“I was born after 20 weeks, at 2 pounds and 15 ounces. I had atrial septal defect…
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“I’m the oldest of the kids in the family; I have four little brothers and a little sister, so I was always the one in charge if my parents weren’t around…
WATCH NOW“I never had any idea that I’d end up in the arts or production…
READ STORY“My husband battled with addiction when he was in his 20s, and back midway through the pandemic, right about 2021, he relapsed…
READ STORY“It was the summer going into fourth grade, and I was 8. I didn’t know I was bitten by a tick. I was scratching at something and had a red mark on my thigh, but not a bullseye…
READ STORY“I started riding back in 1978, when I got my first dirt bike. My father was supposed to get me a horse, but he brought me home a dirt bike instead…
READ STORY“I was born with a form of muscular dystrophy known as nemaline rod myopathy. I have had 35-plus surgeries, but I do not allow my physical disability or my medical challenges to define me…
READ STORY“I have always been and fitness into sports. I grew up playing sports. When I was younger, I played lacrosse and basketball, but track is what I went the furthest with…
READ STORY“When 9/11 happened, I was devastated, like everyone was. I found myself running more and more — because I’d always been a runner…
READ STORY“I was born in Graz, Austria. We baked a lot as kids. Baking and food are part of me and gave me the experience of becoming a baker in my second career…
READ STORY“I started performing in the sixth grade in Great Neck, both in school and in an after-school program at my community center called Levels…
READ STORY“My father moved from Ireland when he was 13, my mother from the Dominican Republic when she was 18…
READ STORY“My dad, Dr. Herodotus Damianos, started the winery in Peconic in 1979. He was an internist with a practice in Stony Brook…
READ STORY“I’ll be studying neuroscience in the honors program at Providence College in September while also running on the track team…
READ STORY“In 2014, my neighbor approached me and said, ‘You’re into sports — have you considered sports officiating?’…
READ STORY“I’ve been interested in history since my seventh-grade gym teacher talked about what she had done with the civil rights movement and leaders she had met…
READ STORY“I struggle with developmental and relational trauma from childhood – pretty extreme neglect and abuse…
READ STORY“I was born in Brownsville, Brooklyn. My mom moved us to Long Island for me and my sisters to have a better life…
READ STORY“I was born in Brownsville, Brooklyn. My mom moved us to Long Island for me and my sisters to have a better life…
READ STORY“I was never a good student in foreign languages — art, science and music were my favorite subjects…
READ STORY“I’ve always been an athlete. I played football and lacrosse and later turned to wrestling. I was a 300-pound offensive lineman in college…
READ STORY“Prior to becoming a teacher, I worked as a supervisor at a foster care agency for over 15 years…
READ STORY“When I was young, I went to a school for the gifted. I was struggling, and they couldn’t figure out why when I had a high IQ. I found out I was dyslexic and I have ADHD…
READ STORY“As the youngest of nine siblings — eight girls and one boy — raised in Massapequa Park, family, faith and gratitude were deeply ingrained values in my upbringing…
READ STORY“I was born in Port Jefferson and raised in Patchogue. My parents and grandmothers encouraged my artistic pursuits from a young age…
READ STORY“I was born in Central America and came to the United States in 2001 as a permanent resident…
READ STORY“I’m called the pink-haired music teacher. I’m like Ms. Frizzle from ‘The Magic School Bus,’ except I play music with kids…
READ STORY“Although I was a good athlete in high school, I always disliked running…
READ STORY“I like to think of myself as a musical ‘impresario’ because it’s more vivid than ‘entrepreneur’…
READ STORY“Jewelry has become my life. I love it…
READ STORY“Fire Island plays a humongous part in my life, not just because it’s my favorite place to be on the Earth…
READ STORY“I’ve been painting since childhood, and I never plan to stop…
READ STORY“Throughout my childhood, my family moved frequently across various towns in Suffolk County…
READ STORY“For cosmetic reasons, I got breast implants in 2000 when I was 27. In 2008, I exchanged my saline implants for silicone, believing they were a better option…
READ STORY“Throughout my childhood, my family moved frequently across various towns in Suffolk County. Now, as a new mother…
READ STORY“I was in my mid 40s and a friend said, ‘I’m going for a demonstration flight in a small airplane…
READ STORY“I grew up in Mastic Beach, and went to Tangier [Smith] Elementary [School], where I first brought my chess board to school…
READ STORY“I was born and raised in Thailand. I came to the United States for school. It was so difficult for me as an international student…
READ STORY“Soon after starting my career in the garment industry working in Manhattan and getting married, we looked for a house on Long Island…
READ STORY“Growing up on Long Island, I always enjoyed being close to my family. However, when I started middle school, I encountered severe racism and harsh bullying…
READ STORY“I did not know I wanted to study nursing. I just followed in my mom’s footsteps…
READ STORY“The idea came from a trip to Atlantic City with some friends a little more than 12 years ago…
READ STORY“When I was a kid, I was constantly rearranging my parents living room and my sister’s bedroom…
READ STORY“From when I was little, I wanted to be a chef. I watched Julia Child instead of watching cartoons…
READ STORY“Growing up, I had an interest in marine life, but I didn’t make it a part of my life until well after receiving my PhD in population ecology…
READ STORY“As a new social worker in 1995, I found myself swept up in the turbulence created by the AIDS virus…
READ STORY“In the first grade, I saw ‘Yellow Submarine’ at the Calderone Theater in Hempstead, and that changed everything…
READ STORY“I decided to become a vegan eight years ago due to improve my health after watching documentaries about the meat industry…
READ STORY“I was in construction for a decade. Four hours of my day were spent commuting. Then I met my fiancée, and she asked me what I was doing with my life…
READ STORY“I have always had a camera growing up. My dad had cameras around. We had a lot of photo books, so I feel naturally photography always surrounded me…
READ STORY“Writing was always easier than speaking for me, especially in my early years. I was a late talker…
READ STORY“When I was 16 and my parents told me that they were going to move to Arizona, I decided that I was not going…
READ STORY“Our story isn’t just one of things that have happened to us as in past tense. It’s a story of things still happening to us on a daily basis…
READ STORY“So much of what I do now is because of my late sister. I started making sugar scrub because my own skin was so bad, and I hadn’t found anything I loved…
READ STORY“At 13, my son Ben’s journey took a pivotal turn after watching ‘Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse’…
READ STORY“Between social, emotional and academic needs, there’s a lot to juggle at once. Teachers sometimes get overlooked and should be celebrated more…
READ STORY“The natural inspiration to make art started at the beginning of my life; throughout my childhood I wanted to draw and paint…
READ STORY“I am a 14th-generation bayman-slash-offshore commercial fisherman. I have grown up on the East End my entire life…
READ STORY“I was overweight at 245 pounds in 2007, balancing a pint of ice cream on my belly and watching Forrest Gump run across America…
READ STORY“I started in makeup about five to 10 years ago. I was in high school, and I saw a friend of mine who was really fascinated with it…
READ STORY“I have two jobs: By day, I’m a technical assistant for account managers at an insurance broker, and by night, I’m a sports announcer for sporting events…
READ STORY“I was born in Bay Shore, one of three, and was raised by two wonderful parents…
READ STORY“I was a shy child, afraid to be myself and of what others might think of me…
READ STORY“Endometriosis is a terrible disease that affects 1 in 10 women. Most women don’t know they have it…
READ STORY“My dad died at age 37, when I was 3. However, I had a next-door neighbor who took over as my father figure…
READ STORY“I had a hard time in school when I was a kid…
READ STORY“I started my reiki journey eight years ago. I’ve been professionally practicing for seven years…
READ STORY“When my wife, Lyn, and I joined the Peace Corps after graduating from college in January of 1965…
READ STORY“My inspiration is my dad. He successfully migrated from Liberia and obtained a PhD in chemistry from Columbia University…
READ STORY“It’s like sunshine with an ‘M,’ I always used to tell my students. I taught high school English for 58 years…
READ STORY“It’s been about a decade of ups and downs with my fertility. I have a very complicated story…
READ STORY“I always wanted a civil service job. I worked in retail for six years, and I took a bunch of civil service tests…
READ STORY“I went into the Navy when I was 21 years old. My great-grandfather was in the Navy. My father was in the Navy…
READ STORY“I used to bake cakes and cookies with my mom when I was younger just for fun…
READ STORY“Not many people who served in the Army can say they are also a figure skater, a rabbi, a TV and film actor and a professional photographer…
READ STORY“I have had a passion for swimming for as long as I can remember…
READ STORY“There were years and years of absolutely hating myself. I was an alcoholic who was depressed and suffering from severe anxiety attacks on a daily basis…
READ STORY“In 2019, I took my very first lash class because I decided I wanted to have a beauty business…
READ STORY“I am originally from El Salvador. I came to Long Island when I was 10 years old with some part of my family…
WATCH NOW“I was always in love with my bike. I lived on my bike, it was my world…
READ STORY“I was always surrounded by music. My dad taught himself to play guitar and sing…
READ STORY“My work has been grief work for most of my life. I got my master’s in thanatology, working with end-of-life issues…
READ STORY“I started photography as a hobby when I was around 12 or 13 years old, spending almost 100 percent of my time at the beach…
READ STORY“I have always loved horses since I was little. I started horseback riding when I was 6 years old…
READ STORY“Dance is just me. It’s the purest form of self-expression that I will ever get…
READ STORY“I came to this country in 1967 as an immigrant from Macao, China…
READ STORY“I started as a kid. My mom danced, and I was the last child, and my mom always had the hope that one of us would dance…
READ STORY“My father practiced veterinary medicine, and I had animals my whole life…
READ STORY“I first discovered puppets when I was a child growing up in Buffalo, New York…
READ STORY“I guess you can say I have always been an old soul because of my dad, who has always been my inspiration…
READ STORY“Fifteen years ago, my husband and I got a bulldog, Bella, from a backyard breeder, thinking that was the right way to go about it…
READ STORY“I grew up in a village located in Fujian, a coastal province of China renowned for its unique oolong and jasmine teas…
READ STORY“I have no background in dancing, but I’ve always been into fitness. When I was a freshman in college, I went to see a pole dancing showcase and fell in love with this art form…
WATCH NOW“I picked up my first drink at 15…
READ STORY“The events of 9/11 changed my life drastically…
READ STORY“When I was 5, I tripped and fell in the shower. My two front teeth got pushed up into my gums…
READ STORY“In 1970, as a typical college student at Cornell University, I had dreams of a fulfilling life…
READ STORY“Growing up, I experienced a history of child abuse in my family. I knew that I didn’t want to repeat the same cycle and become like my mother…
READ STORY“I moved here in the early ’90s, and I joined an inclusion class. Inclusion classes are when they take kids from special ed and mainstream them with the other kids…
READ STORY“I retired from teaching social studies in 1992 to care for my son, Nicholas, who is profoundly affected by autism…
READ STORY“I call myself a breast cancer previvor, someone who has a genetic predisposition to cancer…
READ STORY“I’m an elementary school teacher and will be retiring in 2025. I started making candles during the pandemic…
READ STORY“I’m proud to call myself a Caribbean-American, with familial roots stretching back to St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands and Jamaica…
READ STORY“In the past five years, I’ve biked over 100,000 miles. Cycling is great for the mind, body and soul and gives you an avenue in which to stay fit while enjoying the outdoors…
READ STORY“When I started college, I was a bio major, but I didn’t enjoy it very much. I struggled a lot, and it made it hard for me to want to be in school because I felt very defeated…
READ STORY“Seventeen years ago, I found a small bald spot at the nape of my neck. Then another one developed right near it and merged into one softball-sized bald spot…
WATCH NOW“My family was into kart racing before I was even born. My older half-brother raced at Riverhead Raceway…
READ STORY“Playing lacrosse has been a passion for me since I was in fourth grade. I was introduced to it by my friend Maddie during show-and-tell…
READ STORY“When I noticed that residents of the AHRC [Association for Habilitation and Residential Care] visiting the Glen Cove Public Library were not engaging in our services, I created a program called Hooked on Books…
READ STORY“My name is Gaetano Giordano, but you can call me Tano. I come from a proud lineage of Italian immigrants, my parents, Cecilia and Francesco…
READ STORY“When I was in college, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do. I thought the easy path for me to be successful was go to college, study finance and make money on Wall Street…
READ STORY“I’ve been photographing since I was 3 years old. My grandfather was a professional photographer who worked for newspapers in New York City…
READ STORY“I originally grew up in Roslyn. What truly defines me is my unwavering Christian faith…
READ STORY“I have been drawing since I was 10 years old in Haiti. My parents didn’t know much about art, but they never stopped me from doing it…
READ STORY“When I was 17, my mom unexpectedly passed away. It was so jarring. She was 51 years old…
READ STORY“My mom passed away in a car accident when I was 11. I was in the car with her. Cooking kept me busy and kept me positive when I was feeling lost…
READ STORY“My father was a musician and started me on piano when I was 4. I was really intimidated by how good he was, so I started playing guitar to be just as good…
READ STORY“I immigrated to America from Haiti when I was 15 years old. I arrived at the airport with a lot of hopes, visions and uncertainty of not knowing what life would bring…
READ STORY“My husband got a rare form of leukemia and passed away in September of 1983. He was a deputy inspector with the Suffolk County Police Marine Bureau…
READ STORY“I am from Portland, Maine, originally, so I grew up by the water and always had a love for marine animals…
READ STORY“I never dreamed that mountain biking — and protecting and expanding our trails on Long Island — would become my passion…
READ STORY“Out of all the holidays, ever since I was a little girl, I had a passion for Halloween. I’m very good at makeup and hair, and I love to be creative in any way I can…
READ STORY“When I was 14, my dad decided we were moving from Brooklyn to Puerto Rico. His mom had moved a couple years prior to that, and he’s definitely what we call a mama’s boy…
READ STORY“When I told my guidance counselor in high school that I wanted to apply to NYU, she told me not to bother…
READ STORY“Just before the pandemic, I missed my annual mammography. I was taking care of my mom, who had a stroke, and she needed me…
READ STORY“We met freshman year of college through one of my best friends, Sarah. So, she gets all the credit for this because she introduced us to each other…
READ STORY“I grew up in College Point in Queens, which is a small town. But my now husband, who I met in high school, grew up on the Queens side of Floral Park, and it made us fall in love with Nassau…
READ STORY“I grew up with an older brother that skated, and I thought he was the coolest…
READ STORY“I was following a girl on Instagram. Her mother was posting her journey of fighting leukemia…
READ STORY“I was a cameraman before I even knew it. I’d watch movies and be so moved and affected by them…
READ STORY“I was the youngest of three sisters, so I figured I’d be the lucky one. My sister Melisande was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2003…
READ STORY“I’ve always loved research. Honestly, with the right attitude, anything can be a puzzle or a thrilling mystery…
READ STORY“In a Greek-Italian family, food is a big focus. I grew up in my family’s restaurant in Port Washington…
READ STORY“I was always in love with music. When I was 6 years old, I started singing lessons. By 13, I was exploring my passion for songwriting…
READ STORY“My third daughter, Althea, saved my life. I was diagnosed with bladder cancer while I was pregnant with her, my last child…
READ STORY“I was born in Calabria, Italy, and my family and I immigrated in 1987. My father was always about the American dream, so he started different businesses…
READ STORY“My dad, Wayne, passed away two months ago. In April 2022, he was diagnosed with ALS [amyotrophic lateral sclerosis], also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease…
READ STORY“I was going through so much in my life from 2014 to 2020, where I was suffering from a very rare illness, Granulomatosis with polyangiitis…
READ STORY“I was actually born and raised in the boroughs, and then I moved to Long Island. I am a first generation American, and my parents were born in Indonesia…
READ STORY“Our son, Noah, was the most amazing baby boy. He was so strong and resilient and lit up a room with his big bright eyes and beautiful shining smile…
READ STORY“I was meant to be a lawyer. I was 3 years old when I came to America. As an immigrant, I can fully relate to the Latino law community’s experience…
READ STORY“I’m a CPA by trade. I was in accounting for five years, and then I transitioned into finance. I was working at my job for very long hours…
READ STORY“When I was 10 years old, I had a terrible case of acne that made me feel incredibly insecure about my skin…
READ STORY“I’ve always thrived in businesses that were entrepreneurial. My love language is innovation…
READ STORY“I’ve always loved helping people. When I was in high school, I was a candy striper, and I really liked it…
READ STORY“Finding out in 1979 that I was mixed-race on my dad’s side has been just an ongoing process of meeting the family and discovering ancestors…
READ STORY“I’m not a renaissance man. I like what I like. I have my interests — musical theater and classic motion pictures…
READ STORY“I grew up in a small town in Sicily. In my family, farming has been a cherished tradition passed down from one generation to the next…
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