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Post by jenjie on Mar 9, 2016 14:52:22 GMT
I love this story from Humans of New York. I guess it was posted yesterday on fb but it showed up in my feed this morning.
“I didn’t go to college until I was fifty. I was working as a custodian and it just got tiresome. You could find me in the exact same place, at the exact same time, every single day. Clean the halls, clean the classrooms, clean the bathroom. I wasn’t feeling fulfilled.
I started going to college classes on the nights and weekends. It was difficult because I was always tired. There’d be times when I didn’t want to do an assignment or I didn’t want to go to school because it was raining. But my professors kept telling me: ‘You’re not looking for a job anymore. You’re looking for a career.’ I graduated five years ago with my BA. Then 2.5 years later I got my Masters. Now I’m a parent coordinator at the same school where I worked as a custodian. I get to counsel parents about how their children can get the most out of school. My confidence has doubled. I used to be unsure about speaking up, because I didn’t feel qualified to offer my opinion, but now I’ll stop parents on the street-- just to make sure that their child is on the right track. Some people in my position get stressed when they’re given a heavy workload, like: ‘Why do I have to do this?’ I always think: ‘I get to do this.’ I’ve been working in the Department of Education for thirty years, so I could retire next year with benefits. But I don’t want to. Because I love my job. Every day is different.”
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pudgygroundhog
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,643 
Location: The Grand Canyon
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Post by pudgygroundhog on Mar 9, 2016 14:54:02 GMT
I love HONY and this story was a great one.
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Post by melanell on Mar 9, 2016 14:54:54 GMT
I saw that and loved it. Did you see the post where he talks about his wife and how she was making more money than he was and how it was hard for him until he realized that he could support her & their family in ways other than just making money? It was sweet.
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scentcrazy
Junior Member
Posts: 91
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Post by scentcrazy on Mar 9, 2016 15:00:19 GMT
This was a great story!
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Post by grove420 on Mar 9, 2016 15:01:54 GMT
I had not heard of Humans of New York before, but based on this story, I'm going to check it out! Thanks for posting this inspiring story!
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Post by jenjie on Mar 9, 2016 15:03:03 GMT
I saw that and loved it. Did you see the post where he talks about his wife and how she was making more money than he was and how it was hard for him until he realized that he could support her & their family in ways other than just making money? It was sweet. No I didn't! Was it in the comments? |
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Post by jenjie on Mar 9, 2016 15:08:12 GMT
I had not heard of Humans of New York before, but based on this story, I'm going to check it out! Thanks for posting this inspiring story! Humans of New York began as a photography project in 2010. The initial goal was to photograph 10,000 New Yorkers on the street, and create an exhaustive catalogue of the city’s inhabitants. Somewhere along the way, I began to interview my subjects in addition to photographing them. And alongside their portraits, I'd include quotes and short stories from their lives. Taken together, these portraits and captions became the subject of a vibrant blog. HONY now has over twenty million followers on social media, and provides a worldwide audience with daily glimpses into the lives of strangers on the streets of New York City. Over the past five years, it has also expanded to feature stories from over twenty different countries. The work is also featured in two bestselling books: Humans of New York and Humans of New York: Stories. |
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MaryMary
Pearl Clutcher
Lazy
Posts: 2,975
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Post by MaryMary on Mar 9, 2016 15:11:19 GMT
I love HONY and this story!
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bethany102399
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,540
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Post by bethany102399 on Mar 9, 2016 15:15:10 GMT
Love HONY! it's a bit of inspiration on my FB feed. He's been able to do some amazing things thanks to this project. makes the world just a little bit better.
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Post by just PEAchy on Mar 9, 2016 15:16:22 GMT
I love HONY, I follow him on FB and I bought his latest book. This story was so sweet  : |
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Post by grove420 on Mar 9, 2016 15:59:55 GMT
Thanks for the link, Jenje.  |
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Post by melanell on Mar 9, 2016 16:28:16 GMT
I saw that and loved it. Did you see the post where he talks about his wife and how she was making more money than he was and how it was hard for him until he realized that he could support her & their family in ways other than just making money? It was sweet. No I didn't! Was it in the comments? No, it was a separate post by HONY.  You know how he often does 2 or 3 part stories? This was another part. |
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Post by jenjie on Mar 9, 2016 16:29:10 GMT
No I didn't! Was it in the comments? No, it was a separate post by HONY. You know how he often does 2 or 3 part stories? This was another part. I didn't know that. I'll check it out. |
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Post by pierkiss on Mar 9, 2016 16:50:34 GMT
This is one of my favorite stories he has ever posted!
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gottapeanow
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,760
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Post by gottapeanow on Mar 9, 2016 17:59:44 GMT
Such a great story! I loved the follow up, too. Greatness was within him all along; she just helped pull it out.
Lisa
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Post by anniefb on Mar 9, 2016 19:24:28 GMT
That is a great story!
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Post by kristi on Mar 9, 2016 19:32:27 GMT
I am amazed often by how Brandon can take my preconceived ideas/thoughts & throw them out the window by telling a different side of the story.
He has a gift for story telling with compassion!
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Post by polz on Mar 9, 2016 21:09:11 GMT
I love HONY. One of the reasons I want to go to New York (Other than to dance with the naked cowboy guy) is on the off chance I run into Brandon. I have no idea what I would say, but wouldn't it be cool? I'd love to change lives like the little boy from Mott Hall Bridges Academy, but I'd probably say something stoopid like 'I love running' lol.
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Post by tommygirl on Mar 9, 2016 23:42:42 GMT
I love HONY and thought this story was brilliant! This man epitomizes the American dream.
I love that he acknowledged how hard it was to work and go to school.
It is so awesome that it paid off for him in a fulfilling career doing something he enjoys.
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brandy327
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,353
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Post by brandy327 on Mar 10, 2016 1:50:47 GMT
I love HONY and this story was a great one.  I loved reading the second installment that talked about his wife encouraging him to go back to college. LOVED it! |
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brandy327
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,353
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Post by brandy327 on Mar 10, 2016 1:52:17 GMT
Here's the second post... jenjie“I was working as a school safety officer when I met her. She was a teacher. But she kept working her way up. She became a principal. She went to work in the central office. She got her doctorate. Eventually she became the highest-ranking black woman in New York education. She was always taking that next step. I was working as a custodian when we got married. She was making five times more than me. It bothered me at first. It took some counseling to convince me that she hadn’t ‘settled’ for me. I’d been raised on the idea that the man was supposed to provide. But eventually I came around to the idea that money wasn’t the only way to provide. I could support her by doing chores, or taking the kids to school, or picking her up from the airport. Her work benefited all of us, so I could help provide by making her job easier. And eventually she inspired me to want more for myself. She’s the one that convinced me to go back to college.” |
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You know how he often does 2 or 3 part stories? This was another part.
