Manuel AKA “Manny” Ortiz
Born in Brooklyn New York, raised in Pennsylvania and then relocated to Rochester New York at a young age, Manuel Ortiz younger years as a youth consisted of learning to play two instruments. He learned how to play the drums and also the trumpet. He performed for church ceremonies and joined in many parades. He was always full of great spirit.Continue reading
“Accept responsibility for your life. Know that it is you who will get you where you want to go, no one else.” – Les Brown
June 1993, High school is over, I graduated. I have no plan to attend college; I didn’t do well in high school. I leave high school with a special education diploma, so in actuality I really don’t have options. I have desires, I have dreams and I know there is more to life than this. But let’s be honest, I have no academic skills, I have no role models, just a vision. I see people with nice houses and luxury cars but I don’t know the path to take to obtain these items. I had no one telling me to strive for these things when I was growing up. I lived in poverty. My view of success was the local drug dealer and rap videos.Continue reading
Kate Schneider is an enthusiastic Radiologic Technologist, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist with an MBA, a passionate advocate for childhood health, and our Mrs. New York America!
Kate’s radiology career brought her to the Capital District during the Summer of 2005, and she has proudly called New York her home ever since. That same year she met James, an orthopedic surgeon and lifelong resident of Upstate New York, who would later become her husband in October of 2009. They now live in the town of Rexford with their fur babies; two sweet little Yorkie’s named Martini and Maui.Continue reading
PHOTOS BY NATALIE SINISGALLI
The most life changing choice I have ever made is to believe that I am enough. Throughout my life, I’ve gravitated toward people who evoke a strong sense of confidence; people who pushed boundaries and stood out from a crowd, had an identifying trait, or won superlatives in high school because they were the best at who they were.Continue reading
ARTICLE BY NATALIE SINISGALLI & PHOTOS BY NSP STUDIO
I frequently hear people say they’re “just not creative”. As if you are either born with it, or you’re not. If you count yourself in the “not” camp, I have news for you. Creativity is within all of us. Like many things in life, it’s something you can practice and grow. There are many benefits to doing so. Creative thinking is how we reach new outcomes, how problems get solved, and where opportunities begin.Continue reading
Emily Mahana, Miss NY for America 2019
Emily has lived in Central New York her whole life. A resident of Clay, Emily graduated from Cicero-North Syracuse High School in 2014. Following high school graduation, she attended Syracuse University. There, she majored in Civil Engineering, and graduated Summa Cum Laude in 2018 with her Bachelor’s Degree. She now works in Liverpool for Barton & Loguidice in the transportation practice area as a bridge engineer.Continue reading
PHOTOS BY MIKE HARRISON
ARE YOU DEPLETED?
One of my life dreams was to become a mother. Since I was a little girl, growing up with 3 brothers, I used to play with my mom pretending she would be the grandmother. These very vivid memories were reinforced with early play at the age of 6 or so.
Fast forward, at the age of 30, that dream became true. My heart smiles reminiscing on that first time when my husband and I met each and every one of our 4 children. They are a gift from above.Continue reading
“No one is coming to save us. We are the change we need to see. Let today be the day that we transform our communities. This is our uprising. We are the people.” – Dr. Shanelle R. Benson Reid
Today, I carry with me the, anger, fear, frustration and pain of those who came before me and those who will come after. I spent several days pondering this topic because of the racism and systematic oppression faced daily; a great deal of time toiling over these ideas and knew it would be impossible to not share.Continue reading
From mom and pop shops to convenience stores, gas stations to grocery stores, CBD products are showing up everywhere. If you take a moment out of your daily commute to look around, odds are that you are passing by street banners, signs and billboards announcing the availability of CBD at this or that location. Which, on the surface, is very exciting and bodes well for the industry, but it begs the question: Why should I go there to buy my CBD?Continue reading
COVER PHOTO BY CHARLENE MANN PHOTOGRAPHY
The mission of the Northeast Kidney Foundation is to improve the quality of life of those affected by kidney disease and related conditions, to increase organ donation and to empower those we serve to be effective voices for better healthcare at the local, state and federal levels.Continue reading
