Class of Hope and Change

Stephanie is from Chicago, Illinois. She was living in the Chicago suburbs and spending her days “working…and when I’m not working, I’m with my son and with my family.”

When we sat down for this interview, Stephanie had recently finished reading Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist, and we were excited to talk with a first-time reader of the Brazilian author’s classic work.

Stephanie’s Most Likely To Is: "Most Likely to Be All Over the Place"

In The Alchemist, the main character (who is only referred to as “the boy”) is a shepherd, and this is central to how he thinks about his life, his possibilities, and his dreams; and we talked with Stephanie about what has been the driving force in her life.

Throughout the book, the boy encounters an interesting cast of characters. These characters have a way of either showing him something he needed to know, or helping to reveal something to the boy about himself. Stephanie talked about the people who were only in her life for a season, but had a big impact on her.

The main character in The Alchemist often finds himself alone on his quest. We talked with Stephanie about the ups and downs of trying to find people of similar spirit during her young adult years. We talked about the realities of the real world, and meeting people whose dreams have been packed away.

Stephanie also talked about some of the surprises of being the mother of a two-year old, and about what she does to stay inspired.

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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/ep38-stephanie/

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

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James is from Chicago, Illinois, and was living there at the time of his interview. He was spending his days “working, working out, and trying to better myself.”

James’ Most Likely To Is: "Most Likely to Push Himself Way Too Hard"

James described his daily routine for making each day better, and we talked about where he gets the motivation to do better.

He explained why he says he works out “like a martial artist”, and spoke about why he thinks young boys need an “alpha male” in their lives.

We wrapped up our conversation with a discussion about what James sees going on in certain neighborhoods in Chicago.

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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/ep37-james/

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

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Khalid is from Brooklyn, New York. He was serving as a United States Marine, based in North Carolina, at the time of his interview. His days were spent “either working out, reading books, or going to work.”

Khalid’s Most Likely To Is: "Most Likely to Get Out of the Military in a Few Months and Start School"

Khalid shared his approach to balancing his military identity with his personal one, and he explained why the tough-guy image of a Marine does not conflict with his desire to enter the medical or nursing profession.

We talked about some of the unique bonding experiences he went through while in boot camp, and Khalid explained the difference between coming home during his first year in the Marines and coming home in his final year.

He also spoke about what it’s been like to be serving in the military while so many justice and protest movements are taking place around the country.

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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/ep36-khalid/

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

Thanks for listening!

Kasim is from Brooklyn, New York, and was in his third year of college in New York City at the time of his interview. He spent his days “usually working…working takes up most of my time. When school comes back, that takes even more time, but I still try to have my downtime and hang out with my friends.”

Kasim’s Most Likely To Is: "Most Likely to Work Towards the Lifestyle I’m Trying to Live"

He explained why talking about his rapidly gentrifying neighborhood of Crown Heights, Brooklyn is “bittersweet”.

Kasim shared some of his memories from his childhood days as an “innocent” kid, and reminisced about how his life goals shifted after his childhood plans to become a doctor “went through the roof”.

We also talked about the difference between his “social media friends” and the friends he spends time with on a regular basis.

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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/ep35-kasim/

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

Thanks for listening!

Safiya is from Brooklyn, New York. At the time of her interview, she was living in Brooklyn as a third-year college student, and spending her days “working out at the gym, going to school, and staying at home typing up scripts and stuff.”

Safiya’s Most Likely To Is: "Most Likely to Win Some Kind of Award for Creative Writing"

We spoke about the role that writing has played in her life, and explained why winning an award for her writing is one of her goals.

She explained how seeing the achievements of her friends and peers inspires her to do more, and how “the broke life” of being a college student motivated 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/ep34-safiya/

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

Thanks for listening!

Kiana is from Brooklyn, New York, and was a third-year college student living in upstate New York at the time of her interview. Her days were spent “doing nothing, I don’t really have a life. If I’m not in school, I’m not really doing anything…but hanging with friends.”

Kiana’s Most Likely To Is: "Most Likely to Make A Great Change"

She talked about life in a small college town, and about how the organizations in her college’s ALANA community have come together to respond to some of the movements happening around the country.

Kiana also spoke about her journey of personal growth, and discussed the importance of acknowledging the people who’ve helped us become who we are.

We concluded by talking about what she sees in our country now, and why she thinks a “great” change is necessary in the world.

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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/ep33-kiana/

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

Thanks for listening!

Katie is from Oak Park, Illinois. At the time of her interview, she was living in the Chicagoland area and spending her days, “just trying to make the world a better place through volunteerism, and then I try to save the world at night as a superhero.”

You can keep up with her latest musings at her blog, Think rich/Look poor: https://bit.ly/2Z1i04u

Katie’s Most Likely To Is: "Most Likely to Wonder and/or Wander"

She explained what’s going on with her wondering and wandering, and talked about why she thinks volunteering makes the world a better place.

Katie explained why she doesn’t follow many celebrities on social media, and spoke about the most important people she follows on social media.

We talked about the phrase “Black Girl Magic” and what it meant to her to be raised with a strong sense of identity.

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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/ep32-katie/

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

Thanks for listening!

Jared is from Oak Park, Illinois, and was living in the western suburbs of Chicago at the time of his interview. He was spending his days “either working, or taking care of my five children.”

Jared’s Most Likely To is: "Most Likely To Bump His Head But Come Back To Make A Difference"

We talked about what it was like for him to grow up as an adopted child: Jared talked about the people who have the biggest influence on his life.

We talked about what it feels like, as a man, to be incarcerated. Jared explained what gives him the ability to get back up after “bumping his head”; and we talked about the importance of the idea of “coming home” for people who have served time.

Towards the end of our conversation, Jared talked about the love of his children and his love for his children. He also offered some words of advice for young people who are on the verge of deciding which way to go in 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/ep31-jared/

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

Thanks for listening!

Courtney is from Chicago, Illinois. She was living in the western suburbs of Chicago at the time of her interview, and her days were spent "working and raising her two kids with her husband."

Courtney’s Most Likely To is: "Most Likely to Take a Nap"

We talked about her journey in motherhood so far, and the difference between the perception and the reality of raising small children.

Courtney talked about the “blend of people” that she follows on social media, and how she separates reality from perception on those apps.

Our conversation concluded with a discussion about what she sees as she looks at her city – and at our country – in this moment.

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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/ep30-courtney/

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

Thanks for listening!

Erica is from Harlem, New York City. At the time of her interview, she was living in Brooklyn and spending her days “working, being heavily involved with the young people’s ministry at my church, spending time with my sister, and reading a lot more.”

Erica’s Most Likely To is: "Most Likely to Impact Change"

She explained what kind of change she plans to be a part of, and how her experiences in college helped shift and shape her outlook on life.

Erica shared how her faith has changed her life, and the path to the young woman she is becoming.

We discussed what books Erica is currently reading, and she concluded our conversation by talking about what she sees for her generation.

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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/ep29-erica/

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

Thanks for listening!