Across
- 7. Chance. Lil Dicky. A$AP Ferg, Nast, Twelvy and ANT. Dezel Curry. Flatbush Zombies (2x). Logic. And More! This place allowed me to be my most ridiculous self as I yelled along with all of my friends to my favorite songs.
- 9. This number is the amount of the music I “acquired” onto my computer in middle school. It was the height of my exploration of rap music. It consisted of entire discographies of mixtapes, EPs, LPs, albums, and anything in between. From Chance the Rapper's first Back to School Pack, to Casey Veggies and Rocky Fresh’s Fresh Veggies, FBZ’s Better Off Dead, A$AP’s Lords Never Worry, Long.Live.A$AP, Illmatic, Joey B’s Summer Knights, Fat Trel, K-Dot, ALL OF LIL DICKY’S MUSIC, and Migos, these albums and artists were all I listened to it. It gave way to the $20 concerts I went to throughout high school.
- 11. The first movie I ever saw in theatres. I love that horse. Movies and TV have always brought me so much joy in life. From going to theatres with my friends and family to simply sitting around a living room or table yelling about which movies, shows, or actors are arbitrarily the best, I love it all.
- 14. The greatest thing on earth is this food. Eggs and potatoes are the greatest combo ever. I love starting my day spending 30-45 minutes cooking the perfect sandwich and making an iced latte and then scarfing it down in 2 minutes. Somehow the activity is the best part, even if what I made is absolutely bangin.
- 17. Our family car and what we used to travel all over the east coast. From visiting family, driving to camp, and school carpools, this is where I spent so much time with my family and really got to know them. Somehow my love of Star Wars started in that car as I squinted my eyes to see the 8 inch DVD player from the back row. As high school approached this became my car and I used to travel to school, music lessons, and frisbee practices. Now it’s my baby here at school and I worry about her constantly!
- 19. My mantra and a simple sentence that embodies much of my personal philosophy. Life is too short, too difficult and too complicated to boil things into conclusions. I don’t need to know everything, I don’t pretend to and I don’t always need to have an opinion. I like to guess, be wrong, have a thought, and maybe just not say anything at all. Words are a power force.
- 20. This is a place where I forged a new beginning and blossomed into someone I am both extremely proud of and too hard on. We had a rocky start with the weed incident, but hindsight is 20/20 and I know that mistake made me a better person. This place taught me I am smart and capable of really awesome fucking things! It taught me that new experiences have a bunch of growing pains, but give way to amazing relationships and unlimited personal growth.
- 22. These five people are the most important and wonderful people in my life. They are kind, intelligent, caring, and powerful. They have taught me to strive to be who I am and to work hard for what I care about. Anything we do together is worthwhile and makes anywhere we go feel like home. The collective and individual relationships I have with this group have pushed me to be a better person and learn how to care about others. I owe all of my sense of self and security to these people in different ways and I love them with all my heart.
- 23. My first instrument and still the only bass I have ever owned. A 40 year old bass that was passed down to me from my uncle. I started playing at 8 years old and found such joy and passion throughout the years playing with friends in my basement, the stage of the 9:30 Club, school concerts, and especially in Pepe’s house for lessons. This instrument taught me how to support others and be a strong base for them. It taught me about diligence. It taught me about finding a personal voice. It taught me about making something my own. It taught me about how to study and how to work hard to master the smallest thing. This bass, no matter how shitty it becomes, will always be one of my most prized possessions.
- 25. This team embodies my connection to my hometown. It has brought me so much joy and amazing experiences at the ballpark throughout my childhood with friends and family. Not only because of the 2019 season, but this team is special and will always speak for the underdogs and the importance of having fun at any level! If you love what you do and love who you’re with, success is that much sweeter.
Down
- 1. This is how long before international flights my mom would aim to get to the airport. Did we ever actually make it there that early? Absolutely not. The 6 of us are extremely late when we travel, and it never matters! Our family trips are the thing I am most grateful for. We have traveled to such amazing parts of the globe, had incredible experiences, and best of all, done it all together! My parents have taught me the importance of experiencing the world with those you love and how that creates depth and perspective in our livesbuilds character. I know that I will bring these values into my own family in the future.
- 2. This is something that has brought me some of my favorite memories and taught me what having a passion means. This game is how I spend just about all of my time. It taught me how to be humble and how to grind. It taught me that hard work really pays off and that nothing comes quick and easy. This sport taught me that you can’t succeed without others and that sometimes the best joys come from the tiniest things. It taught me about self awareness and thinking about every person on the other side of the aisle no matter what. It has been at the core of every single one of my life stages and overall I just love to play this wacky sport.
- 3. The acronym for the steps of mental health first aid to someone in a mental health crisis. Assess for risk of harm. Listen non-judgmentally. Give reassurance and information. Encourage appropriate help. Encourage self-help and other support. I lean on these when friends come to me with difficult times.
- 4. Growing up spending lots of time all over the east coast in the DMV, Philly, Mass, and especially New York was such a formative experience in my life. Especially the time I spent with my grandparents in Long Island. Thinking about this place makes me think of the stories of their upbringing as first gen Americans and coming from very poor families. My privilege is a result of generations of hard work and I carry their legacy with me now and in everything I will do. It has to do with working hard and taking care of family above all else. On another note, Gino’s Pizza is the GOAT.
- 5. This piano that was in our living room my whole life represents the music of my childhood and what music means to my family. My whole family is competitive about what music we listen to and I hope this never changes. From the showtunes my dad loved and the songs he used to play for me and my siblings to sing and play along, it taught me that music has a place in all of life’s moments and this music is meant to be shared.
- 6. My physical home will always mean so much to me. That place is amazing. I love every inch of it. Every room has a different meaning to me and feeling. The whole space just wholly symbolizes my family. Each of my siblings' rooms holds so much history and truly represents them. I am not sure anywhere else will ever feel as special.
- 8. From my favorite anime, this concept has always been more to me than a power up. It has to do with pushing to new heights. As life becomes more complicated and new challenges arise it’s about bringing the maximum effort to every situation.
- 10. This was the first team I ever cared about. It will always be a huge part of my life and will always remind me of my Grandpop. It was his favorite team and it made me so happy to be around him and watch games with him, in some inexplicable way. While he didn’t get to see their Superbowl victory, I am grateful for this team because it felt like they did it for me and it even helped me in my grief after his loss.
- 12. My mother’s pen name but also represents my relationship withlove for food. This represents my favorite family dinners EVERY single night of my childhood, my stupid high standards for food, my love of cooking, and my love of Jewish Holidays. My mom taught me how deep the connections you can make with those you share food with can be. She taught me independence and control over my daily life. Also that one meal has NOTHING to do with the next, you can always enjoy more food, more company, more experiences and more life.
- 13. Translating to “onwards” or “let’s go”, this is the small farm community in Israel where my family lives. It represents much of my connection with Israel and my Judaism. From this home base in the small country, I have developed beautiful relationships with my Israeli family and friends I have made throughout the years. From my time hiking in the north, to my time in the Mitzpe crater, praying at the western wall, clubbing in Tel Aviv, and the beach in Herzliya, I always look forward to the new experiences I have there. Most of all and potentially most problematic, I notice the sense of collective identity I feel when I walk down the street in Israel and am among other Jews. It makes me feel welcome and more connected to my history.
- 15. Translating to “A Woman of Valor”, this old jewish proverb from the bible, while pretty dated and in some translations kinda sexist, but for my family it is really special and sung or read every week at Shabbat dinner. In my family, my mom and sister are the core and both them and my father have taught me what it means to value the women in my life.
- 16. This device was my introduction to music. More specifically my vehicle to my passion for rap music. The only thing I cared about during the summer of 2009. 808s, Late Registration, and the Blueprint were my lullabies that summer. It was never something I shared with anyone in a bunk, it was just for me. Although it was just 4 GBs, it opened me up to the entire world of music that I exist in today.
- 18. I’m a fragile person and I mean medically/biologically. I am constantly injured, I have some stomach issues, and probably most debilitating are my migraines. I’ve tried a bunch of different things but the most effective thing is this! I also love my stickers, you’ll never catch me without my bottle.
- 21. These are my favorite forms of fashion. I love the ____ that I own because I love how they express my mood and how I’m feeling. I love solid colors and stripes and the occasional graphic t, but my favorites are my collared and button down ___. I don’t need to be the best dressed in any room, but I feel most myself when I’m wearing a ____ that reflects how I’m doing!
- 24. This place will always have my heart. It is where I spent 11 summers, about 70 weeks, equaling about 500 days of my life. It is a place, an experience, and people. It is where I learned what it meant to make friends into family and how relationships that close can be crazy difficult. Learned how to share my life with others. How to lean on others and how to ask for help. I learned what Judaism means to me. I learned that it isn’t about reading what some dead old Rabbis from centuries ago want from me, it’s about Kehila (community) and Kavanah (~intention). It’s about personal and collective connection. It’s about using what the dead old Rabbis said to bring myself closer to my family and cultural history. This is also where I learned about taking responsibility for my actions, understanding consequences, and overall, forgiveness and rebuilding. I am who I am today because of all the shenanigans, the hard times, the messy times, the late nights sitting around with friends in the dark, the stargazing, the overnight camping trips in forests of the North East, the singing, the stupid dancing, the days that felt like years, and the summers that felt like life times. I am grateful to all of the hundreds of people who contributed to this place and experience to make it my own.