What Are You Proud of?
A collection of personal anecdotes about some of our proudest work and experiences
It’s been a long time since I last posted, hasn’t it? Well, one thing that isn’t going to be long, for once, is this intro, because BOY is there a lot to get through.
I decided that — in a crusade to break out of my creative slump (yes, indeed, even someone as powerful as myself occasionally succumbs to some of the debilitating weaknesses that mortals face) — it would be a fun idea to gather up some folks (using the fact that today is my birthday to shame anyone who refused) and have them write about something they’re proud of. This simple prompt, and my super clear and concise instruction), allotted for a wide array of writings like you would not believe. Some were about music and movies, while another about a story they had while lifeguarding, but all of them personal in their own right. So, sit back, relax, and enjoy some of these tales of pride.
I listed everyone’s piece in alphabetical order with the exception of my own, which is saved for last (because I am The Best). Many people also begged me to let them plug their social media profiles so I — being the ever so merciful ruler — obliged. Thanks again to everyone who chipped in for this little project of mine.
Jack Barteck
One thing that I’ve created that I’m proud of just came about in the last year. In January, just 4 months into my college career, (with the help of Javier and a bunch of other people) I was able to host my very own radio show for the first time on WMSC (my school’s radio station). Coming into college, I knew what I wanted to pursue and I had these huge goals, but I didn’t exactly know how I was going to get there.
As it turns out, putting yourself out there and having the willingness to step out of your comfort zone really does lead to great things. Within 5 days of my first day of college, I was on the air doing the pregame show for the opening football game, and I have only had more opportunities since then. My show (which you can listen to every Monday from 1–4pm on 90.3 WMSC Upper Montclair!) is something I’m very proud of because I get to see improvement in myself every single week, and there is nothing better than having your friends and family listen in!!
EDITOR’S NOTE: I, too, am a fan of the sports, and may call into the show at some point. If that isn’t a good enough reason to tune in, then I sincerely believe you are wack.
Check out Jack on Twitter and Instagram
Chris Beeck
For my film class, I did an adaptation of Touch of Evil, the 1958 film directed by the illustrious Orson Welles. This involved a summary and screenplay, both of which I think turned out awesome. Moreover, I found it incredibly satisfying to bring a story that was created so long ago and still make it relevant to present-day issues. I think stories that have the ability to be timeless are some of the most fascinating — and unbelievably dope — kinds of things this world has to offer.
(Almost as dope as this blog Javi made)
EDITOR’S NOTE: This blurb was absolutely not ghostwritten by me due to Chris neglecting to actually read the damn assignment prompt. Don’t worry, Chris, I’m sure this won’t have any adverse effect on your placement in our fantasy football league’s team rankings.
Check out Chris on Twitter
Heather Berzak
I’m proud of the opportunities I’ve created by sticking with the passion of journalism I’ve felt since I was a little girl. I’ve been able to experience numerous roles in a newspaper and at two news networks, so it’s incredibly hard for me to boil down to a specific thing I’ve done that stands out. But one thing that isn’t hard? Being proud of creating a name for myself in this world! And I can’t wait to see what other opportunities I can create.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Spellcheck, I swear on my copy of Spider-Man PS4, I am going to lose it if you keep trying to change “Berzak” to “Berzerk”.
Check out Heather on Twitter
Kate Braunstein
What I’m most proud of is that my school’s radio station was nominated for a Marconi award, which recognizes the best stations in the country, and it was done during the time I was Station Manager of WMSC. I really pushed hard and continue to push hard to see if we’ll finally win. I had many moments where I told myself that no one else wanted it and that I should just give up and not worry about the award at all. Once we were nominated, it wasn’t the only recognition we needed to know we had greatness in us, but it was an extra little something to show us that we could do it. I am super proud of our Student Management Team that I worked with, because without them we wouldn’t have gotten anything. If there’s one thing I learned, it’s that it truly takes everybody.
Check out Kate on Instagram
Thomas Byrne
The project that I am most proud of was the small wind turbine that I built for my Senior Engineering Capstone Design. I went to Union College with a strong interest in renewable energy and energy conservation, and this project enabled me to apply what I learned in my first three (3) years at school. I proposed my project during the Spring term of my Junior year and began working on a theoretical background with my adviser, an employee at General Electric (GE).
Since Union College runs on trimesters, I worked during the Fall term on designing the mechanical aspect of the wind turbine and developing the controls for the wind turbine blades using a Texas Instruments micro-controller and C++ program. Then, Winter term, I spent a significant amount of time getting the wind turbine assembled, configuring the controls, and testing. The capstone design forced me to become good at time management since it was an independent project, and it enabled me to grow in a field that I am interested in.
Mike Cavalier
I’m not proud of much that I’ve done in my life, but something over the last couple years that I am proud of has been the few articles that I’ve written for PopCandie. From ranting about the Sixers, to politics (Stay tuned for a possible more expanded 2020 edition? *eyes emoji* *eyes emoji* *eyes emoji*), to ranting about the Sixers, I like to think I’ve become a better writer and communicator through it. This may seem like pandering, but in all honesty, I take great pride in the content I’ve created and thoroughly enjoy writing for PopCandie. Granted, this may be because I can choose my own article topics and have an editor that pretty much lets me do whatever I want.
5 perfect articles on 2 perfect topics: you’re fucking welcome for this content. It really seems that I just use PopCandie as my personal therapy sessions, and, well, not wrong. Next time I need a session, I know Mr. Pop has a slot open for me.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Thanks, Cav. I’ll be sure to transfer the funds to you by tonight.
Check out Mike on Twitter
Nick Cherrey
During the 2017–2018 school year, I pretty much stopped working on my
music. I would work on new songs here and there a bit, but I didn’t
feel as excited as I used to when I was working on new music. I was
caught up in school and just didn’t have the motivation or time. That
all changed in the summer of 2018. Me and two close friends went to
Los Angeles for a summer just to see what it was like.
We ended up making a couple of songs, and when we got back home we decided to keep working on them. 1 song turned into 2, 2 into 3, and
eventually, we had 11 songs that we felt were good enough for an
album, which we ended up calling “turbulence”. We created a new alias as
the two of us, Sugar Coated, and released it at the beginning of the
following year. I’m proud of this album because I went out of my
comfort zone of making electronic music and branched into other genres
of music. I was finally able to feel excited about making
music again.
Check out Nick’s dynamic duo on Instagram
Sunah Choudry
Oh, there’s a lot more I could be proud of, but I’ve got to say my notebook of doodles is my all-time favorite. There’s just something about mindlessly doodling that brings me peace and lets me release all of my thoughts. I’m basically unpacking everything from the day onto a piece of paper and letting my hand take control. I’m proud of it because I found a healthy way, one of many, to deal with my anxiety and sure it’s not the cure that everyone has been searching for but it’s a step in the right direction. The power of art is unstoppable, no matter the style.
Check out Sunah on Twitter
Anthony DeGennnaro
This Spring I made my second short film called “In the Mouth of the Wolf.” It was basically my child ever since freshman year because I was tinkering with the script for most of my college career. I wanted to make it for the longest time, but I neither had the experience or funding to do so. After making my first short, though, I learned a lot. It was a really profound experience that taught me a lot about filmmaking, finding my own style, and presenting myself as the director that I strived to be.
It was after that production that I thought I wrote a great script, got a great cast, and made a film that I’m super proud of. Currently, I’m submitting it to festivals. But when I look back on the experience of making the film, it’s the pleasant memories of working with some truly incredible people on a film that I’ve been trying to get made for the better part of 4 years that made it all worth it.
Check out Anthony on Twitter and Instagram
Alex Eichler
One thing that I am unabashedly proud of is a composite photograph I made. For clarity, a composite contains multiple images stitched together to form a single photo. And this one came as a result of one of the coolest things I have ever done: visit a Walmart parking lot in Murphy, North Carolina to see the 2017 Solar Eclipse.
A surprising amount of work went into making this photo possible: saving up money to buy my own camera, making my very own filter to protect said camera, setting the camera up just right and constantly adjusting it throughout the duration of the eclipse, and ultimately editing the photos. All this while participating in my very first road trip sans-family. There’s nothing I would change about this composite, and I certainly can’t wait for the upcoming 2024 eclipse.
Happy Birthday, Javi!
Check out Alex on Instagram
Anthony Gabbianelli
Creating is very important. It could be the smallest thing, like a doodle while you’re trying your hardest to stay awake in the two-and-a-half-hour lecture, or the biggest thing, like a cure for some disease that’s plagued hundreds of thousands. For me, it’s probably something most would view as being small, but it’s had a huge impact. What I’ve created has shaped what I want to do for a living and shows what I have the potential to do, which is any article I’ve written for The Montclarion (my school’s newspaper). I am truly honored and proud that I had had the chance to write for them. Whether it was a game review or a profile on an athlete on campus, every second writing the article and interviewing people was something I’m very proud of.
I know Javier said to make it one paragraph, but I think it would be unfair if I didn’t mention the movie review podcast that my best friend, Anthony DeGennaro, and I created years ago that we just started working on again. Late into our senior year of high school we were watching a lot of movies and wanted to make a podcast about it, so we did. Two clicks on a movie podcast name generator later and we created The Cinema Dash. We stopped because of college and growing up, but now that we have more time to dedicate to it, we started reviewing again and we started with the latest Spider-Man movie. I’m proud to work with my closest friend on something we care a lot about and I can’t wait to do more with it.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Anthony used to crash my radio show, even when I told him specifically not to come on during a certain day. I guess it’s only natural that he deliberately disobeys my rulings yet again.
Check out Anthony on Twitter and Instagram
Babee Garcia
While it isn’t something specific, I think that something I’m proud of is a decision I made. I’ve been slowly investing in my personal camera equipment and practicing video production/editing on my own — sometimes free or for very little money. I’ve invested at least $1500 in a Canon 80D, lenses, a Sony ex-1, a mic, a LED light, etc. I find stories or events to cover from the internet/ social media. Or just talking to friends who need something for me to shoot. It helps me improve my skills and “real world” experience. Not everyone is able to invest time and money into their own equipment, so I’m proud that I’m getting extra practice in journalism outside of college and continue to use the lessons I’ve been taught from college.
Check out Babee on Instagram
Chanila German
The work that I am most proud of is my coverage of the 2019 World Pride Parade. On June 30th, the world geared up to celebrate the biggest celebration of pride with the 50th anniversary of Stonewall. As a journalist, it’s my job to record history, and I felt that I accomplished that through my camera. Along with my colleagues at ABC7NY, I was able to capture historic moments. My photos were used on all of Eyewitness News’ social media. For a young journalist, having my work published in New York’s number 1 news destination was a huge accomplishment for me.
Check out on Chanila on Twitter
Trevor Gioia
Back when I had attended Bergen community college, I wrote for their school newspaper. Over those two semesters, I got really good at writing movie reviews. Back in November 2015, two reviews I wrote — one on Blade Runner 2049 and the other on Thor: Ragnarok — were put into award nominations, to which I ended winning second place. It absolutely blew my mind that all the hard work I put into the review paid off in such a big way.
Check out Trevor on Twitter
Jack Harmonay
Pride is an interesting thing. Some have way too much, while some have none at all. It can come in small doses or overwhelming waves. I like to think that everyone has something that they’re proud of, as idealistic as that may sound. Something I’m not particularly proud of is the way I’ve spent my past two summers working as a lifeguard for a pool at an apartment complex. Sure, it’s relaxing and a decent source of income, but I always kind of felt that I could be doing more with my time off.
Anyways, one time last summer I was working open to close. As the hours slowly crept by, I found myself sitting in my chair, barely able to stay awake, when two parents walked in with their young daughter. She couldn’t have been older than five or six. After a few minutes of dipping her feet in the pool, she jumped right in the deep end. Since it’s a small pool, the “deep end” is only 5 ft down; shallow for an adult, but for a young child, it may as well be the Mariana Trench. For a little while, she seemed fine, moving her arms and legs trying to stay afloat, but after a minute or so, I noticed that her head was barely above water. As lifeguards, we are instructed to only try to save someone when it is absolutely necessary, so even then I held off for another half minute or so.
Then she went under. Down, down, down, almost to the bottom. I didn’t hesitate, I dove right in. It had been over a year since I had been certified, and I had forgotten pretty much every procedure, but I was doing what needed to be done, at least in my mind. I picked her right up and out of the pool. Her parents thanked me, I shook her Dad’s hand, and went right back to my post to dry off. I watched the little girl hug her mom and dad, and promptly went back to playing on my phone. As boring as this job is, I’ll always remember feeling like a badass in that moment, however fleeting the feeling was.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Damnit, I’m crying now.
Sharif Hasan
I am most proud of an analytical essay I wrote for my freshman writing class on the film “Ex Machina.” This movie has always been one of my favorites, and I loved that I had the opportunity to write about its complexities. Before taking this class, I didn’t have much confidence in my writing. When I discovered that I could analyze a movie that I loved by writing about it, I instantly fell in love with the idea. After completing the class, I gained a new perspective on writing and joined The Montclarion (my school’s newspaper) where I continue to write about movies and entertainment. This piece is something that I am immensely proud of, and it really set the ball rolling with my writing.
Akash Hundal
For my summer internship project, we had to create a hypothetical version of the company’s bank. I decided to rebrand the company with a more modern-looking logo kind of representing its own history. To sum it up, the bank was essentially founded by people who were annoyed from having to take long trips via stagecoach to access any kind of banking during the early 1900s. And yes, I know in reality there would be some infringement issues with Wells Fargo, but it actually makes sense for this company!
Nick Karr
In this day and age, controversy surrounds us. I’m proud of my ability to understand certain views and learn about others. I can attribute this trait to Joe Rogan. His podcast is a true art form. He welcomes both guest speakers and friends alike to come and talk about current events or beliefs and he maturely and rawly debates those beliefs without hostility. Being a big fan and watching his shows religiously, I’ve picked up on a few of his tactics to guide a tough conversation through without offending or attacking others. I’m proud that we all have the opportunity to expose ourselves to examples as such and little by little, this world will become a more forgiving and understanding place.
I started, when will you?
Cassidy Lunney
Empowered. Paramount. Inclusive. I can tell you from experience that these are just a few words in the English vernacular that might describe how watching “Half The Picture” felt. A documentary entirely about women in film, produced and orchestrated by women, “Half The Picture” is one of the most pleasurable and enriching experiences I’ve gotten to witness throughout my college career as a writer. Written for The Montclarion, my piece titled “Getting ‘Half The Picture’ Women In Film Fill In The Gaps” dives into a screening of the film followed by a Q & A with director Amy Adrion.
This piece means so much to me because I was able to watch students and professors come together and show their appreciation for women in film. Not only did everyone in that room seem to respect the craft, but they came out to support and learn about the lovely ladies behind the scenes. Doing my part in spreading the word about the works of Amy Adrion to my fellow peers at Montclair State who were unable to attend the screening felt like I was shining a light on the important issue of gender inequality that our generation comes face-to-face with every day in every industry, all while getting to see prime examples of those who have had their fair share of successes and failures.
You can follow Cassidy on Instagram for some jazzy aesthetics or on Twitter for some quality tweets and mediocre likes
EDITOR’S NOTE: Cassidy was very specific on how she wanted to plug her socials.
Fiorella Medina
Something I’ve created that I’m proud of is this video I made when I went to Peru. I didn’t really share it with anyone except my family from Peru who took the time out of their week to show me around. It’s a super mediocre video, but I was super proud of it because it was a part of my culture, family, and who I am as a person. Gang x3
And that’s the tea.
EDITOR’S NOTE: ❤
AJ Melillo
Something I’m extremely proud of is radio show that I do with my good friend Stephen. We host a political talk show at on 90.3 WMSC, Montclair State University’s radio station, which is the first of its kind at MSU. Our show is about how people on different sides of the political spectrum can still come together in good-hearted debate with still being friends.
Tyler Monahan
As an NBA Draft nerd I tend to put all of my time and effort into breaking down film of several different prospects. As a huge fan of the Philadelphia 76ers I try and focus on who would be available when Philly is on the clock, but still try and gain an overall knowledge of everyone. This years draft had very clear winners and losers, because of this some teams are set up for success in the near future while others may have set themselves back by whiffing on their picks.
Check out Tyler on Twitter
Thomas Neira
In the fifth grade, my class was assigned a “Wax Figure” project, where we were required to choose a historical figure and dress up like them, while also preparing a speech explaining their contributions to history. I picked theoretical physicist Albert Einstein. I did my research and wrote a long speech about his life and achievements from the perspective of Einstein himself. I put on a gray wig and called my mom to rehearse my speech in front of her, and once I was done I looked up at her. She had a look on her face that I had never seen from her before, but I could sense happiness and pride.
There were two things that I learned that day: that I wanted to tell stories for a living, and that my mother knew I would be good at it. And yes, I ended up getting an A on that project.
Check out Thomas on Twitter and Instagram
Robert O’Connor
If you’ve ever met me, you know that my first love has always been television. I watch a, frankly, irresponsible amount of TV across all genres. There’s something about getting invested in these characters and storylines over the course of years that I find immensely satisfying. While I’d be hard-pressed to name one singular show that is my “favorite”, I can easily say that “American Horror Story” has been a big part of my autumn for the past eight years.
That’s why I’m very proud of the recaps/reviews I published for the eighth season, “American Horror Story: Apocalypse.” Sure, that might not sound crazy grandiose, but I’m really proud of that series of pieces. I would watch each week’s episode, and as soon as it was over, I would begin writing my article and wouldn’t close my laptop until the piece was published. I was given free rein to inject humor into them, so I was able to give characters amusing nicknames and highlight some of the more ridiculous elements of the show. From Robot Kathy Bates and Coconut Head, to Young Dumbledore and Wannabe Stevie Nicks (not to be confused with the real Stevie Nicks, who also cameos), almost everyone had a pseudonym.
Why am I proud of this series of articles? It’s not like it’s Pulitzer-worthy journalism, after all. But as someone who’s always loved television with aspirations of being an entertainment journalist (fingers crossed guys!), it was through this series that I learned I’m actually good at this. I’m hoping to write a similar series starting this September when “American Horror Story 1984” premieres.
EDITOR’S NOTE: ROB DID YOU SEE ZOEY DEUTCH IN THE ZOMBIELAND 2 TRAILER I KNOW YOU DID WE’RE GOING OPENING NIGHT
Check out Rob on Twitter and Instagram
John Ostrowsky
So, my project that I found myself being proud of was this lil spoof of “The Office” that I completed last year. I was a tv production intern in Jersey at the time. The station I was working at hadn’t really done anything like it before, and they were letting me just do everything: write, direct, edit, and act in it. Needless to say, it was stressful as fuck, as I myself had never attempted anything close to it; the amount of sweat I released during the week of shooting could’ve drowned a small child.
It ended up being an amazing experience, and I got to show my friends and family the full three episodes we did, which was really cool. But what I came away with from that experience was an unbelievable sense of appreciation for people who actually do that stuff for a living. It also allowed me to realize that I actually want to do that type of stuff myself, which is also pretty cool.
Sam Panko
A little over a month ago, I decided to dive in and try out a new hobby that I had been eyeing up for a while. After much contemplation and research, I finally built my first Gundam plastic model kit, otherwise known as Gunpla. In a way, this is like legos — where you have a manual that instructs you how to put pieces together to build a finished product. The only difference, however, is you have to cut all of the plastic pieces from trays called runners (EDITOR’S NOTE: these are not to be confused with the “runners” from Logan’s Run. Yes, everyone, I am the worst. Anyways, please continue Sam) and sand, slice, decal, and assemble.
Anyways, I found the whole to be both relaxing and addicting. Sitting and building these models disconnects me from the screens, which I am constantly staring at thanks to my other hobbies of graphic design, video editing, video games, etc. Just like those things, Gunpla has become a new creative outlet for me. The more I learn about different kits and rewatch old Gundam series from my old Toonami-watching days (as well as new ones like Iron-Blooded Orphans; if you like anime, this is a must-watch), the more I get excited to expand my collection. Being able to craft a figure with your own two hands fills you with a tremendous sense of accomplishment when you look at it posed proudly on your shelf. I’m stoked to build more kits in the future and I’m sure the pride I take with each model from here on out will only grow more and more.
Check out Sam’s YouTube channel
Hiral Patel
The work I am proud of is my online portfolio that I made so I can share my content with others. I never knew exactly how to share my work and content that I created; I wanted to share it all over my social media. I noticed many young adults today who strive to become great journalists created their own portfolio on websites like WordPress, Wix, Weebly, Medium, etc. Following in those footsteps, I myself decided to get on Wix and create my portfolio.
Although my portfolio wasn’t perfect, it did contain a plethora of articles and videos I produced. I used different colors to give a personality to my website — slowly tweaking it into something I can show to professionals in the industry. I started putting the link of my website on the applications of internships that I applied to; the first call I heard was from CBS News. They were impressed with not only my resume but my portfolio, too. Within 3 days after going through the interview process, I heard back from CBS stating that I had gotten the internship.
My accomplishments in building up my portfolio and sharing it to people helped me tremendously, and the amount of work I’ve put in and all the experiences I’ve had has boosted my career tenfold.
Frankie Perez
I miss College Radio so much, probably much more than I thought I would. My baby, my college radio show on 90.3 WMSC, “Keeping It Stupidly Simple” was one of the best parts of my college experience. I had a show every week for three hours playing some rad music, talking about things I wanted to talk about with my friends, and just having fun. There is so much pride in having something to call your own, and “Keeping It Stupidly Simple” was that for me. My favorite moment on the show was honestly the finale, the week before graduation. My girlfriend Amber had gotten a few of my good friends to come into the studio without me knowing.
It was so beautiful. I cried, we laughed, and we sat and talked about life. It was such an unforgettable experience, and the year and a half run of “Keeping It Stupidly Simple” really made me feel like I had something to be proud of. The feeling you get in a college radio studio, there’s nothing like it. What’s more important is the memories you make in that studio. “Keeping It Stupidly Simple” will always be one of the adventures I had in college that I am most proud of.
—Thank you for letting me write this Javier, I’m sitting here in tears missing it. LOL
EDITOR’S NOTE: Damnit, I’m crying again.
Check out Frankie on Twitter and Instagram
Anthony Ramirez
I’ve been trying to make the homepage to my website for over half a year, and within the past month, I’ve made more progress than I had the rest of the year combined. It’s always hard creating something for yourself, so when I finished, I thought, “Damn. Finally.” As a web developer and designer, I feel such a weight lifted off my shoulders. I think I created something to perfectly express my simplicity and flair. I’m more proud of the process of making this than the finished product, though. July was a turning point for me — as I started to feel more creative and motivated, I started to improve my physical and mental health. There was a correlation between my motivation to finish that homepage and getting my shit together post-graduation. For that, I am damn proud of myself.
But also, that homepage is dope.
Donovan Russo
I think my debut short “The Crayon” is what I am most proud of at the moment. Filmmaking is a great passion of mine and it is a daunting task to endure, but my brother Sebastian and I co-created this little short of ours, which we could not be more proud of. This is a film about loss, temptation and ultimately being stuck in time. In the midst of our prior responsibilities and life itself, we’d film and edit whenever we could.
One of the best days of shooting was on Mother’s Day, when I had to run shirtless through the rain. It was cold, windy and required a few different takes, but it was a thrill to shoot! Now, of course, our movie isn’t perfect and we are looking to make our next film — “Dysmorphia” — an easier experience to digest, but at the end of the day, we made a movie that most people find confusing as hell. Because of that, we know we succeeded in creating a narrative that was experimental and open to interpretation.
Check out Donovan on Twitter
Amanda Seiss
The thing that I’m proud of the most is not anything that is a specific project. What I’m proud of is all of the work I’ve done during my college career that helped me get to where I am today. To be able to say that “this is what I’ve done while just in college” means a lot to me. I’m excited to see where my career is going to take me and it’s all a process. Wherever I am in the end, I’m still going to be proud of all of my work leading up to that moment.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Amanda was actually thinking of writing about the one time she did a podcast with me, Javier Reyes, because what could you possibly be more proud of than that? This is absolutely 100% true.
Tim Sokol
Let’s talk about the Dough Boys. (Shout-outs to my homies Pat, Ethan, and Rishi as the co-founders)
What the fuck are the Dough Boys? Check out the Wikipedia page for North New Jersey AAU Winter League basketball (this may or may not exist) and you’ll discover they played two seasons of basketball and were a very good team, indeed. In their second and final season before liquidation, the Dough Boys put together an undefeated run (though they did lose one non-league game) and brought a championship home to the Morristown area. The Dough Boys may have played in a league of dubious quality, but we also weren’t a complete joke. Aside from actually being a decent team, we put together the entire organization by ourselves as just a couple of stupid high- schoolers. That meant finding a league, a place to practice (we called several churches that had gyms), and uniforms we designed ourselves. I still have my Dough Boys jersey (and championship t-shirt) somewhere, and maybe the team will make a return one day.
When I look back at it, the Dough Boys were ridiculous, especially during the second year when the other good teams fell off the map and better competition could be found at, like, any park in New Jersey. But it was also something that lasted for two entire years and it all started from being bored as shit in class and randomly having an idea. We just went out there and DID THE DAMN THING — and that’s why I remember the team so fondly.
Alex Vides
This past year I was fortunate to graduate from the commonwealth honors college at UMass Amherst. This means a lot to me because when I first applied to UMass, I was rejected. After two years at a different school, I was able to boost my academic profile and apply to Umass. I not only got in but I was also admitted into the honors college. During my senior year I was almost completely sure that I was going to drop out of the honors college because I thought that it wasn’t needed. After a lot of thought, I decided to try to complete it. This meant writing a thesis in one semester. It was definitely tough, and I questioned why I was doing this to myself at times.
At the end of the semester when I finished my thesis and walked the stage during the honors college ceremony, I knew that it was all worth it.
Check out Alex on LinkedIn
EDITOR’S NOTE: Yes, Vides is THAT guy.
Nate Williams
I made a song over Winter Vacation for a good friend’s birthday. I called it “Hibiscus Leaves” for a number of reasons, but one of the most prominent was that I found my friend and my experiences with them beautiful. I talk about how the idea for this project came to be in the song — that it had been in my head for the better part of a year from the first time we hung out together. I could never find the time to truly focus on writing it during the Fall 2018 semester, but once I got started over break, the song didn’t just develop, it evolved.
What was supposed to be a song about how great they were and referenced some of our times together became an ode to the importance of strong bonds and a call for a more unified, focused world. This wasn’t my producer’s first rodeo, so his guidance throughout the process is one of the things that kept me going, especially when I would hit a wall. That, and this ethereal feeling that I couldn’t shake…a feeling that told me bringing this song to fruition would change my life in some way. Whether it was a good or bad change—gargantuan or minuscule — I didn’t know.
What I was certain of was that this feeling reminded me of Death, but not in the “shuffling-off-this-mortal-coil” way that usually comes to mind. It felt more like a transformation was imminent, in the “where-there-is-death-there-is-life” sort of way. This song would completely shatter a decaying layer of my being and let a bright light, newborn and pure, shine through and (metaphorically, of course) make my being glow with a newfound rejuvenation. Even that vivid image of the light I just described was uncertain to me as I stared at the almost-finished second verse of my song as it peacefully, but powerfully, continued to reside in my Google Drive, waiting to be shared with my friend and the world. I just knew that I didn’t know. But I’d be real disappointed if I stopped now.
To this day, I still don’t know if I meant to write a love song, but I think my heart knows the answer was probably “yes, from the beginning.”
EDITOR’S NOTE: Damnit, I’m crying AGAIN again, now.
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Javier Reyes, CEO of PopCandie
Something I’m proud of? This project.
Because the idea of finding a way to remind people of the dope things they’ve done or experienced is a small, but also, I think, beautiful way of giving back to some of the people that have had an impact, no matter how small, on my life.
