Stories of real events shared by real people in your community
Brought to you by Cheyenne Degiglio
Inspired by the Humans of New York, People of Pennsylvania is a way to create a platform for strangers to share their stories, whether they be sad, inspiring, happy, deep and profound, or short and simple.
Through this column I hope to create a deeper understanding of the people around us. I hope that by reading these stories you can gain a new appreciation for people that you have not met and begin to imagine strangers and their pasts more complexly. We will never know all that a person has been through but if we keep an open mind and listen to listen, not to respond, we may just learn a little something.
As you read these stories, I ask that you simply listen, understand, and appreciate that someone has bravely shared a part of themselves with you. So feel free to laugh, smile, cry, frown, or whatever it may be. Just let yourself make connections and feel for someone else temporarily. Now, without further ado, I present to you, the People of Pennsylvania.
“So one of the most inspirational moments in my lifetime was back in the late 90’s when I was in the business world and I was the sales representative for a company and I was on a business trip and myself and some executives were traveling for business and also for golfing and I was in a near life threatening automobile accident. From that accident not only did I get a second chance to live because I had my seat belt on that evening but it also gave me what I feel was a second chance at doing a career that I extremely love and that I’m passionate about because it was after my accident that I had to learn how to run and walk again for the year of recovering health-wise but then I also always knew that I wanted to be a teacher someday so I was actually taking some classes in college and chipping away at becoming a teacher and after my accident my job was taken from me and I pursued becoming a teacher. I’m now in that profession presently and I’ve learned a lot. A lot of things came from that accident as far as perseverance, commitment, and passion, and I feel that it was the plan for me to give back to a lot of people who have had an influence in my life because I spent a significant amount of time in the business world and in the corporate world and now I feel like I’m telling my stories, and sharing my stories with students not only in a current school district but also sharing my story with students, ya know, all across the state and even in multiple states. Also, from that occurrence it made me realize that when you’re given a second chance, nothing’s impossible. So, as I fell a little short trying to pass some of my teacher exams I was really at a crossroads of ether going back into the business world or pursuing teaching as my final career choice and I ended up having to persevere through some standardized testing which really took a tole on my health, life, and my anxiety and I persevered and studied and came through it and now I’m not working a day in my life because I love what I do and I’m passionate about making young teenagers successful in life.” -when asked about an inspirational moment in his life
“You get to meet a lot of people at the post office, uh you get to handle a lot of packages and letters and it, it really is a very rewarding job.” -when asked what she enjoys about her job
“Okay so I was adopted by my grandparents because my dad was in the penitentiary and he didn’t get out until I was 15. My biological mom, I never knew. I met her twice, I think, once on Easter when I was about 12 and the other time was at her funeral when I was 14; she died of a heroin overdose. They adopted me and my sister who are two years apart. We have the same mom and the same dad and we were very fortunate that we didn’t get lost in the system. We were able to live with our paternal grandmother and her husband who gave us the best childhood that anybody could ask for if you could ask for one. They always pushed us to do our hardest in school. My father figure was in the army so he was very strict and my mom, who is my grandmother, she had a very hard time with her own children and husband before the one who adopted me and my sister. Even though she had a hard time she still became an RN. She died when I was 16, then my sister and I were given the choice of what we wanted to do, so we went to live with our biological dad who at the time was about a year out of jail. We didn’t have a parent-daughter relationship and he basically let us do whatever we wanted to do. But, with all of that, I still managed to get A’s and B’s in high school and, during my senior year, I had to double up on 11th and 12th grade and I got pregnant on top of it and I still managed to graduate with my class. I then moved out, and the rest is history.” -when asked about what made her who she is today
“Okay so once after church, my mom was home and so was I, and I was still just a wee little thing so I was in a car seat and I fell asleep. So, my mom just decided to leave me sleep in the car seat in the car in our garage and I was in there for like two hours or so and then I woke up. I had to go to the bathroom really bad, so I started screaming because I couldn’t unlatch myself from my car seat, and I kept screaming and, um, she never heard me and so I peed myself in the car and then eventually she came out and found me all soaked and stuff.” -when asked about a story from her childhood
“So in this world of working and trying to find a place to fit in, I have constantly struggled with trying to put out my best work and doing it fast. So, in order to complete my everyday tasks I would struggle because I was unhappy with life as I was living it, and my dad knew that I wasn’t happy and he tried the best that he could to fix it. And one thing he always told me was to take pride in your work and that statement is stuck with me forever. It pushes me to do more and think more about others and enjoy the outcome because you only get to do certain things once in your lifetime and, ya know, as long as you are helping others and taking pride in your work, what more is there to do in life?” -when asked about something that changed his life
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