Class of Hope and Change

Ebonee is from Brooklyn, New York. She was living there at the time of her interview and spending her days, “being a mother…being a friend. I recently got my license to be a childcare provider, so that’s kinda cool. I watch kids all day. I love the kids.”

Ebonee’s Most Likely To Is: "Most Likely To Succeed"

Ebonee began by sharing some of her memories of what the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn was like when she was a child.

We talked about how she is raising her daughter to have a strong sense of self-worth and self-love, and about how much of herself she sees in her daughter. She explained what she means when she says that she is seeing “a lot of motherless children”.

She also spoke about her journey of personal growth over the past few years, and described what success means to her now.

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Intro Theme Music: Chega Para Mim by AbJo

See photos of our guest, and pick up your copy of the companion book athttps://classofhc.com/ep48-ebonee/

Join the conversation on Twitter: https://bit.ly/2Nd2H1C and on Instagram: https://bit.ly/2Z4jPgg

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Jasmine is from Brooklyn, New York, and was living as a first-year graduate school student near Baltimore, Maryland at the time of her interview.

Her days were spent “on a very strict routine, during the school year. I go to work, come home, do my work, and go to class. I try and squeeze a gym day in here and there, but it’s mostly studying and going to work.”

We began by talking about the difference between summer vacations in high school and summer vacations in grad school.

Jasmine shared how her plan to go to medical school took a detour, and how she got through a period in her life when her dreams started to look shaky.

She described her journey of personal growth over the past few years, and explained where she gets the confidence to trust and follow her own voice.

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Intro Theme Music: Chega Para Mim by AbJo

See photos of our guest, and pick up your copy of the companion book at https://classofhc.com/ep47-jasmine/

Join the conversation on Twitter: https://bit.ly/2Nd2H1C and on Instagram: https://bit.ly/2Z4jPgg

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Erin is from Brooklyn, New York, and was still living there at the time of her interview. She spends her days, “right now…cooking, cleaning, getting ready to go back to work, living life, loving life, and spending time with family.”

Erin’s Most Likely To Is: "Most Likely to Stop Procrastinating, Take Responsibility for My Actions, Live Life, and Make My Parents Proud"

We began with a conversation about food, and Erin recounted the story of how she learned to cook.

She talked about the how her social circle changed during the time when she was getting to know herself, and Erin gave her new definition of the word ‘friend’.

Our conversation ended with Erin's powerful tribute to her grandmother, and the words of wisdom she shared during Erin's youth.

She described the period in her life that motivated her to stop procrastinating:

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Intro Theme Music: Chega Para Mim

See photos of our guest, and pick up your copy of the companion book at https://classofhc.com/ep46-erin/

Join the conversation on Twitter: https://bit.ly/2Nd2H1C and on Instagram: https://bit.ly/2Z4jPgg

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Kevin is from Chicago, Illinois. At the time of his interview, he was living in Chicago and spending his days “working…and when I’m not working, just with the kids, being a family man, trying to do as much as I can possibly do on my weekends.”

Kevin’s Most Likely To Is: "Most Likely to Help Someone That Needs Help"

Kevin talked about what having children has meant in his life, and shared the biggest lesson he learned from his father.

We talked about his journey of personal growth over the past few years; including his experience getting laid off from his first corporate job, and how he bounced back.

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Intro Theme Music: Chega Para Mim by AbJo

See photos of our guest, and pick up your copy of the companion book at https://classofhc.com/ep45-kevin/

Join the conversation on Twitter: https://bit.ly/2Nd2H1C and on Instagram: https://bit.ly/2Z4jPgg

Thanks for listening!

Felice is from Brooklyn, New York and was living in Atlanta, Georgia at the time of her interview. She was spending a lot of her days “trying to make this money.”

Felice’s Most Likely To Is: "Most Likely To Succeed"

She explained what the biggest transition was for her in moving to Atlanta, and we talked about the hot-or-cold reception some New Yorkers encounter after moving to the South.

Felice spoke about what being successful means for her, and about the benefits of having a positive social circle.

Felice shared some of her experiences growing up with a disability, and the role her parents played in helping her develop a strong sense of self.

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Intro Theme Music: Chega Para Mim by AbJo

See photos of our guest, and pick up your copy of the companion book at https://classofhc.com/ep44-felice/

Join the conversation on Twitter: https://bit.ly/2Nd2H1C and on Instagram: https://bit.ly/2Z4jPgg

Thanks for listening!

Janelle is from Brooklyn, New York. She was preparing to graduate from college in Washington, D.C. at the time of her interview, and she was spending her days “mostly…I’m going to be completed honest, I’m tired all the time. That’s become a part of my personality.”

Janelle’s Most Likely To Is: "Most Likely To Not Sit In An Office Behind A Computer and Desk"

We began with a conversation about HBCUs, and makes her alma mater (Howard University) a special place.

We talked about finding communities of like-minded people after graduation, and about the difference between friendships formed in college and the ones formed during the childhood / teenage years. Janelle spoke about dealing with the “So what are you going to do now?” question that often came up after someone found out that she was about to graduate.

She talked about the evolution in her understanding of the world, and of her personal identity, over the past 7-8 years. We talked about the phrase “checking my privilege”, and about how social privileges are different for women with different skin tones.

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Intro Theme Music: Chega Para Mim by AbJo

See photos of our guest, and pick up your copy of the companion book at https://classofhc.com/ep43-janelle/

Join the conversation on Twitter: https://bit.ly/2Nd2H1C and on Instagram: https://bit.ly/2Z4jPgg

Thanks for listening!

Amanda is from Haiti, and was living in Queens, New York at the time of her interview. Her days were spent “working in an OB-GYN office…and applying to graduate schools.”

Amanda’s Most Likely To Is: "Most Likely to Empower Black Women…hopefully sooner than later"

We talked about the benefits of being multi-lingual (Kreyol, English, French). Amanda shared about her experience of being a young, Black, American woman in Europe, and about what it takes to truly appreciate Paris.

Amanda spoke about some of the women who inspire her, reflected on the ways her priorities have changed over the past few years, and recounted the period in her life when empowering young Black girls became a goal for her.

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Intro Theme Music: Chega Para Mim by AbJo

See photos of our guest, and pick up your copy of the companion book at https://classofhc.com/ep42-amanda/

Join the conversation on Twitter: https://bit.ly/2Nd2H1C and on Instagram: https://bit.ly/2Z4jPgg

Thanks for listening!

Ethan is from Brooklyn, New York. He was living in Brooklyn as a third-year college student/filmmaker at the time of his interview. He spent his days “doing what I believe to be the most crucial thing to do at this point in my life, and that’s learning and laughing.”

Ethan’s Most Likely To Is: "Most Likely to Have Fun"

We talked about the benefits of setting big goals at a young age, and Ethan described the moment in his childhood when his goals changed.

Ethan explained where his ‘learning & laughing’ philosophy comes from, including some of the people in entertainment who inspired him, such as comedian Kevin Hart.

He shared his thoughts about the relationship between the definition of art and the craft of art. Ethan also discussed how he balances his “the party should be wherever you are” approach to life with the fact that so many creatives use pain and sadness as inspiration for their work.

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Intro Theme Music: Chega Para Mim by AbJo

See photos of our guest, and pick up your copy of the companion book at https://classofhc.com/ep41-ethan/

Join the conversation on Twitter: https://bit.ly/2Nd2H1C and on Instagram: https://bit.ly/2Z4jPgg

Thanks for listening!

Jonel is from Brooklyn, New York. She was living in northern Japan at the time of her interview, and was spending her days “at work…and if I’m not at work, I’m either relaxing at home, studying more Japanese, cooking, or hanging out with my friends.”

Jonel’s Most Likely To Is: "Most Likely to Do Things That Are Random"

We talked about YOLO, doing random things, and how fear nearly stopped her from going to Japan. Jonel explained how she ended up moving to the northern Japanese city of Morioka.

She spoke about Japanese food, J-Pop, and hearing Fetty Wap in local cell phone stores; and she shared some reflections and stories from her experiences being one of only a few Americans in her town.

She discussed her path of personal growth over the past few years, including the hardest part of her post-college transition.

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Intro Theme Music: Chega Para Mim by AbJo

See photos of our guest, and pick up your copy of the companion book at https://classofhc.com/ep40-jonel/

Join the conversation on Twitter: https://bit.ly/2Nd2H1C and on Instagram: https://bit.ly/2Z4jPgg

Thanks for listening!

Chelsea was born in Haiti, grew up in Brooklyn, New York, and was living in Brooklyn at the time of her interview. Her days were spent “working as a college advisor at a nonprofit, reading a lot, meditating, practicing yoga, and trying to find ways to be better and keep myself grounded.”

Chelsea’s Most Likely To Is: "Most Likely to Recover from Adversity"

Chelsea began by speaking about her most recent trip to Haiti, and addressed some common misconceptions people have about the country.

We talked about how gentrification has changed the Brooklyn neighborhoods where she grew up; and about what she sees as she looks at NYC and at our country in this moment.

She reflected on her journey of personal growth, described the role yoga now plays in her life, and discussed why having “circles of friends” has been good for her social life.

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Intro Theme Music: Chega Para Mim by AbJo

See photos of our guest, and pick up your copy of the companion book at https://classofhc.com/ep39-chelsea/

Join the conversation on Twitter: https://bit.ly/2Nd2H1C and on Instagram: https://bit.ly/2Z4jPgg

Thanks for listening!