‘You get to make stuff from scratch.’

NICHOLAS DUDA, WATER MILL

“I went into the Navy when I was 21 years old. My great-grandfather was in the Navy. My father was in the Navy. I joined in 2012, and I got out in 2016. I started school in 2018, and now I am a machinist businessman. I had always wanted to open my business because my dad had his own business.

“The Navy inspired me to become a machinist. The structure of joining the Navy helped my business, having a set schedule. When you are in charge of yourself, it is tough to stay on task. If you keep everything structured, it makes it a lot simpler to do.

“I loved working on the water. We went to all different places: Spain, Italy, Greece, Africa and Portugal. I started as an undesignated seaman. I did not have a job, so I was pretty good at the deck end. I was on lookout.

After I got out of the Navy, I always wanted to start my own business.

“While you’re on the ship, you get to know either position. I was able to work with the machinist. I didn’t even know what a machinist was. You get to make stuff from scratch. I fell in love with it. I kept doing it. I ended up getting a shore-duty job in the Navy, working on aircraft and helicopters, primarily working with the helicopters. I really learned a lot when I was there, machining whatever went broke, building whatever they needed. Keep everything flying.

“After I got out of the Navy, I always wanted to start my own business. I ended up taking a job where I got to learn. All the way, I ended up going to Suffolk [County Community College]. I had a shop out in Water Mill. I was working full time, going to school full time, and at night, I was running my shop. I was sleeping in my shop.

“I am a veteran machine shop owner [at Artisan Machining Inc.], and we make custom parts for various automotives. We work with customers and engineers to make parts for aerospace, parts on satellites, parts in the Navy.

“My dream is to start a mentorship or school for high school students so they could come to my workshop, and I can teach them. I want to bring more young people into manufacturing. I want to bring it to the schools. I want people to know more about 3D printing. It’s a great industry to be in. I don’t think enough people know about it.”

Interviewed by Christian Spencer

‘I am committed to making a difference.’

Faith Getz Rousso, Roslyn

“I always knew I was adopted. However, it wasn’t until a few years ago, when I received my original birth certificate, that I was made aware that I was in foster care for the first seven months of my life.

“When I asked my mom where I was for the first seven months of my life, she responded, ‘With a nice lady.’ The words ‘foster care’ were never used. When I saw ‘foster care’ on the legal document … it touched me. I know how blessed I was for being raised in a loving caring home. What touched me was that there are so many children in foster care who don’t have the opportunities that I had – that my children, now 25 and 29, had growing up – and I wanted to do something to give back.

“First, it started with the events that I bought tickets for and distributed to the families to attend basketball games, then, the T-shirts to wear at the game and food vouchers. All so they would feel special. That wasn’t enough. The foster care system needs work. And it became apparent to me that the ones who are suffering are the children.

The goal of foster care is reunification with their biological family.

“I am committed to making a difference. I’m a lawyer, and I do hours and hours of pro bono work representing foster parents in Family Court. It is rare for a foster parent to have representation in court prior to the adoption. I hold their hand – literally – and become their ears and their translator, explaining the process and sharing what is going on in court with the children that they are caring for.

“The goal of foster care is reunification with their biological family. However, that is balanced with permanency with the children. Sadly, the delays in the courts, unfortunately, result in children spending most of their childhood in foster care.

“My volunteer work includes my involvement in We Care, a charitable arm of the bar association. I have co-chaired the holiday party, organized 100-plus children to go to an Islanders game and co-planned a fall festival which included pumpkins, riding a mounted-police horse, fire trucks and a DJ. At a holiday party sponsored by the Department of Social Services, I reached out to my generous friends/colleagues, and I collected enough to provide 100 gift cards for teens in care. I really do love my work!”

Interviewed by Saul Schachter

‘So far, I’ve made 302 cakes, I want to make 1,000 cakes before my 18th birthday. I’m 15, so I have three more years to go.’

Noah Rabinowitz, Dix Hills

“I used to bake cakes and cookies with my mom when I was younger just for fun. My temple had a program to make food for a soup kitchen, and the main thing they didn’t have was dessert. I wanted to have a leadership role within my community, and I realized that baking was a fun thing to do.

“So far, I’ve made 302 cakes, I want to make 1,000 cakes before my 18th birthday. I’m 15, so I have three more years to go. If I get to my goal, I’ll probably set a higher one.

“I mainly get money for this through donations. I’ve found the best cakes are mixes from Costco or Target — they’re cheap and easy to make. When I go to the store, I usually get the whole shelf. I use my donation money to get whatever I can. I usually bake six cakes every Sunday morning. If I had more funding, I might branch out and try different things.

I mainly bake during the weekends, and I study while the cakes are in the oven.

“At school, I’m in a club called One World, and their main goal is to give back to charity. I talked to my adviser in the club, and she emailed all the teachers in the school about what I’m doing. I got a lot of donations, then my school posted on Facebook, and through that there was a link to my website. That’s when donations really picked up.

“I would say I’ve raised around $300 so far. Once or twice a month, I bake at my temple, and the temple brings the cakes to the soup kitchen. Mainly I bake at home, and me and my mother drop the cakes off Monday mornings before school.

“I go to Half Hollow Hills East. I play soccer and tennis and run track. My favorite subject is probably math because I feel like that comes the easiest to me, and I think social studies is interesting, even though it’s hard.

“I mainly bake during the weekends, and I study while the cakes are in the oven. In my free time, I hang out with my friends. I play video games sometimes, but I don’t really have enough time. In the future, I want to be an entrepreneur like my dad and grandpa.

“The people who work at the soup kitchen are very proud of what I’m doing; they’re very appreciative. I’ve gone to the soup kitchen and volunteered. It feels good. It’s very nice to see all the people come in and have smiles on their faces.”

Find out more about Noah’s work at noahscommunitycakes.com

Interviewed by Barbara Schuler

‘Concerned that I lacked the energy to pass the Army’s annual physical fitness test, I still wanted to serve my country, so I went into the state guard.’

Mark Getman, Cedarhurst

“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. I served nine years in the New York Army National Guard. After being diagnosed in 2014 with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and going through chemotherapy, I said to myself, ‘I don’t want to miss any opportunities, because who knows what could happen?’

“Concerned that I lacked the energy to pass the Army’s annual physical fitness test, I still wanted to serve my country, so I went into the state guard. I was made the director of public affairs, which gave me the opportunity to get back into my passion, photography.

“In the National Guard, I’d gone to rabbinical school and been ordained as a rabbi. I currently serve as part-time clergy at a Brooklyn synagogue. While in rabbinical school, I decided to try acting and got a part in a 2010 movie, ‘Freakonomics.’ That got me into the Screen Actors Guild. My credits include playing a rabbi in ‘Orange Is the New Black’ and a rabbi in ‘The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.’ I play parts that I can relate to, such as a veteran, and, because I have a big telephoto lens, a paparazzi on ‘Succession.’

I’m in remission and go back every six months for blood work.

“Last year, I got back into figure skating, which I did growing up in Long Beach until I was 17. I work as a part-time rink guard at the Long Beach ice arena, the same rink where I learned to skate. I’ve done about eight shows as an adult figure skater at rinks throughout Long Island. Often, I get the loudest applause because I’m the only adult guy out there doing jumps and spins.

“I’m in remission and go back every six months for blood work. Recently my doctor noticed that I’d lost 10 pounds. She checked my lymph nodes and asked what I’ve been doing that’s changed. I showed her videos of me exercising on skates. I’m also a security guard at a yeshiva, which I enjoy because my father was a Holocaust survivor who fought for Israeli independence. My father never gave up hope, and as a survivor myself, I feel the same.”

Interviewed by Jim Merritt

‘My true calling is to be in the water, guiding young children on how to navigate it safely and find their way to safety.’

Rebecca Weiner, Dix Hills

“I have had a passion for swimming for as long as I can remember. Even as a young child, my parents called me a ‘water baby’ because once I entered the water, I never wanted to come out. Growing up in Dix Hills granted me the opportunity to be surrounded by water frequently. I started swimming at the age of 2, which ignited an enduring adoration and admiration for the water.

“As I grew older, I immersed myself in the world of competitive swimming. I participated in competitive swimming with both the Suffolk Y JCC Sharks and the Half Hollow Hills swim team, dedicating four rigorous yet rewarding hours to daily practice. During that time, I excelled in the 50- and 200-meter freestyle races, attaining notable times of 0.39 seconds and 1.38 seconds. Despite not clinching the title of fastest swimmer, my main focus is centered around teaching safe swimming techniques to others. Swimming is so much more than beating out the clock; it involves understanding the nuances and techniques that make the sport so special.

“Before I knew it, I was fueling my passion for swimming by teaching others how to swim. After graduating from the University at Albany, I utilized my expertise in business, education and my extensive experience in the aquatic industry and competitive swimming history to create Aquafinz Infant Aquatics. The thought of a child drowning compelled me to continuously enhance my knowledge in the aquatic field and obtain new certifications.

Before I knew it, I was fueling my passion for swimming by teaching others how to swim.

“I realized that the corporate world didn’t align with my passion; my true calling is to be in the water, guiding young children on how to navigate it safely and find their way to safety. Interacting with kids comes naturally to me and brings immense joy. Combining this with my love for the water allowed me to independently build a successful swim business. Working with children in the water has been a seamless fusion of my passions.”

Interviewed by Starr Fuentes

‘…getting over the anxiety attacks and the mental warfare that went on every day in my head thinking I was going to die was probably the hardest thing ever to get over.’

Chris Fontana, Deer Park

“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. I didn’t know they were anxiety attacks. I really thought I was dying every day. I was 300 pounds and didn’t want to die but also didn’t care what happened to me.

“I was 13 when my dad passed away, so I know that played a lot into it.

“At 30 years old, I looked in the mirror, and it was like I was outside my body looking at someone who you hate. I decided that this is not going to be my life. This is not who I’m supposed to be. I finally went to the doctor, and they told me about anxiety and how it could present physically. I started seeing a therapist and taking medication. I started to see a real chance in myself, but of course there were inconsistences.

“I’m always careful how I word this, but to this day, getting over the anxiety attacks and the mental warfare that went on every day in my head thinking I was going to die, was probably the hardest thing ever to get over, which I think helped me down the road when I decided to get sober.

“I had been on my fitness journey for eight years when I finally got sober. I again found myself at a crossroads where Christmas night, I’m in a hotel room eating Burger King because it was the only thing open because my wife threw me out. I said, ‘That’s it,’ you know? This is not my life. I’m going to end up dead, either from drinking or from drinking and driving.

“I believe my dad was watching over me and saying, ‘You’re going to overcome all this, and look how confident you’re going to be.’

“I started going to AA, and I haven’t really looked back since. After getting sober, everything just skyrocketed. Everything all came together. I had my, my first son about a year and a half later.”

For years, I was trying to be strong on the outside, but it wasn’t until I was able to show my vulnerability where I found so much strength.

“I started Go Primal in 2020. I have apparel, and I have a TV show called ‘The Primal Mindset.’ And really my mission is to just empower men, to just to not have to go through what I went through. So many people have reached out to me about going through similar struggles.

“My goal is to help men, and everyone, be the best person they can be for themselves and those who need them the most. Some people feel weak by admitting they need help. For years, I was trying to be strong on the outside, but it wasn’t until I was able to show my vulnerability where I found so much strength.

“I felt like I got cheated out on a lot in life when my dad died. Now with my boys, I get to experience everything that I missed out on. It can be tough at times thinking of it that way. My dad died at 42. I’m 44. I realize now how much life my, my dad got cheated out on, too.

“But it just makes me every day wake up and be there for the people who need me. I already have my, my 4-year-old saying, ‘You don’t give up Daddy. We’re Fontanas!’ I’m trying to teach them an early age that life is going to knock you down, and it’ll try to keep you down. But you just got to get up and keep going.”

Interviewed by Maggie Rose Melito

‘I really do want to put Long Island on the map for beauty.’

Tierra Hawkins, East Meadow

“In 2019, I took my very first lash class because I decided I wanted to have a beauty business. Not even a year after taking my class, I was ready to start my own journey being a lash tech, but my family and I lost our home due to COVID. Last year is when we finally got a good home that was equal to what we had where everybody’s comfortable. Now I feel like it’s a whole new beginning for me. I have more time to just work on myself and what I already wanted to start: my business @lukes.wave on Instagram.

“I finally started esthetician school mid-November. The biggest issue I hear is a lot of women go to beauty school because they live in a state that requires them to have a license to do anything. In school they mainly teach you about facials. Facials are growing on me, but that was never my goal. I started out wanting to do lashes, but I didn’t learn anything about lashes.

“So my goal now is to start my own school after esthetician school. It will be a mini trade school, so you can learn everything that you can do under your license. I want to fill that gap. They’ll learn everything that I provide: brows, lashes, teeth and hair. We’re working on laser. But aside from my own services, I would like to invite other entrepreneurs over to my school, make classes and talk to my students so they’ll be more comfortable. I just want to make girls feel happy. The whole journey of going to school and deciding to start and educate yourself on a business should be happy. You don’t want your schooling to be miserable, because why would you want to come out and do your business?

So my goal now is to start my own school after esthetician school.

“I really do want to put Long Island on the map for beauty. A lot of women drive over an hour to get beauty services. I hear a lot of people go to Queens and Brooklyn, but I don’t think that we should have to use a half a tank of gas just to go get a service. That’s another gap that I want to fill: to let the girls who want services done that are from Long Island feel comfortable still staying on Long Island.”

Interviewed by Victoria Bell

‘We had a parent of a child with serious developmental issues who wrote on our website that we did “God’s work.” I could never imagine anyone would say that about my work.’

Steven Finkelstein, Plainview

“I was always in love with my bike. I lived on my bike, it was my world. As I got older, I was able to ride places. I grew up in Long Beach, and I did anything and everything on my bike. Now I’m in real estate management and investment; that was much earlier than the birth of my other business, Professor Pedals, but I’m still very passionate about bike riding.

“The original reason for the business, the spark so to speak, was when my son was a little over 3 and I was working with him on his little Diego bike. For some reason, don’t know why, we decided to take off the training wheels. At 3½, he learned on his own to ride a bike. I didn’t do much. That kind of triggered neighbors who saw him at such a young age learning to ride a bike. They thought I was a guru. I really wasn’t. He was ready, he wanted it.

“I still kind of live by that idea. When we are teaching students now, the only thing that’s really challenging to teach someone is interest. I can’t make you learn to play mah-jongg or golf if you don’t want to. If a kid has to be dragged out of the car, it’s probably not going to be the greatest experience. I’m more patient than many, but what’s important is that I wasn’t the parent, which gives the kid a teacher-student relationship. It can be much better than a parent-child relationship, where helmets could be flying, kids could be crying, moms and dads could be screaming and yelling. It’s a big deal.

I was always in love with my bike. I lived on my bike, it was my world.

“Sometime later, after teaching a bunch of neighbors’ kids, I said maybe there is something here. I loved this idea of incorporating bike riding and teaching and helping people, so I started this more formally as Professor Pedals. We quickly expanded; at one point we had eight locations. It took a rewarding turn into helping kids and adults with special needs — autism, vision impairment, developmental issues. We had a parent of a child with serious developmental issues who wrote on our website that we did ‘God’s work.’ I could never imagine anyone would say that about my work. Just when we think we’ve seen the most unique situation, there’s more. Yes, I’m still in real estate, but nothing in my life is as rewarding as this school, this service.”

Interviewed by Barbara Schuler

‘I felt that like somebody took my brain and dropped it on the floor. The thoughts weren’t stopping.’

Christina Labrador, Babylon

“I was always surrounded by music. My dad taught himself to play guitar and sing. My mom taught herself to sing listening to Karen Carpenter. As a kid, I grew up with my parents always practicing in the living room. Because of them, I knew a lot of the oldies, doo-wop and ’60s music. And my brothers, they each had their own flavor of music that they liked, too. My family is Puerto Rican, and that’s one of the things we love to do, go to parties and play.

“I loved freestyle music. ’KTU used to play it all the time, but I was also into funk music and R&B. At that time, Copiague High School was one of the best schools for music because they had such a robust program.

“My chorus teacher was Mr. Wurtzel. He was also the ‘madrigal director,’ which is a special form of the choir. He was just a wonderful teacher. He was like a dad to all of us, always making sure we were doing the right thing and helping us like just be our best. He introduced us to different forms of classical music and everything.

“At Copiague, I got my first role in ‘Godspell.’ I remember in the audition, I learned my 16 bars for ‘Turn Back Old Man.’ I did my thing and they loved it. I got the part of Mary Magdalene. And the night before the show opened, I got laryngitis. I was so upset, but the raspy voice actually worked for the character. It added to the performance. I felt so confident after that, and I realized this is what I wanted to be doing. I continued to do other shows and found more confidence and more love for performing. But my dad passed away my senior year from surgery complications, and I began processing a lot of grief.

“I then attended Hofstra University and fell in love with working at the radio station. I was the urban music director, and I was the first person to hold that position. It also was around that time that I developed OCD symptoms. I felt that like somebody took my brain and dropped it on the floor. The thoughts weren’t stopping. I didn’t know what to do.”

I continued to take lessons with singers who were amazing. I wanted to be surrounded by people better than me.

“I started seeing counselors [for my OCD], and they gave me tools, which were very helpful in the moment, but of course, the thoughts keep coming back at you. I realized that I was hyping myself up a lot because otherwise I was going to be really depressed and sad that my dad was gone. You know?

“I literally think I played head games with myself on my freshman year just so I could survive.

“That was the root of it. I got better at not judging the thoughts and just letting them go. I gave myself a time frame. I said in 10 years, I don’t know how, but I’m going to make gains. I am going to make traction.

“Around 30 [years old], I started to think about my patterns and think about how toxic I was to myself. I was affording others the respect, but none for myself. I could feel myself getting lighter and even my voice, it wasn’t as stressed or straining. Everything just started to change in that aspect.

“I really began to see that everyone has their own issues. It wasn’t just me who was quirky. It’s everyone. And everyone struggles.

“I continued to take lessons with singers who were amazing. I wanted to be surrounded by people better than me. They taught me so much about vocal technique. I began to train my voice to sing through anything. I learned to sing through it all.

“I started doing more shows and then took over a wedding band. I became like the first Latina in the agency within the 40-year history to lead a band. I also began working with the guys from Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam, which was a huge group in the ’80s and ’90s. My friend recommended me. They were originally looking for a tribute act, but I forwarded my original music to them, and we began working together. I do all the shows with them now.

“I now work as a vocal teacher, too. I help kids learn same vocal techniques that I learned so they don’t hurt their voices. I hope they all see how great they are. I believe in them so much. I know that they can do it. I know how much they’re capable of. I try to meet them where they’re at., I’ll be like, ‘Oh, see right there what you did there? Yeah, let’s do more of that.’”

Interviewed by Maggie Rose Melito

‘Once you get together with a bunch of other broken people, you don’t feel so lost, and you don’t feel so broken.’

Rani Goldman, Bay Shore

“My work has been grief work for most of my life. I got my master’s in thanatology, working with end-of-life issues, coping with all phases of grief. I took care of my grandmother when I was 31 when she was on hospice care. I really wanted to know more about what grief is.

“When I was 26, my cousin died of a drug overdose. We had been close. I had a dear friend who also struggled with addiction. Suicide took her life at 32. We were the same age. It was around the same time I was taking care of my grandmother. It was really tough because you never expect it and you have so many unanswered questions: Why didn’t I see it? How could I have helped? How did I not know this?

People need an opportunity to share and not be afraid to tell their stories and not keep it hidden.

“Grief work has been a way for me to understand what I was feeling, but also to be able to share with other people that you have to talk about it. You need to come to terms with it so you can start to heal.

“When I came to The Neighborhood House in West Sayville in 2020 to work with suicide survivors, I didn’t yet know that suicide and overdose is such a big problem in this area. The entire focus is working with survivors of suicide and overdose. It can be years after a suicide or overdose. It can be the next day. It can be the in-between period of somebody that they love dearly has passed and they’re waiting for a medical examiner to give them an answer of what happened. They come here looking for hope.

“The whole thrust is to bring a community who’s hurting together to be able to process in a meaningful way and develop connections with other people because suicide and overdose is a stigmatized topic.

“People need an opportunity to share and not be afraid to tell their stories and not keep it hidden. It’s been life-changing for me. I feel like I came into this looking for something that was interesting and would give more enlightenment to this issue of suicide. I feel like it’s given me so much more than I ever hoped. I cannot tell you how many people call on a daily basis, and are just completely broken and lost.

“Once you get together with a bunch of other broken people, you don’t feel so lost, and you don’t feel so broken. You feel like you can kind of glue yourself together and you can kind of make it through another day.”

Interviewed by Liza Burby