‘The programs I went through are meant to give opportunities to people who come from different cultural or socioeconomic backgrounds.’

Julie Ansanelli, Amityville

“When I told my guidance counselor in high school that I wanted to apply to NYU, she told me not to bother. Against her advice, I decided to apply anyway. My parents didn’t make a ton of money, and I knew they couldn’t afford to pay out of pocket for me to go there. But my aunt had a friend who went to Columbia through this program that helped economically disadvantaged and diverse applicants pay for college. NYU had the same program, so I applied, was accepted and began my time at NYU, which was nothing short of amazing.

“Senior year, I took the LSAT, and my scores were not great, but good enough to pursue law school since I had a strong GPA. I decided to go to Touro Law on Long Island, which was the best decision ever. I loved my professors, my classmates and the education I received there. I even graduated [as] valedictorian.

“At Touro, our career services director suggested I apply to the New York City Bar Diversity Fellowship Program, which gives diverse applicants an opportunity to work at big law firms. It was a rigorous application process, and they only pick a few students from each school.

I’m lucky to have an amazing support system that allows me to work while also being the best mom I can be.

“I was chosen for the fellowship and placed at my current firm. I had no idea what this world even was because it never seemed like a possibility for me, but I was elated. In the beginning, I remember feeling insecure because everyone around me came from top law schools — Harvard, Yale, etc. But when they made me a full-time offer, it was really validating. I think I always knew I was as capable as my peers from top law schools, but knowing that my firm agreed really crystallized that for me.

“The programs I went through are meant to give opportunities to people who come from different cultural or socioeconomic backgrounds. I think that’s important because if every person at any job comes from the same background, you’re not going to have enough diversity of thought and perspectives. Without that, it’s extremely hard to have progress and growth.

“When my husband and I had our two kids, my priorities changed. I’m so proud of the work-life balance we have. I’m lucky to have an amazing support system that allows me to work while also being the best mom I can be.”

Interviewed by Maggie Rose Melito

‘I think having a purpose for the art, that it’s helping the environment, is what helps me overcome that anxiety.’

Amityville

“I suffer with social anxiety, but I think art helps that. I have three murals on the Long Beach boardwalk. The whale mural had to be done in one day; the permit was only for 24 hours. I got up super early and the pressure was on. I was so stressed about the time limit. This is a 40-foot mural and I had to make it happen. My dad put together a paint gun for me to mimic my technique. I finished right before sundown. I was so anxious because everyone was watching, and everyone knew the clock was ticking.

At least half of the animals I feature are endangered. I focus on the ones that need a voice, and I try and depict them in a larger-than-life way.

“The hardest thing for me has been putting my art out there. Before I did the mural, it was almost like I couldn’t do it. The thought of people watching me while I painted it was almost debilitating. I think having a purpose for the art, that it’s helping the environment, is what helps me overcome that anxiety.

“It had such a positive response, and so many people messaged us saying it made them more aware of the environment. People would send photos of them collecting garbage on the beach. I didn’t expect it to have that kind of impact. After COVID, I was asked to do two more murals, so I did a green sea turtle and a sea lion.

“I come from an extremely creative and supportive family. My mom’s a professional photographer, and she was a black-and-white photographer, so I attribute the look and feel I use in my art to that. All our family pictures were in black and white, and I started to love that look. My grandfather was a professional illustrator. He taught me everything at the start of my career and was so influential in my life and art. I grew up in a very artsy family.

“I started to think about ways my art can have a positive impact. At least half of the animals I feature are endangered. I focus on the ones that need a voice, and I try and depict them in a larger-than-life way. Almost all the animals I draw I like to get my own reference. When I’m not drawing, I take birding trips and wildlife trips and photograph these animals. Of course, the giant squid I didn’t get a photograph of, so I’ll piece it together by looking through NatGeo and sketch from there.”

Interviewed by Tracey Cheek

‘The law is very challenging, but I’m enjoying it.’

Amityville

“I went to St. John the Baptist High School and went to college on a soccer scholarship at the University of Bridgeport, Connecticut. I went on to play professional soccer for a couple of years. I signed a few contracts abroad. I played in Poland, Germany and Singapore. I did that for about four years.

“I picked up an injury when I was about 24. It was a slight hip fracture, and for some reason, I was having issues with rehab. Even the slightest tear can be very serious in terms of the impact it can have.

“My recovery was a problem, and I was at the end of my visa. I signed a one-year contract to play in Singapore in 2012, and my team finished in last place. I had a good season personally, but the club wasn’t doing well. The coach got fired, and they made a bunch of changes.

“I signed with a new agent and went to Israel to train with Maccabi Netanya F.C., but I carried that injury from Singapore with me. My balance was off. I kept having pain. The sports mentality is to push through it, but when I got there, I couldn’t perform.

“I was supposed to play some exhibition matches with the team, but they chose not to sign me. I had seen a doctor in Israel, but they couldn’t see much on the X-ray. I wound up getting another opportunity to train in Paris just before Christmas.

“That was when I made the decision to go back home. I missed my family and decided to get out of my contract against the advice of my agent. It wasn’t until I got back and got an MRI that the fracture surfaced.

“I did rehab for four months, but it wasn’t getting better. They gave me clearance, and I went back, but it wasn’t the same. I traveled to Poland to do some trials with a club. I didn’t get signed. I was disappointed, but had several trials lined up.

“I was on my way to the next club when my cousin told me he was getting married, and he asked me to be the best man. I decided to go back home and be there for him. At that point, I was kind of over it. I was burnt out.”

I was concerned when I left the DA’s office. My fiancée was pregnant at the time, and I had a lot of responsibility.

“I took the LSATs in 2010 when I was a senior. I didn’t take it very seriously at the time, but when I came home from Europe, the job market wasn’t exactly thriving after the recession.

“I got accepted to a majority of the law schools I applied to, and I chose Southern University Law Center in Baton Rouge. It’s one of the six historically black law schools that exist in the United States. It has a rich history.

“I was at the top of my class. I won a National Law Review award for an article I published and went on to intern with Kenneth Montgomery, who is a very well-known criminal defense attorney in New York and across the country.

“I got a job offer from the Bronx district attorney’s office before my last semester of law school and started there in October 2017. I worked there for three years as an assistant district attorney in the trial bureau, and then after that, I worked in the narcotics, gangs and investigations bureau.

“I was concerned when I left the DA’s office. My fiancée was pregnant at the time, and I had a lot of responsibility. I was hired by a private firm in New Jersey, which handles criminal defense and immigration cases, when COVID hit.

“I was the least senior associate and was let go as a result. I lost what I thought was a really good opportunity at the time. It was a big boost financially. I was starting my family, and losing this job was a big hit.

“COVID gave me a lot of time to start planning. There was so much uncertainty that I used it to think critically about what I wanted to do. It was kind of like a trial by fire for me because I had always wanted to open my own practice.

“In April 2020, I opened my own firm. Because of everything that was going on with George Floyd, we pledged to represent some protesters free of charge. There were a lot of folks that were wrongfully arrested, just being out past curfew. We had folks that were mistakenly identified as individuals in stores. We took those cases on pro bono.

“The law is very challenging, but I’m enjoying it. It has its challenges, but I’m enjoying the freedom and flexibility of owning my own business and just figuring things out as a young guy in the profession.”

Interviewed by Dan Offner

‘When you’re on the right path, the universe has a way of reminding you of that. A lot of people look for confirmation, or they look for reassurance.’

Amityville

“When I graduated from Farmingdale High School, I really didn’t know what I wanted to do. I started getting into making Vines, which were these 6-second videos, and I had a couple of friends who would tell funny stories on Snapchat. So I did that as well, and that was the first form of stand-up that I ever did.

“By this point, I realized I had a real attraction to comedy and might as well figure things out. I went to college up at SUNY Oneonta, where I majored in theater. During my freshman year, I was cast in the first play I ever performed. From there, I just felt comfortable. I knew that this was what I really wanted to do.

“When you’re on the right path, the universe has a way of reminding you of that. A lot of people look for confirmation, or they look for reassurance. I didn’t really know where this was going to go, but I went into it, and in college, I had my confirmation.

“There was a comedy club on campus that was just getting started when I got there. It was unrecognized at the time but started to gain recognition the year I joined. We would do sketches, improv, stand-up, and we would host shows for other clubs.

Being young in comedy, a lot of people will dismiss you.

“Later on, I had the chance to open for several comedians that came to the school, including Anthony Chico Bean from “Wild ’n Out” and stand-up comedian-actor Andrew Schulz. At the same time, I was still doing theater. I was cast as the lead in a production of “Romeo and Juliet,” and the following year I was cast as Walter Lee Younger in “A Raisin in the Sun.” That performance got me a nomination to go to the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival.

“Being young in comedy, a lot of people will dismiss you. When I first started, there were people who didn’t give me any opportunities. It was a challenge, but I’m grateful. I’ve had a couple of comedian friends, who saw me at these shows that I would do with Long Island producers, offer to pick me up.

“Right now, I am just focused on exposure and showing people what I can do. I’m getting a little bit of a jolt because I recently connected with Yannis Pappas, who is an older, more established comic, and he put me on his podcast, and now we’re starting to create together.”

‘It’s about being fearless and embracing the journey because it’s not about the results, it’s about the process. I’m doing what I want to do with my life and I’m doing that unapologetically.’

Amityville

“My parents moved from Haiti around the mid-80s. My dad always said that the first few months, it was just such a culture shock. He had no money and didn’t speak the language. There were a lot of barriers for him to become successful.

“Today, there are a lot of young Haitians flourishing, especially on Long Island. It’s probably because their parents took that leap to come to America. They went through all those struggles to learn the language, get an education, find a job and build a family.

“I didn’t understand why my parents used to push me hard when I was younger. I used to get annoyed and wonder ‘why am I being treated like this compared to other people that I know?’ I understand now why they did that.

“A lot of who I am today, I owe that to my parents pushing me towards always being a better person. I am basically an entrepreneur. I have been working with people with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) for over six years and I am on the verge of starting my own agency, which will provide services to people suffering from TBI who may need assistance with money management or finding a place to live.

“My parents moved from Haiti around the mid-80s. My dad always said that the first few months, it was just such a culture shock.

“My management company 7twenty6 is a brand that represents never giving up, always pursuing your goals, and not worrying about monetary or material things. When it comes to making music, you have to be very consistent.

“People want to see how seriously you take this. It’s also something you got to be patient with. It’s not an overnight thing. And it’s not something where you just make one song and that’s it. It’s about being fearless and embracing the journey because it’s not about the results; it’s about the process.

“I’m doing what I want to do with my life and I’m doing that unapologetically. I also released an audiobook last year called “Eagles Fly Alone,” which is based on my story, about leaving college, and trying to find out what path I’m going to take in life.

“I played basketball at St. Joseph’s College. I was really good. I just remembered putting so much into something and then it’s all over. And then it’s like ‘Where do I go from here?’ A lot of guys don’t recover from that. A lot of athletes take it to heart.”

Interviewed by Dan Offner

‘I wasn’t looking to reopen but I couldn’t let what my father built to go down that way. I knew I had to bring it back.’

Amityville

“My grandfather and parents were immigrants, I’m first generation. They opened a pizzeria in Amityville in 1969. I’ve been in the pizzeria business all my life. By 10, I could make a pizza for myself, but then one day a customer tells my dad ‘I want a cheese pizza with pepperoni, and I want the kid to make it for me.’ I was shaking, but I made it, and the customer said, ‘you did good,’ and gave me a $10 tip. I felt triumphant and got addicted to the business for life.

“The pizzeria life did consume my family. We were open 365 days a year, from nine in the morning to midnight. The family suffered, but my father didn’t know he was doing something wrong; he’s thinking ‘we have to make money, we have to pay the bills.’ I don’t blame him; this is what he knew. My dad worked from 1969 to 2004, every single day until he was diagnosed with cancer. He tried to work but got weaker, and when the doctors said there was nothing else to do, that was the last day he went to the pizzeria. He went home, got into bed and deteriorated until he was gone. From watching this, I have always known to include balance to have a life.

With all this, my family’s soul is alive, and still lives in the pizza.

“My dad and I had also opened an Italian restaurant together, and I got out of the pizzeria. It ended up changing hands before going out of business badly. I wasn’t looking to reopen but I couldn’t let what my father built go down that way. I knew I had to bring it back, but didn’t know in what form, so I started an underground pizzeria club; just delivery.

“I couldn’t take on many customers at first, but demand spread from Suffolk to Manhattan. It got to the point where I needed help, and after hiring some good talent, now anyone who gets the phone number can use it to order. I’m using my dad’s sauce, my grandfather’s sauce, everything I’m doing here is what they taught me, except with a few tweaks.

“My father, back in Italy, worked in a bakery and knew how to make the peasant bread from that time, so I took that bread aspect and added it to the pizza dough, like preferments and yeasts, and this gives the dough a whole different complexity. Once you add the sauce and the cheese, it just all marries. With all this, my family’s soul is alive, and still lives in the pizza.”

‘I realized I could be an effective teacher for all students.’

Wayne White, Amityville

“I decided to get my master’s in education because I had reverse motivation. When I was growing up, I had a teacher who wasn’t good, and I always thought I could be a much better teacher. I’ve been teaching at Bellport High School for 22 years and I currently teach AP U.S. history.

“When I first started teaching, being a Black male, it felt like I had been hired to help Black students pass. I received an award from Farmingdale College after I was nominated by a former student, who I impacted. It was a white student, and it blew my mind because it was a quiet student and I never expected it from him. That’s when I realized I could be an effective teacher for all students.

“It changed my whole outlook on teaching. It opened my eyes to see I had an effect not just on students of color. I’m also in my fifth term as president of Bellport Teachers Association.

“When I started teaching AP, I was the only Black teacher in social studies for a while; there are a few more now. I’ve seen the number of students of color in AP go up, and I’ve heard from Black and white students that they took the AP class so they could have their first Black teacher.

“One of my most memorable students is a student who in ninth grade wasn’t doing well; he was not focused, so I sat down and spoke to him.

“He went from being left back in eighth grade to graduating in the National Honor Society and is now a world-renown photographer. He’s one of those people you needed time to get to know, and he’s one of my most memorable students. He always had the potential. It just needed to be unlocked.

I’m involved with a team to create a roadmap for how districts can address the diverse needs of our children and families by looking at the complex system of structural inequalities and biases. I have some too, and I have to fight through them, but as long as I’m aware of it, I can fight it.

“I’m also director-at-large for New York State United Teachers, and I’m involved with a team to create a roadmap for how districts can address the diverse needs of our children and families by looking at the complex system of structural inequalities and biases.

“I have some too, and I have to fight through them, but as long as I’m aware of it, I can fight it. It’s important to know what other people are going through. I’m not the person you would expect me to be when you look at me. You have to get to know me a little bit better.

“I’m starting to see now that recently people’s ears are opening up, which is a good thing.”

The person profiled here has been a guest on Newsday Live.

Interviewed by Rachel O’Brien – Morano

‘Every woman has a little black dress; so does every drag queen. The difference is, we cover it in stones and sequins.’

Amityville

“For 30 years, it seems that any time I have ever done anything within the theater I have been the one to be asked to dress in drag. Seven years ago, I won an award at the Fresh Fruit Festival for the best featured drag performance, and that was the catalyst for what was to come. Honestly, there is no difference between my drag persona and myself. I just think she happens to be a manifestation of all the things that I normally do: I work for a theater company, I do costumes and make-up, I teach dance, and I am a performer. I do all that encompasses what most drag entertainers do, which is be their own producer, director, choreographer, etc. She is just an amalgam of me. When I sit in front of a mirror and put on all of my make-up, I just see me in a different way with a little extra. My look is inspired by the classic movie-musical and that vintage 40s, 50s feel. I’m also a 70s baby so I grew up around the disco and the 80s. She is a modern twist on all of that. Make-up seems complicated, but it is not. If you had a coloring book as a kid, it’s essentially the same.

We wouldn’t have theater without drag. It’s an historical thing as opposed to it just being a gay thing.

“With me doing this art, it’s about me taking my male look and making it feminine to present it on the stage. I’m still buying $8 tubes of lipstick, mascara and blush, the things most women buy at the drugstore while hemming and hawing over the best products. I’m a costumer so I can also sew, but I prefer to shop. With drag, you don’t have to break the bank to look nice, you just have to know about basic fashion. Every woman has a little black dress; so does every drag queen. The difference is, we cover it in stones and sequins. No one is surprised when people hear that I do drag. Nowadays it’s the norm; it’s not like it was 10 years ago, before Drag Race and RuPaul, with all of the stigma that came along with it because no one understood what it was.

“We wouldn’t have theater without drag. It’s an historical thing as opposed to it just being a gay thing. My go-to song is “Buttons” by The Pussycat Dolls. It’s a song that’s exciting for people to hear, it’s recognizable, and they enjoy it. Now that I’m on the other side of 40, I decided I’m just going to do things that I really enjoy.”