Faces of Long Island celebrates the uniqueness of everyday Long Islanders. In their own words, they tell us about their life experiences, challenges and triumphs. Newsday launched this social media journey into the human experience to shine a light on the diverse people of this wonderful place we call home.

‘I have Tourette syndrome, OCD, ADHD and epilepsy. So, I can definitely understand feeling like you don’t have a voice.’

Wheatley Heights

“A lot of wake-up calls happened during COVID. In no way was it a good time for anybody. But the one positive that I can take from it was it gave me that time to really research how to start a business where I could help people exactly the way that I want to.

“Not only did I come to a head where I realized it was time for me to leave my position where I was helping people with autism, but I realized that I didn’t want to work for others.

“I really wanted to start to build a business so I could give the quality attention to people that they deserve. The only way I was going to do that was by owning my own business.

“So, I literally — from home while COVID was occurring — was able to look up how to start a business. I looked into how to get an EIN [Employer Identification] number, how to get and create a website and how to list advertisements. I got a mentor and all of those things. I saw that what I’ve been doing all along has been life coaching.

I honestly think that that’s what happiness is — feeling important and having purpose.

“In addition to the autistic population, I also support the LGBTQ population. I feel like this group of people is underrepresented and needs someone to advocate for them. I offer exactly the same services. It’s not really daily living skills as much as helping you cope with your feelings. They might find it hard to talk to someone in the mental health field that can understand where they’re coming from.

“I myself am LGBTQI, so I understand exactly where this group of people is coming from. I have Tourette syndrome, OCD, ADHD and epilepsy. So, I can definitely understand feeling like you don’t have a voice. I want to be that voice.

“One thing that they’ve told me is that I make them feel safe. That’s honestly the number one thing that I would want for anybody, especially individuals that are vulnerable and in populations where they are underrepresented.

“I make them feel like they’re a person, like they matter and like they are positive and worthwhile. I honestly think that that’s what happiness is — feeling important and having purpose. All I do as a life coach is I mirror the positive things about them, and I help them get on the road to independence so they can feel a sense of purpose.”

Interviewed by Victoria Bell

‘I watched this woman turn her pain into power, and at that moment, I decided I was all in.’

Bellmore

“After the shooting in Parkland [Florida] in 2018, I went to my first meeting for the L.I. chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. I was pregnant with my second boy and afraid one day, I would send my kids to school and never see them again.

“I offered to help where I could. A week later, I attended an event and heard Shenee Johnson speak about her son Kedrick. He was shot and killed in 2010, a few weeks from his high school graduation. I watched this woman turn her pain into power, and at that moment, I decided I was all in.

“The thought of speaking to people gives me anxiety. But I knew I had to do something. I signed up to knock on doors. That first door, my heart was in my throat. But I got myself together and kept knocking on door after door. Something in me clicked. All this time, I thought I couldn’t do it.

Gun violence is the leading cause of death in children and teens. We don’t have to live like this, and we don’t have to die like this.

“Moms Demand Action has a Gun Sense Candidate distinction for people with gun safety at the forefront of their platform. In 2018, our group helped these candidates win. We now had a gun sense majority in both houses. After years of not passing a single gun law, we passed nine. Now we have these incredible representatives who do everything they can to help end gun violence.

“In 2020, I led my first legislative team meeting on Zoom. My anxiety was high as I spoke about how we would win an election amid a global pandemic. Midway through, my son came in wanting to show everyone a photo from his third birthday party. I was mortified, but everyone was happy to see him. That’s when I realized what Moms Demand Action is. We are a family. Now, my boys come with me to knock on doors and love it! They’ve met other activist kids and have playdates at events while we work to keep them safe.

“Gun violence is the leading cause of death in children and teens. We don’t have to live like this, and we don’t have to die like this.”

Interviewed by Jenna Kern – Rugile

‘I got to pursue both my loves —soccer and the stage!’

Westbury

“When I graduated from high school, I gave up a soccer scholarship to attend dance classes back home on Long Island with my first mentor, Deidre McCarthy. That shouldn’t be surprising — I always loved being on stage. In elementary school in Bayville, the assistant principal recruited me onto the stage as a member of a small repertory company of actors that performed for other schools.

“In junior high, I appeared in commercials and later danced at Joffrey School of Ballet in New York City. The following fall, I attended Indiana University on a ballet scholarship. I left there to perform with four ballet companies before realizing I wanted to expand my storytelling as an actor-singer-dancer.

Michelle and I are now entering our tenth year as owners of the American Theater Dance Workshop in Mineola.

“Returning to New York City, I made the transition to musical theater, working for the legendary choreographer Jerome Robbins. From there, I toured Europe in ‘West Side Story,’ and enjoyed working so much with my dance partner, Michelle O’Steen, that I married her, and we subsequently had two children, Michaela and Thomas. I continued to grow, landing roles in the original companies of ‘How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying,’ ‘Dream,’ ‘Kiss Me Kate,’ ‘Curtains’ and ‘Seussical.’ After the opening night of ‘Seussical,’ Michaela, almost 3 years old — a very talkative child — met Rosie O’Donnell during the party at Tavern on the Green. She charmed Rosie, who asked Michaela, ‘Would you like to be on my show?’ Michaela happily agreed and was so popular she appeared four times on Rosie’s show. Her first appearance was on her third birthday, and she sang. She was so cute, she broke up the audience. Katie Couric followed Michaela and told her, ‘You’re going to be a star someday!’ On Michaela’s second appearance, she introduced baby brother Thomas, who had just been born. Fun days!

“I subsequently became a director and choreographer, and Michelle and I are now entering our tenth year as owners of the American Theater Dance Workshop in Mineola. But my immediate attention is on a new Broadway show in which I’ll be appearing, ‘The Nutty Professor.’ And, by the way, I spent 15 years as a professional soccer coach. I got to pursue both my loves — soccer and the stage!”

Interviewed by Saul Schachter

‘When I got diagnosed, the doctor said I had to come back in a few days. Little did I know I’d be coming back for the rest of my life.’

Middle Island

“I was 17 and shoveling the driveway; my hands got so cold that my parents said it must be frostbite. My fingers got so swollen that I had to get my class ring made bigger. Soon, I had to get it made smaller again because the skin got tight. The pediatrician said I was fine. My father brought me to a dermatologist who said he thought I had scleroderma. I’d never heard that word.

I am still here. You can survive it. Never give up.

“When I got diagnosed, the doctor said I had to come back in a few days. Little did I know I’d be coming back for the rest of my life. He said the life expectancy is two to five years because it makes the skin get hard and tight all over your body. The internal organs become like rocks. No matter how much physical therapy I did, my fingers were permanently bent. Raynaud’s phenomenon comes with it. They call it the patriotic disease because your hands and feet turn red, white and blue in response to cold, blood stops flowing. It’s very painful. I rushed to get my BS in three years. I was still alive, so I got my MA in psychology and worked as an applied behavior specialist.

“I’m now [one of] the longest-living survivor of scleroderma. In September, it will be 40 years. I am involved with the National Scleroderma Foundation. I’ve met many people at conferences. It’s a disease that affects every single part of your body. It’s the most cruel, horrific disease ever imaginable, and it’s so rare. When people look at you, they think nothing is wrong, but you have tight skin across your face and it changes your appearance. That’s hard to deal with psychologically. Even though you might look healthy, people don’t understand. I don’t know what it’s like to feel normal anymore because I’ve had it since I was 17, and now I’m 57. I can’t take a bath or sit on the floor without help getting up. I can’t open or close my hands. I have to eat microwaveable food because I can’t cook. I had to go on disability when I was 20. I tell people with scleroderma that no matter what, nobody knows your life expectancy except God. Live every day like it’s your last. You’re not a statistic. I’m proof. When I was given a few years to live, there was hardly any treatment. I am still here. You can survive it. Never give up.”

Interviewed by Iris Wiener

‘I always try to communicate how blessed we are as human beings.’

Aquebogue

“I was 15 when I came to this country from South Korea. In 1975, there were very few Asian people in Newburgh, New York, and I didn’t know American culture. I couldn’t speak English; we didn’t have ESL. They just threw me in the classroom. I went through a lot of culture shock. I learned to exchange cultures. Art has been great at introducing that. I always think, ‘How can I mix the two cultures?’

“Lately, I’ve been working with bamboo. We grew up around bamboo as a decorative item, a functional item or even as food. When I moved to Aquebogue five years ago, we had a property next to us with a lot of bamboo growing, and all I heard was how bad bamboo was — it’s invasive, it’s not allowed. I realized how different cultures perceive bamboo. In my work, people see how cultural differences shape how we look at things.

That has been my mission besides teaching, to introduce other cultures to Long Island.

“Bamboo is like depression. When it’s covered with snow, it bends over with the weight, but once the snow melts, it stands back up. That’s a beautiful symbol, how flexible we human beings are. I always try to communicate how blessed we are as human beings. I think that came from coming to the United States. The reason my mother took me and my four brothers to the U.S. is we were so poor in Korea.

“My father died when I was 5, and my mother tried to survive in Korea. Korea has advanced so much since then. It was totally Third World in the 1970s. No matter how many problems we have, America is a wonderful country. You can still talk freely. If you work hard, you can go someplace. I went to college at the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore, then grad school at Pratt Institute in New York.

“I’ve been a college professor of art for over 30 years. In September, I’ll have a big show in Seoul, Korea, and then Tokyo, Japan. I drove a taxi cab in the city for about six years trying to make it as an artist. That’s when I learned about different types of humans, talking to different passengers. That taught me to treat each of my students as individuals; I don’t try to group them. That has been my mission besides teaching, to introduce other cultures to Long Island. As an artist, I’m always interested to get a response to how other people see it, and that’s how the dialogue starts.”

Interviewed by Rachel O’Brien – Morano

‘Performing comedy and making people laugh has allowed me to better handle the demands of a challenging day job.’

Lido Beach

“I had gotten divorced, celebrated my 50th birthday, and was faced with the question, ‘What do I now?’ I decided to get my bachelor’s degree and take the Nassau County civil service caseworker exam. It’s a challenging position, akin to CPS for adults: dealing with financial exploitation, neglect and abuse of the elderly.

“After two years in this position, I realized I needed to tap into my creative side. A few years prior, I had dabbled in stand-up comedy and always hoped I would be able to return to it.

“After exploring options on the web, I decided to get my comedic feet wet at a Tuesday night open mic hosted by Coasters Tavern in East Meadow. I was very nervous. Here I was, in my 50s in a bar by myself, surrounded by young comics.

We joke about events and situations that have made us sad or are tragic, but with time, we make light of those experiences and can often find the humor in very dark circumstances.

“While pondering all of this, I noticed three women around my age talking animatedly a few feet away. They approached me, explaining they had decided to embark on a stand-up career despite of their half-century age. I was buoyed by their encouragement and realized the only obstacle to my pursuit of a career in comedy was my own stigma about age that I was holding on to.

“For the past three years, I have performed at open mics around the Island, balancing my comedic career with my day job. I’ve come to realize it is never too late to pursue your dreams. Performing comedy and making people laugh has allowed me to better handle the demands of a challenging day job. I once heard a quote that really spoke to me: ‘Tragedy plus time equals comedy.’

“We joke about events and situations that have made us sad or are tragic, but with time, we make light of those experiences and can often find the humor in very dark circumstances. I draw inspiration from my life experiences: divorce, middle-aged womanhood, dating, sex. Much to my mom’s chagrin, I frequently reference my Catholic upbringing in my routine and touch on everyday experiences we all can relate to.

“I believe we have to find humor in everything. It makes life bearable. ‘G-O-T-T-A L-A-F-F’ is my license plate, and I selected the phrase because my philosophy is, ‘If you don’t laugh, you cry,’ and I prefer the sound of laughter.”

Interviewed by Hannah Fusaro

‘We were American citizens, and my father was a veteran, so we had to stay hidden to avoid being killed by the Nazis.’

Glen Cove

“I was born in 1929 in New York City. I was one of the first incubator babies. My father, Constantine, was in World War I. He was a doughboy and was mustard-gassed. He had 17 honors. He was always in VA hospitals. My mother was a volunteer nurse at the VA hospitals. That’s how they met. She was an immigrant from Greece too. Both my parents had ailments. Since he was suffering from the mustard gas, he would black out at certain times and was having trouble. She had a heart condition.

“After she gave birth, it was worse. Then, the Depression came, and it was too much. So he decided to take us to Greece, where some relatives could help. It wasn’t supposed to be that long, but then, unfortunately, World War II came, and we were stuck. We weren’t allowed out and had to be careful because we were American citizens, and my father was a veteran, so we had to stay hidden to avoid being killed by the Nazis.

The man who would become my future husband was a guerrilla fighter in the mountains who would help hide people and bring food.

“I was about 13 years old when the German occupation came outside of Sparta, where we lived. This was a mountain area. My father had remarried a Greek woman after my mother passed away and had another child, my brother, who was just a baby at the time. And we had to bundle up and run into the mountains with whatever food and things we could get and hide out in caves while the Germans were in the area.

“I was in charge of my baby brother and had to carry him while we went through the mountains. This went on for about three years. The man who would become my future husband was a guerrilla fighter in the mountains who would help hide people and bring food. There was a lot of starvation going on since the farming and the fishing couldn’t continue with the occupation. He was 35 when we married. I was about 19. In New York, I fell out of a second story apartment when I was 2 years old and only broke a leg. Later, in Greece, I fell into an empty swimming pool when I was pregnant with my daughter and survived. I fell down a flight of stairs going into the Greek Archaeological Museum when I was pregnant with my son and survived. I survived the Nazis. How I got to 93, I don’t know! My daughter calls me the ‘Unsinkable Molly Brown.’”

Interviewed by Jay Max

‘I’m grateful for the support that I was given when I was young. That’s why I try and pass that along.’

Roslyn Heights

“I had always been musical as a kid growing up in Roslyn Heights. My parents, who were not musicians, lived next to a successful composer named George Kleinsinger. I’d hear him play his work when we’d go to his house. I’m told that after he was done, I’d go to the piano and pick out the tune. George suggested to my parents that they get me a piano and lessons. I studied piano and theory from a teacher in Roslyn until I went to Juilliard in high school. My parents took me to see George’s show, “Shinbone Alley,” when I was 9. For holidays and birthdays, I would see musicals. The local library had a large selection of musical librettos of scripts and cast albums, and I’d listen to them. I went to Mineola High School, where I was in the thespians and the choristers. There was a lot of encouragement for me as someone who is interested in music and piano.

I like to support educational programs and work with young people who are aspiring to be involved in musical theater.

“‘Godspell’ happened very slowly and then expanded. It was an international phenomenon, so by the time “Pippin” opened, I had a distorted view of how musical theater worked. It wasn’t until I started having failures of my own as a lyricist and composer that I realized everything didn’t automatically turn to gold. I’ve learned to work as a team member, and that it takes skill to collaborate. There are so many nuances that one learns from experience, and I think I’ve also learned to trust my instincts.

“I’m currently doing publicity for the ‘Wicked’ movie, which is moving toward production. I’ve been working on some new material for that. I’m also working on a musical adaptation of a documentary called ‘The Queen of Versailles,’ which is about a woman who is building the largest home in America. Recently, the Long Island Musical Theatre Festival approached me about doing a master class. They’re a really nice organization, and I enjoy working with their students. I like to support educational programs and work with young people who are aspiring to be involved in musical theater. I try to be encouraging and insightful to the extent that I can. I’m grateful for the support that I was given when I was young, and I know that doesn’t happen for all people that want to be involved in the arts. That’s why I try and pass that along.”

Interviewed by Iris Wiener