‘I found a way to redirect these talents and create music that glorifies him while uplifting others.’

Angel Vega, West Islip

“I originally grew up in Roslyn. What truly defines me is my unwavering Christian faith. From a young age, I found solace and inspiration within the walls of my church.

“As life took its course, I briefly drifted away from my faith, only to rediscover it during my college years. This rekindling had a profound effect on me, transforming not just who I am, but how I perceive and interact with the world around me.

“In my youth, I delved into battle rap and music, but I didn’t always use these talents to spread a positive message. Regrettably, there were times when I resorted to negativity, belittling others and spewing profanities. By the grace of God, I found a way to redirect these talents and create music that glorifies him while uplifting others.

As I reflect on my journey, I cannot help but be filled with gratitude for the incredible ways God has worked through me.

“Now, I choose words that inspire and encourage, spreading the truth about God through my music and sharing my personal testimony. In 2016, God put in my heart to start a Christ-centered podcast called ‘The Message.’ My goal through this podcast is to encourage faith, as well as tackle some topics of the faith.

“My faith has been tested through countless trials, one of the most poignant being my father’s battle with cirrhosis of the liver in 2019. The fear of losing him was overwhelming, especially as he awaited a liver transplant, but God proved himself during that challenging time. I spent invaluable moments by my father’s side, strengthening our bond in the face of adversity.

“While I was prepared to accept whatever outcome lay ahead, all I truly desired was for my father to find God’s love. Miraculously, he received the life-saving transplant, and today he stands tall, healthier than ever. Witnessing this incredible miracle solidified my unwavering belief that God works wonders in our lives.

“As I reflect on my journey, I cannot help but be filled with gratitude for the incredible ways God has worked through me. Through my faith, music and connections with others, I have seen lives transformed, friendships deepened and miracles unfold. These experiences reaffirm my belief that being a Christian is not just a part of who I am, but a defining aspect that fuels my purpose of spreading love, hope and light.”

Interviewed by Starr Fuentes

‘My biggest wake-up call was when my grandfather told me in the ICU to take better care of myself.’

West Islip

“In January last year, I was pushing 300 pounds. My 2022 New Year’s resolution was to lose weight. I weigh 208 pounds now. My biggest wake-up call was when my grandfather told me in the ICU to take better care of myself.

“He was suffering from congestive heart failure and wasn’t able to say much, so I had to listen closely. We lost him on Father’s Day. I went to the hospital to deliver a card for him. Unfortunately, they pronounced him deceased in front of my mother and me.

“I have always had an extreme personality. I needed something dramatic to wake me up and turn the lights on. I especially knew that about myself in 2018, when I caught the bug doing stand-up. It gave me lots of opportunities. I was the opening act for Robert Kelly and Rich Vos at NYCB Theatre at Westbury, with only six months in the game. But the lifestyle of comedy shows was a pretty unhealthy one. I cared more about being funny than I cared about my health.

I wasn’t just searching for weight loss, but also to find balance, set attainable goals, but to still dream big.

“My decision to lose weight started after I went to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico with my family. I was looking at the pictures and wanted to delete every single one of them. With the power of carb-cutting, Peloton and the help of my friends, Brett and John, I was able to see fast results again. But this time, it was for my health.

“I made the decision to put performing stand-up in the rear-view mirror but still help promote shows virtually. I collaborated with Long Island Wise Guy on Instagram and made the connection to promote prominent shows at the Paramount in Huntington. I also co-produced the 2022 “Long Island Laugh Off” at Governor’s Comedy Club as a part of my show biz send-off.

“Ironically, I used to have a bit in my act that made fun of group [fitness] training, but little did I realize that group training would change my life forever.

“I look forward to my 4:45 a.m. routine at OG Training Academy in Lindenhurst, to hit the shower and head to my career working for my family’s business.

“My grandpa was the number one guy who pushed me and encouraged me, and he still is. I hear his motivating words when I train; I still feel a connection with him in that way. I wasn’t just searching for weight loss, but also to find balance, set attainable goals, but to still dream big.”

Interviewed by Rachel O’Brien – Morano

‘It was like a family secret. But it never really affected me, I was a child.’

West Islip

“We came to the United States in 2001, when I was 9 years old. We migrated from Argentina, like many immigrants, following that American dream of a better life and better opportunities. We came here legally, with a visitor visa. But eventually, that expired. I knew we were undocumented. It was like a family secret.

“But it never really affected me, I was a child. I think when I really started to realize the effects is when I began seeing my friends getting their learner’s permit and first jobs. I had situations where people would say, ‘why don’t you have your learner’s permit?’ and I would say, ‘I don’t want it, I’m not interested,’ but in reality, I was dying to have those things.

I’m tired of being treated like a criminal and running away as if we committed a huge crime when in reality, my parents just came here for a better life.

“When I was around 16 — and this is very common in the Latino community, multiple families are living in the same house, and this is around the time Suffolk County police was working with immigration — they came to our house. I was in school, so was my brother, and my father was working. For the other families there, they were all taken away to a detention center. The only person still there was my mom. The only reason they didn’t take my mom was because my mom was with my little brother. They told her, we’re gonna come back tomorrow and if you’re still here, we’re going to take you away. We had to pack whatever little things we had and leave.

“That was a breaking point for me. It was like, ‘no, that’s it. I’m tired of being treated like a criminal and running away as if we committed a huge crime when in reality, my parents just came here for a better life.’ I really became more open about it and more involved with what it’s like to be a Dreamer.

“From when I was a little girl, I felt like I was put in this world to do something to help others. Maybe not always being the person who represents somebody, but tells them these are your rights, this is what you can do when you encounter this situation. Because I wish someone would have told my family, these are your rights, and this is how you can handle this situation. I want to do that for other families.”

Interviewed by Betsy Abraham

‘We’ve been doing it a long time, so most people know us. We’ve become the old timers. We started not knowing anything and now everybody comes to us.’

West Islip

“We went to the Garden of Eve Chickapalooza and that’s how we got our first chickens. You pay $10 for the class and got a free chicken. And then it just kept growing. Two became three within a week. That became six and before you know it, we have about, I don’t know, 70? It’s hard to count now. Sometimes we lose some, sometimes we gain some.

“Our neighbors have chickens and a whole bunch of people in the neighborhood do too. The Long Island Chicken Keepers Group has thousands of members. Everybody’s really tight-knit. They’re also kind of secretive. Most people we know would never admit they have chickens. Keepers get blamed for rodent problems, so most don’t want people to know they have them otherwise you become the neighborhood pariah. You have to keep them clean.

“We’ve always had a lot of animals. It’s good to have animals around with kids too. I think kids with animals are more compassionate. They learn nurturing skills. The kids are always out tending and collecting eggs and feeding them peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Some of the chickens are more friendly than others. At times, we’ll handle a chicken nonstop and it’s never friendly. Others are super friendly. You get super attached to the friendly ones.

“They can live 10 years. A lot of people will cull them when they stop laying. We don’t do that. We just figure they’ve worked hard for us making eggs, the least they could have is a nice life and hang out in the backyard eating bugs. We don’t eat our chickens. We do eat chicken, just not our chickens. They’re our pets. We’re keeping pets that lay eggs.

When people buy eggs from us, they want to see something unique, not something they can buy from the supermarket.

“Different breeds lay more than others. We have a whole lot of blue and green layers. When people buy eggs from us, they want to see something unique, not something they can buy from the supermarket. The black copper maran lays an egg that’s chocolate colored, we have those too. We use as many as we can and then we sell them to the neighborhood for $5 a dozen. In the spring and summer, we get two or three dozen a day. And we sell them as fast as we collect them.

“We’ve traveled with chickens. We have a house in Florida, and we brought chickens from there. There were breeds we couldn’t get up here. One of them was a rooster, she would just perch on my seat as we were driving on the interstate. The car stunk to holy hell by the time we got back.

“We’ve been doing it a long time, so most people know us. We’ve become the old timers. We started not knowing anything and now everybody comes to us.”

Interviewed by Betsy Abraham