Category Archives: introductions

1. At the age of  six, I had four ear surgeries in my right ear. It was during school, so I had to stay home for a little over two weeks. I had to wear a big white bandage over my right ear, so nothing would happen to it. Afterwards I had so much trouble hearing in my right ear that I was a little more behind than the  other kids. I was glad to stay home, because it was then that I developed my love for art, but I wasn’t glad  that I stayed home, because I didn’t get to see my friends. 
2. My sophomore year in high school  had a major impact on me, because that was when my guidance counselor started messing up my schedule pretty bad, and just started messing my whole experience up, because she did something wrong. My sophomore year in high school was also when I started loving graphic design in the graphic design program at my school, and realized I had a passion for it. My senior year also made a major impact on my high school experience, because that was when I joined Model un, where we come up and discuss solutions for modern day problems.
3. I love bollywood dancing. In bollywood dancing I do two types which is classical and bollywood film. I have only been dancing for five years, which is not that long compared to other dancers. Dancing is another form of therapy, and my form of expression, because it’s not restricting, I can move how I want.
4. For me, my culture defines me in certain aspects, like my favorite foods, and the kind of my music I listen to. I am from Trinidad and Tobago, an island in the caribbean, and we listen to music like soca, reggae, dancehall and more. Some of the foods I like to eat from my culture are roti, doubles, and more. One thing we are well known for is carnival, and I  love to see the costumes, makeup and just everybody having a good time together.
5. I don’t really talk about this much but I have an older sister, and we are three years apart. I don’t really look up to her that much. When it comes to me and my sister, I like to do my own thing. However, just because I don’t look up to her, does not mean I don’t love her. Most of the time we fight, but there are rare times we spend a lot of time together just talking. 

Five Key Facts about Myself

Hey everyone,

1. I grew up with my two parents that are very hard working and always seek the best for my siblings and I. I believe that their upbringings cultivated my personality because I too always seek for better for myself and my family. I am the third and last child, therefore I am the baby of the family.

2. I’m from Queens, New York. Although both my parents were hardworking, money always seemed to be tight because of bills so I never was spoiled and always was/will be humble and appreciative of what I have, regardless,  I will still seek for more of what is best for me.

3. I am Mexican-American. It use to bother me when people would think otherwise of my background because people would automatically assume I was from central or south america because of my skin tone. Then at home I would be called too black for my own race, I am darker than most of my family members. I would be called names but that did not bother me. What bothered me was that outside of home I was told I looked nothing like the race I am very prideful of and at home I would be discriminated because I was not light enough. I felt as if I did not really belong because of many colorist comments towards me or comparisons towards my other family members. It happened consistently so it ended up being normal. Now, I think this has shaped who I am today because I try to be very aware of the wrong teachings many family members have taught me and teach myself to be more accepting of who people are.

4. I’ve always been hardworking and charismatic! I started working when I was 12 lol, it was obviously under the books. I would paint little kids faces and would make balloon animals. I always been the type to keep moving forward so after that job I found another one and after that one I would move on to another. I just seemed to always like experiencing new things. I believe that this made me who I am today, all the encounters with people made me realize new things and view the world in different perspectives.

5. I love to go out and explore new places! I enjoy having  conversations with people and hearing their ideology or just hearing them out sometimes. I like to take pictures and am thinking of doing modeling as a side hustle nothing too serious, I hope. Also I am looking for new friends so if you are too, follow me on the insta and text me 🙂 @lvpessss

1. My name is Shamima Tahaminah and I am a South Asian Eighteen-year-old residing in Brooklyn, New York. The most meaningful part of me is being Bengali. Growing up I got stuck in a battle most people find themselves in one point of their lives: cultural identity. From my childhood, I was torn between a strict traditionally gripping family versus being surrounded by people who didn’t even know Bangladesh was even a country. By the time I reached high school was when I slowly started to appreciate being Bengali because I was able to meet more people just like me. This all taught me that it’s okay to have gone through that even though it’s sad many other people and children have to go through it when we shouldn’t have to but there is progress. I embrace my ethnic background now instead of resorting to being whitewashed just to fit in.
2. Because I was Bengali and a woman on top of that I struggled with a great deal of sexism around me. I lost some of my childhood because I was expected to act mature and more “womanly” though I was only ten/eleven. My experiences of that were my first dipping my toes into the feminist world. I believed women didn’t have have to do what a man told them or to do specific tasks.
3. High School was my biggest jump into the world of feminism and gender equality. I went to Aviation High School and since the Aviation industry is a male dominant industry a lot of the shop teachers were male other than two female instructors out of sixty men. It wasn’t easy being a female were the instructors constantly doubting a girl’s capability to do a task, making impropriate comments, which all led to inflating the male’s students’ ego’s to look down on their female classmates. I was more than excited to take part in a turning point in our school when “Women in Aviation International” was formed in my junior year. My active participation and dedication led me to become the President my senior year. This experience really made me proud to call myself a feminist making me more than prepared to take on anything a man can do.
4. Though my High School experience wasn’t the best I really am happy I was able to learn many things there. All the different parts of a plane, learning and doing repairs, and perfecting my hand skills for this trade. I’ve met many people along my journey the most memorable being JetBlue’s CEO Robin Hayes, and the very first female pilot hired by a commercial airline Bonnie Tirburzi. Being able to JFK to visit American Airlines and Delta’s hangar. These were all things that aspired me to dream big and were my pick up points when I was at my lowest.
5. Lastly would be me being a Muslim. Being Muslim shaped my entire life and made me learn to love and embrace a part of me when there was negativity surrounding it. Islam taught me peace and made me a better person. I am happy to say I love my religion and am striving to learn more about it.

Hello my name is Tasmia and the first fact about me is that i’m Bengali. Being Bengali has become a huge part of me because of its culture. Growing up I didn’t appreciate my culture like I wish I had, I felt uncomfortable wearing my traditional clothing around other people and that was because I was mainly friends with white people so I thought it would be weird of me to ever wear traditional dresses. As I grew older I’ve learned to really appreciate my culture even though I still have a lot of learning to do. I’m really trying my best to embrace and incorporate my culture in my life more often. I’m proud to say that I’m comfortable with wearing my traditional dresses out in the public as well as educating my other friends about my culture.

Another thing to know about me is that I am the youngest in the family as well as the only girl. I have two older brothers who are my best friends, they have impacted me so much In a positive way because they have teached so many valuable lessons. I also know that if I ever needed to talk to anyone my brothers would gladly listen to me without any judgment and even though I don’t have a sister they truly try their best to understand in a female perspective for me which is something I really appreciate.

 Jermaine Lamarr Cole- also known as J Cole. I truly love this man, I love his music so much and anyone that knows me knows that. His music is something that I love listening to when I’m sad or happy because anytime I listen to him it’s just a vibe. He’s also someone that I look up to because of how inspirational he really is, throughout his whole career he’s shown me that if I want something then I should get it and that it requires a lot of hard work. 

I am a really outgoing person so being around people who are quiet makes me uncomfortable because then I get shy. But usually once I get to know you I am great vibes well at least I think so. I love trying new things and I’m really open-minded and accepting of others. Oh and I love Harry Potter and if you don’t then I don’t know what to say.

I also love shoes, I used to be obsessed with it in middle school but lost my interest in high school but about a year ago I started getting back into it and have been buying shoes since then which my mom is very mad about. But shoes are something that actually makes me happy which might sound weird but I’m happy that I’ve gotten back into it.

. I was born in the Dominican Republic and lived there for 8 years of my life. While I lived there, my mom took care of me and my two older sisters by herself because my dad lived here. At the time i didn’t realize it but as I grew up I gained more respect for my mom for doing a great job raising me and my sisters.

. When I moved to New York I finally got to live with my dad, but it was a very hard time for me. I left behind my friends, I didn’t know english, I wasn’t used to cold weather, and overall didn’t meet my expectations. I wanted to go back but eventually I adapted and now I can’t see myself living there.

. When I was a younger I used to play a lot of video games. Even though I don’t play them as much anymore I still consider them a part of me. I have countless of amazing memories playing video games. Not just playing, but interacting and socializing with my friends. It is always a good time.

. Music is also a big part of me. No matter what mood I am in, there’s something I can always listen to. It helps me express myself, relax, and put me in a better mood. Im always listening to music no matter what I’m doing.

. I consider myself to be a very adventurous person. I am very open minded when trying new things and I am always trying to do something. I like exploring new areas I’ve never been in too.

1. Hello, my name is Elijah and I am 18 years old.  A lot of what makes me who I am comes from my responsibilities as an older brother of 6 children. I do not live with all of my siblings as my parents are separated. I am often entrusted of picking the kids up from school, watching over them when our parents are away and all in all being a good role model for them. This caused me to be the  responsible and mature person I am today.
2. My ethnicity is Puerto Rican and Irish. Both of my parents are Puerto Rican but my mom is also Irish. I can’t say that we practice any type of Irish cultures, but we definitely practice some of our Spanish culture, often time by food. Sadly, I am a part of many Puerto Ricans that grew up in a Spanish household but do not know how to speak Spanish.
3. I am a proud member of the LGBTQ community and will continue to be even if my likes and dislikes change. Ive seen first hand of the discrimination placed on people of the LGBTQ community just for living life the way we choose to. I live for the annual pride parades as they are a showcase of the grand community and love that we have for each other. There is strength in community.
4. My parents separated when I was very little, so I don’t have any memory of them being together. I lived under the care of my mother, and while I had a great childhood there was a number of hardships I endured under my mothers care. Although my parents are separated and have been most of my life, My mother and my dads side of the family are very much interactive and intact. My dads family took care of my mother and her siblings when she was younger as she was under the care of her drug abusive mother. This is beneficial for me because it does not give me a sense of having two different families, but instead having a very large blended one.
5. Now more than ever, I try to focus on the things that make me happy and promote my self care. From listening to music to getting a tattoo, My self care has never been more important to me. I think it’s important for people to block out all other factors once in a while to just really pay attention to their self and only focus on what make them happy.

1. My family is from Ivory Coast in West Africa, Culturally this is a large part of my life and is a huge chunk of my identity. I often get told I “don’t look African” for reasons I don’t even try to begin to understand, despite that a lot of who I am and what I stand for is because of my culture.
2. Another key fact about me is the fact that I am very accepting and open minded, mainly because I believe that how someone else chooses to live their truth doesn’t affect me and because I know if I couldn’t live life in MY truth thats would cause me a great deal of pain, so as long how you choose to live your life doesn’t physically or emotionally harm people or a group of people I am very accepting.
3. I grew up in a Muslim household, to which people react the same way they do when i say I’m African (I understand how it can be confusing since I don’t wear a hijab) I wasn’t really in touch with my faith until I took a trip to Africa to see family and they taught me over there, I learned more about my faith and brought it back to the City, as I grew up it changed and affected my way of thinking and gave me a better sense of the world, this played a hand in my being able to be so accepting.
4. My sister and I were raised by my mom alone this is a key fact about me because from a young age my mother taught us that a woman is capable of anything a man is capable of. Of course this also led be to be very strong willed vocal about my beliefs.
5. Something that brings me peace, is music, I love music because it can calm me down excite me, and anything else. Sometimes I feel it can even heal me emotionally. I also love the arts of all kinds, this is what inspired me to do cheerleading because it incorporated dance, and the school play. I feel like im better at appreciating and doing something preset rather than making something up immediately. Jhene Aiko is one of the artist that brought me peace last year.