Video Group Project

Photo Credit: Mentees

This workshop led by Jeremy, is a collaboration with the Quinn Center in highlighting stories of the seniors within the community. The Quinn Center is a community partner that TFD has the opportunity to collaborate with from time to time. The mentees learned how to prepare for a video shoot and interview. They also had the chance to film and lead the interviews themselves. One of the best ways to grow and learn is by doing, which the mentees did a lot of in this project. We can’t wait to share with you the completed project, and stories of our in our community!

Photo Credit: Mentees

Storytelling Workshop

Photo Credit: Mya Rose

For the second part of mentorship today, the mentees got to learn about storytelling from Rebecca. She explained how showing more detail within your story can help to improve your readers’ experience. This also connects to editing and photos since this is a visual aspect which shows someone what the story was all about. The mentees wrote a short story of their own experiences then shared with a partner to exchange some advice. After this they got a chance to share with the whole group the creative stories they wrote!

Photo Credit: Mya Rose

These Are Our Stories | Maya

Photo By: Jessica Rivera

Makeup By: Mariah Frank

1. What is your story?

I sat uncomfortably in my gray hospital room, anxiously looking around at the walls that seemed to slowly draw closer. The slow passage of time was torturous, days felt like months, and given the absence of a working clock, my only means of gauging time was the slow, sad drip of the IV. Countless doctors and physicians tried to determine the source of my pain; the theories were endless. One day I had intestinal problems, the next, I had cancer, other days, the theory was mental illness. No one seemed to be able to figure it out. All I knew was that I wanted to go back to normal; to the hospital, we went.  

Finally, an ultrasound technician found something. She showed the doctors that there was a large mass in my pelvic region. I was shocked such a mass could grow in anyone’s body, and why mine? Although my pain seemed endless, I felt safe with my doctors. These doctors were dedicated and made me feel like their top priority. I was grateful for their commitment to helping me feel better. Even though their words sounded foreign, I dreamt of learning their jargon and figuring out human illnesses. They offered patients and families like mine solutions to what felt unfathomable. The doctors were heroes in my eyes. 

Jarred from these thoughts, the doctors sent me into surgery. A mature cystic teratoma was removed from my left ovary. Fortunately, it was a ball of hair and teeth, not cancer. I will always have scars but I am fortunate to be alive and cancer free. After weeks of seeing them in pain, I saw the light of hope from their eyes. As I left my hospital room, I gained a new passion to help others, and learn more about the mysterious human body.

After the surgery, my love for science, anatomy, and biology has continued to grow. I hated not knowing the source of my pain, which fueled my passion and curiosity to study science. This experience also sparked my interest in working in the medical field. I would like to bring comfort to people by taking courses to prepare for medical school. As my family has struggled with both my sister's and my medical expenses, I feel I am allowed with this job to pay them back. Both my sister and I have had a cystic teratoma in the same spot. I have seen the pain my parents went through with me while my sister was in my spot. I also understand the struggles faced by families that have debt due to medical misdiagnosis. I want to be the person who can inform them of a correct diagnosis promptly. I want to be a trustworthy doctor who helps children through their health challenges, especially because I am unsure if I will be able to have children of my own. I empathize with children who feel insecure or are hesitant towards doctors and nurses. I want to help families find their answers by researching and explaining patient’s problems, just as my doctors did. 

1. What do you racially identify as?

African American and Caucasian

1. How can you use your story to make an impact in our community and beyond?

As I made my way through highschool, my motivation of being in the medical field only grew. Still, I began to struggle with my identity. Being biracial almost felt like a nuisance or a disadvantage. I always felt I had to choose my white or black side due to constant ethnic differences. Especially in healthcare, forms still do not list Biracial as a race, leaving me to conform to one half of myself. My social life has also been influenced by being biracial. Friends made me adjust to one race, making me feel as if my identity was not valid. There was a constant battle between myself and reality, yet I used this as motivation. There is still a lack of representation in the medical field of biracial people. I realized I would use my differences as an advantage. 

As a minority woman, it is important that I have the opportunity to pursue my passion for medicine and health. Only 34.5% of doctors in the United States are women (OECD), and only 2% are minorities (Forbes). My passion to help others is also driven by the underrepresentation of women in my desired field. Additionally, the amount of discrimination minorities experience in health care is reprehensible. The Tuskegee experiment, Henrietta Lacks, and sterilization of innocent Native American women all come from the eugenic superiority of white Americans. Many health specialists demonstrate their privilege as they fail to recognize the disadvantages faced by minorities. I want to change the standard of black and brown people being marginalized by being a relatable and dependable doctor. My uncertain, pre-teen self had no idea why she was in constant pain, but she will always be grateful to the technician who found that teratoma. Today, I am proud of myself for being certain in wanting to pursue a career that unravels mysteries to help people live their healthiest lives. I remain educated about current societal issues, which I plan to include in my studies. My studies are crucial to give others the help they deserve. 

1. What encouragement would you give to someone who shares a similar story?

I often struggle with telling myself I am good enough. Becoming a doctor is hard, and sometimes my negative thoughts harm my potential. To someone with the same dreams as mine, I would tell them to go for it. Of course there will always be barriers in the way, but the important part is getting around them. You are good enough. You are strong. You are blessed. Only you stand in your way of success. 

Photos By: Jessica Rivera

Makeup By: Mariah Frank

Sharing Our Stories with Mental Health

We hosted our first virtual panel discussion this past weekend, and it was such an honor to hear from our storytellers, as they shared their mental health journeys with us.

The Firehouse Dream believes in the power of our stories, and that our lived experiences matter. We hope that in hosting conversations with everyday community members on the topic of mental health, that our teens and young adults would feel safe connecting with a safe adult and/or seek professional counseling.

Some of my take a ways from this panel discussion was:

1. Each person’s mental health journey will look different.

2. It takes time to find the right therapist.

3. Sometimes we just need more kindness.

4. Mental health isn’t just talk therapy, it’s so much more. It’s what we eat, implementing exercise, meditation, it’s connecting with ourselves through art and writing, for some it’s medication, and so much more.

You can watch the full panel discussion below:

A special thanks to our storytellers:

Porchea-Londone, Jeremy Horn, Toria Baez, Teddy Matthews, Ashley Lauren.

If you need to talk to someone immediately please visit:

https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/

or call their hotline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

BETWEEN TWO CULTURES

“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside of you.”

— Maya Angelou

Ever since I was a little girl, stories fascinated me. When my reality didn’t add up to what my heart yearned to see, I’d peek my head out the window of a book, into the magical world of a new story. The journey was always surreal as I would fly in and out of the lives of countless characters but the landing back home was always disorienting. My ankles would buckle and my legs would struggle to hold the weight of my own tale. For years, I’d hold my story within me in hopes of it morphing into a new future that I could bear. But as the years progressed, the details of my story began to overflow and I was drowning. The waterline inside me lowered as the pen moved along the pages of my journals. Despite being surrounded by friends and peers that couldn’t clearly see me, I began to breathe again. 
Writing is my meeting place. It is where I meet God; it is where I meet my past; it is where I meet myself. It is my self care. I can be completely me on the page without the worry of appearances.

I grew up in the suburbs surrounded by kids that didn’t look like me. My parents fought hard to bring us there to benefit from a superior education, but as my mind filled with information on Physics, Advanced literary studies, and how to analyze data, I missed out on an education of the soul. None of my friends were people of color. I was the minority in every scenario: racially, ethnically, socioeconomically, and spiritually. I was a master at blending in as best I could and would act just as surprised when someone noticed that I was brown. 
My mother immigrated here from Mexico to marry my father, a first generation Mexican-American. I am a Mexican-American and my identity in this world is caught teetering on the slippery line of the hyphen between two cultures. Summers living in Mexico cemented my love for the culture and values of my ancestors while the daily life of America caught my attention and ambition for something more. The entanglements are vast and confusing. 
The page is always where I sort it out. 
When the world is loud and shouting countless opinions on what I should look like, how I should sound, the way I should live, the page is always there. 
I thank God for the countless ways He has provided for His children to express themselves. These small lines and loops serve as the paint strokes of my heart that I can share with others or keep to myself. It allows me to sort and shout. It is my tool to share my story and give courage to others to do the same so we can all breathe a little bit easier and walk a little lighter embracing how God has created us.

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My name is Jessica Annette Galvan. I am 32 years old and a follower of Christ. For the past 14 years, Gerardo Galvan has been my best friend and husband for 8 of those years. We have 2 brilliant little girls that we have the honor to raise together. I work as a freelance writer and editor serving creatively in many capacities to increase the amplification of different voices to reveal the beauty of God’s creation.

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