Monday, December 17 terms test/ your interviews

Terms Test Today
After which, please take a look at your interviews.

Period 3

interview Jordan

Upon interviewing Jordan Polcyn-Evans one could conclude him as a man of height, confidence, and no fear of saying whatever crosses his subconscious. You can see the passion in his eyes as he describes his plans and future in music and studies. He first showed an allure to music at the tender age of seven with a mere keyboard, first shy and reluctant, which completely shocked me since modern day Jordan holds confidence and bluntness. He dabbled between the saxophone, piano, or going into musicals and decided to further study piano as his major at School of the Arts. He admits “I thought there would be more to it, it mainly consists of practicing piano, requiring to play twice a year at benefits and functions, but I wish there was more classes to apply piano with, as well as band trips, and more to technique theory”. The success of his teachers and peers inspires him to keep striving. Jordan see’s even more strenuous pieces such as Rhapsody of Blue by George Gershwin (which is thirty two pages of sheet music long and takes twenty minutes to play) intriguing, as one the best pieces he’s played. As I ask about his plans for the future, his eyes widen as he announces his plans to go to either the University of Michigan, Berkley College of Music, or School of Jazz.   Although his eyes widen with enthusiasm, dark circles dance closely underneath showing the passion he puts into his work, and concentration of his goals. He combines his talent performing in musicals as a pianist and also an actor. Obviously not afraid to test waters outside of his major as he recently performed in Sota’s play: Peter Pan, as Captain Hook and Mr. Darling. Upon interviewing Jordan I only knew of his presence in journalism and uncanny remarks. Even though it was a simple interview, I’ve learned more about Jordan’s core and passion as a musician than I would have just by observation. 
interview: Grace LP

When I first sat down with Grace Lopata-Lin, there was an awkward atmosphere, we both were feeling a bit uptight not knowing how the questions and answer with going to be asked and replied. But soon we started to settle down, and began our interview; there was a feeling of friendliness and kindness aura that was exerting from her. This made the interview simpler for me, knowing that my questions would be answered without hesitation.

My first question was to simply ask what made her choose her major and audition for SOTA, she answered confidently and passionately. The look in her eyes shown she knew what she was talking about. Her response to my question was she started to dance at a late age around fourth grade. This was not a serious matter for her in fact it was only for a spare time. But slowly she began to feel that she was enjoying it, what led her to advance to the next step of persisting dance was when, “…I came to SOTA before to see the dance concert it was then I knew I wanted to pursuit in dance…” She eventually felt serious with dance and felt SOTA will carry her onto the next level.

When I asked her, what is the one word she would use to describe herself and why, she thought very deeply, this showed me that she had a lot to say but couldn’t find the word for it. Eventually she came up with her answer, “…caring…” She said that caring as in caring for things and for the things she does. She then gave a deeper evaluation to this answer, she explains that she had cared for her actions that she took and cared for those who surround her. 

I then asked her, how has the School of The Arts impacted her life. She said, “…finding who I really am…” She also said that the school helped her pursuit her goals and strengthen the confidence within her. She said the school helped impact her life by finding new friends and teachers that she so much cherish.

I then asked her what were some pieces that she had created. She said that she had choreographed several pieces in dance concert before. But last year was the largest piece she choreographed, well telling me this I saw confidence coming out of her words and determination through her eyes.

 

I then asked her what were her future goals after graduating from School of the Arts, and how will she keep involved with the world of dance. She simply replied that when accepted to the college of her choice she will continue to study dance, and after graduating from college she will pursuit dance in the real world. She also plans on owning a dance studio to teach others.

My last question to her was where did she see herself in ten years. She responded that she would be opening a dance studio, or maybe work in New York City helping with other dancers to pursuit their goals involving with dance. She then said maybe after having everything settle down she’ll settle down will a family of her own.

After my interview questions were over with Grace, I discovered many things that I didn’t know about her. Her goals and work effort sought to show me her confidence and determination

interview: Donyel

Every year thousands of amateur rappers try and dip their hands into the rap game hoping for a big break. This underground rap market has grown tremendously in the last decade, producing star rap and hip hop performers. The underground scene has become especially popular among todays teens. I had the pleasure of sitting down with amateur recording artist Donyel Murakami and discussing his involvement in the underground rap scene.

  When Donyel and I first sat down I immediately noticed the large pair of headphones sitting around his neck. Listening to other artists often inspire amateur recorders to find a distinctive sound and Donyel is no exception. Donyel has been involved with rap for over three years and says that, “Now, I spend most of my time working on new tracks.” Donyel uses websites like Soundcloud and DatPiff to upload his  music to the internet where anyone can listen and download his tracks. I had heard some of Donyel’s work before coming to the interview, so we began to chat about his piticular style of rap. “I mostly work on beat making and producing music,” Donyel replied when I asked him about his area of interest in the music industry. He has collaborated with other artists on Soundcloud, making beats for tracks that other recorders have sent him. Donyel has also completed his very own EP album Superlatives, which he has uploaded to Datpiff where it can be downloaded for free. When asked about the album Mr. Murakami told me that, “ I made the album like two years ago, but a lot of people still tell me they listen to it.”

  Donyel plans to attend college for music production and hopes to work in the music industry. He hopes to become one of the rare few to make it in the music industry where he can work with mainstream rapers. If you want to hear Donyel’s music you can follow him on Soundcloud as “Donny Murakami” or listen and download his EP Superlatives at Datpiff.

interview: Shaquan

Shaquan Leach is a senior instrumental major and art major at School of the Arts. He has faced many struggles throughout his life and years at SOTA, one being time management. “I think one of the main obstacles for me in high school time for the fact I always had something going on and was hard to fit everything in I need to get done but through the help of teachers and friends I was able to make it work.” Shaquan has also encountered numerous frustrations as well as benefits of double majoring. “Well being a band major and art major I get to do a lot of different things like going on art trips. I also get to go on band trip but at the same time it’s hard to balance them out and get everything done in both.”

            Aside from working hard in school, Shaquan enjoys tasks such as baking in his leisure time. “I love cooking and baking in my down time because it puts my mind at ease.” According to a Sacramento magazine on line, baking is a form of stress relief consisting of aroma therapy. It is said to put the mind at ease, confirming Shaquan’s reasoning.

            Not only does Shaquan incorporate baking into his leisure time, he plans on furthering his love for cooking by minoring in culinary arts. “My goal is to go to college get my CPA in accounting way minoring in culinary arts. After college hopefully joining an accounting firm like price water house.” Regrets don’t cross Shaquan’s mind frequently, when asked what he would have done differently during his high school years, he simply replied, “There is nothing I would have done differently in my high school years.”

            Shaquan’s final remarks included, “I love being at SOTA and there is no other school I would want to be at more. Also I love reading Shakespeare.”

interview: Amanda

 When I sat down with Amanda, I didn't know exactly what to expect. I had been in a few classes with her over the years, but we had never actually had a full conversation. I knew she was quieter than others, or at least that's the way she seemed to me, and I was anticipating fairly reserved responses to my questions. I was completely wrong.

I was met with lightening fast, unwavering answers. There wasn't a moment's hesitation between my questions and Amanda's responses. I began to realize her hidden boldness as she sat on the windowsill in front of me, having opposed a chair. Her jet black hair, bright green sweater, and lip ring perfectly complimented her vibrant personality that I was meeting for the first time.

Her major at school is visual arts, an area of study she says she first became interested in while in elementary school. She began with pottery, and even then her boldness was very evident. While her classmates were busy making uninspired receptacles, Amanda had created a bowl with snakes coming out of it. When I asked if anyone has inspired her in her artistic endeavors, she recalled that her aunt used to do pottery, but quickly let me know that "she was a butt."

I continued to enjoy her candidness as we discussed her experience at School of the Arts. "I see a different perspective of art," she says of her education. "I don't see a dot as a dot." She sees more. She goes on to explain how she's gained valuable insight into the artistic world through her time in classes such as Painting, Media, and Drawing (her favorite). She describes her relationship with Mr. Latorre, her Drawing teacher, as "love hate. He'll push you, but not off the cliff."

As I began to ask Amanda about her senior year and what she wants to do in the future, I started to notice how much she has planned ahead, or at least weighed her options. She tells me she doesn't really know what she wants to do in college, but implies that art would be an enjoyable area to pursue. But she knows the pitfalls. She knows that if she takes that path, she'll "be a starving artist for a while." Perhaps to pay the bills she'll take up advertising, or medical photography? She doesn't know yet. However she does know that achieving in college is imperative. She will be the first in her family since her grandmother to attend college, and feels the pressure to succeed. I see no reason for her to be worried though. If there was one feeling I got from Amanda as I talked with her about her future, it was determination.

As I finish the interview, I'm left thinking about her newfound perspective of art, not seeing "a dot as a dot." That's how I feel about my sit-down with Amanda Saunders. I have a new perspective of her now, I've listened to her insight and feelings. And I can tell her determination will drive her to success.

Interview: Quinton

When I sat down with Quinton I could tell it was going to be a pretty casual interview. He was wearing a typical outfit that you see on high school students; blue jeans, a plain white tee, some fancy brand sneakers that all the cool kids wear nowadays, a hat and some headphones. I’d never sat down to have a long conversation with Quinton before so I felt a little uncomfortable and the interview had an awkward start.

I began by getting some basic information like age and major to break the ice. I found out that he is 17 and a visual arts major. After learning that, I asked him what influence visual arts has on him when applying to colleges. He seemed pretty confused and sounded like he didn’t have a plan for next year. He told me, “But actually, I want to design cars after college so I like industrial design.” I followed up by asking him how he came to be interested in designing cars. He responded by telling me that he’s been doing that since he was little; he’s always liked drawing and cars so he just put his two interests together. I then asked him how he decided to audition for SOTA. He quickly stated, “I didn’t have a choice. I was forced.” I reacted by asking him where he thinks he would have ended up if he weren’t forced to audition here. He replied, “When I was younger I wanted to be a thug so I wanted to go to East.” Interested, I asked him what drew him to becoming a thug when he was younger. “Being born on the east side, born and raised, as a thug. TV was influencing, channels like BET. So I thought banging in the hood, selling drugs, smoking weed, making money like that was right,” he answered. In response I concluded the interview by asking what he thought of thugs and thug actions now and how his views on thugs have changed. He replied, “It’s ignorant. It’s unproductive. Banging in the streets isn’t going to get you anywhere. I listen to Kendrick Lamar a lot. He’s anti-thug I guess.” The interview quickly ended and we parted.

interview: Keith

When I sat Down with Keith Gamble, I will say that the timing and setting weren’t ideal. Our surroundings were loud, making it hard to hear his soft-spoken answers and because we were pressed for time, his answers remained brief. In the minutes we had however I learned many things about him I never would have known otherwise. I started off by asking him a few general questions about his experiences at School of the Arts and was surprised at some of the less than enthusiastic answers I received. While Keith admits that he enjoys playing cello (much more than his original instrument, violin), when I asked if he found value in the mandatory art classes he responded with a confident no, saying he found them more a waste of time than a privilege. When I asked him why he attended a school for arts if he found the art programs pointless, he responded in a slightly embarrassed tone “My mother made me come here because it’s closer to where I live. I kinda wanted to go to Wilson.” When I asked him if he was going to continue art after high-school however, replied with a definite yes, saying he enjoys music enough to play outside of school, but that he doesn’t want to make a career out of it. In fact, he’d like to go into mechanical engineering. “I looked at a bunch of magazines and Youtube videos and stuff” he said when I asked him where he got the inspiration to become an engineer. Some colleges he is considering include Wake Forest University in North Carolina and Purdue University in Indiana. “I just want to start my own life” he answered when I asked him if he was excited to graduate and move on to college. “I don’t really want to be at high-school right now, I just have to be. In college I can do what I want.” Finally as a closer I asked him the question that interested me most; “If you could be remembered for one thing at SOTA, what would it be.” Out of all the questions I posed, this one took him most off guard. After thinking for a while, he laughed and simply answered “I want people to remember that I’m a nice person. I guess that’s what matters to me,” and with that, he said thanks, got up and left.

interview: Brittany

When I first sat down with Brittany I could tell she was nervous and I was too. I had never been interviewed before and I have also never interviewed anyone before so all of this was new to me. She was dressed up head to toe with make up and heels while I wore sweatpants and no make up, so of course I felt silly. Brittany had a very friendly vibe though and seemed cool. We also have had a few conversations in the past so talking to her was easy.

             I already knew what her major was so my first question to her was why she enjoys being a vocal major. She simply replied “I just like to sing” so then I asked her why do you like to sing and what does it do for you? She told me it makes her happy, and everyone enjoys music and that she likes to make others happy with her music. After that I asked her what colleges she was applying to, hoping that she would tell me about some great music schools in New York City that she dreamed of going to. She told me that the only school she was applying to was Monroe Community College it saves money and also because she needed “more time to explore other schools.” I was surprised by her answer I couldn’t believe that someone with so much talent didn’t want to pursue a singing career so I asked her if she had any dream schools she wished to attend. She explained to me that North Carolina A&T University was her dream school and that it wasn’t an arts school. Completely stunned I proceeded to ask my third questions, which was “Are you planning on keeping up with your major after high school?” She simply replied “yes I will always sing” I then asked her if she would ever audition for shows like The Voice or American Idol and replied “no singing in front of people makes me nervous.” By then I was completely confused she loves to sing but not in front of people? I needed to know more so I asked her how she sings in the chorus concerts at our school if she’s afraid of singing in front of people she replied “singing in a choir and singing solo are two different things.” After that response I decided to change the subject and come back to one of my other questions about her major. It seemed like Brittany was a little uncomfortable talking about that subject so I asked her an off topic question, I asked her what her secret obsession was she laughed and said “socks and weave.” After that response we both laughed I was glad that I had successfully eased some of the tension we were both feeling. After a good laugh I decided to return to my questions about her major. I asked her who or what influences her to sing. She told me “ My whole family sings. We are a musical family, but my idol is Aaliyah I even cried when she died.” Finally we had a connection I was also a huge Aaliyah fan. I loved her beautiful music and angelic voice. My last question was very typical and cliché but I was interested to know the answer so I asked her “where do you see yourself in 10 years.” Her answer surprised me at first because she told me that she wanted to be a successful entrepreneur owning a business that specializes in hair, nails and other beauty techniques.  I wondered why she didn’t want to become a singer but I soon realized that singing was just a hobby for her and she didn’t want to pursue and career in it but beauty to her is like a way of life. Everyday Brittany comes dressed up. She always makes sure that she looks nice her hair and make up are always flawless. I asked her why she wanted to own that type of business and she told me that she believes “ if you look good you feel good.”

            Overall I believe that our interview was a success. I found out a lot about Brittany that I didn’t already know. She is a very simple person who likes to look good and loves to sing.

Interview: Tara

Rochester, on a cold wet day, seems like a very likely place to meet Tara. She is in my Journalism class 4^th period. All morning, I’ve been dodging the sentries and administrators while walking down the m3 floor watching Tara dance through the crack of Ms. Miller’s door as she does one of the things she loves to do the most. As the halls fill with the youthful talent of Rochester at The School of the Arts, the school that Tara attends after leaving Rochester’s Our Lady of Mercy Catholic High School. When I walk into Ms. Parkers classroom for Journalism, I’m surprised to see that none of the other students where there. I didn’t realize I was so excited to forgo speaking with Ms. Schneider that I forgot to arrive fashionably late. As I take my seat, I am surprised to be accompanied by the feature of my interview, Tara Schneider. I start off star struck asking her obvious questions such as, “Where are you from?” and “What is your name?” , and just plain irrelevant questions like “Do you like Obama?” and “What do you think about black people?” Being the nice person that she is, she just nicely replied to my obvious questions with her obvious answers that I expected. After confirming her name really was Tara Schneider, and that she was born and raised in Rochester, she  me with her relentless brilliance to answer my last questions saying, “I don’t really care about politics neither do I care about skin color, really your Obama question was the black people question in disguise, so…” All I was thinking in my head was “Jinkies, how does she do that?” Over time, my comfort level around Tara began to increase, as well as the quality of the questions did. I was curious about what she wanted to do after she graduated high school. She wants to peruse career in theater explaining why she goes to the School of the Arts. This brings me back to earlier in the day watching her through the cracks in Ms. Miller’s room.

interview: Corri

Due to a busy schedule and a fair amount of procrastination, I never found the time to sit down with Cori Cotto. Lucky, I have access to the incredible internet machine, and was able to conduct an informal, slightly detached interview. Because this interview would be our first real interaction, I wanted to get to know Cori through questions that I knew I would have very defined answers for. The means through which people expressed themselves is one of the biggest indicators of certain character and personality traits. As Cori is a new student at the School of the Arts, I began by inquiring about her choice form of artistic expression asking what factors in her home life led her to become involved in that form of expression.

Cori Cotto is a Theatre Tech major, but says that her form of expression is “fashion related.” Raised in a family of very talented people, all of whom are “amazing singers,” Cori undoubtedly had opportunities to dabble in multiple forms of expression, but she seems confident in her love and knowledge of fashion stating that she “cannot walk by an outfit and not find some way that [she] would im[pr]ove it.”

With a very general understanding of her background and family, I proceeded to ask her about her plans for the future. With her mind set on the fashion industry, Cori told wrote that she “could not see [her] self doing anything else,” other than retail buying. Unfamiliar with the title, I was able to surmise that it’s basically professional shopping, and I’m not surprised that she could be happy in that profession.

To go deeper, I turned my questions towards the boundaries of her comfort zone, asking if she was open to new experiences, whether she had any non professional goals, and if she had had any notable or influential experiences outside of that comfort zone. I received a reluctant vibe about her trying new things but not because of a lack of interest, rather because of an awareness of danger and probably an interest in preserving her life. She said, “I love to meet new people and try new things......new safe things.” Though she is probably coming into her comfort zone now, Cori listed coming to School of the Arts as a major step outside of her comfort zone. I am happy to report, though, that after eight weeks at a new school, Cori says that she “knows more about how to adapt to a totally different environment.”

To finish the interview I wanted to ask a question that covers a topic that I consider very important. I asked Cori this exactly:  How do you feel about your size in relation to the universe? Does realizing that you're small give you confidence or make you uneasy? (I ask because it gives me confidence, but a lot of people disagree.) Unfortunately, I got a response detailing her struggles as a person who is physically short in stature. I understand the misconception, and I should have probably been a little clearer with my inquiry, but now I am afraid that she took the question as a commentary on her height. She say that she has learned to deal with being small in a positive way, though, and ultimately that did conclude the interview in the expected way.

interview: Leon

Interview: Leon

It was a cold December morning at the School of the Arts, when I sat down with one of my senior classmates, Leon Lin. Leon is someone I’ve been in classes with since 7^th grade, joked with in study hall and worked with in a few group projects in classes over the years, but never have I sat down and just talked to Leon. I was intrigued to sit down and learn more about Leon, his experiences here at SOTA and his plans for the future.

I began the interview by asking him what his major was, I realized before going to sit down with Leon that I’ve been his classmate for so long and didn’t even know what his major was. I asked Leon if he enjoyed the visual arts major, and he said yes, but then went on to tell me it’s not something he’s interested in pursuing in college. His answers were concise and came out quickly, he told me he plans on pursuing pharmacy and the University of Buffalo. He seemed so sure of himself, and  content. I then asked him what his experience at SOTA has been like, what he’s liked and disliked in which he responded “ It’s been pretty fun, I guess” He continued by saying he enjoyed his major, his classes and most teachers but some of the students were “ignorant”, which he said made for a harder learning environment.

Throughout the interview Leon was very friendly, happy to answer all of my questions, with a smile on his face. I was happy he seemed so content with his life, and confident in his answers but was also a little frazzled especially when I asked him about how he deals with the stress of high school and senior year specifically. He simply said he tries to find free time when he can just to relax.

It’s crazy to think how many people we encounter throughout our high school career with out getting to know or even talking to. Leon is a very cool guy, with a great future ahead of him. By sitting down and talking with Leon, it made me realize how many other cool people I’ve never talked to in my time here and how I should make more of an effort to. You never know what you’ll find out about a person from just a ten minute conversation!

interview: Grace P

When I went to sit down with Grace Parker I was stunned with the smile she presented me. I felt a sense of ease as soon as I saw her. She made me feel comfortable and it was my interview. To start off with we just chatted a little about the journalism project and what we had to do. It helped make things less awkward. I began to ask her about college because at this time in our senior year it seems like that’s all that everyone talks about. She expressed to me that she was applying to and boy did she have a list. I’m not going to lie I could not write them all down but I did get a few. Her top schools are Pace University and Emerson.  She told me that she was undecided on what she wanted to do once she entered college but she said that she wants to do acting. She has been in plays before including the most recent one that School of the Arts had Peter Pan and sees a life in theater.  She told me in ten years she saw herself performing. I also could see that, since she is so humble and in that kind of work you have to be humble in order to make it.  I was curious to see how School of the Arts was an impact on this decision being that it is an arts school. She said that School of the Arts “has been a huge impact on my life because this is where I started performing “. Her answer did not shock me instead it just confirmed my thoughts on how SOTA has impacted her life.  When talking to her more and asking her more questions she opened up to me and told me that she wishes she had been “more friendly” and “more open”.  During her previous years in SOTA she did not have many friends and she was shy which held her back from friendships.  Finally, I asked her to sum up her life in one word and she said transitioning. I asked what she meant by the word transitioning and she replied “I feel like right now I am going through so many changes, getting ready to leave high school, new friends and experiences, challenges at home and in my family, and in so many other ways.” Honestly after this interview I feel like  I got to know a great person and I felt honored to interview Grace Parker.

interview: Dorothy

                I had the pleasure of getting to talk to one student from School of the Arts whom I have never really spoken to before when I sat down with senior Dorothy Wright to find out more about her. As we got settled, I noticed she held an air of calmness, or a distinct maturity about her that was almost tangible. Being a senior myself, I was interested to know how others were feeling about this year, their plans, and future. It’s an exciting topic for all of us, and the hope, along with the fear of everything unknown is something that brings us all together. I began by asking Dorothy to just tell me about her senior year. She took a moment to think and looked up at the ceiling. Then she responded, “It’s…going well. Interesting.” When I asked her what “interesting” meant she simply said, “It’s alright. But I’m just ready to graduate.” Soon we got talking about the good and the bad memories made here at SOTA. Dorothy explained that sometimes working as a string major could be challenging, especially with the many different violin teachers “switching around.” However, while she could pick out a bad experience easily, it was more difficult to pick out just one good experience. After some thought she deduced that while there were many good memories, she is still most proud of “making it to senior year” with success.

                The conversation shifted to another, more intimidating subject; the future. Dorothy, however, did not seem fazed in the least. When I asked her if she thought SOTA really did prepare us for the “real world”, she responded positively with, “Yes. Teachers like Mrs. Parker have helped me get ready for college by telling me about their own experiences, and helping me discover new options” (Shout out to Mrs. Parker). When I asked her about her future plans, Dorothy’s calm exterior showed no signs of cracking. Instead of saying she “might” do this or that, she simply replied, “I’m going to MCC for two years, then hopefully to SUNY Brockport. Studying to be a social worker.” I found this to be really cool, because I’ve been thinking about phycology as a major myself. Dorothy and I have a lot more in common than one could have guessed.

                Now, as I observed Dorothy’s confident exterior all I could think to myself was, “Wow, this girl has got her life together. But how does she feel about all of this change?” When asked this, Dorothy still responded simply and confidently, “I’m ready for my future. I’m ready to start my life. To be happy and find a good career.” I couldn’t agree with her more, although I’m a bit more scared than her I believe. I concluded by asking her one last question: What is an important lesson you’ve taken from being at SOTA? At last I saw the hint of a smile creep up, as Dorothy explained, “I’ve learned to be grateful for what we have here. The teachers, the opportunities. I’m very happy I chose SOTA.” At that I just had to smile as well, because as different as the individuals of the graduating class of 2013 may be, I know we love our school and everything it’s done for us. And so, with that, I nodded, clicked my pen, and said, “Thanks Dorothy.” She responded “No problem!” And we parted ways.

Interview: George

It was a particularly chilly day outside of School of The Arts. The date was December, 6^th 2012. Administrators walked by patting students on the back as they faded off into conversations. George wore a grey button up with a red undershirt that seemed to fit well with his vibrant personality. He had appeared to be more kind than most. As an interviewer he had made comfortable as I had showed the same respect to him.

We struggled back and forth determining who would interview one another first until finally giving in, I asked him the first thing on my mind. I first asked him about his high school experience and how much he had liked attending SOTA. He replied saying, “I like it, I get along with everyone. I’m glad I go to an Arts School” which had seemed to be true as much as he gets along with people in a class environment. He was very straightforward, to the point never hiding any details.

When asked about accomplishments that he’s proud of in his high school career he had to think for a bit remembering that he had not really did too much because he hasn’t seen the world yet but he answered saying that he’d did some theatre design for Geva Theatre and Sailed Ontario river which is something that most cannot say and it’s evident that he has had some great accomplishments.

 He plans on going to college for theatre design; he mainly has SUNY in mind or U of R in mind stating that he is not too sure that he wants to take the art route. He mentions wanting to major in technology engineering and having a minor in theater. He feels like there are many other things he can do besides art.  As a person it is easy to tell that he is aware of the many possibilities in careers choices for the future.

From the way he genuinely answered questions without hesitation it really gives a sense of him being  a person that really has hopes and dreams as much as anybody else. When asked where he would see himself in five years he responded “ In five years I would see myself graduating, taking time off to see the world. I’m 18 and I feel like I haven’t done anything yet.”

 Next I had asked him how did he feel now that he was finished with highs school, he gave a couple “ah’s” and “eh’s” soon after simply stating that it didn’t really matter all too much to him and that he’d had a good high school experience. It was different because students usually were very emotional about leaving all their friends behind for new experiences and getting out into the “real world” but he had seemed very content about it and it is very evident that he is ready for new experiences in life.

After answering a series of questions he politely asked me “are there anymore questions?” “is that all you need to know?” and I responded yes as he made his way back to his chair where his friends had sat calling on him.

Interview: Ryder

 

Let me start by saying, I did this interview all through email. I never had the chance to sit face to face with him, though there was still a lot of progress made through email. When we exchanged the first set of words, my first impression of him was that he is a go-getter; he doesn’t let anyone get in his way of achieving his goals. Who am I talking about, you might ask? You would probably know him if I pointed him out. I asked him about what his major is and the creative abilities he possess that led him to choose it, to which his reply was “I play bass, and although I’m technically a string major, I am in the wind ensemble and jazz band instead of orchestra. When I entered SOTA in the seventh grade, I was accepted as a visual art major. Growing up I studied guitar, made art, and took dance classes at the Garth Fagan Dance School. All of those things fed into my creative ability, and I was comfortable in the progress that I made because of it when I picked up the bass.” I appreciated the excess details that he provided. My next question I asked him about talked about the type of music he is drawn to and what musicians influence him, his response was “I was raised on folk music. I take lessons and classes at the Eastman School of Music, though, and in the last two years I have gained an appreciation for jazz. I am drawn to structure, and jazz is really perfect for me because it is built on a sturdy foundation of music theory, but it provides a lot for freedom of expression through improvisation. Scott Lafaro, Miles Davis, Paul Chambers, Bill Evans, Ahmad Jamal, Gene Ammons, and a bunch of other Jazz players influence me through my playing. I also dig a lot of reggae”. This answer gave me the perception that he is involved with a lot that has to do with his major, and he’s always been doing something music-related all of his life. The next topic we transferred to was more about high school. My question to him talked about how he plans to incorporate the love of his major (Jazz Band) beyond high school. He said “I plan to continue my study of jazz in college and to gain a degree in jazz performance.” Short and to the point, just the way I like it. At that point I asked Ryder about some of the pleasures and frustrations he has encountered during his years at SOTA. He responded by saying “It has all been a pleasure. I really love SOTA. It has had a major influence on the way that I have developed as a young adult”. I noticed that with his response, he didn’t mention that he had any frustrating moments at SOTA so at that moment I moved on by asking him about the coping mechanisms he uses when facing stressful times, besides music. He said “I just compare myself to the rest of the universe and once I am sufficiently aware of how small I am and how incredible it is that I am alive and well, I no longer have any reason to be stressed.” This answer caught me off guard, I was expecting a totally different response but I appreciate the different mindset he has compared to other people. My last question received a rather long and detailed response, I asked him what some of the experiences were that he had that made him comfortable to head off into the world, come next June. His response was “In my sophomore year, SOTA received a grant to provide one year of level one Mandarin Chinese. I left my Latin course and enrolled in the class to take advantage of the opportunity. Taking that one year of Chinese qualified me to apply for a selective and fully subsidized program to study Mandarin in Beijing, China the next summer. I was selected along with two other students, from the Rochester City School District. The program, funded by the United States’ State Department, coordinated by APSA (Americans Promoting Study Abroad), and facilitated by the JUMP foundation, was designed to not only aid the study of Chinese language and culture, but also to encourage personal growth in the 32 American urban public school students selected. Immersed for six weeks in Chinese culture, I experienced many major shifts in my perspective. That experience definitely has prepared me for the change to come in my life.” I have to say this one of my favorite responses; it shows how intelligent Ryder is. Overall, by the time the interview was finished, my perception of Ryder was that he was very smart and knew the direction he wanted to go in life. I found that, that is something that we both have in common.    

interview: Cindy

There was silence at first but this interview gradually became very comfortable. The school hallway was not the best place to have an interview but she maintained a cooperative and friendly manner. Due to our existing acquaintance, the interview was straight-forward and I discovered many facts about her that I didn’t know before.

Considering the fact that I had some background knowledge of Cindy Troung, I set up questions that she would be able to answer and elaborate on. I asked a general question that would give the interview some direction. I asked her if she was enjoying her senior year of school. Her response was hesitant but with much thought she finally answered, “Yes, I like a lot. It’s very relaxing this year.” Her response was accurate because she later explained how she didn’t have much to worry about other than her college applications.

I then asked her about her plans after high school. She had to think about this response as well, looking up as if she were searching for answers in her thoughts. She told me she was definitely going to college she just didn’t know what for. She initially told me she was going as an undecided major but later mentions nursing and international business. She didn’t seem very definite about these plans. I asked her to tell about what pushed her towards nursing and international business. She said nursing had a guaranteed job after college. She then said that her interest in international business was influenced by her interest in fashion merchandising. This can obviously be pointed in her fashionable outfit she wore. She explained how that it would be a difficult major and something not so guaranteed. We then got into discussion about college students who don’t find jobs after they graduate. Cindy explained how that was one of her fears about going to college.

I then went more into her experience in high school and we weeded out the negatives and positives. She said overall that she enjoyed her experience and said, “I like the people in my classes. I enjoyed exploring the flute more and I love the friends I gained here.” I then asked her why she didn’t want to pursue the flute in college. She explained it was more of a hobby and not something she saw as a career. Being a student at SOTA I understood Cindy’s choice with her major in high school. I know a lot of students who love their major at SOTA but wish to pursue other things in college. Then this brought up discussion about the preparation for college that SOTA provides for their students. Cindy believes that although she does not want to pursue her major, she still believes that SOTA has prepared well enough academically. She believes that the AP courses provided along with the teachers, has equipped her with the right tools for college. She mentions chemistry teacher, Ms. Douyon. She talks about how Ms. Douyan’s care for her students, especially Cindy herself, has given her the motivation to do well.

Interview: Olivia

On an early Wednesday morning I was able to interview Olivia and ask her some questions about being at SOTA and her plans after graduating. She explained that her reason for coming to SOTA was to experience different types of dancing because she was only use to Irish dancing. I wanted to know what made her choose her major and she said she played the violin and danced but she was more interested in dancing. I continued to ask her more questions about  her plans after graduating from high school, her plans was to go to college, work and get a degree. I asked if dancing was going to be something she would go to college she answered no and said that dancing is going to be something she’s going to do on the side as a hobby. I wanted to know what college she plans on going to she said SUNY Purchase. I asked why that school she said because the location, it’s not too far from Rochester and she will still be able to be in the area.  I wanted to see where she thought she would be after 10 years has passed and she answered the question saying she would she herself having a job that she loves and being happy living a good life. Throughout  this interview she stayed positive and answered the questions thoroughly.
interview: Jessica

It was a normal day at Rochester’s School of the Arts; dark clouds loomed over the sky leaving a dark gloomy feeling.  But this feeling did not remain for long because I was given the chance to interview my fellow classmate, Jessica Vongxay. Jessica is a senior drama major at School of the Arts, working hard to get into college. She wants to become a physical therapists in the future and is going to major in physical therapy at either the University at Buffalo or the University at Pittsburg. “I wanted to become a physical therapists because I had gone through physical therapy before and I didn’t have a good experience. It made me want to be a good physical therapists.”   She says that it pays well and is also a good job to have. Although there are many positive things about being a physical therapists, I was curious as to what frustrates her about this career choice and major. She answered, “It is very long and competitive and is hard to get into.” After getting a gist of what she wanted to do in the future I asked her what her experiences were like at School of the Arts. She said many things that I was able to agree with especially, “I wouldn’t go to any other school expect School of the Arts” She likes the teachers and friends that she has met here and was able to explore theater. She felt that being a drama major was “easy and there is nothing hard about it” but also disliked her classmates who “did stupid stuff”. At School of the Arts, Jessica has participated in the musical “Joseph and the Technicolor Dream coat” and wants to audition for the upcoming play “Bright and Beach Memoirs”. Advice that she wants to give her younger classmates is “do stuff early for college and keep your options open, many things can happen that will change your mind.” Although this is where we ended with our interview questions, we ended up talking about the future and just random stuff. This interview ended well and felt more like a friendly conversation with a friend rather than a strict interview.

Interview: Anna

On a Saturday evening I interviewed a young woman named Anna over the internet by using emails. In the email I sent her, there were six open ended questions that I asked her. The first question I simply asked her “who was her favorite musician and why?” She responded very quickly and said “I don’t really have a favorite musician, but I have been heavily influenced by Count Basie and Duke Ellington, simply because of the huge contributions they have made to the creation of jazz”. This showed me that she knows a lot about music and jazz. The second question that I asked her was, “what influenced you to attend Sota?” She responded by saying “   I chose to audition for SOTA largely because both of my older siblings were already attending it, they were also instrumental majors, and they were very happy.” Her response easily told me that she looked up to her older brothers. The third question that was asked, “What career does she want to pursue in her future?” She replied with three different choices, Journalism, Public relations or writing. This response showed that as of right now she is very open-minded on these three choices. The fourth question I asked her was “what influenced you to play the clarinet?” She replied very quickly by saying “Well, I saw a picture of one when I was eight and I thought it looked pretty. Then my mom found a clarinet for really cheap at a garage sale. I got bored of it, which is why I have played the saxophone for five years now.”  This response showed that she was musically talented because after she got bored with one instrument she was able to pick up another one and play. The last question of this interview that I asked was, “where do you want to attend college and also what do you want to major in?” She replied by saying “I have applied early action to Canisius, although I am still looking other places. I want to major in communications, new media, work in writing somehow, and continue with music on the side.” This response told me that she doesn’t want to stop playing music in her future.
interview: Chantel
Upon meeting with Chantel, she brought a very friendly easy atmosphere, and I knew this

wasn’t going to be hard.

I began by asking her to tell me what her hopes were for her last year in high school. She

replied, “My hopes are to get into SUNY Stony Brook and continue to keep my grades up but also

to have fun because it’s my senior year.” I asked her to reflect on her years in high school so far,

more specifically on her years in a school for the arts. She explains how there are ups and

downs, but in general it has been a rewarding experience. “It has been an experience I will never

forget. I have made friends at SOTA that I never thought I would. I have found who myself in

some ways but also I have lost myself. I must say it has been a great experience for me in the

long run.” I wondered if the major that she practices here at School of the Arts would be

something she would want to pursue in college or in her career. However, she showed no

interest in wishing to pursue her major. “I wish to pursue Biology as a major and also follow the

pre-med program.”

After hearing this, I was interested in what her plans were in the future. She explains that

in 20 years, she would like to see herself as an Anesthesiologist. She would like to begin her

path down this road immediately after high school. “My immediate plans are to go to college

because I think if I don't go now I will never go.”

After discussing the future I asked her to reflect on the past a little bit. When asked if she

had a regrets, if she could go back and change anything, she responded, “If I could go back I

would change how did in school. It took until last year for me to care about my school work,

which has put a great strain on me this year. However, I do not regret it because regret will not

change the fact that I did not care. Instead I just have to learn from it.” It seems as if she

understands, where she has come from, and where she would like to go now.

Interview: Kierra

I thought about having an electronic interview with Kierra. I felt it would be easier and I would feel awkward during the interview. When Kierra came over to me and asked “Are you ready?” I thought what better time than the present. Though I didn’t have a personal relationship with Kierra I knew that her life revolved around dance; the interview. When I asked Kierra how her years at S.O.T.A influenced her college search, I expected an answer about the awesome educators here. She instead gave me an answer about dance influencing her to apply for art schools. She told me “If I wasn’t here dancing I wouldn’t wasn’t to peruse dancing.” She is inspired by the S.O.T.A alumni Jason Parsons and is also inspired by Travis Wall. It was very clear that Kierra was passionate about dance “Dance is my life!” I asked her about her what kind of life she has outside of dance she laughed as if I had just told her a joke and replied “None! If I’m not dancing I’m teaching.” I asked Kierra what places she would like to travel to. She told me very exotic travel sites like Hawaii and Brazil…Rio to be exact “It just seems interesting and it’s pretty.” Upon meeting Kierra you could feel her generosity and compassion for people. And her career choice shows it. She wants to major in addiction psychologist. I asked why she wanted to be in that field of work, she told me that she like helping people. I asked her what qualities make for a good friendship “Trust, good sense of humor… I hate when people don’t laugh at my jokes.” Kierra was exactly the kind of person I thought she would be when I found I was assigned to her for this project. She was very sweet and open. As the interview closed we smiled and parted ways .
interview: Ashley

Ashley came into the looking very well dressed. She showed good attitude and was very open minded. I was also able to find a lot more about how she is now and how she wants her life to be ten years from now. So far Ashley has been accepted to many different colleges like St. John Fisher, which is one of her top chioces. But she still is  waiting to choose her college that  offers her the most financial support.But once she chooses her college, she is going to study nursing and sicence. But being that Ashley she is on top of her game and has all ready been taking AP bio and other challenging classed, she knows how hard it will be when she gets college. After she leaves college with her new dregee, she want to find a job working as a LPNor a RN. Ashley believes  if you go to college that is with way you want to go. To be able to develop speical teaching that will help that her in the future. Ten years from now she wants her first baby girl and a well paying job; that is how how imagines a comfortable life. 

Period 6

interview: Kamicah

It was on a rainy Saturday night that I called Kimicah Roberson to get in her head, to see what she’s all about, to experience another side of her. I never really quite knew Kimicah, I always saw her in the hallways in school, but she was just another classmate I never got to know. As I worked on my art project for my college portfolio, I began to interview her at the same time, unknowing that I was about to experience more of Kimicah than I was expecting. 

I wanted to focus on dance, knowing that she is a dance major at school; so I began by asking her most rememberable moment. She seemed a little shocked by the question and answered with a simple answer. “The first seventh grade showcase and choreographing it”, she says; I wanted more from that question, hoping she would elaborate a little more, but I proceeded, although I thought I wasn’t going to get many thoughtful answers. Unlike most people from School of the Arts, Kimicah states that she will continue on with dance in the future; she says she would like to have dance as a minor when she goes to college. This is where I got my thoughtful answer I was looking for; when she unexpectedly began to discuss one of her deepest passions: helping children. She keenly pronounces how dance is a part of her and how you can make connections with dance and children. “ It is a part of me and you can make a connection with dancing and communicating to children…” This is where the interview took a turn I really was not expecting at all, but was surprisingly refreshing to dig deeper into the heart and soul of this familiar stranger. As I inquired about influential figures in her life, I truly began to see her love for dance. She began to formulate a list, starting with her top choice, a well-known dance teacher, Mrs. Miller. Kimicah then tells me about how she loves the way she choreographs: “I think it is perfect, the movements are free and they aren’t bounded or restricted…” She goes on to talk about her first experience with Afro modern, when her class received a visit from the Paisley
Dance Company. For a second time, she affirms the bond she feels with dance: “it felt nice, free and comfortable, I loved it…” Lastly she talks about Kelly, describing her as “a white person with a black persons soul.” It seemed as if Kimicah was slowly unfolding as the interview progressed.

She will be graduating in the summer of 2013 and tells me she is interested in learning to play the piano, traveling the world, and giving back to the less fortunate.  I assumed that her desire to travel and give back to the unfortunate stemmed from her familiarity with the poverty in Jamaica, where her grandfather is from and currently resided. “…I love it, it’s ridiculously hot, and my grandfather lives in the country, which is a less fortunate area…” Subsequently she says, “…they don’t have fresh water…” I then cut in and respond with an adolescent statement about how the Jamaican people are on an island and are surrounded by plenty of water. She handles the naive question well by replying “its salt water” and continues to explain the environment, “…they have to get water from the rain… and if they don’t have the money to buy a bottle of water they have to wait for it to rain…” Not knowing much about Jamaica and its inhabitants, I found it hard to hear from someone on firsthand account about the poverty levels and dismay the people have to endure. She wishes things could be different and is grateful for what she has, when she returns home from the poverty she has encountered. She makes a statement that I will never forget “I want to be able to give back to people there, they are apart of me.” This was an incredibly powerful testimonial that truly gives me insight on her personality. When asked if she could bring anything back with her from Jamaica she quickly answers back “My grandfather, he’s healthy, he’s alive, but he’s not, they don’t have the right equipment… I try to bring back all the knowledge I’ve gotten from being there.”  

interview: Shamira

  When Shamira came over to me for her interview, I couldn't help but notice she was so smiley. It was adorable. She just has this adorable personality air about her. It makes her very likable. But before I started her interview, I wasn't sure what her major was. I pegged her as vocal, and I was right! So I of course asked the oh-so-typical question of whether or not she like her major. She said she did, but she wished that they did more with the other majors and showcased it in different ways. Like perhaps a performance with the band and maybe even one with the dance majors. What would she switch it to if she could or wanted to? "Maybe dance or drama." Then I asked what kind of stuff she was involved in after school. She's quite the busy gal. She's got Student Government, cheer leading, and Yearbook committee on her plate. And then there's the senior year happenings. She's looking forward to all this college stuff to just be done and over with and for the fun things to begin. "Its so stressful right now." When I asked specifically what fun stuff about senior year she said "stuff like the senior trip, all the senior activities, like if we do a senior prank." Now another typical question, what about college? She's not sure where she wants to go, but she plans on majoring in business. She's applied to ten colleges, but her top five are the University of Buffalo, St. John Fisher, University of Rochester, Syracuse, and Canisius. She's just going to wait and see where she's accepted and then decide where to go. Now personally, I want to travel after school, so I asked if she wanted to. She said she'd love to go on a tour of Europe. Any specific reason why? "Europe is awesome and beautiful. The clothing, the accents! Just the whole atmosphere." For my final question, I asked her what color crayon she was. Someone asked me that question once and I thought it was so interesting because your answer could be based on multiple factors. What your favorite color is, what color you wear the most, or what you think each color reflects personality-wise. She replied enthusiastically, "Pink! Its my favorite color. Its just the best crayon and its bright and pretty."

 

 

 

interview Hannah

 As I sit down with Hannah Zuegel to talk to her about her major, she is excited from the get-go. Before I have even asked the first question, it is clear that she loves the topic. As soon as I tell her what I will be asking her about, she begins to talk about her favorite things about being a visual arts major. “I love being a visual arts major!” she proclaims enthusiastically. “It’s… very therapeutic because of how self-dependent you have to be.” As we begin to talk about how far back Hannah’s interest goes, it becomes clear that Art has always been a passion. “My mother says I was particularly interested in it since I was about four. I only really got serious about it in third or fourth grade... Art just seemed like the right fit so I went in that direction… I honestly can’t imagine being anything else.” Hannah has not been exclusive to the visual arts, however. Hannah played piano until recently, plays the guitar, was in concert choir in grade school, and was in the eighth grade production of “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.” “I love that our school is so unique, and I appreciate the different types of people we have. Looking at other majors helps me feel like I have my own identity.” But it hasn’t drawn her away from her main passion. “when I was in Joseph, it was great to feel a part of such a cool group but at the same time, there was so much drama and cattiness which is definitely not something I'm interested in.” The teachers in the arts department undoubtedly are responsible for a good portion of the dedication shown in their students. “The visual arts teachers are amazing. Mrs. Rudy is one of the most invested teachers at school, she does everything for everyone because she wants to, regardless of what her personal life demands… Latorre is amazing too… He makes you figure everything out for yourself, pushes you to be better all the time and then gives you amazing support and compliments when you succeed. He and Mrs. Rudy complement each other really well and always work as a team on everything.”As a senior in high school, we all have some degree of uncertainty as to what the future holds. Our vision is constantly changing as we learn more about ourselves and our surroundings. “At first I thought doing art in college was silly.” She says as she reflects. “This past year has shown me how much art means to me, so I think my mind is slowly changing.” 

interview: Kendal

Kendall

Kendall approached politely with a sense of calmness and seemed ready and willing to talk. With a brief introduction and hello I started the interview with my fellow class mate.

The first question I asked Kendall was “Do you enjoy your major?” He looked in the air for a second and then responded “10-12 didn’t feel the same way.” He explained how he lost interest in his major gradually over the course of the years he spent at SOTA. I agreed with him and we discussed how the teachers lack of enthusiasm and interest can bring down your inspiration in the major. I related very much to his response.

The next question I asked him was “What after school activities are you involved in?” In which he replied that junior year he worked two jobs, both taking care of children, babysitting basically. He seemed enthusiastic about the job. He works one babysitting job now at the YMCA.

I followed up that response with “What career do you plan to pursue after college?” Hoping that he would connect his first job experience with a future career. To my surprise he did not, he wants to instead go into engineering but still work with kids voluntarily as well as go into engineering. He seemed to have a very clear sense of direction.

To further clear the fog about how he will make that dream happen I asked “What college do you plan on going to?” In which he responded Syracuse University for engineering. He even knew what type he was interested in, electrical and computers. This was very odd to me as he struck me as the type to want to be around people and not computers.

To understand what he wanted to make out of his life with this career I asked “Where do you see yourself in 20 years?” In which he responded promptly “Full time job, married, two kids, and a house.” I didn’t see that as too much to ask. It’s the basics and I admired his humble response.

However that life doesn’t come easy, so my next question put a little pressure on his plans, I asked “What will you do to make that happen?” he responded immediately “work, work , work, follow up.” Satisfied with this answer I said nothing and moved on because it was quite an obvious answer.

To finish off the interview is asked “Have you enjoyed your experience at School of the Arts?” he responded “The first few years was stronger, however, negative vibes from teachers and students developed over the years.” He also mentioned that administrators show a lack of concern which I did not agree with but said nothing as I had no reason to argue his opinion



interview: Becky

                Blonde hair, crystal clear blue eyes, a welcoming smile, and gently blushed cheeks; you might think I am talking about an angel.  Although she is human, she defiantly possesses angelic features.  Rebecca Herring, commonly called “Becky” as an abbreviated form of her name, is a senior vocal major at School of The Arts. Although, she is very bashful and reserve, Becky stated she found comfort, security, and confidence within the world of music.  When asked, “To what extent do you believe that music is the ultimate form of art known to man?”, she said “  It isn’t. All art form gives you the ability to express yourself, and that’s the ultimate beauty of art in general.”  For some reason, her statement shocked me, so I interjected “For me, I believe music is indeed the ultimate form of art; it is such a crafted manipulator of moods.”  Subsequent, from making my counter statement she remained steadfast in her response.  She continued to mention that she admires Visual Arts the most.  Gently brushing her hair behind her ears she said, “Seeing the paintings, pastels, and sketches is so interesting.  To see them  (the artist) take so little of something and produce so much is so fascinating.”  As the interview progressed, I made a mental observation that Becky never speaks badly about anyone or anything.  I found that to be so admirable and begin to wish that I possessed such a humble attitude as she displayed. When, she informed me that she wanted to possibly pursue a career in social work, I was defiantly in agreement with her plans. She has such a beautiful perspective on life, a charismatic heart, and reserves judgment against others. Raised as a Roman Catholic and having a mother who has her own outreach ministry at their church for at-risk youth, I think it is safe to assume that Becky is an advocate for doing what is right and “paying it forward”. When I say “paying it forward”, I’m underlying stating that since she was inspired by many influential figures such as her grandmother, mother, and her elementary music teacher (Ms. Haymond), she doesn’t want to consume that inspiration not only for herself but desires to distribute that inspiration into society.  Becky said something in the interview that defiantly made me rediscover the beauty in her character, she said she choice sociology as her major because she wants people to see something in their selves and to have expectations.  When she said that I just kept thinking to myself she has to be one of the most genuine and humble individuals that I’ve encountered in a while.  As we began to transfer to the conclusion of the interview, I asked “Is there anything that I should know and that you want me to add to the interview before we end?”, she said, “No.” Being the persistent person that I am, I couldn’t and wouldn’t allow her to conclude the interview on that note (pun intended).  I revamped the question and asked, “When you graduate from high school, what is the legacy that you want to leave behind at School of The Arts?”, she said, “ Well I am not sure. I don’t think I am going to leave one at all. I feel to leave a legacy here (School of The Arts) that you have to a high social status.” Once again I disagreed with her statement and found it shocking. I reassured her that is not true at all. You don’t have to have a high social status to leave a legacy. Sure it might enhance it, but it defiantly doesn’t stop from establishing one. I concluded the interview with, “Speaking personally, I can say that you will leave a legacy of compassion, sincerity, and humility. I think that is a better legacy than just being known for “being best dressed”, “best smile”, etc.”  I think one thing we can learn from my interview with Becky, is God blesses the world with people who don’t mind making their selves their last priority, to make others their first priority to see them do better in life and advance in life- I think that is one of the greatest, if not the ultimate gift to acquire as humans.

 Interview: Landon

 Landon found out about this school through relatives…. To be more specific his two older sisters… he said explained that school of the arts was the place where he had grew as a student. He said that during his middle school experiences at the school of the arts he had made friends, built relationships and adjusted pretty well so he felt that there was no temptation to leave. Drama in both ways… he said that there is both, drama in social ways between general people, and as in his major of drama. He explained that in drama class people often gossip or talk behind one another’s back. Drama being his major…. He agreed that the school finalized the decision to not pursue a career in acting. Landon and I began to share a small conversation on how the skill of acting has helped him in both academically and in everyday life, during which he said that he sometimes uses this skill to “accurately imitate” others. He then went on to say “… when I have to speak out or give speeches and stuff like that… it makes it easier” explaining how he has developed a better stage presence.

When asked about colleges you could see a little “fidgeting”, saying how he has not even begun to do any applications. I then went on to ask about his college plans, and he replied showing interest in the Rochester Community College MCC (Monroe Community College). He explained how he was thinking on majoring in liberal arts; however he was a tad bit confused on everything involving the process, however he did say that where ever he goes he hopes that the sun is shining bright feeling the heat. When asked about his life outside of school, he quickly replied with the word friends.  He explained how he hangs out with both his friends and his girlfriend. He explains how he communicates with others through phone calls. He then said how television is usually his option to defeat his archenemy “boredom”. He said that during the winter he goes skiing and is part of the ski club.  I then asked about family time, and asked if it was important to him. He explained that he at least tries to spend one hour of day with his family and said,“… I don’t want to be a complete dick to my parents…” creating a funnier atmosphere. Landon feels strong about helping people… so when asked the question on where he thought he would be after his days at school of the arts were over, he said that he would like to find a career on which he can do so. He said that although he is still in the process of finding a particular college he would like to attend, he wants to study something where he feels as if he is making a difference. Overall Landon made it very obvious that he was not sure on what or where he would go for college; however, he spoke with a tone showing that his options remained open.

 

Interview: Maeve 

Sitting down at school in journalism class, given the permission to go interview our partners, I start to walk to my partner Maeve Cibulka, a peer student at my school whom I never really had the chance to talk to. However just greeting each other like we were close friends shook off my anticipation for any tension. By the time Maeve had finished asking the questions she had for me, I was comfortable and ready to begin interviewing her.

I began my interview by asking what the word passion meant to her. After pondering in thought for a moment, Maeve without hesitation says “I’m passionate about my school work, I slacked off my sophomore and junior year, but now I seem to be picking it back up, and taking my work more seriously. She had a short moment to think. “Passion to me, if I’m not passionate in what I’m doing, I’m not gonna succeed.” I happily agreed with that statement, with both of us throwing jokes back and forth killing some time laughing.

I then moved onto my next question. I said “Tell me about some of the people that have had an influence on your life.” Maeve immediately announced “I would definitely have to say my mom just ‘cause like if I don’t understand if I don’t understand an assignment I’m stuck on she will help, and shes more of like a friend to me because I tell her everything.”

It started to become quiet, but I could tell by her body language she was still fully engaged in our discussion as I finished typing what she said for my previous question. Then I asked “In what ways will keep involved in the world of theatre after you leave School Of the Arts [SOTA]?”. Maeve just uttered in a stern tone “None.” I quickly looked at her, worried my irrelevant questions were boring her, but I saw her looking back with a smile that told me she found it funny, and we both laughed.

I then said “Tell me about some of the places in the world you wish to travel.” Smiling looking up at the ceiling, Maeve finally said “I really want to go to Greece, because I don’t know, because its beautiful, and it has mad attractive people there.” We both laughed for a good minute. “My Nana, and Papa originated from Italy, so I want to travel places around there.” I eagerly asked “Your grandparents are from Italy?” Maeve replied “No, I meant thats where we all originated from.” I took that statement too literal, haha.

I then asked “What do you want to be when you’re out of high school?” Before answering, Maeve countered my question by asking “Have you ever heard of the show ‘Sex and the City’?” I replied saying “I heard of it but never actually watched it.” Then Maeve happily answered saying “A publicist, a famous publicist.” I then asked “What exactly IS a publicist?” Not being familiar with that occupation. She said “A publicist is someone who reports on events, and famous people. I’ve always wanted to be that. Living in New York City being rich as [explicit word] and not being treated like I’m famous, so I can be in New York and everything is normal.” I grew in excitement hearing that, because my passion is music, so just her saying that gave me thoughts of publicist reporting on my career.

My final question was a simple one, but a great way to end off a great conversation. I asked “Are you enjoying your last year at SOTA?” Maeve, after taking a deep breathe to think, said “I wouldn’t say its the best year, because I miss all of my older friends, but it’s straight; It’s Easy. My weekends are pretty nice, and I am doing cheerleading instead of basketball, so its a change but a good change.”

I thanked her at the end, as she thanked me back, and we got into a basic conversation until the class period ended.

interview: Matt

Before the interview I was sort of hesitant on what to ask Matthew, I’ve known matt for six years and all I’ve known about him is he was in my violin class and we both play first violin. Since I didn’t know much about the person I was interviewing I wanted to ask questions that would allow me to have a more concessive idea of who Matt Rapoza.

            To start off the interview I wanted to know what type of student Matthew was so my first question was, “seniors tend to slack off during their senior year; do you feel yourself doing that, why or why not and why?” Matthews response to the question was “Tactically no, I’ve got A’s all last marking period the class structure is a little more relaxed and I have fewer classes and periods and I wouldn’t say I am slacking.” Matthews response showed me that he was a man with a plan and wasn’t like the average senior.

            As the interview continued I wanted to build on the knowledge I already knew about Matthew. I was aware that he had a musical background so I wanted him to expand on that.  My next question to Matthew was, “You’ve been involved in music for the past six years at SOTA what is it you get out of music?” Matthew gave such a passionate response it made me question exactly what I got out of music personally. His response was, “…it is an emotional outlet”

         Many people believe they know what passion is and what they’re passionate about.  Ones passions give an indication of who you are. In the interview I asked Matthew what he was passionate about and he said music. This gives us more insight of how in depth Matthew is into his and why he wants to pursue this as a career in life. Knowing what Matthew’s passion was I wanted to expand on that and wanted to know where he received is inspiration from and what kind of drive his inspiration gives him. Matthew says, “I draw my inspiration from friends and my guitar and depending on my mood music sometimes help shifts my mood.” It seems to me Matthew has a deep relationship with music and I wanted to know if he wanted to continue with music as career in the future. My question to Matthew is what is your American dream. Matthew takes a deep breath, sighs, giggles and the response “Fame worldwide, I want to be the greatest rock and roll band and have a pretty large fan base. Build a career can’t imagine doing anything else outside of it.” Life long dreams and goals are important but I wanted to know what Matthew plans are after high school. “Attend college for business while staying close to my musical roots hopefully use with music in the future but its quite broad right now.” 

 Interview: Zach

The atmosphere was original and plain due to the fact that I didn’t know much about him. To start off in getting to know more about him I was seeking his to find out about his talents and for how he gained interest in it. In responds he said “I’m a drama major. I participated in drama shows before coming to this school, and I like it because I get to become another character, and I enjoy how I could develop a character any way I please and still get good results”. With everyone who have a joy for something and really enjoy it, had in some way made improvements. I ask him how he’d improved and he responded “I improved practicing, and in order for me to practice I participated in many plays to gain experiences and become a better actor”. I mentioned how in tennis the same applies. In my mind knowing that he and I had the same thinking that practice makes perfect made the atmosphere more enjoyable and relaxing and not unsteady. So I when on to ask him what two things he’d learned that helped him to improve. He was shocked by this question and told me that “many people asked me how I improved but never asked me what helped me to make those improvements”. He still gave he a responds which was still the same reason why he improved, practice. He said “I was once shy and unfamiliar with certain parts of a play but what helped me to improve was practice”. With all that practice I wondered if he was planning on carrying this major into the future. So I asked him How do you envision yourself using for major after you leave SOTA? His responds showed that he put some thought behind this. He’d answered “I will use my major in community plays. Once I was thinking of going to college for this but I changed my mind because in reality there are already to many actors making the acting industry saturated. Plus if something goes wrong I don’t want to have to deal with a hostile atmosphere. For example I did a play once called Joseph and the techni-colored Dream coat and many people hated me for it.” I asked why in curiosity. He said “…because the part I played, so many other drama majors wanted to play that part also and was angered that I was chosen instead of them”. I felt that this interview helped me know more about him, and what drama major do and how they make improvements.    

Interview:Terrille

 

If you have ever walked down the School of the Arts' dance hall during the school day, you have probably noticed a tall, slender, bubbly young man dressed in vibrant colors and a smile on his face. This is Terrille Howard. He is the Student Government President, a dance major and one of School of the Arts' most unique students. When I sat down with Terrille in the hallway, I was not surprised at all to find that he is just as happy and inviting on a personal level as he appears to be when I see him walking through the halls. His bubbly, outgoing personality immediately put me at ease and gave me the confidence and comfort that I needed to proceed with the interview I intended to conduct. His face was illuminated by a gigantic smile that could be seen from miles away. He sat with a certain poise and attentiveness that gave me the feeling that for the next thirty minutes I would have Terrille's full and honest attention.

The only thing I really knew about Terrille was that he was a dance major. I began my interview by elaborating on dance and its effect on his life. Terrille was first exposed to dance in the third grade, although he jokingly said he was dancing in the womb. He attended Nathaniel Rochester Community School #3. Through a program called Dance Patrol, Terrille first encountered a passion that would carry on into middle school, high school and probably college. Dance is therapeutic for Terrille. It also helps with his self-esteem and gives him confidence. 11^th grade "solidified" his passion for dance and it became more than just a hobby. He intends to apply to Columbia College in Chicago, his first choice for colleges, and also SUNY Purchase, SUNY Oswego, SUNY Cortland, FIT and Buff State to pursue dance and Market Communications with a minor in Public Relations. He said he was unsure what he wanted to do with his degrees, but thought maybe something along the lines of fashion, business or real estate.

After talking about dance, I started to get a little more personal. I wanted to dig deeper and discover things that I felt many people would not know about Terrille. His favorite part about high school is being Student Government President. It is reassuring to him although it can get stressful. He said he is held on a pedestal and he needs to behave. There is a certain protocol in which he has to follow. Besides dance, Terrille enjoys cooking, eating and shopping. He also enjoys being a friend. Terrille likes education, but not necessarily school. He expressed his belief that there is improvements available for everything and that when he was accepted into SOTA, he held High School Musical-like expectations and was discouraged when he realized that the individual expression of students he longed for was not as realistic as he had hoped for at School of the Arts. He did commend SOTA for being very safe and addressed the fact that he is comfortable here. When asked if anyone at SOTA had a great impact on him, Terrille listed three people. Mr. Donko-Hanson, who was like a father figure to him; Mr. Mergler, who advocated for him when he wasn't able to do so for himself; and Ms. Branca, who was influential, able to see situations from other people's perspectives and taught him "how to talk." Although it seems funny, Terrille admires Ms. Branca for being able to teach him how to speak in an educated way and not sound "ghetto," even though he "comes from the ghetto."

From here, I started to get a little bit more personal. When Terrille stated that Mr. Donko-Hanson was like a father figure to him, I wondered if Terrille knew his own father. He knows his father's name, where he lives, but has never met his father face to face. They talk on the phone; however, they have not spoken since July 1, 2011. Terrille doesn't think of his father as a deadbeat. He understands that his father may not know how to be a dad since he didn't have one when growing up. He is able to forgive his father for this and doesn't hold it against him.

Many people question Terrille's sexual orientation. He knows that. He wasn't shy at all when I asked about it. He confidently replied that he was liberal and expressive. He doesn't define himself as straight, gay or bi-sexual. He simply is attracted to whomever he is attracted. It isn’t a big deal to him if they are male or female.

            Terrille responded to my questions very intricately and elaborated nicely on touchy subjects. When asked what his biggest struggle in life was, I was surprised at his response. He said he struggles with insecurity, depression and awkwardness. I was shocked because Terrille embodies being different. He acts proud about it too. He is an inspiration to everyone to be his or her own self. The greatest thing in life that Terrille has learned is that “adversity can be turned into opportunity.” To prove this, he spoke about how in 10^th grade he and his mother were homeless. This was also a point in time where Terrille struggled greatly. However, he had very supportive friends who helped him through this difficult time. Since then, his mother has continued her education. Terrille said that he and his mother were survivors.

            Terrille’s responses were very profound and they really captured the type of person he is. His ultimate goal for 10 years from now is to be happy. “Without happiness nothing matters. If you aren’t happy with what you are doing, everything you are trying to do is invalid.” He also wants to be successful, a philanthropist, entrepreneur, and innovator. I left it up to Terrille to conclude the interview. No surprise to me, he had yet another profound statement to close out the conversation. His goal when graduating high school is to leave a legacy. He wants to leave a legacy of entertainment, individuality and standard. I could not have summed up Terrille Howard in three words better than he did. He embodies each and every one of those characteristics and will definitely leave a legacy at School of the Arts come June 2013.

Interview Je'Nai

Sitting across from me, Ja’ Nai smiled and looked prepared to answer my questions. I started off by asking how have her childhood dreams begun to materialize. She “threw away the dreams of becoming a Gospel singer, actress and fashion designer” because she felt confident enough in those areas. At the age of 12, she wanted to be a judge and that goal has not faded since; this led to my next question for her. I wanted to find out what keeps her motivated to pursue the career of a judge, she said that she wanted to “provide fair justice, and not being bias”. Along the way, she sees herself becoming a prosecutor first and then working up to be a judge.

Approaching to the last days of High school; She wishes to continue her passion for vocal performance after graduation as well. Involving in local communities activities at church and college in the forms of talent shows, musicals, and other performances is her plan. She also believes that the creativity in her life opens up many doors and helps her to go after different things people that are normally afraid to.

Seeing her frequently during school made me notice the high heels that she would wear and walk around in as if they were flats or sneakers. This brings me to ask when did she start wearing heels with ease. Around 12 years old, she started wearing low heels, things like wedges. Heels have always felt comfortable to her, even the first pair of Stilettos. She recalls very clear that the Stilettos were pink peep toe and wore them on Valentine’s Day when she was 15. She likes them because they give her confidence and attention, adding “gives me height, cause I’m a short person!”

She replied, “I thought about Europe and Atlanta and L.A.” when I asked her where she would want to stabilize and live in the future. She’s interested in Europe for it’s different fashion, Atlanta for it’s good weather, L.A. for it’s fast-pace energy and the celebrities. Wherever she may end up however, there is only one goal.  

“I just want to live comfortably.”

Interview: Malikk

On Thursday, December 6th I sat down with Malik Truitt a 12th grade drama major at School of The Arts to do his interview. Though he can be a man of many words, this was the second time that I've ever talked to him this year. The thing that caught my attention the most was the way he answered the questions that I threw at him. When asked "

Why does it seem that you enjoy getting under people’s skin with wisecracking remarks?" he said "This is something that I am very good at. Most of this came due to the fact that I’d been made fun of because of my ears. Over time I’ve learned to love myself a lot more and this helps me twist the words of others around." From this Malik has become a more confident person he states "This (drama/theatre) has made me a more confident person. I am rarely embarrassed when I speak my mind and I am more comfortable with people." I found how long he's come from being unconfident Malik to more confident Malik to be very intersting due to the fact that many people give up.

When I found out that he wanted to go to college for communications so many questions shot inside my head. My main question had been "Since you would like to go to college for communications, how has your experience in theatre fed into this?" Mr. Truitt stated "It really has because in theater we act and express different feelings and being an actor makes it comfortable and opens my character" Never the less his love for drama and wantng to pursue in communicatons made me anxious to see if this would be something he'd keep with him 20 years from now. Malik says "I don’t think that I am going to pursue in theatre and drama later on in life, even though I plan to go to college for communications." My last question to Mr. Truitt had been "We all arrive at a particular moment in time that we call now. How might you have changed your life, if you had the opportunity?". After asking this I noticed that it took him a while to answer. I could tell that he had been going through his life memories and began thinkng of a very delicate answer. He then responded "I would like to go back and gain a lot more confidence. This way I would be able to like myself a lot." After doing this interview with Malik I feel that I know so much more about him than I did. This may be a fresh start on a good friendship.

Interview: De Anne

When I first sat down with DeAnne, I didn't know what to expect. From afar, she came off as a little intimidating and very sure about herself. She's dressed very simply that day, wearing a name brand shirt, jeans, and earrings. With the mystery of her between us, I jumped right in, hoping to learn something about her.

My first question for her was about her major, to which she answered that she was an Instrumental major, where she plays the clarinet. When I asked her about her feelings about being an instrumental major she answered with a simple, "Nothing," and laughed jokingly, even though she was serious about her answer. At this point I knew that this interview was going to be blunt and concise. Sitting down with me, DeAnne had no pretentious airs about herself, seeming like a person that would put everything on the table when she needed to.

I asked her about the things she learned about herself as an Instrumental major. She started off, "I realized I like reading music and getting into different sounds...." She then looked away, not betraying her feelings. She then confessed to me, "It used to be enjoyable...but now it's kind of a chore." I asked her if it was hard getting to where she was at that point since she lost her joy for the instrument, she answered with a quick and sullen "No," looking away.

Hoping to brighten the mood and the rapport between us, I steered away from her major and asked what she liked to do to relax, where she lists away things such as TV, Facebook, being at home and the like.

As someone in the class of 2013, she told me what she was going to miss about the School of the Arts, "You know, the environment....my friends....not the teachers." She let off another laugh, breaking the sullen mood from earlier.

Finally, I asked her about her plans for the future, to which she listed off, "I want to become a nurse, get wealthy, have a couple of kids and a husband, a couple of cars..." She laughs.

Interview Javaris:

Javaris Causally walked over to me, and looking over my should asked me what I was playing. I knew he only had the faintest of interest; he was just polite like that. What he really wanted was for me to begin my interview. Prior to that moment, all week he had asked me about my questions, and it seemed that he was somewhat eager for me to begin once he learned that I’d be asking about his singing. After a moment I asked “Are you ready?” He simply smiled and nodded. I directed him to the seats I’d arranged on the side of the room, not particularly isolated from the din of our peers. “Okay sir,” I said, setting a mockingly serious tone “We’ll start simple. When people hear what you major is, what type of song should they expect you to sing?” What I really wanted to know was whether or not it pissed him off when people would immediately ask him to sing for them upon hearing his major, but since yes or no questions weren’t allowed, I had to dress it up a bit. He surprised me, by knowingly telling me he didn’t mind when people asked him to sing, and said that they should “Mostly [expect] a Hallelujah, or a Mozart and SOMETIMES something r and b.” He emphasized the sometimes because its what people always expect since that’s what they think of when they hear ‘vocal major’. He then continued, “[they ask] Do you sing like usher? But I mean, no I sing like me.” Immediately, my notions were shattered. I’d assumed that like most vocal majors, it would annoy Javaris if asked to sing. But he was not most vocal majors. He went on to explain that no one should expect anyone to sing like anything but themselves, and that people sound best when they just do what they’re good at. I asked him to imagine himself as a child, and to tell me what songs were sung to him, and by whom. Before responding, he smiled to himself, remembering something. “Many lullabies were sing to me by my grandma,” he answered fondly, recalling his childhood. “Sometimes when I had a hard time sleeping, and sometimes she just wanted to sing.” I asked him if that’s what made him want to pursue singing at SOTA. He thought about it for a moment, and said ‘A little bit, I come from a family of singers, and when she, would sing to me it was pleasing to my ears. And I tried it, and found out I could sing, and I’ve been doing it ever since.” I found it very interesting that he discovered his talent in such a way. When he was describing it to me, he was somewhat animated, and I could easily imagine a younger Javaris discovering that he had a vocal talent. Continuing the interview, I asked him “Does it EVER bother you when people demand a demonstration?” To which he responded, “Not really, I kind of expect it, because we go to an arts school, and people are going to want to know my major.” As I furiously typed, fascinated, he paused so I could catch up, and continued, “I figure that my art is a gift, you know? Why not share it.” I smiled at his answer, mostly because I was very impressed that he thought of things in such a positive way. His answer made me wonder whether or not there was any truth behind the phrase putting someone on the spot. I asked Javaris if anything determined whether he was in the mood to sing. “I’m always in the mood to sing.” He replied. “Singing is my getaway from any trouble that I have…it’s the way that I can express myself the most.” I nodded, wishing I had something similar. It seemed that singing for Javaris was a sort of therapy that he could also turn to when he was happy, or at any time really. Beginning to wrap up, I asked Javaris something vocal majors had that other majors didn’t. It seemed that he thought about that question a lot, because he readily responded “Singing is one of the best gifts God could give, honestly its better than any instrument, you don’t have to carry it. Its always with you.” At this point I began to frown upon even my major, acting, because it never did for me what singing seemed to do for Javaris. He spoke of it with a comfortable reverence. Wondering if such a moment even existed, I asked him “What’s the worst time you’ve ever had whilst singing?” Javaris took quite a while thinking about that question, perhaps because he was struggling to think of something. He searched through his memories for a short while before finally settling on something. “About a week ago,” he began “I was losing my voice due to illness, so I kind of had a hard time singing. Since I’m a bass, I couldn’t really sing in my section. It was hard for me. I always sing, I lead the section sometimes. Gabriel [his vocal teacher] tells me that without me there isn’t a bass section. The bass section needs me.” The way he described it, I had a strong feel for how he felt. For Javaris, singing isn’t just a thing he has to do to attend School of the Arts. It’s a gift that he chooses to share with the world.  Feeling like I truly knew Javaris much better, I began to ask my final question, but knowingly Javaris said, “There’s not anything else you should know, you nailed it.” I smiled, and he got up and went back to his computer. As I edited my notes, I thought about a lot of the things he said, and his calm demeanor made a lot of sense to me. It has sense occurred to me that perhaps I should find an equivalent to singing for myself, because I can’t think of a single thing in my life that satisfies me the way singing satisfies Javaris.

Interview Sidnee

Striking a Fresh Chord With a Strings Student Interview

 As I sat down to interview Sydnee McDonald, I took note of the restless classroom. My immediate fear was that the classroom’s attitude might be reflected in the quality of the interview, however, I was delightfully mistaken. Sydnee wore both professional attire, and a cheerful persona; her enthusiasm in the arts was personified as I asked about her various violin classes at the School of the Arts.

Sydnee explained that her major was more than just a passion; it was a constructive outlet that helped her “meet friends on a different level.” When I asked her to explain what she meant, she excitedly went on to explain that she has met multiple individuals at the School of the Arts that share the same passion as her. On an academic level, Sydnee clarifies that she believes that pursuing an art during a school day stimulates her mind and helps her to observe tasks on multiple levels.

As a member of the strings department for 6 years myself, I was able to observe the patterns and structure of the program from the inside. As the strings teachers have changed consecutively for 3 years, I asked Sydnee how it affected her performance and feelings about the department. I could immediately sense the sadness of her tone as the conversation began to become more serious. She went on to explain that she has never had a firm relationship with a strings teacher since they have changed so many times. She then optimistically lightened the severity of the subject by explaining that each teachers unique playing style allowed her to learn a plethora of new techniques.

After that, I asked Sydnee what she would change about the structure of her major if she had to change anything. After a short pause, Sydnee stated that she wished she had more classes pertaining strictly to violin, rather than learning other instruments, which to her, seemed irrelevant. She then stated that she thought classes like music history and piano were slightly distracting from her individual goals as a violinist.

As the strings department was invited to the Heritage Festival in Philadelphia, a prestigious music festival, I asked Sydnee what excited her the most about the trip. She almost immediately exclaimed “The NBA game of course!” After that burst of excitement, she laughed and explained that the freedom and trust of the school to let the members of the trip explore the city thrilled her, along with her opportunity to buy a “real” Philly cheese steak.

Beginning to touch upon serious subjects again, I asked Sydnee what she planned on doing after her high school graduation. With a confident smile, she informed me that she wanted to become a biology major in college after her senior year, while minoring in African American studies. She also made it evident to me that she wanted to consider pursuing community service activities after her senior year.

I then asked Sydnee how she planned on keeping the violin as a useful tool and hobby post graduation. She thought for a moment and then went on to explain that she hopes to use the violin in college clubs, and wants to continue its use as an outlet for making friends. This did not surprise me, since she was such an active member of the strings class. After the interview was over, I thanked Sydnee for her time, we shook hands and went our separate way

inteview: Aaron

Amazed at his artwork that was beyond beautiful was the perfect start of the interview. I sat down to get my job done and just write this interview that was about to take place. But then my views changed and I decided to actually get to know the individual in front of me. Aaron Scott is this person that was simple and quite at first sight but when in depth he was made of complex and artistic ways that are interesting. At first I thought our talk would be boring because I didn’t know if there was anything we could talk about and I found out I was wrong.

Our talk opened up close to my first question but more intriguing and that change the atmosphere. I ask why did he draw people placing tennis and he answered, “A project of tension for Latorre,” and then he elaborated “tension is similar to anxiety and pressure. That’s why I made one of the players miss the ball even though he tried with all his might to hit it.” Then I understood and was astonished by the beauty of the work and the story behind it.

I ask him what his interests were as a child that led him to choose his major at SOTA. He replied, “he loved drawing a lot and it was a hobby but it fun for me to make pictures neat and 3D. I knew that I loved it so I could spend more time on it during school. But I learn to draw other things that I never tried before.” I thought wow I never really thought there were other parts involved. He only sees himself having this skill as a hobby and not pursuing it. I ask him about his future plans and he responded, “College isn’t for me and I want to pursue a construction career.” He also included that he had other hobbies that influence his art.

Next I ask him about that hobby which was about video games and he answered, “I use to like to play the games that plugged into the TV but now its computer games that don’t involve witchcraft because of religion reasons.” His also noted that star wars is his favorite game to play. Then we chatted about his sibling having similar interest with playing video games and drawing but his sister doesn't focus on the religion thing. I wonder and ask how he got interested since they seem to be so similar to each other. He said, “I recently got interested even though I attended the meetings for a long time and it grabbed my attention by them proving there is not a hell or trinity.” I ask more questions to dig deeper about his decisions in religion and he said a lot but the most stressed point was that he didn't believe in evolution.

When he was asked about having strengths and weakness he based it on art. He said, “My strengths are angles, details, and buildings in my pictures and his weakness in art is nature and natural figures. I hope to improve on figure drawing because it could be better.” Then I told him it’s kind of funny that his weakness is his sister’s strength and vice versa for his strengths.

A strength he has is also in sports and his favorite to enjoy is tennis. I ask would he ever pursue it with explanation and he replied, “I need challenges and I got the enjoyment from the video system called dream cast. He wouldn't pursue it because worried about being jealous, or getting injured and having no backup plan.”

Before we departed I asked if he had anything else he wanted to talk about before we came to an end. He added to the questions I asked earlier because he felt it was the right moment to say what was in his head after.    

interview: Hannah
   

Often throughout our lives we encounter people with similar names. We all probably know a billion Brianas, Jennys and Graces. They may switch up the spelling but the end result, still sounds the same. When I was first assigned to Interview Hannah. I at first believed it was Hannah Zuegal. I then began preparing myself for an interview with her. However when I stood up and looked around that is not who I saw. I instead saw Hannah Klaver. She was skinny, freckle faced, and had her shoulder length hair pulled back. I have encountered Hannah before in my earlier years of high school, and I must say she seemed alot different from the 7th grader I once held conversations with. But, then again that was almost 5 years ago. Even though i once "knew" her I felt as though I was starting over and getting to know a new person.

So here I was sitting faced to face with a girl who I spent close to 5 years of high school with. However, I couldnt even think of her major. Instead of being insulted by my lack of knowledge she graciously informed me that she was a piano major. Although she wasnt rude or hurt, this made me feel horrible because I am also a music major and I couldnt even remember her ever performing with us. As I continued to interview her I then found out that she was origanlly a Creative Writing Major. This made me feel so much better because it meant I hadnt completely surpassed her as a fellow music student at School of the Arts. She informed me that during her 9th grade year she switched to piano. "I've always liked it! However, I just felt I wouldnt have been able to get into SOTA as a piano major." This was shocking to me because she had played the piano since she was 5 years old! Me personally, if I would have been playing the piano since I was five, I surely wouldnt have been nervous. She expressed, that the only thing she regrets about attending School of the Arts is not immediately comming in as a piano major. "Creative writing wasn’t working out," she states, "They took all of the fun out" Hannah isn't the type of person who enjoys analyzing her work and tearing it apart. However, in her creative writing classes that was a large part of what takes place. Hannah could have possibly adapted to that however there were other problems. The Teacher. " We didn’t work together very well together," she states."Out of 2 years I only got one compliment." With all of these thing effecting her switching her major just seemed like the right choice "Music is different when it comes to rules. "

So the question then arises has SOTA lived up to Hannah Klaver's expections? The answer was simple. Hannah had no expectations. So there wasnt much that was expected. Coming into school of the arts all she was aware of was the fact that it was an arts school. However School of the Arts has effected her and helped her. "I usually have atleast two piano classes a day. So that means 80 minutes each day of lots of practice." However that is not all that helped her. "Theory helps me out a lot Its cool to learn something different." So Hannah lets recap Hannah has played music since she was five years old. Maybe that consisted only of 3 lessons a week. Now however, she is able to enjoy daily piano lessons and even classes that teach her about the history of music.

SOTA has had an impact on Hannah. It is often stated that if you were to change one small thing in a person's life it would effect the overall outcome. So what if Hannah never came to SOTA would she still be the same Hannah Klaver? "Well if I didn’t get into sota I would be home schooled." All I could think was Wow! Home schooled is the exact opposite of public school. "Public school has a big social group" Being that School of the arts is so diverse it allows Hannah to get multiple points of views and perspectives. "I bounce off from different people. " So, I think it's safe to say that Hannah would be a different person.

Hannah has participated throughout the whole school. She interacts with other majors and does not just focus on muic. She states "One of the funnest things was dancing in Student Showcase," in a tap  piece with a fellow student known as ben. Hannah has made memories at SOTA and continues to thrive and grow in her las year of High School.

Interview: Shantel

As the light rain hit the windows of our journalism classroom, I chose this opportunity to interview my fellow classmate, Shantel Forrest. As she teased up her hair, she was excited to reply to my questions just as excited as I was to ask her about her life. Shantel discussed with me about her Senior High school career as a piano major. She told her how her mother encouraged her to play the piano since she was a toddler at four years old. Growing up, Shantel has already set her mind to attending School of the Arts and pursing her piano career. She spoke to me about how she enjoyed the grace and the beauty of the violin and if she could play another instrument she would choose the violin. Shantel enjoys relaxing at home, sleeping, eating and watching reality TV such as Love and Hip Hop. She also enjoys listening to hip-hop as she downloads the latest mix tapes. Although she is Jamaican, she feels as though she can relate better to hip hop music versus classical or reggae. Five years from now, Shantel envisioned her life working in the Big Apple working for a retailer in fashion. Even now, she creates clothing pieces online and sends them into contests on the internet. In ten years, she wants to be a buyer from retail stores and create accessible fashion. I can tell Shantel is really interested in fashion just by the way she talks so openly about it. Her style and apparel are also key factors of her love for fashion. Shantel is very unique, brave and different. A lot of students as too afraid to cut their hair more or less wear it naturally. Overall, Shantel is pretty cool and I cannot wait to purchase something from her line.
interview: Tyler

On December 5^th, I was greeted by a friendly voice and a warm smile. Tyler Collins, a former student at School Without Walls, is new to School of the Arts as a senior. Exciting as School of the Arts is, I pondered upon what made him want to come to SOTA and he replied, “I’m working on my album and taking classes that are helping me make my album.” Tyler was a relatively easy person to interview because our conversation could flow well without awkward pauses. I then when on to ask him, “Do you enjoy your major or consider pursuing a career with music in the future?” He did not have a major but he replied “Yeah this music is definitely my future.” Tyler’s reasoning behind switching his senior year from school without walls to School of the Arts wasn’t due to unhappiness with his former education; he just has an affinity for the arts. Tyler said that SOTA is way different than his old school due to size but he loves the family orientated feeling and that there seem to be a large threshold of people who share similar visions as far as music. We continued to converse on his music career and those around him. Many famous stars have those who influence their music, so naturally I asked Tyler if he had that special inspiration. He said he wouldn’t say they influenced his music but they really inspire him to do better every day.  While he stated that he really has not one major influence in his life, but there are many musicians who inspire him. Tyler told me that he is enjoying his senior year but was slacking off in the beginning; he now understands that “you can’t procrastinate, you got to be on top of your game, but I’m enjoying the ride. I’m working hard, being here every day and focusing on my schoolwork equivalent to my music.” Tyler is such a well-rounded person that it is almost inevitable he will make something of himself someday. Of course with music in his near future I wondered what his main goal was when he finished high school he replied with a simple “Get famous that’s all I can say.” With Tyler’s passion and drive we’re sure to see him in the limelight someday. 

interview: Ruth

The other day I sat down with Ruth to conduct our two interviews. Saying as neither one of us have ever communicated outside of the project it was fair to say that there was a definite feeling of uncomforted in the air as we sat down. We both began to fidget almost immediately with almost anything around us, just to be rid ourselves of tension. I looked at my paper and asked her my first question, how she feels when telling others that she is an instrumental major at School of the Arts. For some reason this question intrigued Ruth, as she looked at me much more intently, and folded her hands in her lap. Almost all of the tension was lifted as she calmly and thoughtfully gave a very sincere and relaxed answer, "Well, sometimes I just like to have the other person guess as to what it is first or see what they think I am. And sometimes I even lie about it". When I asked her why she said that she was almost looking for approval in what others thought regarding her artistic choices and wanted to see what the other person thought of her before she revealed the truth. It was an interesting side to Ruth that I had never seen before. She then went on to explain that music had become more of a simple vent in her life, nothing too serious or interesting (at least not to her). "I found that music has worn on me over the years, it's just not something I could professionally peruse". When I asked her where she saw herself in the future she gave me another surprising answer, "a sergeant in the Navy, overseas or at home with my family". This was most definitely the most intriguing moment of the interview, however in the moment the only question I could think to ask without offending in anyway was "do you think your high school arts career will assist you in any way in the future?" It was a very flustered questions but Ruth happily answered by simply and beautifully saying, "yes, it has taught me discipline, structure and showed me that practice can make anything possible". We both shared smiles as we stood up to part ways at that moment and I knew that we both felt more of a personal connection then we had shared 5 minutes prior.

interview Elijah

Elijah Crocker is a senior instrumental major at School of the Arts. He plays the trombone and has been playing for the last 8 years. I had the chance to talk with him on a rainy Thursday during journalism class. Being that this is his last year in high school, I was curious to know about his high school experiences overall and some of the things that he enjoyed the most. His inspiration for playing the trombone began in the 4^th grade. There was a parade of children that came to his class and showed off their instrumental talents. Elijah says that he was always a unique child and the trombone was the only instrument he saw that was unique because it was the only one without any buttons.

Elijah was quickly intrigued by School of the Arts because he knew that he would be able to explore his found love of the trombone. There were a few requirements that Elijah had to meet for his auditions. He had to be able to read music; he needed to know a certain amount of scales. Elijah was required to sight-read music and have apiece previously rehearsed. When I asked Elijah about the audition itself he said that it was a fairly simple process. He was one of only two trombone prospects so he wasn’t very concerned with getting in.

Besides being involved in all that the school has to offer as far as instrumental/band, Elijah has also busied himself with the Drama Department. He had been in over five of the schools major productions, both playing in the musical pit and taking the spotlight on stage. I asked Elijah which production was his favorite to be apart of and he said 39-Steps. He says that it was a smaller cast which was a completely new experience for him. He’s always participated in musicals, which have larger casts. He played five or six roles in 39-Steps and one of them was the lead. He describes backstage as hectic and chaotic. There were so many wardrobe changes and he even got to dress as woman once.

Later in the interview I asked Elijah what was his most memorable high school experience. Being such a huge part of the Drama Department, Elijah went with them to their trip to Scotland during the summer before junior year. The department was going to an American High School Theatre Festival. Elijah states that he spent all of his sophomore year raising money by selling candy and coupon books to go on this trip. It took three planes to get them overseas. He first landed in London and spent two days there. He then too a four-hour train ride to Edinburgh, Scotland. Elijah describes Scotland as rainy. “It wasn’t heavy rain, but it sprinkled for a majority of the two weeks we were there. On the last three days the weather got warmer. My first thought was the sky still looked the same.”

I concluded my interview with two questions; the first was did he believe that he gained life-long friends in high school. “Right now it’s hard to tell because all of my friends now have a great ideal of what they want to do and that involves them leaving. I’m not ready to leave Rochester just yet. It’s still home to me.” He did say that he hoped to always keep in contact with the people that he calls friends today, Ryder, Gus and George. The last question I asked on our interview was where did Elijah see himself in seven years. His reply was simply, out of college with a bachelor’s degree. He didn’t have any specific goals expect for a house. Then Elijah quoted something that he said inspired him. “Content is a word that embodies decay. I want to be more happy in life than content.”

interview: Erin

   I  hadn’t actually given it much thought before the assignment; Who are her friends? What is she like? What does she like to do? She isn’t anyone I couldn’t see myself having been friends with since the beginning of my high school sentence. She was very patient with me being inattentive for her part of the project and cooperated with me when I needed to find a way to get my part done. I tried to keep questions as simple as possible while still leaving room for a sufficient response, asking her how it felt to be only 6 months away from graduating high school. “It feels amazing. It’s cool to know that you’re leaving high school. Like ‘wow’ you’re really about to graduate...” This made me wonder what she was planning on doing when she out of high school. “I want to go to college” I wasn’t surprised. Most the people I know are going to college. “ I would love to own my own construction company.” Didn’t see that coming. Her demeanor doesn't make you think she’d want to be in the construction business. I asked her “Would you ever be the person building the buildings, the one behind the construction?” “”Yeah! That’s what I want to do! I want to take the architecture classes and woodshop or whatever it takes to be a handy... women.” I thought that was awesome. I hadn’t imagined that she would be interested in such things. I don’t mean to be so prejudiced but I wouldn’t have imagined she’d be into construction. She must have got it from her mom or a dad or something. A “the apple never falls far from the tree...” type things. “My father’s a nurse... We’re like a family of opposite.” That’s a difficult, unique, occupation for man. He must have talked to her about college and how difficult it would be. What she would have to go through. ‘I don’t know what it’s going to be like when I get to college but I think that’s the most fun that I’m having about it, all the questions that I have; What is my room gunna look like? what is the campus gunna be like? What are the people gunna be like? Most people are scared of something new but, me? I embrace it. I’m entertained by it for some odd reason.” Oh yeah? I ask “ Do you embrace the whole ‘December 21st thing?” “...No i think that’s a load of crap....” Well we’ll see...                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               &                                                                                                                

Period 8

interview: Gabby

Your impression of and individual isn't always an accurate judgement of who that person actually is . Gabby a creative writing major at School of the Arts is way more than what she appears, as a child Gabby found herself fascinated with books enjoyed listening to them and reading them on her own. Her love for stories grew over time and at an young age Gabby found herself writing more and more short stories and little diaries. Gabby's interest as a child inspired her to join and enroll at school of the arts. Now completing her final year of high school Gabby finds herself excited to move toward toward the next step in life. Syracuse University is Gabby's dream school and plans to attend the new house program which is great for developing writers. Ultimately Gabby plans on moving out of Rochester and relocating to either Los angles or New York to pursue her career as a journalist. Despite the fact Gabby is excited for collage she is also worried about her friendships which she has established through our her high school experiences. She has said that she tries not to think about this due to the fact it makes her sad. Gabby is an intelligent and focused individual who values school and feel that it is important. Honesty and loyalty are also characteristics that she expressed to be very important to her mainly because these are the qualities she tries to embody. Courage is also a role Gabby informed that she had a huge fear for mice, a fear so massive that it causes uncontrolled reactions of panic uncertain of why she is so afraid but showed no hesitation when stated "I absolutely hate mice ! " Which was said with such passion we both enjoyed our share of laughter. Over all Gabby is a writer at heart who's love for the craft dates back as far as toddler stages her positive values and focus makes her the person who she is today,

interview: Ty

I’ve known Ty Adams for some time now, specifically since we were in middle school. We were close friends at first then we slowly drifted away from each other.  This wasn’t bad; we just had different interest as time excelled. Ty and I still keep in contact and still hold conversations and laughs when we are in each other’s presence. We also share several classes together so we see each other quite often. When we sat down for the interview, there was a sense of friendliness and serenity. The both of us immediately showed that we have respect for each other by the way the conversation started off. Our body movements and the way we presented ourselves when listening to each other talk showed that we were comfortable around each other. And we were willing to share any information about ourselves that was asked.

      Ty was dressed the way that I sort of expected him to be dressed. He has a very unique sense of style that I rarely see other people dress. He was wearing a blue jean jacket with a printed sweater underneath with a pair of blue jean skinny leg jeans. He was very polished and dressed comfortable, the way that he was dressed really connected with the interview and the questions that was asked. Because the questions were about him and his life and his clothes expressed himself as well. We immediately shared our greetings and started the interview.

   I started off simply saying that of course he and I are soon going to be graduating high school. We both have dealt with some issues in our middle school years and through our high school years. Its normal for a typical teenager  to have some kind of drama in their life. I told Ty that everyone has a story to tell about their high school experience whether it was good or bad. But before he started middle and high school, he had to choose what school he wanted to attend. I asked him what influenced him or caught his interest in attending School of the Arts? Ty replied by saying “Part of the reason…..well one of the major reasons was because I live in the city and my mom didn’t want me to go to any other school, (We both laughed). I thought it was going to be like high school musical too hahahaha, (I started to laugh because I thought that as well).  But I really like the artistic part of this school, I like the fact that I had to audition to get into the school and we have honor and class.”

  I told Ty that this school is very difficult to get into; of course he knew that because he had to go through the auditioning process as well as everyone else that got into School of the Arts. If you attend this school you have to take your talent very serious. Ty is a Theatre Tech major, so I asked him why did he choose this to be his major?  He  said “ Yes , honestly …originally I wanted to be a creative writing major , but I was told for Theatre Tech majors that if you know how to build a bird house I can get accepted easily. I was also more prepared to be a Theatre Tech major than a Creative Writing major because I didn’t have any writing samples or anything like that. It was sort of like my last resort (we both started to laugh). I re-auditioned to be a Creative Writing major but I didn’t get in, I’m kind of happy I didn’t get in as a Creative Writing major though hahahahaa.”

   It has been a roller coaster ride for all of us seniors; we’ve experienced a lot throughout the years. There have been frowns, tears, smiles, DRAMA and not the major. We have lost friends and gained real friends. I asked Ty what was one of his most life changing experiences while attending SOTA? He said “10th grade was when I had a life changing ex- well not life changing but it changed a lot about me. It changed a lot of who I was friends with, I lost friends in a crazy way and I gained friends. I’m kind of glad that happened because it helped me realize the friends that I don’t need and the friends that I do need.” I told him that sometimes it’s okay to lose friends, because if they were never meant to be in your life then they won’t be in your life. You know who your real friends are when they stick by your side through the good times and the bad.

  Some people are really serious about their major here at School of the Arts, they take part in plays and concerts and other performances.  Since Ty is a Theatre Tech major, I know that he has had to tech for at least one or two of the performances. I asked him what was the most difficult experience he has had while being a Theatre Tech major.  He said “My most difficult experience would be ….ummmmm *he laughs* teching dance concert. I had to change the lights after every single performance and it was only two of us on each side changing the lights. We only had two seconds to change the lights so that was really hard. We were also in the dark so we had to change the lights in the dark *he laughs*. I messed up once before while changing the lights, and you have to be very fast and accurate.”

  In the last couple of months all of the seniors have been searching for colleges they wanted to go to. We have been submitting out college applications and eagerly waiting for acceptance letters to come. I asked Ty if he wanted to go to college, and of course he said yes. I then asked him what he planned on studying while in college, he said “I wanted to go to UB (I also am very interested in attending UB). I love nursing and helping people rest assured so that’s why I wanted to study nursing.”

   Since were about to graduate there is a chance that maybe we would never see each other  again , or even talk to each other again. I wanted to know what he has had planned for himself for the next ten years. He said, “I wanted to jump into Nursing immediately when I graduate college. I want to start working in the ER and doing stuff like that. Then I wanted to go back to Graduate School and get my masters to be a Nurse Practitioner. Then just like you said, I wanted to start my own little family * he laughs*.” Interviewing Ty was very entertaining and informational, I learned a lot about him and we also got to connect with each other.

interview: Jonathan

 On a regular Thursday afternoon, I gathered in my high school’s library to interview my fellow classmate, Jonathan Feliciano. Dressed in a casual blue button down t-shirt and blue denim jeans, I felt comfortable as I sat across from an individual that will soon be sharing the non-forgettable experience of graduation with me. Whether it was the fact that he welcomed my questions without judgment or because the color of his clothing is known to make the body produce chemicals that are calming, I was able to have an effective interview that was insightful as well as humorous.

Already completing two marking periods of our senior year, my first question focused upon Jonathan’s specific major at our unique high school, a school where academics becomes infused with the arts. Curious as to how much he believed attending a school where individuals must be creative and talented as well as studious has improved his passion for music, Jonathan replied with an answer that combined his past experience with his talent to his present state of skill. Confident, he replied with, “I definitely feel like it’s something that’s really helped me out as far as gaining skills and learning new things about music.” As he dived further into the question posed, Jonathan discussed his exposure to the internationally known Eastman School of Music. Originally being a program that he was incredibly excited to be a part of, Jonathan soon lost interest. “After 8th grade my passion to play the trumpet went down a little bit. At Eastman, I would do a lot of classical music and I wasn’t really into that, I wanted to get more into the jazz type of style.” Wishing to venture into a new kind of music, Jonathan stated that by attending SOTA he was able to do just that. “…being able to go to SOTA, that’s the type of opportunity they gave me here because I play in the Jazz band now and just this past month I was in the talent show and we did our little salsa group and we got second place.” Although he expressed his opinion about his placement in the show, having even gotten that far in the competition supports his statement that attending School of the Arts has “broadened [his] experiences.”

Sticking with his passion, I asked Jonathan if there were any obstacles he’s faced during his four years of being an instrumental major, as well as what advice he has to incoming students that wish to develop their talent like he has. Rather than giving a general statement, he focused upon a topic that is taught in his major known as Music Theory. Defining it as, “the history behind music,” Jonathan directly stated that the topic was a reason for why he stopped attending the Eastman School of Music. Having “never liked [it] from the get-go,” he stated reasons behind why the topic was a challenge he has faced in his major. With never finding things such as, “why you hold a note for this long and what you do if it has this mark,” interesting, he stated that he “didn’t feel comfortable sitting in front of the whole class” and overall “just honestly didn’t enjoy it.” When asked what his advice was to incoming students, he responded with, “my advice to incoming band majors is just to know your strengths because you don’t want to get yourself into something that you don’t enjoy. Do what you want to do and don’t just put yourself in a little box and say I can only do this. Expand your boundaries and do something out of the ordinary, and do what you want to do.” Though aimed at 7th and 8^th graders, this advice seems like something that everyone should follow no matter what their age.

Focusing more on the arts, I then asked Jonathan whether or not he agreed that studying a passion rather than just academics has served as an attendance motivator. Not only did he whole heartedly agree, but he also believed that “all schools should have programs where you can participate in music and other arts.” When asked why he said “because you get to see other peoples unique style and what they do and you’re not just coming to school just to learn about your core classes, you get to see what other people are good at.” Although most students agree that the arts need to stay in schools, his reasoning brought upon the connection of students being able to form a closer bond with one another due to their shared talents. Not only being an attendance motivator, the arts also creates a better learning environment in general.

With this last connection brought to surface, I then asked him his opinion on a college preparatory program offered at School of the Arts known as AVID. With his response including his belief that AVID has pushed him to take higher courses, as well as be motivated and get his work done, Jonathan also discussed that he especially liked how the program forms a family amongst students. “I definitely do think that it is a good program. It’s also like a family because you get to spend four years with people that you know for those four years so you build relationships with everybody in the class, so it’s definitely a good thing. You don’t really get to take classes every year with the same people otherwise so you get to build that friendship.” Like the arts, organizations, clubs and sports should also stay; these activities helping build the high school memories many of us will cherish when we grow older and part our separate ways.

Speaking of sports, I focused on a different passion of Jonathan’s with my next question. Focusing on the stress that I, as well as many of my classmates, have felt during our high school years, I asked him how he is able to juggle school work as well as extracurricular activities. After finding a chuckle in his answer of “Basketball is like my wife, I think I’m married to basketball,” he answered the question in a more serious manner by stating that “you just have to try to balance everything.” With academics being his main priority right now, Jonathan believes that no matter how tough it is, you have to be able to find a way to work hard and balance your time, saying that “if you don’t balance your time right, than that’s going to mess up the quality of your work and if the quality of your work is bad than you’re going to get a bad grade for that assignment.” Which totally makes sense, no matter how simple his logic is.

Concluding the interview, I asked my final question. Wanting to develop a stronger connection with him, I asked Jonathan a more personal question than my previous ones had been. Knowing his specific major, I expanded upon the field of music, asking him what one song that was significant to him was. Surprisingly enough, he did not take the question in a joking manner but rather allowed me to find out more about him by saying, “one song that really hits me is a song by J Cole…I can’t remember the song but it basically talks about how he grew up without his dad and how he just met his dad and he gets very emotional about it and he talks about how he grew up and his dad was never there. Like he was there, but he was never there, and that hits a soft spot with me because I didn’t grow up with a father so it touches me because I know how he feels. So when the song is on, it’s like me and him connect because everything he’s saying I can connect with. It just connects with me because he’s pretty much saying what I’m going through so I can relate to what he’s saying. So that’s one of the songs that really hits me.”

After allowing me to gain a personal perspective on a serious part of his life, I asked him if there was anything else he’d like to say. With a simple shake of his head and a grin, I knew that I would miss my joking but incredibly caring classmate once June 21^st rolled around.

Interview:Meghan Rebholz

Last week I interviewed the beautiful and very interesting Meghan Rebholz, she seemed very calm and ready so i began. I knew Meghan was a Dance major at my school so i asked her about it and when did she first get into it. she replied “ive been dancing since i was 4, all my sisters danced so i guess i got into it to. a teacher noticed me dancing one day and got me into clubs and then i auditioned and made it into SOTA” I had to ask her if if her high school life was in any way similar to how she envisioned it would be growing up. she said “yes actually, in a way it has. Things happen that you don't expect, you lose friends and changes occur” I wasn’t sure if it was positive or not but i proceeded to another question, i asked what her plans for college were she was an honor roll student and seemed college bound. her plans were to go to college to earn a degree in special elementary education and become a teacher for special kids in elementary school. her response kind of answered my next question but i asked anyways and she replied that she would not be pursuing much in dance as a career but rather as a hobby. I asked if her about the kinds of extracurricular activities she participated in because i recently heard she was in a Peter Pan play. She played Soccer and sometimes participates in plays and sometimes volunteers at clubs and at the YMCA. My final question was about her family life, it turns out her family history is a mystery because her grandfather was an adopted orphan and she might be irish. She has a “huge Irish family” four sisters and hundreds of cousins, she might of been over exaggerating a bit. she has a cool dad, he tries to fit in with her and her sisters by improper use of slang.

 

Interview: Christine

School of the Arts described as a school full of students who aim to excel in their artistic talents. From stage technician to stage performance, SOTA is school that focuses on the passion and development of both academic and artistic abilities. Although most students feel the same, others may not. Christine Perez is a senior drama major at School of the Arts. As her last year there, she doesn’t feel the enthusiasm of being a senior. She sees it as another boring year at SOTA and anticipates a closure. “The faster it’s over, the quicker I can do cool stuff with my life.” As years progressed, her motivation for academics and her love of acting soon began to fade. “I gave up on the whole acting stuff I go to school, go to work and go home. Pretty simple, really.” As she tries to grasp a vivid memory of her first middle school years, she recalls her first audition for the enrollment at SOTA. “I was auditioning for drama. My uncle over to the school and I joined my class. I recited my speech, gave em’ my portfolio and that was about it. My cousin used to go here, actually.” Fast forwarding to her time here now, she sees her major in a different aspect. “Just because you’re a drama major, they assumed you’d be acting. It’s not as fun as you think.” Her assumptions about SOTA were different than hoped. “I thought it was honestly gonna be like Highschool Musical.” She does see that going to SOTA does provide a benefit. “When you put the name of the school on a job application or something, it really raises your chances. Mainly because of the name really stands out the most.”

Interview: Shannon

Wednesday December fifth at 1:15 pm is the day I met Shannon Kalia; an incredible person I have never had conversation with throughout our six years at School of the Arts. It was a pleasure getting to know her, I found out things that I never would have thought happened to her and came across her mind. It sparked my interest to find out what influenced her to get involved with creative writing and why she wanted to major that at school of the arts. She began to explain to me that she didn’t really know about creative writing but how her teachers would tell her how she had really good writing and kind of got a taste of what the major was about when we had roll over classes in seventh and eighth grade. Shannon characterized that when entering the ninth grade is when she really started to get involved with her writing with Ms. Gamzon leading the way exposing Shannon to poetry and fictional novels. Poetry influenced her the most and is one of her favorite styles of writing. She favors slam poetry and has gone to cafes and coffee shop to perform some her work. Shannon appealed to be enthusiastic when talking about poetry and the different genres of poetry; I connected with her in the sense of caring so much about something you love to do. I wanted to really get in depth and think outside the box to really get Shannon to open up with experiences within and without her major and I felt like she trusted me and created a space of comfort with me. She certainly did trust me we got a little deeper into conversation and she opened up about her experiences with school how it became hard, expressing that ninth was fairly simple maintaining A’s and B’s But how tenth and 11^th became more difficult losing a little motivation in what she loved to do. Having difficulty stabilizing a balance between social status (friendship, relationships) and school was a challenge that Shannon faced. As bright as she is, she overcame her difficulty. We had laughs and chuckles about some of the questions I asked because they were intellectual questions. She shared with me that School of the Arts really brought out her interest and love for writing, she explained that if she was at another school she would not be into writing as much as she is now and that impacted her. I commend Shannon for going above and beyond and thinking about not only just getting her diploma but striving to get her arts diploma as well. Writing has been a negative and positive outlet for Shannon it has definitely been with her through some traumatic experience unfortunately she lost her brother and her father in the last past year, had some bumpy friendships which I can relate to as well I currently lost my best friend. Shannon thought that writing wasn’t helping her at first because she would write her feelings down on paper feel better but then dwell on it again later bringing back ill feelings. Then realizing that her writing really expressed her true feelings when she didn’t feel comfortable to talk to somebody about it. I feel joy in my that Shannon kept on writing, the way she talks about it so passionately  just makes me feel like that’s what she is meant to do. Next we go on to talk about her interest in colleges since that is the next step in life and she shares her plan on how she plans on going to college for human services because she understands that writing my not pay that well enough for her to pay the bills. That doesn’t mean she will give up completely on writing but she might do that as a minor. She said that some of her must haves for college are good comfortable campus and good programs in human services and clubs and activities. I even took the time to find out the little tedious details that Shannon would like on campus when she attends college to have her own bathroom and have no bunk beds because she is scare of heights. I also elaborated on my phobia of sharing a bathroom in college as well. To wrap up this interview I asked Shannon where she saw herself in the next six years and what career goal does she plan to set up for herself and how will she incorporate her love of writing in that. She hopes to be finishing up college getting her master’s degree in human services and sociology hoping to get an internship and also minor in creative writing  so as she striving forward in her career she can also still write and have both of her interest being accomplished. I really enjoyed being partnered up with Shannon, not only did I get to know her a little bit better but I also gained a new friend in the process. It was awesome that I could relate to her and some of her experiences but I also appreciated the fact Shannon let me in on a little piece of her personal life. I see great things coming from Shannon and I expect in the near future to by a book written by Shannon Kalia.

interview: Eysa

Wandering in our school library, Eysa and I were trying to decide where to sit. We ended up choosing comfy chairs in the library to begin the interview. He seemed a little timid, but also prepared to answer any question thrown at him. I began by asking him about his experiences as a child. When asked it was evident that there was a lot of information to be told. Eysa was born in Yemen and came over to America as a young three year old boy with his family. As he grew up, he was the only one that decided to stay in America out of his immediate family. The rest of his siblings were brought back to Yemen with his parents to learn the culture and ways in that country since they were still quite young. “It has made me more independent in life,” Eysa stated after being asked how it impacted his life. He is able to go back and forth from America to Yemen to see his family during breaks. He has a very large family back in Yemen. With many cousins, aunts and uncles who all live in the same area. He really likes how close they are all together while he is in Yemen.

            Since Eysa is a senior this year, a question about life after high school graduation was very appropriate. He sees himself going off to college, and truly wants to pursue a career in graphic design. Drawing and designing is very pleasurable to him, which relates to why he is a visual art major here at School of the Arts. Later on in his life, though, he envisions himself marrying a woman and also moving back to the Middle East.

            Throughout high school, students experience many things that create amazing memories. “Having my best friend break my ankle had to be my favorite memory.” I was extremely puzzled and surprised by this answer because it was quite an unusual one. After observing the confusion expressed on my face, Eysa began to explain his reasoning. He explained that even though he was the one that was injured, it was a fun night. This experience was exciting and different to him. He thought of it as a unique way to start out his senior year. A down side to this injury however was that he was unable to play his favorite sport, soccer. His first experience that caused him to want to play soccer as a little kid was with his family. Soccer is a very significant sport to the majority of people in his family. He described how himself and his cousins use to put together all of their money just to buy a soccer ball that they would use until it was old and beaten up. Eysa can’t imagine his life without soccer being part of it.

            Eysa’s life has been full of many unique events that make him the person he is today. After asking my final question this was evident to me.

interview: Samantha

       

Samantha isn’t a normal everyday teenage girl. She goes to school of the arts for instrumental, where she plays classical music she had no special training. At an early age her sister influenced her to come to school of the arts but since she didn’t like any of the other majors she chose instrumental a peaceful major. She has won chess events. She also helps her mother at work. Samantha says a peaceful song and humid august morning is best. She wants to go to college for pharmacy, the song she would want to hear when she gets her acceptance letter from the college of her dreams is mighty ducks song. She describes herself as a nice person on most days, shes good at being mean and gossiping, she loves sleeping, she loves her family and don’t want to have kids because she has a lot of nieces, nephews, and cousins. She didn’t move around a lot as a child and still is friend with the neighbors she grew up with, they go on trips and vactions. She has gone to tennesesee, Florida, France, ocean city and Disney world. She has has no political or social issues she feels passionately about. Close friends and family call her Sam. Her favorite books are by Nicholas Sparks and his movie, her favorites movie is remember the titans, her favorite sites is Google it provides every thing, and her favorite thing to wear is slippers.

     interview: Mikeya

 

When I sat down with Mikeya in the library on Thursday everyone seemed tired and bleak she was wearing all black (her favorite color). Shoes, pants, shirt (which was the character from one of her favorite tv shows) even her hat was grey. When I asked about her hat she said that she didn’t even like hats she just wore it because she liked cats, this is also why she wears cat ears to school; because she likes them. I asked her what she did for fun and her answer was pretty generic she reads (her favorite book is Full moon the Asian version), Sings ( R&B and pop) and castplays. When I asked her what cast playing was she explained to me that it was when you dress up as your favorite character from a book, tv show, or movie and act stuff out. When I asked Mikeya what was causing her the most stress senior year she said what most seniors say. Work for college, essays, payments, and senior exit interviews.  Mikeya plans on going to college to become an elementary art teacher.

Then I asked what her favorite high school memory was. She said “the audition” this had me very confused. She liked auditioning? I thought it was one of the worst parts about this school. But she said that she liked it because it was integrating and new and unlike anything she had ever done before. This did make a little sense to me. However I became very confused when I asked her what she was most excited for about college. She tells me she doesn’t like change.

Since we could ask whatever questions we wanted I decided to ask what she would be doing with her time if the world was actually going to end on December 21. She starts laughing and admits almost embarrassed that she has made a bucket list of everything she wants to do before she dies. On this list was things like bungee jumping, sky diving, riding every roller coaster and water parks on the earth, and going to Japan.  In talking with Mikeya you get the sense that she is very into the Asian culture reading anime books, but she admits she also likes their styles, and technology.

In the end I was afraid I didn’t have enough information so I asked her to tell me about herself and she tells me that he favorite shape is a heart, That she has 2 cats and 5 fish, she lives with her mom, and that she has only been out of Rochester once and that was to South Carolina. Even though this is the first class I have ever had with Mikeya I find her to be a genuinely good person with a positive outlook on life.

Interview: Mariah
As i sat down with Mariah i immediately felt a calm and welcoming vibe.  I knew who Mariah was, we hugged, talked about things here and there, you know small talk but i never got to get more deep into conversation with her. This interview gave me a chance to sit down get to know Mariah a little better and expand my conversation with her rather than just small talk. My first question to Mariah was "What experience do you feel has impacted you the most in the way you go about life? ". In her very soft voice she replied that growing up watching her father struggle really influenced her. She knew her dad was a high school drop out and because of this he couldn't find a decent enough job to provide for the household. Watching him grow up as he struggled paying bills and being the father he wanted to be, motivated Mariah to do well in school and to challenge herself to make her father proud. It kind of reminded me of myself but my mother played my father's
 role and i watched as she struggled to raise me and my three brothers, but she motivated me to become the person i am today. My second question to Mariah was " now that it's your last year of  high school do you feel relieved that you finally get to graduate and put high school behind you? By the look on her  face i could tell she was unsure about this question in particular. She said she was really excited about it and she's ready to experience the "college life".  But as in life its self all pros come with cons, so of course there's some cons she listed. Such as the whole transitioning from high school to college level work, also that it wouldn't be easy for her to leave her family behind because she was so close with them. On to the third question "what is one of the most important lesson's you have learned in the past 6 years and what is some advice that you would give to incoming highschoolers to avoid the same mistake you made?. It
 didn't take much time for her to answer this question at all. In fact the answer she gave me was exactly what i expected because we all go through it! PROCRASTINATION, it's a big no no in high school, well in school period! She goes on to say how frustrating it was to wait last minute to finally begin working on a big project or assignment. It added a lot of unneeded stress and diminished the quality of the work.  The earlier you get it done, the easier everything else becomes for you. I can totally relate to what she's saying as I've seem to catch on to the bad habit myself. It's very ironic because i also procrastinated while doing this project itself, it's like once you get it, it never goes away!! Fourth question for Mariah " Some people say that our senior class is like family, others say we're very separated and cliquey, what is your view on our senior class?". She paused for a minute and really thought about this one. She goes on to say
 that she feels that senior classes in the pass were more cliquey than ours particularly. " There's different groups of people but your going to get that anywhere you go, but in the end we always come together like one big family" she said. Now that it's senior year she feels that a lot of people have put aside their differences and tried to start new friendships and try out new things outside their comfort zone. I couldn't help but to agree with everything she had to say for this. My fifth and almost final question to Mariah was "What is something that you do to escape from life's added stress?" . She gave a very long response but basically to sum everything up her main concern was to eliminate herself from the situation at hand and to avoid the environment that had been causing her stress. Hanging out with friends was also a good way for her to keep her mind off things. My last and final question to Mariah was " If you could relive high school all
 over again what are some things you would do differently? why? ". This was a very tough question because we all have our regrets but some of us are afraid to admit them. She wishes she had taken more A.P. classes to prep for college and get some credits out of the way. As much as Mariah was deeply in love with her major creative writing she would have loved to be a theater tech major. She also wishes that she had formed more friendships with people in her class and to have stuck with soccer. She concludes her answer by saying " don't wait last minute to try out new things, try new things now! because before you know it high school is over and everything is just a memory, but you want it to be a good memory not a bad one". Being that i kind of waited last minute to try out new things i know from my own experience that what she said is very true. There's a lot of things i wish i had done differently and i wish i would have taken more advantage of
 the opportunities given to me. The interview was over, i gave Mariah a big sweet hug as the bell rang and we parted ways to our next class.

interview: Rosie

When I sat down with Rosie it was a sunny Wednesday afternoon. Before the interview started, Rosie sat on top of a desk counter with her legs dangling over while I sat at the closes seat I could find. Her persona was laid back showing no fear or excitement about the interview.  This made it a little difficult to jump in to the interview. I didn’t want to come off as one of those noise reporters that just want their questions answered. Even though I did want my questions answered like every other reporter; I took the more conversation approach to the interview. Many would call this the Barbara Streisand. This made it much easier to jump in to the interview.

As I was getting my questions, note paper and pen; she told me that she is a logical person and contradicts herself.  With that in mind I gave her time to respond back and get all her thoughts out before I started to ask the next question.  My first question I ask was regarding the frustrations and confusions she had at the school of the arts over the past years. She replied back saying that some of her frustrations where “public school”, “raft of last year students” and “school of the arts Declining in name”. Then she said “my biggest confusion of school was staying on top of things”.

 The next question I ask Rosie was about an influential person she could be and the reason she pick them. Rosie responded “I would be Micho Kaku… because he is an easily grasp scientist and understandable. He put his work in simple terms that kids can understand”. She also made it clear he is not a vague person and that’s another reason she like him.

After a little joke and laughter I started to ask her about why she chose School of the Arts. She replied “because I was an awful kid in elementary school and thought School of the Arts would set me in the right direction”. Then did her opinion change. She responded “yes, my expectations weren’t up to standards”. After that I ask do she enjoy her major at the school. She replied bluntly “I hate drawing for a grade”.  So I took it as a “NO”. I asked “how do she think music can influence art and culture?”

I then ask her is the art she create a reflection of her personality. She responded with a slight smile “I don’t take it seriously because I don’t take myself seriously”. She feels like her persona is free spirit and care free and believes her art should reflect the true her.

  My last and final question of the interview was a question about her class mates to close the interview.  I ask “do you believe your classmates changed over the years?” She responded “yes, there are two types of people. People that gain motivation and people that lose it, definitely notice the progression of that.”

interview: Linai

 

The other day, I stood outside of my Health class with a friend of mine. While we were there, a young girl walked by and said hi to my friend, smiling at me. I always wondered who she was - her warm, kind smile, and her tall, athletic build towering over me by a few inches, with a wonderful sense of fashion. She didn’t seem like most other students in our senior class by the way she carried herself, maturely and respectfully, confident but not cocky - she seemed genuinely sweet and smart. I finally got a chance to speak with her the other day and have her tell me a little bit about herself and some of her life experiences.

                She started off by telling me the basics. She grew up living with her father after the summer of 2006, following her parents’ separation when she was young. “I was very, very close to my dad, so it was hard, you know, with my parents not being together, a lot of court stuff going on...so I kind of struggled with that.” However, Linai talks about how she had an alright childhood, and got to spend it with both her mother and father, and how much of an impact how she was raised had on her. “It influenced me to be the person who I am because I’ve been put in situations that the average teenager hasn’t been put in. I feel like a twenty five year old in an eighteen year old body,” she told me with a smile. When I asked her what her major here at School of the Arts was, she grinned and immediately perked up, answering with, “I’m a drummer. I love, I love being a band major,” her face glowing in emphasis as she explained her past with it. Her mother paid for her lessons down at the House of Guitars primarily for playing the guitar, but she didn’t like it. In third grade, her teacher, Mr. Carpenter, influenced her to begin drumming, and she hasn’t stopped since. “...ever since then in the third grade, I've been a percussion girl. I've been in the drum line, choir, um, step team, band...I just kept with it ever since, and I plan on, in college, to pursue it still.”

                Just like the rest of the senior class of 2013, Linai is swapped with college applications and visits, and figuring out what she wants to do with the rest of her life. Her top school is SUNY Purchase, and she wants to go in and get a business degree, and study music for her graduate degree later on. She seems set on what she’s going to do and knows exactly what she wants for her future. “I can get my master's degree so I know the ins and outs of the business side of music, and then in my graduate years pursue the music side. When I'm completely done with school, if the music part doesn't work out, I can still fall back on my business plan.” When I ask Linai about her future aspirations, she brightens up excitedly and tells me about her music plans. “I really wanna become a music producer, I’m leading up to it, that's something I have to do, absolutely have to, that's my top goal. I’m going through everything now just to get there.” Talking to Linai made me realize how well rounded, talented and full of potential she really is. Her hard work and determination is evident and everything she does and she is sure to have a bright future.

interview: Taquan

I was pleased to finally be sitting in a quiet atmosphere, face to face with someone I’ve gone to school with for six years.  This was the first time Taquan and I have had an actual conversation that consisted of a wide range of information.  There was a sense of gravity that slowly transcended into a feeling of security and comfort.  I started off by asking a general question, or what he plans on doing once he graduates from high school.  Taquan plans to attend either University of Alfred or Buff State to study philosophy and pre-law.  He then plans on going to law school and pursue a career is that particular field. 

            Being a senior in high school is a stressful experience and can sometimes become a hindrance as we’re introduced to the college process.  As for myself, it’s been quite complicated, and I wondered how Taquan has been coping with the frustration.  He says that he hasn’t encountered any frustrating circumstances and has been living day by day, slowly moving towards graduation.  Not only is he engaged in his academic and arts classes, but he also is a part of the track team.  It’s interesting to see how someone can easily balance schoolwork, sports, and a social life, and still be in one piece.  In my head I believed that there must have been a significant event in Taquan’s life that has influenced the way he handles certain situations.  I never knew that his father passed away when he was younger, which has matured him in a positive way.  He feels that if his father were still alive, it would have a significant impact on his current lifestyle, especially because his father’s side of the family has grown up with a different mentality.  As our conversation grew more in depth, I wanted to lighten the mood so I brough up the “2012” theory.  I asked him that if the world were to end in a few short weeks, what are some things he would do before it happened.  He said, “I’d be highly impulsive.  I wouldn’t think things through and just be completely random.” 

            To finish off our last few minutes, I wanted to know Taquan on a more personal level as far as his artistic abilities.  I was well aware that he was a vocal major and was interested to see how music has influenced his life.  He says that he uses music, particularly rap, to help get through his aggression.  He doesn’t watch much TV and the majority of the books he reads are fictional.  He prefers listening to artists who aren’t commercialized and display an important message in each of their songs.  After all of these years of attending SOTA, each of us can relate to the idea that our artistic talents have had a great impact on everyday lives.  It’s interesting to hear from someone you might have never had a conversation with, yet they’ve been so close for so long. 

interview: Kaisean

Today I sat down with Kaisean, he is a student at School of the Arts, as a creative writing major he is able to express his mind freely though words or through speech. In this interview kaisean decides to share his personal life and opinions with me. I began the interview with a simple question are you an only child? He replied that he isn’t an only child but he lives by himself. I related to that so I asked him do you like being an only child. He said “I do, it’s lonely but hey I have a house to myself so I can’t complain.” So to lead of what he said I wondered what you would do when u get lonely cause from my experience of being an only child it gets boring. So when I asked him that he said that on his free time he’s a music producer, and has a huge love for music and would love to pursue music when he gets older. Also on his free time he spends on face book and watch video’s. So while interviewing him I wanted to get more in his personal life so I went on to the topic of relationships. So I asked him has he ever had a girlfriend. He said no. so I asked him how that makes you feel ,he said it sucks but relationships are complicated and there’s more important things to focus on then a relationship like school and work. Then in asked him what type of girls are you in to? He said he likes older woman because they are mature and now what they want in life also he like Puerto Ricans. Leading to the next question I asked him, do you think school is a good place to find a relationship? He believes that high school ruins relationships and people will scheme to ruin your relationship because people will try to get what you have.