Some of the schools I’ve attended were Arcola Lakes Elementary School, West Little River Elementary School, Hubert O. Sibley Elementary School, Miami Springs Middle School, William H. Turner Technical Arts High School, and Saint Thomas University just to name a few. My recent big achievement was graduating my high school with honors. As of now, I am majoring in English and minoring in Pre-Law. I have many different hobbies and interests.
Growing up different wasn’t always easy for me. My dad, Anthony Smigelski Jr., worked as an active duty officer in the Coast Guard and my mom, Claudia Smigelski, worked as a registered nurse. In 1976 it was illegal to perform an abortion in New Orleans, Louisiana so my parents, who were unsuccessful having their own children, moved to Louisiana in hopes they would have a better change to adopt a baby. On April 2, 1976 they got their wish; I was delivered to their home in Gretna, LA when I was only 10 days old. It wasn’t long after my parents got me that my father was transferred to Governor’s Island, NY when I was two years old.
I will always remember the fantastic experience that I had in Cooperstown last summer. As we entered the ballpark in our car, we could see the majestic baseball field. People were already working on the fields, making the grass sparkle and the dirt smooth. We drove down the consummately paved road to the barracks and as they came into view, I could see several of them. All of them right next to each other, identical.
One night, during the cold winter, I walked along the side walk to reach the local store down the block. As I walked out, before I can realize it, I was dropping down onto the concrete while bullets swiftly passed me. I then began to run back home, but I wanted to keep running. Away from Chicago, away from the west side. Growing up in Chicago, it was easy to assume that there was nothing different beyond the blocks of my streets.
I was following the routine. I reported for work at the La Guardia airport in New York City. I did he standard preflight inspection: "weight and balance figures; the amount of fuel needed to get to Charlotte, North Carolina; the takeoff, climbing, and cruising speeds" My first officer, Jeffery Skiles, was at the controls. We trade off; it was his turn to be in command.
I have lived in East Oakland my whole life. To the majority of people, the mention of East Oakland evokes thoughts of violence, shootings, and gangs. I was one of the people who believed in these stereotypes, and for a particularly long time. I was one of the people who saw Oakland as a wasteland, a place with nothing to offer me, and a place I had nothing to offer to.
I was lost. Friends were not at my disposal. Time was in abundance. Thoughts was all i had. Freshman through Christmas break of my sophomore year I attended Berks Catholic High School, but before that I graduated from a feeder school named Scared Heart School.
December 12th, 1997 was the day I was born, in South Suburban Hospital located in Hazel Crest Illinois. After I was delivered, my family and I moved to Whitewater, Wisconsin, there is when my life took a toll. Living in Whitewater, Wisconsin was a positive and negative experience. I lived there until the age of 12 and then we moved to Chicago, Illinois. Coming from a small town and transitioning into a huge city was such a meaningful process that plays a big part in my story.
The talented musician Eddie Money once said “I’ve got two tickets in my pocket, now baby, we’re going to disappear.” What if we all had that? Two tickets to wherever you wanted to go. No one to stop you just you and someone special to you disappearing.
In elementary and secondary school, I was an awful student and failed almost every subject, so I transferred to an art school called the Instituto da Guarda when my father got a job there. I stayed there for four years, then transferred to another school called La Lonja and was given a studio apartment as a sign of independence
Location: I decided to start my observation on a bench inside Rittenhouse Square Park. There’s a lot of people inside the park participating in many activities. I’m sitting on a bench near the fountain and people watching. Some people are sun bathing in the grass with their shoes off, while others are sitting on a blanket with their friends, significant others, or pet.
Traveling, the number one activity that most people love to do. I actually like to treat myself, by traveling to a different city every other month. This is my way of relaxing and detaching from my daily routine. This past summer, my girlfriend and I decided to travel to Detroit, Michigan.
Buzz...buz———— “Dad, I need to go to the bathroom right now; wait or finish it yourself.” I was afraid I would collapse on the floor within seconds, so I stumbled upstairs to the washroom at the sound of his sighs. Perhaps he thought I was just trying to get away from this boredom, but all that was in my head was “How is that possible? Why did I never see that coming?” Thinking of that, a weight dragged my heart down to the ground as I went up.
New York is a very popular city that everyone is familiar with when they heard of the names of Statue of Liberty, Time Square, and the Broadway, but this place to me is not only just an ordinary city; it is a home that I most feel safe and protected. It has a very special meaning in my life since it was the first home that my family and I resided when we came to America ten years ago. New York was filled with such wonderful memories such as when we tried to adapt to a new life, culture, new people, and foods and learn how to speak English. It is place of comfort that I feel most at ease and relaxed. Although we only stayed in Queens for half a year when I was still seven, it has always been a place where I consider special and unforgettable.
I am one of the lucky few who still have a father. When I use to live in New Jersey, a lot of my friends were raised by single moms or raised by their grandparents. Honestly, I was always scared that someday my parents might divorce ,but now that doesn 't seem like it 's gonna happen. Furthermore, my father is the engine of our family and the reason why our family is successful.
