked her about some of the insecurities she has had to overcome.
“I doubt myself,” she said, shrugging her shoulders, “and when I doubt myself I
don’t sing as well as I know I can. I choke up.” When asked how these
experiences have connected she says “I’ve gained more confidence. I’m not
scared.” The bubbly Samiya grew a bit more serious when asked about how she’s
grown as a person. She reflected on how she has been through a lot and it’s
helped her take things with a grain of salt. “I just take life a day at a time
and work my way through things.” Her smile came back when I asked her about her
biggest accomplishment. “Im going to be the first in my family to go to
college. That’s something Ive accomplished and my family’s rooting on me. Im
pushing full force for it.” Immediately after being asked about her
accomplishments, I asked her about the challenges in her life. She laughed and
took a deep breath before talking about not growing up with what everyone else
has. Her positive attitude was refreshing. “I grew up not having a lot, so
challenges with financial things and wanting more than what I have has showed
me that hard work pays off and Im really working hard so I can help my family
in the future.” Samiya was uplifting and determined to stay happy she said, “I
smile every day.” My last question was the most challenging. I asked her how
she would improve herself and her life if she could. After a pause she decided on her answer. “I’m
quick to risk my own happiness for someone else’s. I wouldn’t let people get
away with much. I’d put myself first more often.” Overall, Samiya was pretty
inspiring and she seems to have a pretty good grip on things. A good attitude
will get you far.
Alexis' Interview
by Veronica Mariano
On a cloudy Thursday morning I met with SOTA Senior Alexis to discuss some of her values and views on
society. The gloomy mood of the day was undermined by Alexis’ cheery persona
and friendly remarks. When I asked her about some of her ethical values and
principles she finds important to leading an exemplary life, Alexis told me
that a principle she has held close through her high school years is kindness. No matter how negative someone
acted towards her, Alexis always refuses to mirror the negativity. Instead she
responds with blatant kindness, “Sometimes I think that can make them more mad
than just being mean back.” I asked
Alexis when it’s the hardest to resist being rude or mean to someone who may be
upsetting her, and she told me it’s the most difficult when the person is
someone she is close to. She disclosed that negative actions are much more
hurtful to her when they are taken by someone who she really cares about. I
asked Alexis if she felt that modern society carries the same values as her and
she told me that she doesn’t expect much from others, but instead focuses on
bettering herself and sticking to her own values. In order to be more kind,
Alexis told me she believes people must focus on honesty. She also told me that
she believes people hold on to too many things, bottling them up inside. “If
something that you don’t like it happening, just, let it go.” Alexis believes
that society and the world as a whole is slowly becoming more kind. She has
high hopes for the future and the evolution of our society towards one of
kindness and honesty. She admits there will always be something bad going on,
but in the grand scheme of things, improvements are being made.
Victoria's Interview
by Summer Adams
It is an ordinary
day, a Wednesday in particular, Victoria and I found ourselves in the repeat of
yesterday’s actions going through the motions. What tone is better set than to
talk about the extraordinary? In the course of this being our last year we find
ourselves in School of the Arts (well, most of us.) the reality has set in that
the future is nearing and our thoughts and aspirations will soon be in our
reach.
Victoria meets me at the table to begin our interview,
bright eyed with a smile on her face as always. Victoria has been in various
shows at SOTA and is never afraid to step into the spotlight. When asked her
favorite role she had to take a minute to ponder her response. “I would have to
say Ann Putnam in the Crucible. It was very different and a challenging role--
to take on her feelings and mindset. I enjoyed it a lot.” The interview become
a lot more casual and relaxed once it began; it became more of a conversation
rather than a sit down assignment.
Victoria is on a path
that will have her name written down forever somewhere. Oscar Wilde once said
that art is the most intense form if individualism that the world has known;
the things we experience shape us. There are particular things that push
forward our desire to go above and beyond. Victoria wasn’t hesitant to respond
to this. “I definitely agree with that quote! I feel more myself onstage, more
myself when I’m someone else, it’s easier. It’s easier to pretend and to put
aside those feelings and B.S of the day and focus on what you’re doing. I
really liked that quote!
After a few shared laughs and some memories that have
happened over the years, our interview winded down to the last point. This is a
question that is often asked, where we see ourselves years and years down the
line. “Ultimately happy! That’s what I’m striving for. When I pass, I want have
regrets and know I did everything to the fullest. I want to be remembered;
publically, personally. That’s what I want.” I think we can all relate to this.
Its not about the journey, it’s the stories in between.
Philip’s Interview
By Jaida Degnan
Philip and I sat on the cold tile floor right outside of the library on Wednesday morning for a conversation about his senior year thus far. I quickly learned that the often loud and friendly Philip was not as happy as I was lead to believe prior to the interview. He told me that he thought his senior year would be fun but continued to say “I hate senior year and I hate everyone.” When asked to elaborate on that, Philip said “Everyone irritates me because they think they're all so talented and wonderful and amazing and yet they don't know what they’re talking about.” Although I am not enjoying my senior year, it made me sad to hear that Philip was having such a bad time. Along with his fellow classmates, Philip tells me he hates his sister who also attends School of the Arts. He describes his sister as irritating because she is constantly on his case about every little thing he does. “I can’t breathe,” “Without her spazzing?” I asked. Philip is also disappointed in his senior year because he thought his schedule would be full of events both in and out of school. Him and I share similar feelings about the pressure that is on the seniors and the support we are getting from our teachers and administrators or lack there of. For someone that seems so outgoing and loud, Philip was very quiet which surprised me. Perhaps it was the hard and cold floor that we were sitting on that created an uncomfortable environment for Philip. He briefly told me about his plans to go to college for sound recording and his dream to work with famous artists. Philip told me that one thing he regrets and wishes he could change was not getting involved in more shows here at School of the Arts. Something I’m known for is being involved with so many productions and I’m glad to hear Philip found such joy performing, its something we have in common. I asked him what his greatest fear is as he embraces his future and he said “That I don’t get accepted anywhere,” talking about college he continued to say “If I don't get accepted somewhere I won't have anywhere to go.” A fear many of us seniors have in common. “I’m kind of excited to get out of Rochester.” I think I can speak for a majority of seniors when I say it’s time for a new scene.
Elaine's Interview
by Dynesha Burns
Elaine and I have
about four classes together and I have never even had a conversation with her
until given this assignment. Most of the classes we have are our arts classes
so I had to ask her, as a vocalist, what is the most important thing we should
know? “Proper technique,” she said, “many singers destroy their voice by using
it improperly.” As she answered this question I noticed how her passion grew.
So I had to question if she was perusing music as a career in college. She says
that it wasn’t a main source of income. “It’s not a guaranteed job but I will
always sing, I will always look for places to sing.”
While Elaine and I carried on conversation I noticed how
put together she was. I’ve noticed this plenty of times before and I have
always questioned how such a young woman is already so put together. So I asked
her. “I was depressed a couple years ago.” When she said this I was shocked. A
woman of such stature and of such confidence was depressed? I didn’t bother to
ask her why or what caused this to happen because she quickly said, “…it was
the greatest thing that has ever happened to me. “ She talked about how during
her recovery from depression she learned to be content with life and not have
any fears. “So what are your fears?” I questioned. She thought for a moment and
then answered and said, “Being a bad person.”
Elaine honestly doesn’t want to be considered rude to anyone and that is
what makes her such a good person.
We continued to talk and laugh about shared experienced
and time was coming to a close. A loud noise happened in the hallway and Elaine
rolled her eyes. It was loud children playing around. I asked her is there
anything should would change about our generation? “The lack of respect for
different individuals and the fear we have to express ourselves.” “Is there any
hope?” I asked. “Well yes, I see that we are losing this fear slowly. We are a
thoughtful group of people,” She said this while nodding her head and smiling.
I saved the most important question for last. I asked
her, “If you could say one thing to the politicians of today what would you
say.” She thought for a moment and said very firmly, “Keep your money grabbing
hands out of my pockets!” She continued, “Politics today are filled with so
many rich lobbyists that democracy is now negated.” I completely agreed.
It’s funny how we walk past people every day and not
realize how amazing they are. We immediately develop opinions of them when we
look at them. This happened here with Elaine. She is a very strong person and
that is very admirable.
Khamphasong’s
Interview
By Nikki
Ehmann
Khamphasong, or JJ, is someone I’ve known for almost six
years, but haven’t really had the chance to get to know until now.
A fellow creative writing major, JJ immediately
expressed his love of the class when asked about his feelings on it. “I really
do enjoy that class. It has a family atmosphere.” However, he also made it
clear it wasn’t something he plans on pursuing. “It’s not something I want to
continue with, though.”
When I asked him about his future plans, he responded
very readily. It seems he has things pretty figured out, planning to attend
Monroe Community College for two years immediately after high school and then transfer
to a four year – “preferably one out of state. I just kind of need to get away
for a while,” though he has yet to set his sights on a specific one. JJ also
voiced his interests in an engineering field. “I’m going to go to MCC for
automotive technician, and then transfer to another school for something more
focused.”
In addition to the college planning, JJ works two
jobs outside of school – at Five Guys and Andes Candies – although he doesn’t seem
to find it difficult to achieve a balance. “I just plan my schedules
accordingly, and everything ends up working out.”
The conversation took a turn, however, when I began
asking him about the recent incidents of police brutality like Mike Brown and
Eric Garner. “It’s like living in the civil rights era again.” In the succinct
words of JJ, “Police brutality is a no-no.”
It’s important to remember that behind every face is
a story. It’s easy to get so caught up in our own life that we sometimes forget
about everyone else’s. As senior year slowly but surely creeps to end, I really
relished this opportunity to forget about my own for a little bit and spend the
time getting a glimpse into another.
Conchetta's Interview
by Morgan Castle
It’s always an awkward time when you
have to talk to peers you don’t normally talk to. It’s even worse when you are
forced to delve deep into their personal life. Fortunately for me Conchetta
made it really easy to ask her personal questions. It was rough at first since
we had planned our questions for other people but after we got the momentum
going we were fine. Since Conchetta is a senior at School Of The Arts I decided
to ask about college. I feel people’s answers regarding the future say a lot
about whom they are now and who they aim to be. Throughout the interview I
found out that Conchetta is a decisive and straightforward person. I asked if
she was nervous about going to college. She said “it’s nerve-wracking” and that
her biggest fear is not getting into college. I asked some questions that
usually spark emotion in people. Questions like will your race be taken into
account and if her gender will be. She said “they definitely are” In a way that
made it seem like she wasn’t entirely happy about that but that it was a fact
of life she had come to terms with. Almost like bitter medicine, it helps you
out but no one likes it. I decided that things were going well and that we were
getting more comfortable with each other so I decided to ask some pretty
intrusive questions. Is your family holding you back from going to a college
far away? She replied that her dad is more focused on her being happy rather
than forcing her to go to college and that her aunt would prefer is she stayed
in New York. Then I asked about financial issues. I expected her to kind of
clam up and not be eager to talk about it but instead she talked with vigor
about it. She said that everyone is having financial issues when it comes to
college. She said it is definitely limiting her choices. “Some are $20,000 some
are $100,000 and I think it’s a problem for everyone.” My final question, which
I thought would be the toughest, turned out to be the easiest for her. I asked
her if she is holding herself back. Without any hesitation she replied that she
probably did. That “we all place restrictions on ourselves, we are human we all
have a backstory that places restrictions on ourselves.”
Sidney's Interview
by Nick Petrone
On
Wednesday December 17, 2014 I sat down with Sidney , and talked about what was
going on in life. At the start of the conversation it started out a little bit
slow due to the questions that were being asked but when we actually started to
go in depth with the questions it became more interesting for both of us. While
chatting with Sidney she told me that she would love to pursue the career of
being a welder or an interior designer. Sidney attends School of the Arts in
Rochester, New York and is a Tech major, and she believes her major has changed
her life. I asked Sidney if she has ever made a tough decision that has turned
out for the betterment of her. She replied saying “I was a creative writing
major here and then changed my major to Theatre tech, and it has been a great
choice I made.” She was very skeptical
with how the new major would be, and it turned out being one of the best
decisions she has made.
When we
got more into the conversation we started talking about who has motivated you
in life, and pushed you to be the best you can be. Sidney replied by saying” My
mom has supported me no matter what decision I make in life. After
comprehending that answer I also asked her if she could describe herself in
five words what do you think they would be. “Intelligent, hard-working,
stubborn, funny, friendly.” After her answering that question I agree with what
she said because she is welcoming to you and does seem like a very hard-working
individual who wants to succeed in life, and feels if she keeps working hard
she can achieve anything in life that comes here way.
Towards
the end of the discussion we stated talking about how this school, being an art
school has changed her life, and will help her in the future. Sidney said “It’s
helped me figure out what I want to do in life, and what kind of career I want
to pursue in the future.” Before being a
tech major she was not quite sure what she wanted to do, but after she changed
her major it quickly hit her that this is pretty cool, and I would want to
pursue this. She ended with saying “This
school has given me the right tools in life to succeed.”
Summer's interview
by Victoria Carroll
by Victoria Carroll
On a chilly but sunny Wednesday morning in Rochester, New York, I sat down at a table in the library and started to talk with Summer. I know summer well on a friend level, so I was very excited to get to know her better. Summer has a good soul, you can see it when she walks into the room. You can see it in her eyes, and when she laughs. We felt very comfortable with each other, so our talk went very natural. Summer is a drama major at the school of the arts, during our talk she expressed her dreams in becoming a writer. “ I've always wanted to be a writer, I used to want to act, but I've lost my aspiration for that”. I went on to ask her that if she actually went on into theater, what two roles she would ideally like to play. “ Maureen from Rent” she blurted out with excitement, “ but also The Bakers Wife from Into The Woods, I love that show it was one of the first musicals I have read”. After agreeing with her about my love for Rent and Into The Woods as well, I asked her about how what she’s learned here at School Of The Arts, specifically in her theater classes, is going to help her after high school. “I’ve pulled things from all my theater classes throughout the years”, “ But mostly my dramatic literature class I take this year, because it is helping me to be more comfortable with things I'm not so comfortable with”. For my next question I asked summer if she could change something she regrets what would it be. “ I wish I never lost my spark”, summer body language changed at this point, she looked down at her hand and started playing with her thumb and continued. “I wish that after freshman year I still auditioned for shows”. After giving her a second I asked her if she might do anything with theater after high school, “I know for a fact I don’t want to do acting as a living”, with a smile she said “Acting will always be a part of my life, I may not be on the stage but I know my friends will be, and I will be there for support”. Speaking of your friends, How has your family and friends influenced you i asked. She thought for a second and respond losing her smile “I feel like I wouldnt be as confident in my writing as I am If I didn't experience the things I did in my childhood with my mother”, “and I wouldn't be here without my friends” She regained her smile after speaking of her friends. For my last question I asked Summer, if she imagined looking into the mirror, what advice would she give herself. After a few moments of silence she looked at me, smiled, and said “Don’t ever rely so much on the opinions of others”
Nick's Interview
by Sidney Lora
Nick is a sports enthusiast, an intelligent student, and out of all majors,
surprisingly a vocalist. Looking at Nick, you wouldn’t expect that he was a
talented singer, but hearing him sing, you can see why he is. At first sitting
with Nick it was a little odd because I didn’t know quite how he would respond
to my several questions, I didn’t know if he would be passionate, reserved, or
a little of both. But after asking the first question, it was apparent that
although he may seem a little reserved around those he doesn’t know, he really
is passionate about the things in his life. We sat in the computer lab and I
started out by asking him about his experience as a vocalist to break the ice.
“So
Nick, I know you’re a vocal major,” I said “but I’m wondering how this
experience as a vocalist will impact your college career because I’m assuming
that you won’t be majoring in vocals in college, right.”
To
my surprise Nick’s response was, “I’m not going to major in vocals in college,
but I still want to do something with in it college,” he said passionately, “I
still want to do choir or maybe a career in singing.” He explained that
although he would want to do singing as a career, he understood that it was a
very tough field to be a part of and that instead he would have it be a part of
his life even though he won’t be majoring in it. After this, things between me
and Nick became easier and it didn’t feel so forced or awkward anymore. The
next question dealt with his family’s influence on his decisions about his
future career. This is where Nick really opened up, and I had the opportunity
to see a whole different side of Nick that I never thought I would get to see.
He started by saying that both his mother and father have supported his
decisions when it comes to college and a career but then he started going more
in depth with his dad.
“My
dad has worked with me to help me become a pro lacrosse player. He’s motivated
me and always told me that I have what it takes to make it big. That I have the
talent and the motivation, and that if I continue with all of this I could
achieve my dream of playing with the Nighthawks, a Rochester based lacrosse
team.”
Nadine’s Interview
by Angelica Scott
It’s
always a first experience for everyone every once in a while. Never in a
million years did I think I would get this kind of opportunity in my third
period Journalism class. I got the chance to have an interview with one of my
peers, a foreign exchange student from Switzerland. Nadine, the really sweet,
kind, and quiet person in our Journalism class was put with the loud, crazy,
and friendly short little girl. Kind of wacky right? But, it was a very great
experience to have a conversation with someone who originally isn’t from the
United States. Nadine is currently a vocal major at the Rochester high school,
School of the Arts. “I originally wanted to be a drama major, but I decided to
change it to vocal because, well… it’s my life! I can use music as my outlet
when I’m sad or upset about something. It is a really big part of my life.”
Nadine says. Being from Switzerland and going to school in the United States in
Rochester, NY is kind of hard because she had to adapt to the different customs
here in SOTA. Nadine shared with me that last year in Switzerland, Everyday was
a different day. “I had to study 15 different subjects in one year, there was
no security at my old school, and it was an open campus which also made it a
college like atmosphere. I also had to wake up at different times every day for
school. One day I would wake up at 8 am, Tuesday and Wednesday I woke up at
7:30 am, Thursday I woke up at 8 am, and Friday I woke up at 7:30 and I
wouldn’t get out of school until 5 pm.” I asked her what her future plans are
after school and does she feel prepared for her future life. She responded
simply, “I’m not really sure because anything can happen after High School but,
I want to have a family. I do think I am prepared for my future life. I am very
thankful for what I do have.” Since Switzerland and Rochester, NY have barely
anything in common but having tons of snow every year, I asked what she admired
about Rochester and her hometown in Switzerland. “I don’t really know about
Rochester yet because I have only lived here for 4 months. I admire the
landscape in Switzerland. It is very beautiful there. Skiing is also fun and
the school system. You don’t have to go to school after 9th grade
because after 6th grade, it splits up into three levels.” As we continued to talk, I asked her a
thoughtful yet difficult question to answer. “If you could change one thing
about our country, what would you change?” Nadine answered back with, “The
open-mindedness in the world. How people react to things. We need to learn how
to respect other perspectives and other people.”
Jaida's Interview
by Philip Slattery
In the school basement on a cold December day, I had a full
blown conversation with Jaida. After taking a seat, I jumped right into the set
of questions I had for her. I started out with her major for the first
question; “What is the most important part of being an actress and how she
works on that.” After a short pause, she responded, “Dedication. Being
determined to follow through with everything that a role requires. Also,
knowing your character, the time period, and how your character fits into the
show. Also, knowing the show from start to finish is important. After pausing a
little bit to scribble everything that she said, I pondered of her what she
would most like to change about herself. After thinking about this question,
she replied back with saying that she was too hard on herself. She also thought
that she blamed herself for everything wrong in her life. She would also like
to change how she reacted to stuff. After writing all of this down, I continued
on with my set of questions. Next up on my list of questions was what she felt
most affected your life. After thinking about this question she answered back
with performing. If it weren’t for performing, she would have no idea what she
wanted to do with her life after graduating School of the Arts. Before
attending school here, she wasn’t as involved as she is now. My next question
was which class at SOTA was the most useful. Her quickest response yet, she
said AVID. When I asked why, she told me that without it, she would be clueless
about college and would not know what she wanted in a college, such as a big or
small school and things like that. She is also grateful for Mr. Mergler and her
counselor. After this, I proceeded with
asking her about her future, more specifically, where she saw herself in five
years. After thinking about this, she said that she would be 23 and preferably
living in Brooklyn. She also would like to be in Broadway production. If not on
Broadway, then she would want to perform somewhere. She also wants to be happy.
My last question that I had for her was who she respects or honors in her life
and how she tries to emulate that person. She responded with although she
respects a lot of people and is inspired by everyone she knows in different
ways, she respects her mom the most because of her strength and independence.
Dynesha's Interview
by Elaine Dolan
Another day at School of the Arts -- a cold day in Rochester. Luckily, though, the
computer lab was warm, cozy, and inviting. Dynesha Burns, a SOTA senior, sat perched in her
swivel chair with a bubbly smile painted on her face. We smiled giddily at each other with our
entire faces -- we were ready for the interview! She gathered herself, and so did I, to head to the
library.
We settled in comfy chairs as I gathered my notes. Dynesha was smiling, eager to get
the show on the road.
“Well,” I started, a mischievous smile coated on my face, “...I’ve got some questions for
you.” She and I shared a careless laugh.
I began, as the air between us started gaining some weight.
“Dynesha,” I said, suddenly realizing the vast change in mood from careless to serious,
“...do you consider yourself a morally upstanding person?”
Without any hesitation, she responded: “Yes, absolutely. I know what I feel is right or
wrong, but I don’t impose that on others. For example: I feel like abortion should be a choice
that women should be able to make, but personally, I feel that abortion is completely wrong. I’d
never tell someone that that’s wrong, though, because that’s what they want to do.”
“Right,” I concur, “you’re not restricting their freedoms based on your own beliefs.” Her
eyes widened and the corners of her cheeks raised in agreement.
“Absolutely, because that’s not my place.”
I smiled at Dynesha’s response; how understanding! I already know the rest of the
interview is going to be smooth and uplifting.
“Do you think you’re a creative person?” I ask, already knowing the answer, but lacking
the explanation.
“Extremely creative! I can’t just look at something -- a blank piece of paper, for example -
- if I were an artist, I’d have to draw all over it. If I see a vocal score for a choir and it’s boring, I
have to fix it. Plenty of times I’ve fixed Mr. Gabriele’s arrangements because they were boring
for the basses,” she said, emphatically and unapologetically.
“You just had to make them more creative?”
“Yeah. I like to make things so that if everyone doesn’t like it, that’s okay, because I like
it. It’s me showing my creativity.” I had to take a second to make the observation: what a quote!
We laughed with blushed cheeks and continued on.
“When have you been the weakest and how has this changed you?”
Dynesha took a second to think. Then, suddenly: “Oh, I’ve got this one!
“I was in ninth grade and I had to take care of my grandmother who had dementia. I was
the only one doing it, because everyone else was at work.” I offered my condolences with my
eyes so as not to interrupt… What a situation. “I was at school, so during the day, someone had
to be there, but I would be up with her all night. I’d take care of her.” She looked deep in
thought, remembering the time. “It was stressful, because at school, ninth grade was kind of
hard for me. Through all of that, I watched my grandmother lose her mind; the ability to walk, to eat.” The joyous Dynesha smile returned. “But because of all that, I’m grateful that I can get out
of bed on my own and dress myself, because I watched someone lose those abilities. She
couldn’t control it, and that point made me break down because she raised me. I was weak
because I’m basically watching my mother suffer and I can’t do anything about it. Overall, it
made me a better person today.”
“How? I know you touched on that, but what do you mean specifically?”
“Well, now, I see things from a different angle. Before that, I’d think ‘okay, I can get up -
- I can get up on my own.’ Now it’s like, I get up and have a job to do that day. If I’m getting up
every day, then that means there’s a reason for me to be here; I’ve got a purpose. And when I
stop getting up in the morning, that means my purpose is done -- then, I’ll be satisfied.” A spark
lit in her eyes. “I’m grateful that everyone is here because everyone has a purpose.”
Even with a difficult event, she managed to find the silver lining and turn it into a positive
personal belief.
Let’s keep this good train going, I thought!
“What do you do that makes you feel fulfilled -- satisfied, really, in life?” Her eyes
widened, and in a brief moment, she replied:
“Teaching someone something they didn’t know. I just love -- I don’t know why -- I just
love when I teach something they didn’t already know and it actually helps them. That’s why I’m
going to be a teacher! Because I want to teach little kids how to share, and then see the joy on
their faces when they share things, when they give things. I love giving to people. I would
literally give someone the shirt off my back,” she said, clutching her shirt, “if you need it and I
don’t, you can have it -- I’ve got shirts at home. That makes me happier than anything. Every
Christmas, I volunteer. It just makes me happy!” She sat in her chair with a grin from cheek to
cheek. “Oh, and children, oh! They just make me so happy.”
“You’re making me happy!” We share another laugh.
“Where do you see yourself in ten years?”
“Probably finishing my last year in college, because I want to get my degree in
administration.”
“Where do you want to be an administrator?”
“A high school. I wouldn’t want to teach in high school, just work in administration. High
school has a lot of problems, and I understand people, so I feel like they need me there. They
don’t need an administrator who doesn’t like kids! Too many of those folks are causing kids to
drop out. I think that in ten years, I’ll be living somewhere hot; not in Rochester (too much
snow).” We share an agreeing chuckle. “I’ll most likely be playing music somewhere, but
definitely teaching kids.”
“What, specifically, do you see yourself doing with music?”
“I’d like to be playing at clubs -- jazz clubs, like, lounges. I hope to be writing
arrangements for artists, playing with artists. My cousin plays for Bruno Mars, so I hope to follow
what he’s doing.”
Definitely inspired by now. I inform her that, sadly, I only have one question left for her.
“Who do you admire the most, and why?”
Dynesha took a second to respond, thinking of the best way to word her response.
“My mother. She became pregnant at sixteen, had me at seventeen. She was a young
mom. She’s faced so many hardships in life.” Dynesha then described some of those hardships which will be left out. “But instead of letting those things drive her crazy, she went to college --
she became a nurse!” A proud Dynesha lit up with joy. “She is now a registered nurse. She
works with people who’ve been seriously troubled. She deals with so many different types of
people every day, and she’s still a good person. Yes, sometimes she falls weak, but she’s
human. That’s why I think she’s the most admirable person, because she’s so strong, and that’s
what I hope to be.”
Nikki's Interview
byKhamphasong Inthavong
The pleasant
ambience of the library it was, on a Wednesday morning, I sat down with a
fellow Creative Writer, Nikki Ehmann.
Her pleasant smile made it a little bit less awkward as we came to a
fiddle of who would ask questions first. As true as it is, many of the seniors
we see everyday we’ll probably never see again in our life after we walk the
stage, so I was curious as to where Nikki saw herself in five years from now.
She took a deep breath, “Where do I see my self in five years?” she questioned
herself. “Well I want to be at either Point Park University or SUNY Purchase
majoring in film.” As we exchanged words, the question of what aspect of film
did she want to pursue had surface, turns out she aspires to be a film editor
and hopes to score an internship with a major production company. As this is a
dream waiting to become a reality, I had to ask, “What are your views of the
‘achieving your dreams’ mindset some people have?” In response, “I think that
it’s important to have that mindset, and it’s insulting when somebody tries to
classify ones’ dream as unrealistic.” Tastefully cursing, “I’ve gotten’ shit
for wanting to be in film, I’ve even thought about anthropology, but I feel
film is really what makes me happy.” As
students and young adults, we understand that everybody has obstacles and
frustrations, so I asked how does Nikki overcome these obstacles and
frustrations, with a grin on her face she says, “ At the end of the day you
just gotta’ suck it up.”
As she explains the frustration of a filming project she had
to deal with, you could feel the integrity illuminate from her. I asked her
what has she done to succeed in succeeding, she explains how it’s a matter of
“luck and chance” and sometimes “hard work” and in fact one achievement she was
proud of was scoring a 98 on her U.S History Regents exam! Upon discussing
achievements and life, I asked where she worked, “I work at RCTV as a
receptionist and I was really happy when I got my job.” For those who don’t
know, RCTV is a local non-commercial broadcasting studio that allows anybody to
put programs and such on the air. I later learned that Nikki also takes a film editing
class at RCTV, which will allow her knowledge to expand on the spectrum of film
and further herself into the next step of her life. The interview came to a conclusion
and you could see her blissful blonde hair and cheerful smile once again as we
packed our bags to get ready for the bell to ring.
By Taylor Simmons
Knowing
Laura for many years, it was easy to craft questions that showcased her
individualistic beauty and talent for our interview. Laura has been dancing for
almost all of her life, starting at the age of 3. When asked what she loved
about dancing, she emphasized the discipline and respect that dancers develop,
as well as the love and friendships she gained through dancing. She enjoys the
comradery that dancing promotes, and is glad that there are many people who
will support her. Dancing, however, has its struggles. “One thing that I hate
is when people don’t take it seriously. It takes away from what the rest of us
are trying to do. It’s disrespectful to the art.” She also touched on a time
where she injured her leg and couldn’t dance. “I was in a cast for a while and
I couldn’t use my leg. I was like ‘that’s not gonna stop me from dancing’ and I
did everything I could to get my leg healed so I could dance again.” The topic
of perseverance was a common theme throughout the interview. She talked about
challenges she faced throughout her life, and how overcoming them made her the
awesome person she is today. Being a huge Meryl Streep fan, Laura hopes to be
as influential and prominent an artist as her. “Meryl is just fantastic. I want
to be her, but in dancing, if that makes any sense. She’s awesome!” Laura also
spoke about the impact that dancing has had on her life. Devoted to the art,
she finds that dancing is a helpful and productive stress reliever that is also
conducive to her passion. “Sometimes if I’m having a bad day, I can just go to
the studio and get my emotions out.” Dancing has also affected how she manages
her time. Being involved in many studios, companies, and classes in and out of
school, she’s had to learn how to balance her life so she can stay on top of
her academics as well as continue her passion. My first question during the
interview was, “Why do they call you sunshine?” which is a reference to the pet
name I gave her in 10th grade to resemble her generous heart and
shining personality. In the interview, I was able to confirm that Laura is both
an amazing friend and talented dancer. Her plans after high school are to
travel to Israel and dance professionally. It’s really exciting to see one of
your best friends going on and doing great things with what they love. Laura is
a huge inspiration to me personally because she is a living example that hard
work and dedication will create opportunities. In all, Laura encompasses a spunky,
talented, and loving individual who isn’t afraid to break down barriers and
overcome obstacles to reach new heights.
Interview with Aleigha
By Gena Driscoll-Brantley
I spoke
with Aleigha in a window of the A2 hallway on a chilly December afternoon. Gray light filtered from the courtyard into
our window sill, which was crowded with potted plants of various shapes and
sizes.
When I
asked Aleigha who she admired, she quickly responded “My grandmother because
she’s the one person that’s always been there.
I can call her any time of day.”
She told me that it was her grandmother who taught her how to cook:
cookies, omelets, they did it all. “I’m
not good at it though,” she added, smiling modestly. Talking to Aleigha, it quickly became clear
that family was very important to her.
She told me her favorite moment of childhood was when her sisters were
born. She has two sisters, Mecaja, who
is 14 years old, and Nyaja, who’s 9. She
tells me her sisters often say “Aleigha’s like my mom.” As a sister she describes herself as
protective, steering them down the right path, and letting them know she’s always
there to talk.
One thing
Aleigha would like to see more of in the world is art programs in schools. Art programs, like what we have here at SOTA,
can help kids learn to communicate and express themselves. Aleigha is a vocal major, and she told me her
art has “definitely made me less shy.”
Aleigha was homeschooled when she was young, which she liked because
there was less pressure, and she could go to school in her pajamas because
school was in her living room. She
remembers how nervous she was when she first came to SOTA. “I didn’t know anyone, I thought it would be
like TV.”
Aleigha
described how she hopes the future will unfold, “My dream life would be to
become a very successful computer scientist.
I would probably want to live here (Rochester) because my family is
here.” If she were to become an artist,
she tells me, she would either want to be a singer or a poet.
Although I
only talked to Aleigha for about twenty minutes, that was all it took to
realize that she’s a kind and humble person with bright ambitions and strong
loyalties.
by Alison Denk
When I
sat down with Brittany to interview her, I was excited to get to know her a
little better. My first question “what is an obstacle in your life, and how did
you managed to overcome this obstacle?” made he a little nervous. She hesitated
before she answered, she was trying to search for an answer. I could tell she
didn’t want to say anything to personal about her life, which I respected, she
finally replied. “In my art class I had to fix a mural people painted, it was
hard because I had to paint over other peoples work.” We talked a little about
her art class before moving onto the next question. I asked her about the
scariest moment in her life, she gave me a reply which would scare most people.
“I was cleaning my aunt’s pool and I saw huge spider, it looked like a skinny
tarantula, it moved quick, it was scary because I have arachnophobia.” I could
tell by the way she told the story, the encounter with the huge spider still
made her cringe. As we tried to not
think about huge, fast moving spiders, I switched gears to something happier,
“What had been the happiest moment of your life?” I asked. She couldn’t
remember a time where she felt extremely happy but decided to talk about things
that will make her happy in the future. Looking down at her fingers she replied
“I don’t know, graduation will be happy, to be able to move on with my life. I
want to start a career, I want to become a nurse.” When I asked her whether she
wanted to stay in Rochester for college, she replied no. It was impressive to
see that she had a plan for herself after high school, she seemed ready to do
bigger things after high school. I asked her about her years at School of the
Arts, how she thinks she had changed and matured. She paused for a minute. “ I
don’t get mad at silly things anymore, I don’t get made too easily, I’ve
learned a lot about school and myself, I am more calm than I was before School
of the Arts.” It was brave to admit that she used to get made easily, and
admirable that she has changed so much. “Tell me some qualities that represent
the person that you would look up to? Who is someone you look up to and why?”
was the next question. “People who are funny, outgoing, down to earth, smart,
has their life together but still wants to have fun.” Her answer made me see that
she values good people who are responsible. “I look up to my sister, she goes
to school but is in the Army, and she has her own life, an apartment,
boyfriend, and dog but is still family oriented.” By this I could tell that
Brittany values family. As the interview was winding down I asked her my last
question. What are some qualities you have that make you unique? “Um” she said
“I am Chinese and Puerto Rican, artistic, silly, not funny, I play around a
lot, I don’t take things seriously, annoyed easily. We both laughed, “Some of
these things don’t seem like good things”. We laughed again.
Jeremiah's interview
by Shantia Hunt
On December 17th 2014 I sat down with School of the Arts senior Jeremiah King. Jeremiah is a Theater Tech major. Jeremiah believes that his major “plays a big role in his future” because it’s what he wants he realize his dream. Getting to know Jeremiah through this interview opened my eyes to see the person beyond the “afro” in school I felt like we were not just classmates in class together but like we were friends. When Jeremiah goes off to college he wants to continue majoring in theater tech also he wants. He sees himself becoming a contractor working in construction or something similar. “I love working with my hands, love building and taking things down.” I asked Jeremiah what he likes to do in his free time and he answered with: “I do martial arts, I play my video games and hangout with my girlfriend.” Jeremiah volunteers at the church his grandmother attends and at school. The environments around us started to get loud and hectic but it seemed not to distract either one of our main goal and focus was to finish this interview with no interruption. I asked Jeremiah when you look into an imaginary mirror, how do you see yourself beneath the surface? He replies with “I see myself as a grey cloud, I’m moving up changing taking the step to move higher.” In ten years Jeremiah sees himself with a Bachelor’s degree working hard in his field of work with a nice house car and a family. The personal goals that Jerimiah has is “learn as much as I can in my nature”. I asked Jeremiah what he would do with the prize money if he won the lottery, now most people who are asked this question that vie asked Jeremiah would say they’ll you it for college they’ll save it or they’ll just use on themselves in some type of way. Jeremiah responded to my question saying “I’ll give it back to my parents, give to charity and I will invest it.” Speaking to Jeremiah was I nice experience; it was really great to get know him better.
Zach’s Interview
By Maya Ragin
On a Wednesday afternoon, I got to
sit down and interview Zach Orcutt, a senior Visual Arts major at School of the
Arts. The only problem was that I was sick and could not talk. So, we
improvised and he would read the questions from the computer screen then would
say his answer out loud as I would type what he was saying. You would think it
would be a burden and not as good of an interview but, it ended up being very
fun and I ended up learning a lot about Zach. Like for example, Zach LOVES
hockey. Every single question that was asked, he would answer with something
that has to do with hockey. Like when I asked what your favorite childhood
memory is, Zach said “Probably when I got to play goalie for the first time in
hockey.” Or when I asked who has been his biggest inspiration, Zach says,
“Nicholas Lidstrom. He is my favorite hockey player.” So obviously when I asked
what are you planning on doing after high school and why, I figured he would’ve
said “I want to be a hockey player.” But, no. Zach said “I plan on going to
RIT, hopefully, because I want to become a computer security major because
that’s where the money is at.” We started to laugh. But, I never knew what a
computer security major does. So, he started to tell me and he told me about
how he wants to create his own company and become a billionaire. It amazed me
about how he was explaining this simply because, I never would have thought he
wanted to do computer security. But, I guess that’s the amazing part of
interviewing somebody. You find out things about them that you would have never
known or thought of. Zach is a good, smart, funny guy and it was a pleasure to
interview him, despite having no voice. I hope he gets the Bugatti he wants to
get when he becomes a billionaire. Just don’t forget me Zach! 
Interview with Lizzy
by Alice Doeblin
I
interviewed Elizabeth Clark on a cold, snowy afternoon in School of the Arts.
We sat in a quiet hallway with the occasional passing of students and teachers.
We had a casual conversation, hoping to get to know each other better.
Upon
first meeting with Elizabeth, she was a little hesitant and unsure of what to
answer. However, as the interview went on the conversation became more casual
and friendly. I first asked Elizabeth what she believed was the biggest
obstacle she has overcome. Elizabeth stated that her procrastination has
presented her with many problems during her life, but throughout her high
school career she has worked to overcome this by telling herself a due date is
sooner than it really is, so that if she is late, in reality, the assignment will
still be on time. Lizzy shared that she believes her “turning point” in her
life thus far is when she decided she wanted to attend an arts school. She
always knew that art was a passion of hers, and when looking at high schools to
attend, she was intrigued by the idea of taking art classes at a high school.
Lizzy believes that high school has had both its ups and downs, but is happy
with the way that it has changed her as a person. She said, “It has made me
more independent and outgoing, it’s shown me that friends are important.”
Although
high school has made Lizzy more independent, she still has people that she
looks up to. She shared during her interview that her biggest role model is her
mom. “She has worked really hard to support my family and is really determined
and intelligent. I used to say that I didn’t want to be like her, but I’m
starting to see myself become like her, and I’m ok with that.” Just as she has
learned from her mother, Lizzy is a hard-worker. She shared that her proudest
moment was last marking period when she saw how well she did in her classes. “I
finished all my art projects and I was really happy with my grades. They had
been declining recently, but I worked hard, and that showed on my report card.”
Lizzy
plans to continue her determination and hard work. She says that her biggest
fear is failure, and that this fear will lead her in life because she will
never want to feel like a failure. She hopes to attend the Rochester Institute
of Technology next year as a communication and says that if she gets in, it
will be the happiest day of her life.
Morgan’s Interview
by Concetta Robinson
Rochester,
New York on a cold semi- snowy day, Morgan and I sat down and started out
interview. It was a bit awkward at
first, but soon we both warmed up to each other and the questions cam rolling
out. Although this wasn’t the first time
Morgan and I had spoken, it was different because of the more formal
setting. She is currently a senior
theater tech major here at SOTA, and loves her major for the most part. After asking how she started getting
interested in this particular major, she responded “I started out wanting to be
a fashion designer”, “That really pushed me to get interested in tech here at
school.” Knowing she is a senior this year, I continued to ask of she got to
participate in all of the activities she wanted. “No, because of all the shows
that we put on, especially the big ones, there were a couple things I didn’t
get to do that I thought would be fun.” I asked what one of the biggest things
she wanted to do “Welding; some of the shows were just too big and consumed a
lot of our time”. After talking with her
for a few more minutes, I went on to ask if she had any regrets, and how she
would change the situation. “I gave a speech at the Annie performance that I
regret.” “Being the stage manager of the show we usually get gifts at the end of
a show. After Alvis passed the mic to me I felt that I couldn’t pass it on, so
it forced me to say something.” “It was a very nerve racking speech, and I felt
a lot of pressure to speak in front of all of the cast and crew.” Next, we talked about how stressful life can
be at times, and how we deal with it. She responded “I read a lot; like a lot.”
“I also can talk openly about my problems to anyone that listens; complaining
mostly”. After learning more about her, she revealed to me that she wasn’t the
best student up until last year. I asked
if she did anything inside or outside of school to help her out “Um not really.
I went to the SAT classes, which helped a lot.” She continued “My step mom is
really the one that got really tough on me. I came to a realization that I
wasn’t going to be able to go to college if I didn’t get my grades into
shape.” I later asked her where she
would see herself in the next five years, and she responded “Hopefully I will
have a job outside of babysitting” “I want to become more self-reliant, and
have my own apartment. Finally I asked her to describe herself to me with five
words. She said “Indecisive, anxious,
pessimistic, friendly, and creative.” After a shaky start, Morgan and I quickly
got used to one another, and I quickly learned more about her.
Claire's interview
by Shakeiya Thomas
Mid-December in Rochester, New York with the snow quickly
melting, I met Claire. She was all smiles, polite as expected during a first
meeting yet, the atmosphere was still a bit uncomfortable. We sat together, our
chairs next to each other rather than facing each other, usually avoiding
eye-contact. Unlike myself, Claire seemed more engaged in conversation, not
easily shaken. I began to wonder how she seemed so comfortable with talking to
a stranger. Instead, I asked her my first question. What would you say are your
most powerful assets? Claire thinks for a moment, and then they quickly come to
her. “Outgoing, not easily scared…” she begins, taking another minute to
process. “I adjust to my surroundings easily, I guess.” She adds with slight
laughter. When asked whether these qualities benefitted or hindered her she
explains that basically they make situations easier. After a while, the
atmosphere lightened and it became…not so awkward. Claire explained how the
people she clashed with most were stubborn, rude and judgmental people while
those she worked well with were people a lot like herself; Humorous, nice and
outgoing. I was amused that we seemed to
have that in common. I also didn’t get along with those types of people.
Recognizing this similarity cleared the air even more. I also asked her what
cartoon character is most like herself. “Minions from despicable me.” she
begins, later explaining that they were fun and outgoing. She continued with a
walk through of what she was sure, or had hoped, her life would be like 10 years
from now. She planned to become a occupational therapist just beginning to
start her own family with a stable economic situation. It was simple, but it
answered the question. I asked Claire whether or not she thought her major in
high school: Piano, would play a considerable role in her life in the future.
Her answer was no. She didn’t think it would play a major role because while it
was something she enjoyed it wasn’t something she wanted to pursue. I nodded in
agreement, another connection. I concluded our interview with the simplest
question of all, asking her to give me five words that described her. She
thought for a moment, and I waited patiently. “Empathetic, outgoing, humorous
and loud.”
Finding
Tessa
By Samiya Coney
I pulled a chair along with me, avoiding the legs of other
classmates, as I approached Tessa. She was siting nonchalantly just looking out
the window. “Hey Tessa.” I said as I brought her attention back. She smiled
warmly at me, “Hey! You ready to get this over with?” I chuckled as I nodded my
head. I pulled out my sheet of paper filled with questions. “Well Tessa,
Describe yourself in three words and give an explanation for each.” She peered
up into the sky and lightly tapped her chin, “ I would have to say motivator,
because I try to keep everyone in my friend group positive, perfectionist,
because I like things to look a certain way, and finally I would say humor,
because I like to make people laugh.” She smiled at me as she let out a hearty
chuckle. It was so infectious I had to join in. “Well, how about you summarize
to me your high school experience.” Tessa nodded her head as she pondered the
question. “It has been relatively stressful. I’ve had some good times and bad
times, but overall I’ve got a great group of friends; so it’s been pretty
positive.” I nodded my head as I jotted
each word down. “So then what would you consider your most significant moment?
And if you think about it, how has it defined you?” She looked at me wide eyed. “Wow,” she
exclaimed, “these are some truly intelligent questions!” I nodded my head with
a laugh. “Well I think that was when I had to do summer school, and it made me
feel like I was smart and it taught me a little about myself.” I looked at her,
“what grade were you in at that time, just to clarify.” She nodded her head,
“Oh I was in ninth grade.” I scribbled that down and went on to the next
question. “How does your past compare/contrast with your present?” Tessa put
her elbow on her knee and gave me a sign to give her a moment to think. “Well I
guess I would say I’ve become a lot more confident, and I take more control
over my life and I also have matured as a person. But my plans for college have
remained the same; I still want to take a gap period. My attitude towards my
family has also remained the same; they are a great support group.” I looked at her with a smile as I shook my
head. “Okay this may sound funny but, take me to a day in your life ten years
from now.” She burst out laughing, clutching her side. “Well, I’ll wake up in
the morning to my own home; go to work; which will hopefully be as a preschool
teacher. Then come home, make dinner, watch TV, and go to bed.” She finished
with a little shrug of her shoulders. I shuffled my papers, “This is the final
question; if you were to writer your obituary tomorrow, what would be your
legacy?” Tessa looked at me with her brows scrunched in, “I don’t know how to
answer this, but I guess I would want people to remember me as someone who
wanted to make people happy and left an influence on their lives.” We both
nodded our heads solemnly, as a slow smile reached our faces, “Well that was
good!” Tessa said with enthusiasm. We both burst into laughter as it mingled
with the chatter of the classroom.
Interview Hannah
By Katie Murrer
It was
scorching hot in the School of the Arts library on Wednesday morning when I got
the opportunity to sit down with Hannah Schneible. We were both dying from the
heat, but that didn’t stop the interview from being relaxed and friendly. We both started joking right away about how
hot it was, and Hannah proclaimed she was already sweating before coming to
library because she had just came from her dance class. This started my
questioning about Hannah’s opinions of danced. I first asked Hannah what he
favorite style of dance was, having so much experience dancing inside and
outside of school. She explained to me
how she’s been professionally trained in modern ballet, tap, jazz, and
contemporary; but contemporary was her favorite because your have more freedom,
with your movement and styles of dance unlike the other styles. Hannah stated
but by having a background in ballet helped having a foundation of skills to
use in contemporary dance. I went on to ask, how she thought dance had
influenced her life, with the people she’s meet, places she’s gone, what it’s
taught her. Hannah told be a story stating “at a young age I had to learned
discipline, because I had to have my school work done before being able to go
to dance class. It taught me to multitask and priorities what I had to
accomplish.” She also explained how at her dance studio is like “family,
everyone supports each other and wants to see everyone succeed.” Hannah got
really excited when she started to talk about the different places she’s gone
to for competitions one being in New York City last spring. She said this was
her best memory of dancing because “being there was like being part of the dance
world, and that’s where I was meant to be.” Hannah said it was an “amazing
experience to see other kids compete and being able to take dance classes at
the Broadway dance center.”
On a
more serious note I asked Hannah if she thought dance could help an individual
with personal struggles to help express themselves and forget about a bad
situation. She said “she has never had that experience with a real struggle,
but she said she’s seen other people dance as an escape and you can tell by the
way they dance.” Hannah told me a story about “a girl was crying before a dance
rehearsal and once the rehearsal started she began to dance like nothing was
bothering her, she had forgot all about her issues.” Hannah then proclaimed
that “that’s what I love about any art in general people can lose themselves in
any art, whether it me drawing or singing.” I was impressed how open and true
that statement was. I asked Hannah what keeps her dancing and she replied
saying “I get a feeling of being accomplished and proud of myself. When you’re
learning something new and you finally get it right is the best feeling.”
Hannah said she plans to continue in dance in college and in her life. She has
recently been accepted into Slippery Rock University and their dance program.
She plans on double majoring to have something to fall back on if she gets hurt
dancing. Hannah also told me she hopes to teach dance when she’s older. Maybe
she’ll have her own studio.
Angelica's interview
by Nadine Decher
When I started thinking about questions for a person I never
met before, it was hard. And that’s what both of us could feel when we started
with the interview. Both of us knew that our lives are completely different and
we don’t know anything about each other but it might change during the time we
were assigned to talk. It was like the fog outside the window that slowly
starts to tear apart. There is a little bit of light and maybe it will grow.
And to get a little bit of light in the darkness the first question was
important to me. It describes a lot about a person. Which major did Angelica
choose when she came to School of the Arts several years ago. She didn’t have
to think at all and it got easier to talk. Angelica is a dance major and when I
asked her why she chose this major she gave me the answer I kind of expected. “I
was taught to dance while I was still in my mom’s stomach, she said.” It was
clear for her that she would choose this major and continue with it besides High
school and probably in college too. She knows exactly what she wants in life,
so after attending college and then cosmetology school she’s planning on having
her own saloon. So I wondered what her plans for the future are and how she
sees herself in 10 years. After a long break with a thoughtful smile she
started telling me about the big house in Florida near the sea, enjoying the
warm weather down there and have a family next to the own saloon where she
would be working. The future is still a miracle that we don’t know a lot about
so the people from the past are mostly the ones that prepare ourselves for the
future. In this case Angelica told me about the most important person in her
life. I wasn’t sure what the answer will be but the surprise wasn’t as big when
the words “My mom” came out. For most people it’s the response they would give
to a question like that but then the explanation was following. She started
telling me about hard times when she got big support from her mother which was
especially during the phase when they had to life without a close person that
got taken away from the family. It feels like there is a big relationship so
that Angelica is doing her homework at her mom’s work before she goes to her
dance classes in the evening and during the weekend. “But not on Sunday, this
is my day off, she said.”
In the end of the interview I felt closer to this person with a big smile and an interesting life in front of her.
In the end of the interview I felt closer to this person with a big smile and an interesting life in front of her.
Tahmir's interview
There is no better place to meet a talented young man than the Rochester School of the Arts. Tahmir Payne had a smile on his face as big as his aspirations. We sat down in the quiet corner of the school’s computer lab. Clouds covered the sky as winter wind blew around tiny snowflakes. It seemed unfitting to watch in the excessive warmth of the room. Discussing how he found his major at SOTA, visual arts, to be fulfilling and he thought for a moment before answering. "It gives me insight on how to take a concept from my head and make it." Thinking I could stump him, I told him to imagine himself looking in a mirror and tell me what he admired about himself. Humbly and with a smile, he replied, "My art. I feel that it is a part of me." When I asked him what he was curious about in life, he chuckled at the question. "I'm curious about what it's like to travel. I am very curious about what it's like to be completely care-free." That’s when I realized that Tahmir is a free-spirited young man. With that in mind, I asked him whether he plans to be content with a standard educational path or do what he thinks will make him happy. “I want to be happy. I would rather do would I love then have a bad attitude about working.” I was then curious as to how he plans to make an impact by doing what he loves. “I want to inspire people to express themselves. Society says ‘be this, this or that’ but people should do what they love.” It is truly joyous that he wishes to use his talents for not only his benefit but for the benefit of others. Tahmir, being a senior in high school, said that in five years, he sees himself in grad school for visual arts. I was a little taken aback by his response. It seemed too much of a routine answer for someone with such a free spirit. So I asked him if that was all he saw himself doing and sure enough, he changed his answer a bit. "I want to travel and see the world." My previous notion was confirmed: he has a spirit as free as a wild horse. I couldn't help but notice that when he really thought about art, his eyes lit up like a diamond in daylight. From what I observed, Tahmir seems like a person who does not necessarily know exactly what the future brings but lives in the moment and watches the pieces of his future fall in place.
Interview with Maritza
by Tahmir Payne
It was a brisk December day in Rochester, New York when I sat down to interview Maritza in the School of the Arts computer lab. I was very nervous going into this interview at first because this would be the first time I’ve actually had a conversation with Maritza. As we began to talk and get familiar with each other I realized that Maritza was a very enthusiastic individual. With that in mind, I decided to ask her to describe her personal style. Due to the vagueness of the question I decided to focus the question on her major at School of the Arts (piano). With great passion and emphasis she replied, “I believe that I am pure musician. To me playing the piano is like breathing compared to other musicians who just play to play.” Maritza later explained that she also plays other instruments besides the piano. I then curiously asked her what inspires her to continue playing piano and her other instruments. Maritza explained that even though sometimes she feels like giving up, she has a strong dedication towards making music. She also stated that her father (who is also a musician) has always given a great deal of support and has never ever missed one of her recitals which has also helped. As a senior in high school many students always have big hopes and dreams for the future. Maritza explained to me that immediately after her graduation from college from college she would like to jump into her career. Maritza aspires to be a professional musical therapist and in 10-20 years, married with children. Her words where, “I plan to achieve success by making a great effort to help others and put them before myself.” From this statement I then realized that Maritza was a caring,compassionate, and self-sacrificing person at heart. At the end of this interview I felt as if it was a great chance to meet someone new and actually have a good old fashion conversation.
Alex’s Interview
Recently, I sat down with Alexandra Monson-Wright who is a
very close friend of mine. While processing the awkward moment, we realized how
long we’ve been friends and started thinking about how we met. We met when she
was in 5th grade and bonded over a video game called “ The legend of
Zelda”. It came up while we were playing outside my house and she commented on
my hair that was similar to the main character in the game. Thinking about how
time flew by, I asked her what she was going to do right after graduation and
she replied “ I want to go to college for forensics and possibly art because I
want to solve world wide issues that haven’t been solved today and if that
doesn’t work then just be a graphic designer like design logos for commercials
ect”. After she responded, we laughed and had no idea why. While laughing I was
thinking out of curiosity, what was one principle that she held close to her
and so she responded “ honesty because
you cant lie to yourself if you want to want to move forward in life. I see and
hear it everyday at school and its upsetting to see smart kids set themselves
up. I know I’m not perfect but I’m making an effort to succeed.” Alex said that
she also speaks for everyone else that feels the same way because we deserve
better in the future. We laughed as usual.
On a quiet Thursday morning I stepped out of the Journalism classroom into the hall to speak with Veronica. Veronica seemed comfortable and ready to begin the interview. Her confidence was extant but not overwhelming, I knew that she would be thorough when answering my questions. When I asked her about how she viewed herself, Veronica made it known that her greatest achievements and most memorable successes were due to sports and dance, "...for dance..., I had a goal that I had for the past three years and I never met it and the one year that I did meet it... I recalled into the top half of my competition and it was... reassuring knowing that hard work does pay off after a lot of failing." Veronica shared with me the importance of sports in her life saying that it is the only thing that she has really striven to succeed in. When speaking on the subject of success I asked Veronica how she felt she had grown since she first came to School of the Arts. She responded by saying that she has grown a lot socially just learning how to positively interact with people. As a follow up I asked "What do you think caused this change?" She responded with conviction "I have friendships that I don't need to go and complain about. I guess all the drama in middle school showed me it's not really worth it to have people sticking around that are just gonna cause stuff." It was clear that Veronica had found what she really loved and she has grown to love the friends she has acquired through the years. Finally I asked her where she thought she would be in ten years or so. She answered saying that although she did not know exactly what she wanted to do she knew that she wanted to be happy with wherever she was. Veronica understands how she works, she has grown to know herself and what she can do to become successful. Her self-confidence and cognizance of herself will get her far.
Alex’s Interview
By Miricle Ortiz
Veronica's Interview
by Alexis Mayfield
