[humansofoz]

October 29, 2019

“You either crank that Soulja Boy or it cranks you” - Soulja Boy

Cheyenne Padilla. 18. SUNY Oswego Sophomore. 

HoOz: What is your biggest strength?

Cheyenne: I’ve been learning over the past, actually, couple of days for some reason and I’ve been mentioning it to a lot of people that I am an adaptable person. I feel like that is a huge strength of mind. I find that if I’m in a different environment, it is not that hard for me to think “okay I’m going to enjoy this as much as i can”. I don’t really find myself complaining a lot. I’ve adapted here pretty easily and I found things that made me enjoy it here which is what usually happens when I’m in a different environment.

HoOz: What is your biggest weakness?

Cheyenne: Oh god...i guess one of the first things that comes to mind is I get really nervous, and this so funny because of the situation right now - being put on the spot. *laughing* Having anxiety, its not clinical but, i have talk to a doctor about it, since 8th grade, and really realizing that this is something I am going to have to deal with has made it really difficult for me to deal with certain things if I feel like i am not prepared enough. For example: presentations in high school were horrible. If it was something I didn’t care about then I could go up there make a fool out of myself and not have a problem with it but, if I know that I am being graded, i know that the teacher is looking at me, i know that everybody else is looking at me and I don’t feel like I know the content well enough or something then I will have these moments were i would start crying and i just have to walk out. But, I’ve gotten a lot better at it and I’m learning to deal with it.

HoOz: What is one thing you are most proud of about yourself?

Cheyenne: Honestly, I think accepting the person that I am, after a lot of times trying to figure out who i was, a lot of personal development and stuff like that. People say, oh you really don’t know who you are in high school, or college, it takes so long..and I still don’t know who i am! But, continuously year after year, I find these really large things about myself. Continuously year after year, I found these really large things about myself like, for example, when I got to my sophomore/junior year of high school. I was figuring out if I feel these feeling about a girl who goes to my school but, I tell myself “ok don’t want to like her” because I come from a christian faith. During my parents separation, my Mom wanted to find something to get close to and she found God and it was like a complete shift in the household. So, because I may like girls which is so different and I did not want that; I would really fight it and asking God “please, if you do not want me to be like this then don’t make me like this.” Then, realizing I have to tell my family about this one day - it took me to last year to tell my Mom and my Dad was a bit more lenient and understanding. But overall, just dealing with going to a therapist, discovering my sexuality, and myself image, all of this stuff then thinking I could be better by doing different things instead just accepting what I was actually accomplishing and praising myself for things I was getting through. Now I am here- I’m in college, I’m struggling but I am doing it! *laughing*

HoOz: Where do you see yourself in 5 to 10 years?

Cheyenne: Ah that’s a scary question! I want to do so much. Definitely not living with my mom still. I have some really close friends and we spoke about finding an apartment together after college. Keeping the people that i have now, i mean anything can happen but, I really enjoy the people I have in my life now and keeping them for the next 5 to 10 years with all of their love and support - I would enjoy that so much. Um, working somewhere I do not hate. I do not want to be sitting down a desk doing the same job, just typing, gaining back problems, developing carpal tunnel like I do not want none of that. So my plan is to join NYPD.

HoOz: What was your biggest struggle with forming into your identity? (”Coming Out Story”)

Cheyenne:  I should’ve known something when my first kiss was in the first grade and not being freaked out by it. I am bisexual and one of my best friends, now, was my first girl crush in high school. So when I was feeling something I was thinking “na na its okay, it nothing, she’s just pretty” um, but she ended up being the first person I came out to. I can’t really remember how we got up to that point but, I remember we were on the train and I just told her, “I like girls”, it was weird place to have the conversation but saying it out loud felt relieving. Then after that it was weird because I’ve only been with boys and I’ve really only like just a couple of girls but never been with a girl seriously before. So just being able to say that and then seeing where it goes from there. Eventually, I got into relationships with girls then I ended up telling my parents- Dad first then Mom. My dad’s acceptance made it so much better. For my Mom, like I said it was weird but she still loves me. 

HoOz: What is one piece of advice you would give to someone forming into themselves?

Cheyenne: I would say do not limit yourself. Don’t put boundaries on yourself. Cutting out “Oh, I don’t want to be like that” to if “I AM that, then fine, thats okay.” It is who you are. So don’t take it as a negative thing or put a wall up, bash that wall down and see what happens cause anything can come out of that. You can figure something out that blows your mind and can change your life. 

HoOZ: IF you can give advice to you future self what will it be?

Cheyenne: Make a checklist! I have learned making a checklist, helps with study habits, procrastination. If you procrastinate you will mess yourself up but everyone does it! It is like its something you can not keep yourself from doing even though you know its not good. You do it anyways. I always end up getting my Sh*t together, bless. So learning from messing up so many times, what always works for me is making a checklist. It is something I can see, physically check off, I have motivation for it, it is laid out for me; and I am someone who needs structure I can not just got out and do things because I like planning. Knowing that you have to do such things and thinking “okay if i can do this (what was crossed out) I can do the rest of it.” It is a sense of accomplishment and will be proud of myself that I really did that 

[humansofoz]

Shame is a wasted emotion~ Chris Colfer

Darius Barno. 19 SUNY Oswego Sophomore

HoOZ: What is your biggest strength?

Darius: I consider my biggest strength to be friendly...i'm very friendly and very open with people. I'm willing to talk to everybody, give anybody help if they need it and talk to anybody if they feel lonely.

HoOZ: What is your biggest weakness?

Darius: my biggest weakness is close to that, i'm too giving sometimes. I'm willing to give some of myself to help others even if i'm gonna loose so I sometimes loose out on things because I want to give it to other people instead of myself.

HoOz: Where do you see yourself in 5-10 years?

Darius: In 5 years I see myself starting a job somewhere, I know it’s probably not gonna be a permanent job but as an art therapist maybe sleep with a patient somewhere cute and help figure out things while figuring out my life, adjusting and stepping into adulthood and getting ready to step into the world as a person of color. In 10 years, starting my family with my partner, getting my life together, getting out of the ghetto and living somewhere very affordable.

HoOz: What was your biggest struggle while forming into your identity?

Darius: For me I felt like, it took first finding myself as a person and figuring out what I’m into, what things interest me and not just mirroring what I saw from other people followed by finding a sense of community. First there’s finding yourself within the black community, then finding yourself in the Queer community, and then finding a sense of community in a lower economic status.

HoOz: If you can tell your future self one thing what would it be?

Darius: Uhm not to get stressed out about following the timeline I set for myself, because I know sometimes I set a timeline in my head and when things don't work out I get really frustrated and tell myself well maybe because I didn't get the job I wanted or i'm not in a place I want to live or I don't have access to the things I want to do at the time that’s why it's never gonna come.

HoOz: What is your advice to someone who is afraid to be open about who they are?

Darius: Being open to who you are isn't so much that you’re scared, or that you’re fearless or you know 100% who you are, it's about overcoming that fear to find a new version of yourself and finding different aspects that bring out the best in you.

[humansofoz]

October 15, 2019

“When you become the image of you imagination, it’s the most powerful thing you could ever do” - Rupaul

Bryan Hernandez. 20. Senior at SUNY Oswego

HoOZ: What is your biggest strength?

Bryan: My biggest strength is my drive and determination. I have so many goals and I feel like fear prevents a lot of people from doing things, but that is what drives me. I can feel afraid to enter situations but my fear won’t stop me from entering the situation, it will drive me go and get my goals because I know the only way to do something is my achieving it and if I stop myself then it will never get done.

HoOZ: What is your biggest weakness?

Bryan: How much I doubt myself. I feel like am my toughest critic and there are things that I do, and I produce content, and the things I make, I will have it on my phone for weeks or months thinking “oh, it is not good enough” then when I do release it, the responses I get is the complete opposite - people love it. The things that I internalize in my head is really bad sometimes.

HoOZ: Where do you see yourself 5 - 10 years?

Bryan: I see myself definitely established like with a career. I do see myself in the entertainment industry. I feel like my purpose in life is to entertain no matter what the venue is; I just want to make other people feel better so as long as I am doing it on a big platform, I will be successful.

HoOZ: What is one thing you are most proud of about yourself?

Bryan: I would say the growth I’ve done to becoming who I am. The person I was freshman year is way different than who I am today. I’ve always been outgoing, but I am way more outgoing and more comfortable with being me fully; I’ve grown into myself.

HoOZ: What was your biggest struggle forming into your identity?

Bryan: I think it was a layer of things: 1. I didn’t see much representation of myself, so I wasn’t sure being gay was a thing. I did not see black or latino, nor combined, people that was gay growing up so me knowing I was struggling with something it was hard because there was nobody I could look up to per se. Then 2, people assuming my sexuality before I knew what I was. I didn’t know what I was, so people giving me a label made me want to rebel against it even more; like I did not want to be “such label” because people thought I was “such label” already. And then the negative connotations that comes with being queer is also not fun. So yea, all those things combined - I was really lost.

HoOZ: What is your definition of queer?

Bryan: Oouu this hard so I guess anyone apart of the LGBTQI community. Anyone non- conforming, anyone that goes against the normal standards of being heterosexual. That would be it for me.

HoOz: What is one piece of advice you will give to someone afraid to open about who they are?

Bryan: I would say that it is okay. I feel like a lot people are a little bit gay and I feel being gay, for me, I like to call it my super power. It is what sets me apart from everybody else and that gives me confidence to be who I am. Because I know when I walk into the room I command the energy, I command the presence. And if people around you or your family does not support you - being gay, you already have group of friends/family so there will always be somebody to be there for you no matter what.

HoOZ: If you can get advice to your future self what will it be?

Bryan: I would tell my future self to not doubt yourself so much because you know what you want to do, you envision and you achieve it so go for your goals and get it done. 

[humansofoz]

“Fighting for what’s right is always worth it. So dream, discover, do- and be truly YOU 🏳️‍🌈”

Omar Van Reenen. 23. SUNY Oswego Senior

HoOZ: What is your biggest strength?

Omar: That's probably one of the biggest questions because I find strength in a lot of things. Firstly I find strength in my passion and in my dreams. My passions and dreams are rooted in my community and my responsibility to do things for the people around me and to fight for what is right. My strength derives from my friends and family, especially those back home in Namibia who have always supported me and my dreams. They know how much I want to transpire to be who I want to be and what I want to do in life. They know how much it means to me and I hope to believe that my dreams and aspirations will transpire into good for everyone around me because if you are not living life by doing the most good for other people in all the ways you can then what is life really about? I feel like my strength comes from wanting to push people forward and in order to get there you gotta believe in yourself and you gotta believe in  yourself hard! Big dream, fight hard and win big!

HoOZ: What is your biggest weakness?

Omar: I think my biggest weakness is that it's hard for me to say no! Uhm it's hard for me to say no to the people around me and my community that I invested a lot in. I think I’m just a big peoples pleaser and I want to make sure everyone is happy and pursuing their destiny. If I’m someone that can aide to that,if I’m someone that can help in their pursuit of happiness then that fulfills me and that gives me pure joy! So it’s hard for me to say no but also, it’s important for me and people to know that you have to put yourself first. What matters most is if you're happy, have love in your life and are fulfilled. It also fucked a lot of my shit up, during my presidency it was very hard to say no because I wanted to push my campus forward. Don't get me wrong, I'm so grateful for all the opportunities I got but I let myself Go! I let myself go, I let a lot of my happiness go too but I found a lot of my happiness back in what I was doing. 

HoOz: Where do you see yourself in 5-10 years?

Omar: It’s all in God’s hands, it's all in the universe hands but I’d like to see myself in a position where I can continue to fight for people and the injustices around me. I grew up with a grandfather who was at the forefront of demolishing apartheid in the community. He built the first hotel for people of color in Namibia. It was South West Africa then, he built the shops and places for kids to get their school uniform. So growing up in a household with empowered women and my grandfather at the forefront of our liberation struggle, it really made me invest in the notion of not allowing injustice to thrive in any community im in and if I can break down patriarchy or if I can  chip away at injustices at any manner then I’m walking in my grandfather's footsteps, for me that's one of my biggest fulfillment’s. I’d like to see myself as hopefully the first gay president of Namibia and if I can be the first gay president in Africa, that’s big! I'd like to be the minister of gender equality and women's affairs in Namibia because I’m very passionate about women's rights and feminism because of the empowered women I have around. 

HoOz: What was your biggest struggle while forming into your identity?

Omar: my biggest struggle would be knowing I could jeopardize my dreams and my hopes and the possibility I have to be the martyr I want to be. Growing up I was very good at leadership and academics. So I was always put on a pedestal as that go to person! So I always wanted to be the head boy. I was selected junior mayor of the town. I told myself If people knew I was gay or that I liked guys or if wasn’t masculine enough or didn’t conform to gender norms that I would jeopardize all that I’ve gotten and jeopardize everything I wanted to be. There’s a notion in Africa where you can’t be gay and a president, can’t be gay and be the. mayor of the town, you can’t be gay and be a student either on campus. But coming to Oswego has shown me not only can you be who you are but people love you because you are yourself. It was hard to accept myself while pursuing what I wanted to do. I have to the two. I honestly thought i'd live a life with no love because I can't find someone I love if I wanted to be in politics, business of fighting for what's right and coming to oswego showed me that it's because of the community, it's because of the friends that I have that love and support me. Not only am I accepting myself but I love who I am, love where I come from and love how my friends have supported where I’m going. I owe so much to them, so much to this community and I owe a lot to myself too. Coming out and accepting myself that is honestly one of the scariest things in today's life because sexually is something you can hide and hiding that can take a toll on you! One more thing I am soo soo ready being out and a proud gay Namibia African to go back home and gather all the Namibia kids to love and accept themselves as I did. I'm so ready to break those barriers and push my people of Namibia forward!

HoOz: If you can tell your future self one thing what would it be?

Omar: Put yourself first, it's not selfish. Love yourself as much as you can and know it’s okay to not make people happy as long as you're pursuing your destiny and happiness. So it's okay to love yourself, say no, love your body. Just love! Love wins. 

HoOz: What is your advice to someone who is afraid to be open about who they are?

Omar: Life is soo short, you have to live it. You have one life make it legendary. We live in America, you have the profound opportunity to live in a country that you can partially be out and proud. There's many people across the world who don't even have that liberty. I know circumstances are different especially if you come from a conservative family. This is your life, your future and your pursuit of happiness and who you will find love at the end of the day. Two, there’s a quote that helped me alot when I found out I was gay. It’s by Maya Angelou “you may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated” in fact it’s necessary to encounter these defeats wether these defeats are blacklash for being gay or people backlash for being a person of color, a woman, Jewish, Muslim...Those may be defeated but it's necessary for knowing who you are, what you come out of and where you can still go. Wether LGBT+, black the list goes on. You have a purpose and you are gonna go somewhere, but you can only do that when you accept yourself and the people around you. I only experienced open arms and a lot of doors opening ever since coming out so join me.

[humansofoz]

October 2, 2019

“Those who do not move, do not notice their chains” - Rosa Luxemberg

Brandon Gonzalez. 18. SUNY Oswego Freshman.

HoOZ: What is your biggest strength?

Brandon: In contrary to my fear, it kind of contradicts sometime, but my biggest strength is the ability to maneuver in a situation. Not so much code switch, but being able to understand and assess a situation and how I should adapt to it. I feel like that is a strength because it gives me a sense to approach any situation, ask some questions: why they act and behave in that way, why they think the way they think. And I believe that is a strength, being able to deeply analyze a situation and get a sense of people but, like I said it kind of contradicts my flaw. So instead of truly being myself sometimes, I’ll just read people and see what I should do and how I should perform in a situation. If you think about, all human interactions are performances, everything you do is a performance. You’re only truly yourself with one individual sometimes, barely even that, and sometimes you are not yourself with yourself.

HoOZ: What is your biggest weakness?

Brandon: My biggest flaw would be fear. Existing as a queer person of color, I often times place my paranoia over my confidence instead of remaining unapologetically true to myself. I would sometimes isolate myself and worry, which is valid but I preach unapologetic, you know? The notion that you should “be you” but, it is like - how can I be me when other people don’t want me to be me. I feel like that would be my biggest obstacle.

HoOz: Where do you see yourself in 5-10 years?

Brandon: In 5-10 years, I see myself getting my PhD in education, and I also see myself being a political leader - maybe not just in America but anywhere really. I see my establishing myself as a leader that is not to be toyed with, as someone who is influential both - worldly and nationally. I see myself as someone that has the potential to have the tools and resources to provide those resources to people who have long been historically marginalized - people of color, queer identifying people, etc. Essentially, people who do not have access to those resources. My goal is to keep grassroots, grassroots. Start a group, and I would not call it a foundation, NGO, Non profit, etc but a group where people can talk to other groups of people and just have human interactions. Instead of searching for money by digging in politicians pockets for unbroken promises. My type of political activism is influenced by non-western thought and very extreme leftist practices in politics. Like theories such as the black panther party and the young lords. I take a lot of inspiration from my liberators of the past and their trials and tribulations as well as, a lot of socialistic and anarchist thoughts only because you can dig into liberation and form what that may or may not look like. I believe you have to be open to and read every other opinion, you can not just stick to one view. And my focus is influenced by all of my inter sectionalizes but my target demographic is for all. Simply, I see myself providing, loving, and being happy.

HoOz: What was your biggest struggle while forming into your identity?

Brandon: It took years to work on decolonizing my mind to finally realize who I really am instead of what society deems I should be. Growing up, I knew I was bisexual, I knew I was queer, I knew I did not just like girls, I liked everyone else really. And so, I had internalized a lot of homophobia and queer-phobia because I was thinking I shouldn’t be thinking this way at all; like you are only gay or straight, and if you were gay than that sucks. I also had this notion, that all gay people had AIDS, like once you came out as that, that was what you had and you were doomed to live a life of condemnation. Also, tying that into societies perception of race; growing up and seeing black and brown kids tortured and not being able to thrive in their skin, even in western societies, and looking at the world in Afghanistan and Iraq, then looking at the world seeing middle eastern kids suffer because of something that did not do. Also, looking at Trayvon Martin - we were around the same age and that could of  been any of my friends, or me, or anyone I knew in my neighborhood. So, the current events of death and violence and micro-aggression, that I didn't necessarily know but things I considered the truth because the news said it, which means there is no rebuttal therefore, it is a fact and in return I internalized all of  that. It took a lot of years to unlearn that and recognizing that this isn’t all that it is; everything you see isn’t all that you are really seeing.

HoOz: If you can tell your future self one thing what would it be?

Brandon: If I can tell my future self one thing, it will be to not be brought. Do not buy into anybody's ideas, feelings, or perceptions about you, anything really and just focus on your truth, your community. Focus on your BullS***t.

HoOz: What is your advice to someone who is afraid to be open about who they are?

Brandon: I personally know a lot of people who are down low, and it is important to speak to them and understand why they are in the“closet” - I had to understand why I was in the closet for a while. And it's due to violence in coming out. Having to be forced to come out of an imaginary closet, that whole action in itself is a violent act. We shouldn’t have to confronted about our identities we should just be us and exist without having to think “Oh, I am this way because I am (whatever you are on the spectrum). Nobody should have to “come out” and I think that is one of the first reasons why people want to stay in the closet. So for someone who is afraid to be themselves and that could be in any way shape or form: race, sexuality, anything...Know who you are - that is really all you need to do. I walk around this campus wearing crop tops , and I do not care a single bit. And if anybody hates me or feels that need to touch me, their behavior is a reflection of who they are, not me because I know who I am; and I’m pretty cool so if you hating on me that just shows something is wrong with you.

[humansofoz]

Andy Alberto Guity   18   SUNY OSWEGO Freshman

HoOz: What was your deciding factor in coming to SUNY Oswego?

Andy: At the end of April, couple days before decision day, I had my mind set on St. Bonaventure University because they had like a really good journalism program and one of my idols, his name is Adrian and he went there so I kind of want to follow his footsteps and go there but then I looked at the financial aid package and I was under the impression that I could afford it but realistically I couldn’t. So, we had to find a backup plan and I was speaking to one of my college counselors and he asked since I can’t that school, are there any other schools? So, I started talking about all the other schools that I got accepted into and Oswego was one of them. He asked if I got into Oswego through EOP & I was like yes. He then told me that Oswego is a good school and that their EOP was really good as well. So, we looked into the financial aid package and it was really affordable. And it was the best SUNY schools that I got accepted into. I also started asking around about what others think about Oswego and they pretty much said the same.

HoOz: What is the main difference between how you are now and how you was in high school?

Andy: All of high school, I kind of break down high school year into 2 stages. 9th grade and 10th grade, then 11th and 12th grade. 9th and 10th, I was very immature, I was wasting a lot of time, not being productive. I was getting a lot of bad grades in school. 10th grade was my worst year. So, the transition from 10th to 11th grade, I had told myself to do better and that I was going to do better. I Joined extracurricular activities. I ended up joining the basketball team...the basketball coach he is like a father figure to me, he’s very structured and molded me into the person I am today so basically highschool I had to find myself, I didn’t know what I wanted to do but in college I know what I want to do, Everything I’m doing is for after I graduate.

HoOz: What was your biggest struggle at sixteen?

Andy: my biggest struggle was finding myself, finding what to do with my time finding what I like, cause 10th grade was my worst year I was making a lot of bad decisions. There was many organizations in my neighborhood that I knew about but I would just go home. 11th grade I was doing something productive, I got back on the basketball team so it took a lot of my time, that kept my grades up because if you didn’t have an 80 average you couldn’t play on the team. Like 10th grade I didn’t even think I’d be going to college then 12th grade I found a program at Harlem Zone Center and I was apart of this community center called Salem and they helped with Homework…kinda like EOP with a stipend every week. Whenever I wasn’t playing, I was at Salem, they gave me a Macbook!

Q: What's one of your biggest strengths?

Andy: My biggest strength is that I’m proactive because whenever someone gives me a task I try to do it as soon as possible or to the best of my ability. I know I’m responsible because I realize that when I’m wrong, i’d say it.

HoOz: What's one of your biggest weakness?

Andy: My weakness is I loose focus, If something bores me I’m not gong to pay attention. Like my stats class... she’s really boring, so I kinda loose focus. I procrastinate, I don’t save things to the last minute but I do them not at the best time. Like I would wait …I would do my best work but I would do it 12 at night or 1 in the morning, then I don’t get enough sleep then my whole routine for the day is messed up! I got the work done but my whole schedule is messed up plus no one is telling me what to do either.

HoOz: where do you see yourself in 5 - 10years?

Andy: I ask a lot of people this question when I don’t know what to ask and people always say that’s a good question…so that’s a good question. So imma answer 10 years, in 10 years i’ll be 28 so I see myself already graduated from college obviously, I see myself hopefully having a job, like a sport journalism job...like a big sports company like ESPN! That’s my ultimate goal. In lifestyle, I wanna live in a nice little house in the city because I really do like the city with my partner…I don’t know if I’ll have a partner yet probably too early but we will see. Hopefully living comfortably, earning enough money to support my mom you know just pay her back for her sacrifices.

HoOz: If you could tell your future self one thing what would it be?

Andy: Im kinda going based off right now, uhm I’d tell myself to study more uhm because so far my college career I’ve done well in everything outside the classroom. Not saying my grades are bad they are pretty good but I have a bad feeling I might tiddle off studying and stop worrying about my school work which would just be a repeat of highschool where I wait til senior year to do what I have to do, so just stay focus on classes which is what I’m here for, like I’m focusing more on my core classes which are for my major and everything else like organizations to the side, so I’d tell my future self to focus on my classes.

[humansofoz]

September 17, 2019

“If you have an idea that you genuinely think is good, do not let some idiot talk you out of it.” - Stanley Martin Leiber

Abby Hare. 18. SUNY Oswego Freshman.

HoOz - What was your deciding factor in coming to SUNY Oswego?

Abby -  Financial Aid definitely helped but also the lake and how calming it is. I toured September of my senior year, and just to be sure it is the place that I would like, I came back again in June.

HoOz - What was your biggest struggle at 16?

Abby - It was the realization that I am almost becoming an adult. Most places that I would go try and work would say, we hire at 17, or 18. Then when I turned 17, it was, we hire at 18 and for me, I just wanted to start earning money and making a living! 

HoOz - What is the main difference between who you were in High School and the first year you thus far?

Abby - This probably is a little cliche but, It’ll be trying new things. In High School, I sort of stuck with what I knew which was music and theatre. And ever since entering college, I realize that I needed to try new things and step outside of my comfort zone a little bit more than I did while I was H.S. I stuck to the “norms of society”. I got my two best friends from being in the music department in high school. I was asked, on a dare, to join my lighting crew for my theatre department and I thought “that is not for me, I am a music kid through and through”. Then Freshman year passed and I thought, “well, I kind of like this” so, I stuck with it all four years and I honestly do not regret a thing. Then when it came time to decide what I wanted to do for the rest of my life, I realized that lighting design is something that makes me happy. So when looking back, if I hadn’t say okay to my friend daring me to join the crew, I will probably be a different person.

HoOZ - What is your biggest strength?

Abby - My determination to get things done. When somebody tells me to do something I make sure I get it done as soon as possible. I will also have to say - staying loyal to people; if something happened to one of my friends, I know some people will veer off from the friendship with them, but I will try and make sure we are still friends because I know they did not do anything wrong.

HoOz - What do you think is your biggest weakness?

Abby - I would say my biggest weakness is that sometimes I can not say “no”. My friends always say I am “too nice” and it's been sort of a running joke in my friend group. I think it is because I don’t like seeing other people hurt because I feel hurt myself. I’d also say, It’ll be admitting my emotions. I have a habit of keeping things to myself and not telling my family, but I’ve been trying to work on that. Especially while in college, I am working on talking about my emotions to my family and my friends. I’ve had a couple of my friends who suppressed too much and it breaks my heart to see what they are in right now because it’s not where I want to be. 

HoOz - Where do you see yourself in 5-10 years?

Abby - *Laughing* Wow, that is so far out. In 5 years, I will say probably looking for grad schools and then trying to find an apartment as I am looking for a job that will set me up for the rest of my life. *laughing* That is the only thing I can think of. 

HoOz - If you could tell your future self one thing, what would it be?

Abby - I will tell myself thank you for being you and I am glad everything worked out. I do know where I am in the future but, thank you!

[humansofoz]

“never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game.” - Babe Ruth

Mathews Frank. 18. SUNY Oswego freshman

HoOz: What was your biggest struggle at sixteen?

Mathews: I would say school, because I remember age 16... I was bullied, people look at me like you bullied? You're big as hell. I wasn’t physically bullied but mentally bullied. People would tell me shit that I just didn't want to hear anymore. When I was little my voice used to be pitch high, I just talk mad high, so they would assume that I was gay because of my voice. How do you asssume I’m gay because my voice is high? At age 16, there was this new kid. He was one of those cocky kids there for basketball. He heard me talk and jump right into starting rumors, I am this, I am that. He even called me out in class while I was participating and you know what… At that point I was tired of it. All the time, him saying it out loud for everyone to hear is when I reached my breaking point. I took a stand. I’m not gay so I was not going to be embarassed and allow him to walk all over me. That was the moment when people were saying ohh he can stand for himself and that's what I wanted them to know most!

HoOz: What was your deciding factor in coming to SUNY Oswego?

Mathews: I was undecided in what schools to attend, my counselor and I made a list of my top three schools, SUNY Oswego,SUNY Albany and SUNY Plattsburgh. Those were the three I really wanted to get into. I got accepted into Oswego EOP and Plattsburgh EOP but I didn't get accepted into Albany… I was a little hurt about not getting into Albany, because I had many friends that attended there and it was not far from the city like some of the others I applied too. Since Albany didn’t accept me, it was either Plattsburgh or Oswego. I started looking into Plattsburgh and their journalism program but it wasn't nothing compared to what they have here at Oswego. So I was like damn, Oswego sounds really good for my major. So I started thinking about the area more heavily and I wanted to visit. Due to being very busy with school work, my cousin and I did a virtual tour and she gave me a breakdown on Oswego since she's a junior here. I thought to myself, I wanna go to oswego because I was feeling the vibe, I knew everything about it, I knew people here and on top of that Plattsburgh is lowkey farther than Oswego so I decided that I’m just gonna go with Oswego. My teacher told me to try out EOP and if not I can back out and attend elsewhere. EOP was odee lit!

HoOz: How do you feel about coming to a Predominantly White School?

Mathews: It’s new for me, from 6th to 12th grade I have always been in a predominantly Domincan school. Everybody in there was like me, we had like two white kids at a time but it’s not scary to me because throughout life, you’re going to encounter different people no matter what. You just have to learn how to handle them and learn to approach them. It’s just life, so I knew it from the jump that any school I attended was going to be predominantly white. When I first saw them, I was taken aback by shock. It’s a lot of white people here but the first day I spoke to a bunch of them. They are not nothing different from me, they are the same as me. I’m human, you're human, let's get to know each other.

HoOz: What's one of your biggest strengths?

Mathews: I think my biggest strength is that I'm not afraid to go for something. If I see something I wanna do I'm gonna go for it. There may be things holding me back but I will overcome those things. For example, I’ve been looking at the Oswego wrestling team a lot lately because I like wrestling, but there's mad obstacles because they don’t take that team as a joke, but with promise’s help such as introducing me to the coach. I’m slowly getting there, no matter what I am not gonna stop until I get there.

HoOz: where do you see yourself in 5 - 10years?

Mathews: In 5 years I hope I'm further down the road with journalism, I signed up to be WTOP intern, I signed up for the anchor/reporting position. I'm already working on connections, hopefully doing that will help me work wise, I just want to pursue my career in journalism. I also want to support my mom and my dad, but mostly my mom because she deserves the world. We went through a lot to get to where I’m at in college, financially we struggled. We struggled a lot, she was a single mom working with three kids and she raised us right. We know left from right, my sisters are slowly helping out, but I want to be the final “I got you”. I’m 18 but she still treats me like I am 12. She gives me everything, she calls me all the time. I want to do that for her now, like you know... She got me, I got her.

HoOz : If you could tell your future self one thing what would it be?

Mathews: I’d tell myself to keep going, don't stop the road is just getting better for me. I know I've doubted myself a lot of times when things got hard and I’d say the road stops here. But then something pops up and it adds fuel to me so the road still continues. I'll tell myself things gonna get hard, things are gonna get challenging as hell, but you gotta go in, achieve that goal and eventually you're gonna be living life.

[humansofoz]

HUMANSOFOZ IS BACK!! We are kicking it off with #FreshmanTember this month, introducing you all to some of the new faces on camp! Stay tune this TUESDAY and EVERY Tuesday, to see all your peers that participate in sharing their story. ✨ This week, Mathew Frank a Journalism major who is loving campus thus far. Our If you see him around camp be sure to say flash a smile and say hey! Thank you King Mathew, it was a pleasure to interview you! Check out his story on Tumblr and a preview on IG! https://www.instagram.com/p/B2FxAV9gEt3/?igshid=1e9g6p2dxs2ba

[humansofoz]

May 14, 2019

“Don’t let the journey ruin the destination.” -Jacklyn Okunola

Jacklyn Okunola. 22. SUNY Oswego Senior

HoOz- What was your greatest struggle at age 16?

Jacklyn- I believe that my greatest struggle at age 16 was with confidence. Not more so confidence in the way I look or appearance wise, but more so confidence like me believing in myself that I could do things. Let’s say I would have a dream of being an actress. I would let the fear of failure keep me from trying to pursue that dream of being an actress. So that’s something that I struggled with at age 16.

HoOz- Do you think that’s something you still struggle with now?

Jacklyn- Yes. I feel like I do still struggle with that but I feel like I’m getting better. In order to combat those thoughts I put positive quotes on my mirror and try to read them every morning. I try to listen to positive podcasts or inspirational YouTube videos. Talking to my family helps as well.

HoOz- What is your relationship like with your siblings?

Jacklyn- I feel like I have a great relationship with both of my siblings. I have an older sister and an older brother and I’m the youngest. My older sister is ten years older than me, but she’s like my best friend. I call her and tell her if I feel insecure about something and she’ll act as a backbone and give me encouragement and tell me that I am qualified and that I can do it. So speaking to her makes me feel good. Not only do we speak about stuff like encouragement, but we also speak about possible dreams and goals that we have and how we plan to work towards them. We’re both very creative, so when we’re together we’re able to bounce ideas off of each other. With my brother, I love him a lot but he’s more shy. He’s not very expressive but the things that he does for me shows his love for me. But I love them both to death,

HoOz- What is your relationship with your parents like?

Jacklyn- I love my mom. She’s done a lot for me and it’s not until probably around the age of 16 or 17 that I realized how much my mom sacrificed to make a good life for me siblings and I. She was born in Nigeria and then she came here and she’s been working ever since she got here. She opened up her own business, and now she’s running her business as well as raising children. It’s very inspirational to see such a strong woman. My mom and my father separated, so they’re not even together since I was very young, so to see her do all this stuff on her own is very inspirational and it shows me that women’s strength is amazing. With my father, I love him even though he’s not with my mom anymore. I do wish my parents were still together because I feel like it would have made everything easier for us and we would have been a lot more prosperous as a family. I used to be a little mad at him because I feel like he didn’t really have a close enough relationship with my brother. He didn’t even teach my brother simple things like how to tie a tie or how to get a girl because basically he left when everybody was still young. I feel like I was upset at him more so on behalf of my brother since my brother didn’t have a father son relationship. I confronted him about that and talked to him about that so I’ve gotten over it. I still love him and I try to just understand what happened in the past instead of being angry about it.

HoOz- Tell us about the past four years at Oswego. What were some of your most memorable moments?

Jacklyn- I would say that my favorite year out of my four years here was freshman year. That’s when I lived in Oneida Hall and that’s where I met all of my friends that I still talk to now. I feel like I was more curious and exploring the world. I was just going around meeting people. I was just very curious and very adventurous at that time. Me and my friends would go take a trip to Hidden Fields behind Oneida in the middle of the night, take a trip to Bev’s, or take a trip to frat parties. I was more adventurous.

HoOz- Is there anything that you wish you did while at Oswego that you didn’t get to do?

Jacklyn- I was that I got to be an RA. As annoying as that may sound. Not because of the whole tuition stuff, but mainly because I saw it as a way to counsel and be there for others. I know that you have to be there if somebody has a problem. I always liked that because I feel like I’m always like that with my friends. I feel like I’m everybody’s guidance counselor. I’m a great listener and I can comfort somebody and help them get through hard times and I actually like doing that. I also feel like there were times when I was alone and nobody was comforting me, I’d use that as a way to comfort others.

HoOz- What advice would you give an incoming first year student?

Jacklyn- Don’t be focusing on these boys! Nah, I would say don’t be afraid to try new things. Freshman and sophomore year are the years to really dive into different clubs, meet different people, and experience things for the first time. I feel like it’s a great time to do all those things because you have nothing to lose. Also, just make sure that you always start off strong with your grades because it gets harder from here on out.

HoOz- What are your next steps after graduation?

Jacklyn- I plan to return to my mother’s house and work in the field of marketing and just save until I know the next steps that I want to do.

HoOz- What is your biggest flaw?

Jacklyn- Self-doubt, which kind of goes back to what I was saying about when I was 16. I don’t really know where this stems from to be honest. Other people can look at me and see what I do and say wow, you have so much potential and you can really be good at whatever you put your mind to. For whatever crazy reason I have a hard time seeing that in myself. I’m very hard on myself. If I don’t do something perfect the first time I’m like, oh my God Jackie, you should’ve known how to do this or you should’ve did this perfectly the first time.

HoOz- What’s your biggest strength?

Jacklyn- I feel like I’m very determined. If I know something needs to get done, despite all the difficulties, it’s gonna get done. I know how to pull all my strength together to do what I have to do and I’m always willing to learn more.

HoOz- Where do you see yourself in 5-10 years?

Jacklyn- I see myself as a boss woman, okay! I see myself maybe in the entry-level position of being an Oprah!

HoOz- If you could tell your future self one thing, what would it be?

Jacklyn- You go girl!  

[humansofoz]

May 7, 2019

“She turned her cant’s into cans and her dreams into plans”

Sarah Slater. 22. SUNY Oswego Senior.

HoOz- What was your greatest struggle at age 16?

Sarah- I think just the transition in high school. My high school was not a good one, so I didn’t feel prepared to go to college. I didn’t know anything about scholarships; I didn’t know anything about real life experiences. So just being prepared to be an adult. In my family I had to grow up at a really young age, so being at school wasn’t a priority because they weren’t teaching me anything that could help me. I would be like I’m doing my homework, I’ll do my classwork, and then I’m leaving at seventh period.

HoOz- What was the most valuable lesson you learned in high school?

Sarah- The most valuable lesson I learned in high school was that family is forever and friends aren’t forever. I made a lot of friends in high school. I thought that we were gonna ride the wave together and stuff. I was like “go home? Nah! I’m hanging out with my friends! I’m having a good time!” Life happens and things happen at home and stuff like that and then your friends sometimes just drop. You guys stop taking the same classes and they just drop. So just having my family’s support and having them help me find jobs and stuff like that while I was in high school was very important.

HoOz- Do you have any siblings?

Sarah- Girl, yes! I have two brothers and one sister.

HoOz- What is your relationship with your siblings like?

Sarah- I think my relationship with the two oldest is amazing. They’re fraternal twins, two year difference and we have a good relationship. For instance, if I fail a test, I’ll call them like oh my god I really failed! Because they’ve been through college already. Every time that I’m leaving a new form of life, like I’m leaving college and they’re entering their Master’s, or I’m entering my Master’s and they’re leaving their Master’s. So they have good skills to give me. Then we have the baby. He’s the youngest, he’s 14. Yeah he thinks he’s grown. He thinks he fly and shit. But whatever, it’s cool.

HoOz- What is your relationship with your parents like?

Sarah- Well I don’t have a father. Growing up he was not around. But I do have a good relationship with my grandmother. She adopted us at a young age and she raised us. I have an okay relationship with my mom. We don’t argue or anything like that but we just don’t talk everyday. That’s just like a “me” thing. I just don’t like to be on the phone all the time.

HoOz- What was one of your most memorable childhood experiences?

Sarah- When we were younger we didn’t have a lot. My grandmother adopted us and we lived in a one-bedroom apartment. She used to make these little honey drippers out of Kool-Aid with honey in it and she used to cook all these things cause she’s southern. All the kids would come to our house and they would eat our stuff and we would argue with them and stuff. One time my uncle bought all these water balloons. We had this big water balloon fight on the block and it was so cute. We were all just laughing. That’s before people were getting shot outside. It was just safe. That was my favorite memory.

HoOz- Tell us about your past four years at Oswego. What was some of your most memorable moments?

Sarah- When I first came to Oswego I was EOP and I remember getting off the bus and I was like oh no! Oh no, this is not what it looked like on TV; I’m not staying here! Then I went upstairs to my room and I was like, there’s no air conditioning? It was Seneca. I was like oh no, this is not what it looked like online. This is not what I thought it was gonna be. There’s no air conditioning. I’m a city girl; I can’t be playing out here with these bugs and this grass. That was my first experience with Oswego. As the time went by, I made friends and I made connections. I’ve gotten so much more independence from coming to college. Now that I’m in my senior year I feel like I’ve done a good amount of things. I’ve done my RA things, I’ve done my internship, and I’ve worked. So I feel like being up here gave me my own independence because being in the city, I would’ve just stayed with my same friends and I would’ve just been stuck in my little shell. So coming up here and meeting all these different people and being exposed to different diversities and cultures, it was a really good experience.

HoOz- Is there anything that you wish you did at Oswego that you didn’t get a chance to do?

Sarah- I wish I would have studied abroad. You know when you’re an RA you can’t study abroad; it’s one or the other. Some people say you can do the quarter class and go during your breaks but it’s like by the time you get to your break you just want to go home and be with your family or your friends or your significant other. So I wish that before I decided to settle in and be an RA I would have studied abroad or did a co-op and applied for RA during my junior year instead of my sophomore year. Those are experiences you can never get back, so I would have done that.

HoOz- What advice would you give an incoming first year student?

Sarah- I would tell them to get involved but for all the right reasons. Like don’t get involved just because it looks good on your resume. Get involved because you genuinely enjoy it and you’re willing to put the extra work in to make it something that’s a part of your brand. A lot of people come in their freshman year and they’re spazzing out, they’re partying, getting documented, doing all these crazy things their freshman year. Then sophomore, junior year, and senior year they can’t get certain opportunities because they were really lashing out their freshman year. So I think that when you first come in, think wisely about the things that you do and the company you keep.

HoOz- Out of the things you have been involved with on campus, what do you think has been the most valuable experience?

Sarah- I think the most valuable thing that I’ve done on campus was probably being an RA. Being an RA is not an easy job in my opinion. I think that it takes a lot of patience and dedication to be there, especially when your kids see you all the time and you have to report to other people. It’s a very time consuming, very dedicated job, but I feel like I learned a lot about myself through being an RA. I think I got a lot of mental strength from being an RA because it can be very stressful.

HoOz- What are your next steps after graduation?

Sarah- After graduation I’m gonna go back home. I want to get my certification to be an esthetician cause I’m a business and public relations major and I want to open up my own legacy or start a waxing company. I want to know about the chemicals that in products specifically for women of color. So I’m going to get a certification then I’m gonna go for my Master’s.

HoOz- What is your biggest flaw?

Sarah- My biggest flaw is that I’m very outspoken. On campus I don’t really talk to people that often because I don’t really have much to say, but I feel if there’s something I don’t agree with or the majority doesn’t agree with or it’s gonna inconvenience most but convenience few, I’m going to say something and however it comes out it comes out. The truth should be heard. If you’re wrong, you’re wrong. So I think that’s one of my biggest flaws.

HoOz- What’s your biggest strength?

Sarah- I think my biggest strength is that I’m a nurturer. I don’t like to see people fall through the cracks. If they’re down, I don’t want to see anybody hurt. I feel like I will go the extra mile to make sure someone’s okay even if I know it’s not gonna be reciprocated just so that people know that someone cares for them and that they matter.

HoOz- Where do you see yourself in 5-10 years?

Sarah- In 5-10 years I definitely think I might relocate. I kind of want to go to San Francisco or something like that. I always wanted to work for Sephora headquarters on the business side making sure the chemicals in the products are good and making sure there aren’t any issues. So I’ll probably be in San Francisco doing the Sephora thing or I might go into Law school to be a corporate lawyer.

HoOz- If you could tell your future self one thing what would it be?

Sarah- I think I would tell my future self that you gotta push yourself. Sometimes I think that I doubt myself a lot and I say that it’s not possible or it can’t happen, but anything is possible when you push yourself harder. I also think that I have to stick with eating healthy and being more aware of my self-care and not going the extra mile if it costs my mental or physical health.

[humansofoz]

April 30, 2019

“Live life smiling.” -Prince Royce

Kayla Brun. 21. SUNY Oswego Senior. 

HoOz- What was your greatest struggle at age 16?

Kayla- At 16 I had a lot of mental health issues, a lot of friendship issues, and a lot of issues at home. My dog passed away around that time and it was a lot to deal with at once. And you know I’m going through the high school phase. It was just a lot of stuff going on.

HoOz- What is one of your most memorable childhood experiences?

Kayla- Something that’s really memorable is when my grandpa would ask for eskimo kisses, he called it a “nos.” He would also just rub his nose just to signal “nos.” As I got older I would tell him leave me alone and he would say “melon tomorrow” because when you say leave me alone really fast it kind of sounds like melon. That was just always a childhood joke.

HoOz- Do you have any siblings?

Kayla- Yes. I have two full sisters, one half sister, and three half brothers.

HoOz- What is your relationship with your siblings like?

Kayla- My youngest half brother is my world. I love him more than almost anybody, not my grandmother, but I love him more than any of my other siblings. With my two full sisters it’s okay, we’re working on it cause there was a lot of stuff that happened in the past that we need to work on. With my older brother it’s regular. We talk, he’s like my twin because we look almost exactly alike except I’m the girl version and he’s the guy version. And then with my other two half siblings, they’re not allowed to communicate with the rest of us because most of us don’t speak to our father. My youngest half sister actually had us on snapchat on the low because she’s not allowed to have us on anything or talk to us because we don’t talk to him. So it’s like a complicated thing but it’s okay for the circumstances.

HoOz- What is your relationship with your parents like?

Kayla- The relationship with my dad is non-existent since around 2013 when I was 15 or 16 years old. With my mom it’s getting better since I went to college because she realized that her daughter said she was gonna leave and actually left. So she was kind of just like woah, she actually did what she said she was going to do.

HoOz- You mentioned that you are really close with your grandmother. Tell us a little bit about that relationship.

Kayla- With my grandma it has gotten better throughout the ages because I think she’s starting to understand that we’re growing up. Before, her mind used to be very closed and I think the world is changing and I know a lot of people in her generation stay with a closed mind but I think she’s just realizing that she can’t have that mindset. I actually told her two days ago that I’m questioning my religious beliefs. I’m thinking she’s gonna go off on me because she’s Catholic and she believes in God, but she told me that it’s okay as long as I believe in something. I was shocked! I think she would do anything for me and I would do anything for her. We actually have matching tattoos. It was my idea, I asked her last year and she surprisingly said yes. She is great.

HoOz- Is there any event in your life that really sticks out to you?

Kayla- My surgery. I had scoliosis so I got the surgery to correct it. That was a big time in my life because it kind of showed who’s there for me and who isn’t. It also showed how strong I am as a person because that’s the spine that I got corrected and that’s a major surgery. It just showed how strong I was. I think I healed pretty fast mentally because that’s a big thing. It’s not just a physical thing; I think it’s an emotional and mental thing. It just showed how strong I was.

HoOz- What are your most memorable moments from your past four years at Oswego?

Kayla- My freshman year was my best year academically and ever since then I’ve fallen slightly. But that’s because I started joining more things. At first, every semester I would say you’re gonna join something! I didn’t actually join anything until my junior year because I hit the mid college crisis of I have to join things because I haven’t done anything besides my academics. There were just a lot of experiences. There were the parties, some heartbreaks, some things more than a heartbreak, I grew as a person from that. Just a lot of learning experiences about myself, about what I want from relationships, not just romantically but in a friendship or family relationships. So college has been a lot.

HoOz- Is there anything that you wish you did while attending Oswego that you didn’t get to do?

Kayla- I wish I studied abroad. I was trying to my whole sophomore year and it didn’t work out because they didn’t have music theory in Australia, which is where I really wanted to go since EOP summer. Me being stubborn I was like If I don’t go there then I don’t want to go anywhere right now. So I regret at least not going anywhere. I wanted to go for a semester, not just a week. Everyone was telling me you can just go to this place or that place for a week and I was like, I want the semester to experience because I know the semester experience is not the same as the week experience. So I regret at least not getting that experience somewhere.

HoOz- What advice would you give to an incoming first year student?

Kayla- I’d say figure things out sooner than later because things start to get a little more difficult as you get into the upper divisions and get deeper into your major and it gets really hard to do things like study abroad or joining clubs.

HoOz- What are your next steps after graduation?

Kayla- Well, another regret I have is that I don’t think I explored enough while in college. So I’m gonna leave college not still not really knowing what I want to do but it’s okay. I’m not one of those people that have a passion or a career goal or a dream job figured out yet. I’m just gonna try to get a job doing something that I like, possibly music because that’s my major, and then see where I go from there. I’ll probably get a job and an internship in something else because I didn’t do enough exploring. So make sure that you explore in college!

HoOz- What is your biggest flaw?

Kayla- My biggest flaw is that I don’t dive into new things. Like Student Association, I didn’t dive into Student Association like I should’ve. I was kind of just there observing how people went about Student Association and I wish I would’ve done more as a senator because I think I could’ve. It’s not even that I’m shy; it’s just that I get a little socially anxious and I just want to sit back for a little. Sometimes it’s okay to sit back and watch but sometimes things require you to jump straight in. That’s just not me.

HoOz- What is your biggest strength?

Kayla- My biggest strength is being empathetic and understanding. I feel like there’s no reason why anybody should feel like they need to lie to me because I will see your point of view and I will see my point of view. I’m not saying that it will make whatever you did okay or whatever situation okay, but I will understand your reasoning and then we can work something out. I feel like I’m really good with communication too. I know how to talk things through without having to make it a big fuss or a big argument.

HoOz- Where do you see yourself in 5-10 years?

Kayla- I see myself checking things off my bucket list cause I have things I want to do and places I want to be and things I want to see. In 5-10 years I see myself already have gone to Australia and I’m on to the next trip. I just see myself traveling.

HoOz- If you could tell your future self one thing, what would it be?

Kayla- I would say girl you got this! You are strong, you are powerful, and you make it through everything that you have to make it through! Even if things are hard you still make it through.

[humansofoz]

April 23, 2019

“Everything happens for a reason.”

Marissa Ohl. 20. SUNY Oswego Senior

HoOz- What was your greatest struggle at age 16?

Marissa- I changed high schools my freshman year. I did my freshman year at West High and then my sophomore year me and my best friend switched over to East. Then in my junior year both schools combined. So I would say my greatest struggle was just making a solid group of friends just because there were so many people from both the schools combining. We had a graduating class of 500 kids. I think the biggest thing was just how overwhelmingly large my school was and then finding a balance between my extracurricular which was track, and school and the club that I was involved in. It was hard to balance everything.

HoOz- What was your childhood like?

Marissa- My childhood was interesting. When I was five, my dad went to Iraq for a year. So when I started kindergarten he missed all of that and then he missed a little bit of when I was in first grade. He left the day after my little brother was born. So my mom was raising my older sister, my newborn brother, and me the whole year that my dad was gone. My sister and me learned a lot about taking care of our little brother and taking care of ourselves. As a five and a seven year old we had to do a lot. Some nights we had to make dinner for ourselves while my mom was either sleeping or taking care of Robert. Then when my dad came home we had a lot of military events that we would go to on the weekends, which were in Wilkes-Barre, PA. So we had to drive back and forth for those things. They did a lot of events for military kids, which were good because that way we could meet other kids whose parents, were also in the military. But it was a really hectic time growing up.

HoOz- What is your relationship with your siblings like?

Marissa- I’m close with my little brother. Probably because when my sister graduated high school, she moved out and went to college and after that she’s been living with family members. So me and my brother have lived together our whole lives growing up. When I was in high school he was like 11 and I was 16. So he was like my baby brother but I was old enough to value that relationship. So we were definitely close and I knew that I was gonna be going to college soon, so throughout high school I spent a lot of time with my brother. My older sister, we were a lot closer when we were little obviously because our little brother was not able to communicate with us at a young age. We grew up together and we were doing a lot together, like I said, making dinner together and stuff like that. When we got to like middle school, that’s when we started not hanging out that much. I was in 6th grade and she was in 8th grade so there was like a divide because I wanted to hang out with her and her friends and she didn’t want us to hang out with them. So that’s when we started bickering and what not. In high school we just stopped hanging out. Now we talk like once a month maybe. So I’m definitely closer with my little brother.

HoOz- Tell us about your past three years at Oswego. What were your most memorable moments?

Marissa- My freshman year with my roommate. Those were definitely the most memorable because that’s when I was going through the whole adjusting to college. We didn’t really know what we were in for and we were still figuring all of that out. So learning how to live on a college campus without our parents or siblings, and just being around a bunch of other college students. One thing that I noticed the most my freshman year while being here was the absence of pets, babies, and old people in my life. We were surrounded by students our age so when I did go home and I was with my family or my grandparents or my dog, I valued that. So that was weird my freshman year because it’s like you were just always with students. My sophomore year is when I became an RA so that was quite the adjustment compared to my freshman year. A lot more responsibility and a lot more seriousness. I had to actually plan out what I need to do, when I need to do it by, and then all these other tasks in between. But now that I’m a junior/senior, it’s easier because I’ve already been in the job and I know what I have to do to get out of this place and graduate. Everything is a lot clearer now. But this time last year I didn’t know that I was graduating a year early. I knew that I had some credits, but I didn’t know it was gonna be like a whole year. So this whole year I’ve been trying to cram in my junior year and my senior year and I think I did it.

HoOz- Is there anything that you wish you did while attending Oswego that you didn’t get to do?

Marissa- I wish that I lived in Hart hall because I did make a lot of friends that were international students. That’s one thing that I regret not doing because I was only here for three years. Also because I was an RA. I would have liked to live there for at least a semester just to be closer to international students so that I could meet some more. I’ve only ever had a relationship with like four or five of them, so I wish that I had been able to emerge into the culture over there at Hart because there’s so much. I think that’s the only thing I really regret.

HoOz- What advice would you give an incoming first year student?

Marissa- Get involved. I know that sounds so cliché. Not just getting involved with clubs and orgs, but also don’t be afraid to go up to people and just introduce yourself and talk to them because you’ll find that it is a really small campus and the more you network and make friends, it makes it easier. It made it easier for me knowing so many people because if I ever needed something, I knew who to ask and where to go for it. For instance, my freshman year when I was interested in becoming an RA, I already had a really good relationship with my RA so she was the one who told me everything I needed to know and recommended me for the job. Eventually when I got the job she was still that main point of contact for me when I was like, hey I’m struggling with this within the job, what did you do? Then I joined Student Association. And just being an RA in general, you meet all the other RAs. Personal safety committee where I got to meet the dean of students and Title IX coordinator. Working in those leadership positions made me see what I wanted to do with my future. So I think that the more you get involved and the more people you meet, the more you learn about yourself and hen you’re going to figure out what you want to do. If I hadn’t been an RA I would have never gone into Higher Ed. No offense to radio but if I hadn’t done the radio organization, WNYO, I wouldn’t have learned that I really didn’t have a passion for radio. So, get involved!

HoOz- What are your next steps after graduation?

Marissa- On August 2nd of 2019 I’m moving into my apartment as a resident director at Pomeroy College of Nursing. And I’m going to Aruba this summer for my graduation present. I’m so excited. I’m going with my best friend, my freshman year roommate. We’re going with our moms so we’re doing a little hoorah. Me and her both graduated in three years so we wanna do a celebratory trip. I’ll be studying Higher Education for the next two years and hopefully getting my Masters by 2021 in Higher Education.

HoOZ- What is your biggest flaw?

Marissa- I’m too controlling. Do I wanna tell people this? I think my biggest flaw is that I’m very set on what I want and anything that gets in the way of that, at first I’m like I don’t want it to happen. Then I just kinda have to step back and let it happen and see how things play out. So I guess I have like a plan, you know. Two years Higher Ed, get a job, move somewhere, start a family, but I know that’s not how things are gonna go. So I guess my biggest flaw is that every time something comes in the way of that, I feel like it’s messing up the plan, but it’s not. That’s just how it’s supposed to be. Everything happens for a reason.

HoOz- What is your biggest strength?

Marissa- My ability to communicate. I’m a Communication major, so I think that a lot of problems between me and other people or that I see among my friends are just a lack of communication or a lack of understanding. I think that it has to do with a lot of different things, like if you’re communicating via text there’s a lot of miscommunication there. I make sure that I elaborate what I’m saying or if someone isn’t sure what I’m saying I make sure they try to understand. I also like to mediate conflict, like if I see an issue between my friends, my biggest strength would be mediating the conflict and kinda finding the point in time where the conflict started and how it escalated.

HoOz- If you could tell your future self one thing what would it be?

Marissa- Don’t be so eager to grow up. Right now I’m at the point where I just want to move on and go to the next step, so I think my future self is still gonna be the same and just like go go go and I’m gonna miss everything in between there. So, just chill out.

[humansofoz]

April 16, 2019

“It is easier to ask for permission than to ask for forgiveness.” 

Khalia Hepburn. 21. SUNY Oswego Senior.

HoOz- What was your greatest struggle at age 16?

Khalia- I guess my greatest struggle was trying to figure myself out. That was the year that I decided I kind of wasn’t happy with what I was doing. I got myself into a ridiculous amount of AP classes because I felt like that would make me smarter and I started hanging around people that were doing better than me hoping that they would inspire me. It was kind of transformative. I ended up ditching all my friends and everything I knew kind of just adapting a whole new persona. It helped me to be who I am today, so I guess that worked.

HoOz- Do you have any siblings?

Khalia- I do. I have two siblings.

HoOz- What is your relationship with your siblings like?

Khalia- Almost non-existent. They are very much older than me by ten and five years. By the time I was coming of age they were already out of the house and they kind of just moved and started their lives and I never really wanted to keep in contact with them.

HoOz- What is your most memorable childhood experience?

Khalia- My most memorable childhood experience is one day my mom left me and my best friend home alone and my dad was out of the country. We had a powder fight. We took baby powder and we were just throwing it at each other. We didn’t realize the damage we made until we stopped and saw that the entire living room and my bedroom was covered head to toe in baby powder. In order to clean it up we took buckets of water and the hose from outside and tried that way and destroyed the entire house. I got a major ass whooping. So that’s what that was. I destroyed my house and she was never invited over again.

HoOz- Tell us a little bit about the past four years about Oswego. What were your most memorable moments?

Khalia- My past four years at Oswego have been very emotional. I went to the grad fair today and I put on my cap and gown and I almost started crying. Just like having it on me and knowing that it’s finally over. It’s been an amazing experience obviously. College really makes or breaks a person. I guess my most memorable moment was freshman year. They always say that you meet your closest friends in college and fortunately for me I met my best friend my first day on campus freshman year. As I was walking back to campus after orientation, this girl came up to me, kinda dragged me on the D-bus and was like “let’s go to a party.” To this day we’re best friends. It’s been four years. She now lives in Belgium. I’ve met an amazing group of people here who have helped me grow into who I am.

HoOz- What would your advice be to someone that is starting college this fall?

Khalia- Definitely branch out. Like everything you think you know and everything you think you wanna do is probably not what you’re gonna end up with. Go to the involvement fair, go try out for sports that you don’t think you’re going to make or clubs you don’t think you’re interested in because odds are you’re going to find something you’re passionate about that you just didn’t know existed.

HoOz- Is there anything you wish you would have done while attending Oswego that you didn’t do?

Khalia- I wish I had joined the outdoors club or the ski club. I don’t know those are the two things that I really regret. I feel like I’ve done a lot on campus academically and socially, but I don’t know, those kids go on their mountain bikes and their ski resorts all the time and I’m like, I just missed out on that.

HoOz- What are your next steps after graduation?

Khalia- Hopefully law. I plan on going to law school, however I definitely want a break from school as a whole. I’ll probably try working for a year at a law firm in upstate New York or in D.C.

HoOz- What type of law are you interested in pursuing?

Khalia- I want to go into employment law just because for me the most important thing to people as much as I hate to admit it is money and their monetary value and how they make their money. For years I’ve seen corporations take advantage of that struggle that people have so I think it’s important for people to have someone on their side who can help them argue these corporations that are just bleeding the American people dry. That sounded like I was campaigning *laughs* my bad.

HoOz- Do you feel like you’ve left an impact on this campus?

Khalia- I don’t know if I’ve left a major impact on Oswego as a whole, but I definitely think that the impact that I’ve made on every person that I’ve met is just to be happy. Just love and be loved. I hate the mentality that we have to be guarded or cold in order to survive. Whenever I meet someone I try to just break down those barriers and get them to love a little bit more. That’s the impact I feel like I’ve left on all of my friends and every person I’ve met. Who cares if you have all these emotions, just express them. It’s okay.

HoOz- What is your biggest flaw?

Khalia- I want to say these ridiculous expectations. That’s what I’ve been noticing to be my downfall recently. I’m like 21 and I don’t understand why I don’t have a ridiculous amount of money and time to travel. I’m 21 and I don’t have a college degree and a job and a 401K or something, like I’m probably behind. But I realize that I honestly don’t even know what I’m comparing myself to. I guess I’m comparing myself to future me instead of the present or my peers. But I’ve been trying to teach myself to calm down.

HoOz- What is your biggest strength?

Khalia- I guess my biggest strength is my optimism. I always think that things are gonna work out so I spend a lot less time stressing and more time doing because of that. Even though I’m freaking out over the future, instead of letting that consume me I spend a lot of my time figuring out like okay, I don’t have a 401K how do I get that? So I guess that optimism works.

HoOz- Where do you see yourself in 5-10 years?

Khalia- Let’s do ten, five is too soon. So in ten years I’ll be 31. Hopefully I’ll be living in Germany working at my own law firm and hopefully making a difference that I don’t think I could in this country.

HoOz- Why did you choose Germany?

Khalia- They’re very proactive there surprisingly given their history. I’ve always just wanted to leave this country because I can’t see myself continuing to be an indentured servant for financial freedom. There’s just too much baggage in America to really progress. I was thinking either Germany or The Netherlands but Germany seems more realistic because I’m never learning Dutch.

HoOz- If you could tell your future self one thing what would it be?

Khalia- I would tell myself to just stop and enjoy what you have. I know me, for the rest of my life I’m going to be shooting for something different. I’m gonna be wanting something more and working hard towards some goal that I have in my head, but I rarely get the time to sit back and appreciate all that I’ve done so far. So if 31 year old me is doing what I hope she’s doing, I hope she’s taking the time to appreciate where she was ten years ago.

[humansofoz]

April 9, 2019

“Self-love is respecting my beautiful body. Yes it is beautiful. It was divinely designed especially for me. A sacred creation for self-knowledge which brings me limitless opportunities to experience myself in each moment.” -Michelle M. McGrath

Jade Laplante. 19. SUNY Oswego Sophomore. 

HoOz- What was your greatest struggle at age 16?

Jade- I mean high school is hard. I had a lot of people who bullied me when I was younger. So going through being bullied, a lot of body image issues growing up, trying to stay on top of my academics but not always doing as well as I wanted because I’m a perfectionist and sometimes don’t get perfect results, getting my permit, and basic 16 year old things to be excited about. Boys. They’re boys so they’re like stupid sometimes. Overall just trying to find out who I am as a person, which at 16 I don’t think I was able to do. At 16 I think I was very much in a place where I was kind of lost, didn’t really know where I was at with myself, didn’t really know who I was or where I wanted to be or do.

HoOz- You have grown since then and are now a very positive person. What was that journey like for you?

Jade- So when I was younger I hated my body because I was like I don’t look like other girls. I have a very athletic build and overall just kind of a bigger person. I was never like super overweight but I was never overweight and because of society’s image of what we needed in life, in my brain at that age I was like this is what I’m supposed to look like and I don’t look like that so I don’t fit standards so I’m not beautiful. I then got to college and realized that’s not the case. I’m beautiful for how I am and I wanted to focus on just bettering myself and loving myself because I can only change so much. Not focusing on loving myself and focusing on trying to change it all the time wasted my energy. Being able to look in the mirror and tell myself I’m beautiful is hard, but I put work into it. It’s not supposed to be easy. If it was easy everyone would be doing it and no one would have any problems. Just reminding myself that I’m worthy of love, that I’m worthy of all of the things I deserve in life, that I’m beautiful, and just that daily reminder. It gets hard sometimes because you know sometimes you’re having a rough day and you look at yourself and you’re like I don’t like what I’m seeing right now. But I kind of just have to reset my brain and remind myself that I am beautiful, I’m having a bad day but I’m beautiful inside and out and I need to take the time to recognize that.

HoOz- What was your most memorable childhood experience?

Jade- This is kind of a sad one but it kind of relates to this. When I was in middle school, that’s when bullying was the worst for me. I never knew how to stand up for myself until I started martial arts. That really taught me how to, you know, if someone messes with me they better watch out. I was in eighth grade and I was in gym class. So gym, the worst, especially in middle school. There was this group of girls that bullied me all the time. Kind of just all around school they would harass me, they would pick on me, they would take my homework and copy the answers and the teacher would watch it happen but do nothing because they were the popular kids. In eighth grade I was in gym class and I was bickering with one girl and I had enough. We got back to the locker room and we’re calling each other names, she calls me a bitch, I’m not having it, and I almost punched her in the face. The gym teacher walked in like seconds before. Those memory kinds of sticks in my brain because that’s when I finally stood up for myself and was like I’ve had enough, like literally stop picking on me. It’s wasting your time and wasting mine. Why are we using this energy to be negative? Like why can’t we put some positive energy into the world instead? Positivity is one of my top strengths; it’s something I’m all about. So especially when I was younger I didn’t understand why people were putting this negative energy in the world. Like who is this benefitting? Why is it necessary? That memory kind of just sticks in my brain as the first time I was finally able to stand up for myself and say I’m not gonna take this any longer.

HoOz- Do you have any siblings?

Jade- I have two. I have an older brother, his name is Felix. He will be 21 in May so he’s 20 right now. He goes to Nazareth College and he’s studying Music Education. And then I have a younger sister named Angelique but we call her Angel. She is 14 so she’s in eighth grade.

HoOz- What is your relationship like with your siblings?

Jade- My brother is one of my best friends. Absolutely love him to death. When we were kids, we were super close and when we got to like middle school and high school we bickered a lot which is expected from siblings that are a year apart and opposite gender. That’s usually how that goes in a lot of situations. Once we got to high school though and we kind of got past our angsty phase and found especially music to relate on, we grew really close. Then me leaving to go to college actually brought us closer. So now when I go him it’s like nothing has changed. We go out, we do things, and it makes me recognize how close my relationship with him is and how much I appreciate it. My younger sister, we had a really bad relationship until I left for college. Again, kind of just bickering all the time. She didn’t like that my mom would put me in charge because she’s very autonomous. She doesn’t like being told what to do, so me not being mom and telling her like hey you need to do your homework before mom gets home, she hated that. So we didn’t have the best relationship. Now that I’m in college, my sister actually is in partial treatment right now being treated for anxiety and depression and suicidal tendencies, which is hard because I’m not there to support her through it all. When I do go home the smile on her face and her getting excited to see me, she asks when I’m coming home. Making her day makes me happy. Our relationship is a lot better now and as much as I wish I could be home to support her through all of those things, I think me coming home in those times because I’m away makes those moments so much more special to her.

HoOz- You’re very involved on campus and have been since last year. What made you want to get involved so early in your college experience?

Jade- When I was in high school I wasn’t super involved. I did stuff in my music department and I played softball but I actually went and played softball in a different town because again, girls are mean and I was like instead of fighting them I’m gonna take myself out of the situation completely and go play with a better group of girls. So I didn’t do a lot in high school and then I got to college and I was like you know, I feel like this is a place where I can grow. This is an opportunity to develop myself as a person. It’s crazy to think about where I started when I was a first year and I walked to the first club softball practice. I was so nervous because I was the only freshman there and all these juniors and seniors and sophomores all know each other and they’re all friends, but they were so welcoming. That environment made me feel safe to be able to be myself, which is something I didn’t always have in high school. So just be me, just being Jade was so exciting for me. My orientation experience was really awesome. I had Colleen as a Laker Leader. Wonderful, like she inspired me to be a Laker Leader so that got me involved in that. Seeing other people in leadership roles around me inspired me to want to follow their footsteps. So from moving up into the eboard in club softball, to getting more leadership roles there and seeing the different side of softball that I never saw when I was younger, to getting involved in student government. I joined Senate because I was pissed about the equal pay and I was like I’m not gonna just sit here and let this happen. I can protest all I want but I want real change to happen, so I joined Senate to make that change happen. Finding my voice as a student and SUNY Oswego giving me opportunities to do that and not only give myself a voice but give the students a voice has been an amazing experience. Being able to support my residents through the struggles I went through my freshman year and helping first year students transition the way that I needed that support just warms my heart. It makes me happy. It makes me feel like I have a purpose on this campus and this campus gives me an opportunity to have that purpose.

HoOz- What is your biggest flaw?

Jade- My biggest flaw is I’m such a perfectionist and I refuse to accept help. Those two together- bad! There are so many times when I need to cut slack on myself and I’m pushing myself way too hard to be reaching standards that are unattainable. We all want a 4.0. Sometimes it doesn’t happen and I beat myself up about it because I’m setting this standard for myself which is not like unattainable but it’s like if I don’t get it, it’s the end of the world in my brain. That combined with the fact that I won’t ask for help a lot of the time, I don’t like asking for help. I feel like if I just combined being less of a perfectionist and accepting help I’d be able to achieve more of my goals, but because I like to be independent and I’m like I can do this myself I don’t need help, it affects my performance sometimes. So I’ve been trying to grow and accept the fact that I can’t really do this by myself and who can I rely on to support me has been a big step for me. But I’m still working on it as always.

HoOz- What is your biggest strength?

Jade- I think my biggest strength is my passion. Everything I do I’m very passionate about it. I don’t believe in meaningless work. I think if you’re gonna do something you’re gonna do it right and you’re gonna do it with proper energy. I care about the things I do. There’s a reason why I’m involved with what I’m involved in. I wouldn’t be involved in these things if I didn’t care about them. So I put forth all of my passion in these things because I want people to recognize that I truly care. I’m not just doing this for a paycheck, I’m not just doing this for a resume builder, and I genuinely care about the growth of others and the growth of this campus and my own personal growth. I think putting that passion into everything I do shows through my work as a whole.

HoOz- Where do you see yourself in 5-10 years?

Jade- In five I would have hopefully graduated grad school with my Master’s degree in Higher Education and Student Affairs and I will hopefully be working at an institution. Not sure where yet. Probably not New York though, I need a change of scenery. Working hopefully in Orientation or Diversity and Inclusion because those are the two things that I’m very passionate about. If I can find a way to combine both, I would. So hopefully Orientation with a focus on inclusion and diversity on our campus, retaining students from lots of different areas, bringing everyone together in an inclusive environment, and just making change on a college campus.

HoOz- If you could tell your future self one thing what would it be?

Jade- Be patient and trust the process. I know that I’m gonna go through some stuff throughout these next few years. I know it’s not gonna be easy. But just have faith that these things are happening for a reason. Trust the process.

[humansofoz]

April 2, 2019

“Dirty money come with lots of stains. Road to riches come with lots of lanes. Never had shit, got lots to gain.” -Gunplay

Cato III. 19. SUNY Oswego Sophomore.

HoOz- What was your greatest struggle at age 16?

Cato III- It probably was my dad. Definitely. Me and my dad never really got along. We never really could see eye to eye. My father wasn’t ready to be a father and he still isn’t. He doesn’t quite know how to be one. So definitely my greatest struggle when I was 16 was trying to cultivate and build a relationship with him. It was such a love-hate relationship. It was like one moment I was like I gotta accept this man for who he is and know how to deal with him but at the same time, I still expect you to do this and do that like the stereotypical father. So there would be days where I’d just be like man, fuck him. Then there would also be days where I was like man, I need him at the same time. So trying to find a common ground and a balance with my father was probably my most difficult struggle when I was 16.

HoOz- Has your relationship with your father changed at all since then?

Cato III- My maternal grandmother is the person I consider my father. I respect my dad for who he is. He’s okay, we have a speaking relationship. It’s definitely improved. We don’t necessarily argue that much. I’m a little bit better with conversation and I’m also a lot more understanding of who he is as a person and as a human. It has gotten a little bit better but it’s pretty much the same. I don’t feel comfortable talking to him about a lot of things. Like I said, my maternal grandmother, that’s the person I consider my father. She pretty much taught me the stuff that a father is supposed to teach a son. My grandmother was that person. So yeah, I have my actual father and then I have my father figure.

HoOz- Can you tell me a little bit about what it was like growing up in East Atlanta?

Cato III- Atlanta is a very beautiful and diverse place depending on where you go. I lived out in the suburbs but I was also ten toes down in Decatur and Decatur is also the hood. In Atlanta there’s a lot of southern hospitality and people are very nice and very kind but at the same time, you will get robbed! You always have to be cognizant of what you’re doing and almost everywhere you go in Atlanta is hood. There’s a hood everywhere. Like I said, the area I was in is synonymous with murders, gang banging, drugs of course, violence, so you can’t really trust people. You kinda gotta be heartless. You gotta be cold towards people. You gotta be real careful of who you deal with and who you hang out with cause all it takes is to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. A lot of my homies ended up getting murdered and going to prison and things of that nature, so when you see a lot of stuff like that it kind of makes you cold. Growing up there is a struggle but there’s beauty in it.

HoOz- Is there anything that you learned from growing up in Atlanta that you still carry with you now?

Cato III- Loyalty, honesty, trust, and passion. Those would be the four.

HoOz- Do you have any siblings?

Cato III- Yeah I have four sisters.

HoOz- What is your relationship like with your sisters?

Cato III- My oldest sister, we’re getting better. She’s kind of like a miserable person and kind of does her own thing. My sister is 29 years old, so she’s also much other than me and in a very different place. She has two kids. But I love my sister. We have a good relationship when it needs to be. The other three are my dads children and I don’t really care too much about them. The oldest one, her name is Cortilla, she’s cool. She cares, like she comes and sees me and stuff like that. We have conversations and she let me see my niece, she had a daughter named Je’Kiyah. The other two, Amari is a leech. She doesn’t really have any respect for my father or anything else. She’s very selfish and I don’t really like being around her. She always expects me to help her out when I never really ask her for help. And Essence, yeah I don’t give a fuck about her.

HoOz- What has been your proudest moment so far?

Cato III- It’s a tie. Graduating high school because that was something that a lot of people in my area that I was around did not get a chance to do. It was so great to see me my mom and my dad come together and get along for a day. They usually get along but they really got along that day. My grandmother and everybody was there. I graduated with a few friends that I still have to this day. Four years just working that hard and making it out of the stuff that I’ve been through, that was definitely a great day. And then becoming an RA. It’s already difficult becoming an RA because when I applied, like 169 people had sent in an application and out of the new RA’s there might have been 7 black men. If you want to count hispanic men or men of color you might get that number up to like 15, but it was out of like 160. So I was definitely proud to get this job.

HoOz- What was your most memorable childhood experience?

Cato III- I don’t know, I never really went anywhere. We were broke so I never been to like Disneyland or Universal. I was 16 years old and I went to the pro football hall of fame with my mother. I love football and my mom decided to take me to the pro football hall of fame for spring break. That was a very good trip. Definitely in the top ten days of my life. Seeing the history of the league and signed jerseys and all the superbowl rings. I think one of my favorite football players, Todd Gurley, he had broke some record and it had his cleats and his jersey in there.

HoOz- Based off of everything that you have been through and learned, if you were to have children, what values would you instill in them and what would you teach them?

Cato III- First thing I would want to do is be married to their mother. I come from a broken home and I feel like I missed out on a lot because my parents weren’t together. So I would definitely love to have an actual family. Not just a mom and a father, but us being together and living in the same household, loving each other and really flourishing. I would want to get them all of the stuff I never had. I don’t want them to have to worry about any of the stuff I had to worry about. I don’t want them to have to worry about coming home and food being on the table. I don’t want them to have to worry about coming home and the heat or lights being on. I don’t want them to worry about being fearful to come home and come outside because we live in a gang infested area. So I would like to provide them with a comfortable life and their safety would be one of my main priorities. As far as values, loyalty, passion, dedication, respect, pretty much the values that I have. I want them at a young age to find out what they’re willing to die for. I want them to know at a young age, like 10 11 or 12 years old, what are you willing to pay the ultimate price for. I feel like if they know that they’ll go hard at everything they do.

HoOz- What is your biggest flaw?

Cato III- Im ashy. Nah I’m playing! I am ashy for the record, very ashy. I’ve been doing better with lotion, I’m doing alright today. But my biggest flaw? I have a lot. I aint even gonna lie, I care too much about people. And I know that sounds like oh that’s not a flaw, but I give too much of a fuck about people. That is my problem. I end up getting hurt a lot by it and it kind of damages me as a person. So sometimes I care TOO much. And I think sometimes I care about everybody, which is cool, but the effort I give to people is another flaw. But as far as like flaws, I talk too much. I definitely talk too much, I’ll talk your motherfucking ear off. Even though I be knowing what the hell I be talking about for the most part! But I’ll talk your ear off. So I talk too much, I’m ashy, and I care too much.

HoOz- What is your biggest strength?

Cato III- Communication. I communicate very well with people. I connect with people. I bond with people. So my biggest strength would be my communication. Definitely. How I communicate with other people. I’m very inclusive. So I would say that’s probably my biggest strength. The ability to talk to people.

HoOz- Where do you see yourself in 5-10 years?

Cato III- I see myself working in my career field, either in the radio or in public relations for a company. Probably at that time I’ll be ready to be in a relationship and ready to settle down. Trying to own something, I’m planning on owning a house. And educating myself further on how to really build wealth. Probably try to look into buying properties or something like that. That’s what I see myself doing. Taking care of my family like I been doing.

HoOz- If you could tell your future self one thing, what would it be?

Cato III- Death before dishonor.

[humansofoz]

March 26, 2019

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” -Martin Luther King Jr.

Natasia Burgess. 20. SUNY Oswego Junior.

HoOz- What was your greatest struggle at age 16?

Natasia- I guess my self-identity. I had a lot of issues with my race and feeling like I didn’t belong or fit in because I’m biracial. I remember feeling like I wasn’t a Black girl, but I am. I know that now, but when I was 16- girls are mean in high school, they’re not nice. They’re so vicious and we fight with each other for everything. I had a lot of people that would tell me “you’re not Black” and that’s something I struggled with for a really long time just because I’m not dark enough or my hair isn’t kinky enough. I don’t know. But I’m a Black girl and it took me a really long time to be okay saying that and not feel like I’m wrong because I’m not fully Black.

HoOz- Was there anything that you had to do or experience to be able to come to terms with that?

Natasia- Yeah, I had to put myself in situations that were really uncomfortable. This is a development that’s still new to me, but I never went to BSU when I first came here because I was uncomfortable. I felt like I didn’t belong, I felt like I didn’t fit in. That was when I was a freshman. When I became a sophomore, my boyfriend was Vice President of BSU and it was lame that I wasn’t supporting him and I was like alright, now I have to go. I didn’t talk for like the first three months that I went. I would always tell him my opinions and how I felt after the program and he was like well why don’t you just say that during the program? I was like you know what, I will. I’ll try to. And I did. I started speaking, I started going to every single program, I helped out wherever I was needed, and then I applied to be DOP of Women’s Center. I really had to take myself out of my comfort zone. I remember the first time I spoke at BSU with my own thoughts and feelings and I felt like I was gonna have a panic attack! I was very nervous because it’s like a feeling of you’re not supposed to be there, let other people speak because you don’t have the right. But I have as much right as anybody else. But it was really a fear of mine. It was something that was really hard for me to get over.

HoOz- It is so interesting that you used to struggle with speaking out about things you’re passionate about because you are so articulate and confident when doing so now.

Natasia- The thing is I’ve never been afraid to speak up. I can speak in front of large groups of people and I’m okay being in the spotlight. I just never felt comfortable speaking about issues as a Black woman because I felt like I didn’t have the right. So many Black girls in my school would tell me I’m not Black. It was so frustrating. I’m Black and Puerto Rican. The Puerto Ricans would be like “well you don’t speak spanish so…” and I would be like well my mom didn’t teach me so...that’s not my fault. I never had braids until I came to college. I remember so of my friends told me I wouldn’t look cute. There was a constant feeling of parts of me being taken away. I was afraid to reclaim those just because I was still feeling the effects of what immaturity people pushed on me in High School. Thankfully I’m not that way anymore, but it took me a really long time to be comfortable with speaking about issues about Black Women. It really did.

HoOz- You’re DOP of Women’s Center. Can you speak a little bit about how you became involved with the organization?

Natasia- I originally heard about Women’s Center through Ryan Rodriguez, one of my closest friends. He’s not here anymore but he really encouraged me to go. We had a really heartfelt conversation and he was like “you should come to “Women’s Center!” This was like in August so it was perfect. So I went all last year. I applied to be a part of the committee but that just didn’t work out, then when I applied to be on the Eboard, I really wanted to be DOP and I ended up getting it. That was really cool. I wasn’t super confident about being DOP either but I knew that I had to do things that were uncomfortable for me to grow. I was willing to be uncomfortable because I want more out of Women’s Center than just to be DOP. I want to give more to Women’s Center than just a weekly program so I hope to accomplish that next year. In order for that to happen I had to be DOP, which involves speaking in front of people all the time.

HoOz- Why are women’s rights important to you?

Natasia- Because women’s rights are rights for everyone. Sometimes people don’t understand that we are in a patriarchal society so everything affects women. From saying “why don’t you go on the bus before me” or “I’m gonna interview this person over you regardless of whatever” that affects everyone. Because the reason that a man may get a job is simply because he’s a man and not because he’s qualified. A feminist issue is typically an issue for all like childcare, either genders or unisex whoever you are, all indulge in child care and they portray it as just being a women’s issue. No! Everybody goes to work, everybody has jobs and everybody has children. Or the people who do need someone to take care of them or to pay for that. There are same sex couples who are women and both working but don’t have the money to afford childcare or even if they don’t have children they can’t afford a comfortable lifestyle for themselves. They are living paycheck to paycheck because they don’t get money and how does that affect the landlord? How does that affect the credit card companies? How does that affect the insurance companies? Feminist issues are issues for everybody because it’s inequality and inequality is something that goes much deeper than people tend to see. It’s not just “I’m a woman and let me say my woman speech.” No, this affects how I live, how I eat, how I sleep, how I breathe, how people look at me. It’s more than just a social phenomena. It’s political and it’s economic and people tend to disregard those portions of it. It’s something that affects everybody.

HoOz- What do you think your biggest flaw is?

Natasia- I get overwhelmed and stressed really easily. I think I forget about myself and it shows because if I am really stressed, I can accomplish everything that I need to accomplish but I’ll tend to be very short with people or seem aggravated or on edge all the time or anxious and it’s because I forget to take time for myself because I’m so focused and busy. It has an affect on my mood a lot of the time and literally has an affect on my health. I’ve been sick and it’s because I don’t take time to take care of myself. So I think I need to learn how to take care of myself. I don’t do it right.

HoOz- What is your biggest strength?

Natasia- I take care of others. No matter what, if you need me, I’m there. I don’t have many friends, but the friends that I do have I’m 100% loyal to them. If I commit myself to an organization or a role or a leadership position on campus I commit myself to it 100% so you have my full devotion and dedication to whatever project I’m working on. My work ethic is amazing. I don’t give up. I am there 100% whenever, even if I have to put myself aside. I will be there no matter what.

HoOz- Where do you see yourself in 5-10 years?

Natasia- I see myself in Student Affairs. I really want to work in Student Affairs. I want to be able to continue to have platforms to talk to people, especially people of color. I also want to have opportunities to change policy and I think that starts in Student Affairs. My end goal is an HBCU but I don’t really know. That’s like all the way down the road.

HoOz- If you could tell your future self one thing, what would it be?

Natasia- Relax. Relax; it’s not a race. You gonna get the bag either way! I’m confident in you. I never let me down!