Berlin is for Lovers and I Feel Creepy

I never thought I would be "creeping" on people as much as I have these past few days.
Peering at the world from behind a camera lens alters your perspective of the things around you. 

I find myself examining moments that I would look past as a tourist.

A couple shares a moment together in the Berliner Dom.

I look at people when they think they aren't being watched, and I try to capture that moment. Instead of focusing much on the buildings and monuments, which are definitely worth capturing, I'm instead looking at the people around me. Other tourists, Germans, my classmates, etc.
It can get awkward, I'll be honest. Sometimes you have to fake another photo at something in the distance behind your subject and hope for the best.

A couple stops for a selfie at Alexanderplatz.

But doing that allows you to examine people in a different way. You become aware of acute differences between people. But more importantly, you become aware of the similarities.

My favorite moments are moments shared with strangers. A smile, a chuckle over their cute kid, or even discontent and an audible "Scheiße" as the tram stops because of technical difficulties and makes you walk. 

 I'm enjoying having the excuse, or rather, the opportunity to do this, to be "creepy", in a foreign city. And I am very excited to really begin work with my subject Pascal today. I'll be traveling to his art studio to take pictures of him working and also interview him about his experience in Berlin.

Berlin is for writers, artists, tourists, history buffs, mechanics, students, teachers, lovers and everything in between.
And I love being creepy.

Another pair pauses to embrace in the cool afternoon in Berlin's Tiergarten.

Amidst the hustle and bustle of public transportation,
this couple hugged before saying goodbye at a platform in Alexanderplatz.

A man looks at a woman on a boat trip across the lake in Wannsee.

A father and son watch ducks swim by at a pond in the Tiergarten.

"I Like To Cut" and other ways to dance

photo by Spenser Dugal

Meet Jacqui.

I should include a brief disclaimer here; Jacqui is one of my best friends. In high school it was basically like this; if you knew me, you knew Jacqui.

But the fact that we've always been close hasn't blinded me to her talent, nor does it nullify my belief in her talent.

I'll give you an example.

Jacqui came to visit me several weeks ago, and proudly displayed her newly developed YouTube channel with a single video on it. It was of an assignment she had for dance class, a "text solo" in which she had to choreograph a dance while simultaneously speaking a monologue about a childhood memory.
Jacqui chose to do her solo based upon a time when she was five years old and cut all of her brother's hair off because "all her Barbies were bald."

Jacqui slipped on her first pair of ballet slippers at the wee age of three. I went to many of Jacqui's

Jacqui starting dancing when
she was 3 years old.

dance recitals over the years. I remember sleeping over her house during recital time; carving out a space to sleep among the costumes, makeup boxes and the seemingly never ending pairs of tights. 

I always knew she was a good dancer. But I didn't realize HOW good. After watching her text solo, I was beyond impressed with my best friend; with how she used voice, facial expressions, and movement to communicate a childhood memory.

I was really proud. And I know Jacqui was too, even if she's not the type to openly boast about how freakin' awesome it was.

Through middle and high school, Jacqui always danced. But as a student at a performing arts school, instead of pointe shoes, she carried around camera equipment. Storyboards in place of leotards. Excel spreadsheets stuffed into her backpack where you might have expected to find bobby pins. Jacqui majored in communications, specializing in film, graphic design, and was a vital member of our yearbook staff.

But moving onto college, despite her skill in all of these areas, she knew her passion lay in dance. Her decision to pursue it, however, wasn't without it's challenges. Jacqui feels there's a lot of misconception about dancers, especially that dancers aren't as smart as engineering or psychology majors. In reality, however, she claims that belief is far from the truth. She thinks many dancers have plenty of other interests and capabilities in other areas, but simply choose dance instead.

"I had many career path options to take out of high school. Business. Medical. I wanted to be in marketing for a while, then I wanted to be a forensic pathologist and go into criminology," she said. 
"I chose dance because I couldn't live without it. Dancers have so much awareness of their own body, mind, the world around them, cause and effect, professionalism, and understanding of the way people function on an anatomical level and a mental level. I feel like dance has taught me so many things about myself and this world that would have taken me decades to figure out by another medium."

She now attends the University of South Florida in Tampa where she majors in dance studies.

photo by leanna scachetti

 Right now, Jacqui is preparing to dance in two pieces in USF's spring dance concert; a contemporary pointe piece by faculty member Paula Nunez. She's also re-staging a professional piece called "Lucifer's Prance" by choreographer Robert Moses.
 "That piece was an amazing opportunity and crazy awesome experience to work with Robert Moses for a couple days," said Jacqui.

Jacqui will also be competing in the American College Dance Festival in March in Georgia. Judges there will then decide which dances will perform in the final gala, and which will continue to the national division. On top of all that, Jacqui is rehearsing for two student choreographed works to the Student Dance Production on campus. She also teaches dance at a local studio. On her own, she is working on projects for her choreography class, which, hearkening back to her high school days, is a way for Jacqui to incorporate two loves of hers; dance and film.

Jacqui displays an arabesque at the Empire
State Building in NYC.

"Dance on film is interesting too because you control what the audience sees and doesn't see based on the frame of the camera as well as the use of editing, which can enhance a work to a whole different dimension. I'm just starting to dive into that kind of work and I have a few ideas I want to play with on my spare time." 

After she dons the cap and gown, Jacqui wants to work her way up to join a contemporary ballet or modern company. She counts the Spellbound Contemporary Ballet in Italy, Celli Contemporary Ballet in Italy,  and Robert Moses Kin in California as among her dream companies.

But if it doesn't work like she's planned in the time she's planned it to, Jacqui has ideas of using her other skills to continue working in the dance field, just not on the stage.

"I have said that if auditioning for companies I like doesn't work out right away that I could intern with the company's business side, using those skills to get me in. Then I could take classes with the company, get to know them, and work my way in as a dancer."

Dancing isn't always a brisé. Jacqui points out that dance is about overcoming challenges and problem solving every day. For her, the biggest challenge is to keep pushing through, even in the times of frustration and exhaustion, both mentally and physically. But it's the pursuit of improvement that keeps her going.

"Having the sense that something is just working out beautifully, and feeling that step that I always struggle with work out perfectly for the first time is always an amazing feeling." 

Jacqui (far left) poses while rehearsing a student
choreographed dance by Vanessa Vargas.

Despite being a versatile dancer with experience in ballet, tap, jazz, modern, and hip-hop, Jacqui doesn't think that's what sets her apart.

"I approach each class, rehearsal, and performance with a certain mindset that I've noticed lots of other dancers, and people, don't have. Positivity and an open mind are so important, especially when working with dance because negative thoughts bring you and the whole group down and an open mind leaves so much room for creativity," she said. "Leave the judgment at the door, enter with an open mind ready to learn, create and explore."

photo by leanna scachetti

She sums it up by saying it's not perfection she's seeking. Which would seem odd from someone whose career seems to be based upon the achievement of perfection (cue Black Swan.) But for Jacqui, being "perfect" isn't the end goal. 

"Perfect means I've reached the end. I always want to continue growing and learning, improving, and creating."


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This is their story.
What's yours?
Email stories.about.them@gmail.com with your story (or that of someone you know).
Stories About Them are stories about You.
Pass it on.

Martinez : Making it on the Mat. Part 1

Taekwondo competitor Nikki Martinez (right). Photo by Federacion TDK Puerto Rico

Oderint dum metuant. Translation: "Let them hate, so long as they fear."

 When Roman Emperor Caligula delivered Accius' poetic phrase, there was little telling where it might end up, and even less insight into the mouths and minds that would eventually take the phrase for their own. 20 year old Nikki Martinez is one of those minds, and with good reason. She is one to be feared.

Martinez is a young fighter from south Florida, but her parents are from Peru and Puerto Rico. She began training in Taekwondo at the age of four. She recalls her early childhood was not typically "girly" and her family clearly saw her true interests early on. "My mother always says she had never seen a child with more want to fight... I was in ballet for a short time prior, I was told I kicked the instructor. I have been in martial arts ever since." Martinez says she stuck with TKD because she realized she was good at it, and the fighting was what she fell in love with. For Martinez, TKD isn't just a hobby or a weekend pastime. "This is a full time job, a lifestyle, the training is my life." She currently fights for the Puerto Rican National TKD team, thanks to her mother's lineage, and trains in Fort Meyers, Florida.

Martinez defeats Mexico's Guadalupe Ruiz at the 2011 Pan
American games in Guadalajara.
(AP Photo/Martin Mejia)

Martinez made national headlines in 2011 at the Pan American Games (a major annual sporting event for the Americas) when she won silver in TKD while fighting for Puerto Rico's national team. Martinez says when she won, she was beyond thrilled, but that the emotion didn't come right away. After she won the Bronze she was told that she was Puerto Rico's first medal at these games after almost a week of competition. After her first fight, a sports psychologist came to help her mentally prep for her next fight against Mexico who was favored to win, and on whose turf Martinez also happened to be fighting.

Martinez celebrates her victory as she runs around the arena. Photo by ElNuevoDia

"I was nervous," said Martinez, "but after some meditation exercises and some, for lack of a better term, talking to myself, I realized that I had a medal. The weight of producing something was lifted, now all I needed to do was fight." Martinez admits her Mexican opponent, Guadalupe was a strong fighter, but says her covers and counters were strong that day. "I remember walking out of the tunnel to the ring, everyone booing... I couldn't hear them though, I blanked. I could just see the crowd but nothing really reached me, it was the coolest experience."

Martinez celebrated with her coach after realizing she won the silver. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)

 Despite the hostile crowd, Martinez beat Guadalupe in overtime. "I swear I literally jumped multiple feet in the air. I had actually just beat her. The crowd hated me. For finals with Cuba they were yelling at me. I got scared for my family in the stands a little. I broke my concentration. That's a lot to handle when you're 18 and it seems like the world is literally against you."

Click here for an interview with Martinez after her win 

Martinez ultimately lost to Cuba; a "more experienced, older, bigger" fighter, she says. But the silver medal, her "plata" was still gleaming in anticipation for Martinez to proudly hang around her neck.

Martinez receiving her Silver medal after she defeated Mexico at the 2011 Pan American games in Mexico. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)

"I just stood on that podium thinking 'holy crap, I really just did that?' I know it sounds weird but the best part besides seeing my family freaking out, was when I got back to the athlete villa. Puerto Rico had been assigned the first 5 floors of one of the buildings for the housing of all our athletes. I had been doing press conferences and interviews after medals were given so I didn't think anyone would be up. I walked through the doors and the WHOLE PLACE ERUPTED, the entire islands' athletes were downstairs waiting for me to get back. We passed my medal around for good luck, took pictures, and finally got to eat," she laughs. "I've never felt so appreciated."


With her "plata", she was qualified to compete in the 2011 Pan American Olympic Qualifiers for the 2012 Olympics. Unfortunately, Martinez fell just short of the prize at the Qualifiers. "One more fight, and I would've gone," she recalls. "The funny part about that is, you would think I'd keep the high for Olympic qualifiers. I was training more than I ever had, but due to some political issues and such, my focus was starting to fade. The media is a great source and tool, but when you are constantly reading negative things about yourself, whether you use it to motivate you or drive you, it'll still always be in the back of your mind. To this day some of the comments on me still loom around in my mind."

After the loss, Martinez admits she felt had a different perspective on her art. Her resolve was that people are always going to talk, and says she has to take it with a grain of salt.

Photo by Univision Deportes.

 "You have to realize that what they say about you has no effect on you, your training, your life or your performance when it comes to competition. When they talk it means that they have some sort of a bursary towards you and that's fine to make enemies, you just have to make sure that they don't affect you."

Martinez receiving Puerto Rican Female Athlete of the Year at a ceremony in 2011. Photo courtesy of Martinez.

Martinez, however, faced no lack in admiration for her feats from Puerto Rico. She was soon after dubbed Puerto Rico's Female Athlete of the Year. "Athlete of the year was nice," she said. "I had to get dressed up which is something I rarely ever do. I took lots of pictures, lots of autographs. The kids who were there freaked out. It was just an honor to be selected for that."

Martinez meeting with Puerto Rican kids in school after her win. Photo by ElNuevoDia.

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Stay tuned for Part two of Martinez : Making it on the Mat.

Listen to Labes : A preview

A preview of what's to come! 

Soon, Stories About Them will feature young actor/musician Philip Labes. He'll share with us his work, music, and musings. But for now, check out one of his original songs he released in February-Yosemite- and be sure to stay tuned for the article coming soon!

Med for the Web : jamii fund

CEO Robert Bodwell.
 Photo by Georgia State University

      Robert Bodwell is 20 years old. He's in college, he's a business major, he likes corgis, oh, and did I mention that he's CEO of his own non-profit? As well as working as a full-time student at Georgia State University, Bodwell also launched his own non-profit in January of this year. After seeing a beloved high school teacher fight cancer, Bodwell felt inspired to do what he could to help those going through the fight, by working to lessen their financial burdens. Bodwell is currently CEO and President of his non-profit "jamii fund." "Jamii" is a Swahili word that translates to "community." In the future, Bodwell hopes to use his business background to build his online community.

      Read on to learn about his non-profit, and how Bodwell hopes to positively impact the lives of those with hefty medical finances. Comment below and be part of the conversation!

LS:  Give us a little background about yourself. School, hobbies, interests, what you're doing now, plans for the future.

RB: I was born, and raised, in West Palm Beach, Florida. I graduated from high school in 2011, and moved on to college at Georgia State University in Atlanta, Georgia, where I am a business major. I’ve always been very passionate about sports, and most of my spare time is spent either watching or playing some sport. In the past year I’ve discovered a passion for helping others which has led me to my latest project. I started a nonprofit organization called jamii fund that works with patients to assist them in avoiding medical debt, and helping pay off the debts that they already have. I’ve never done work like this before, but it is, by far, the most rewarding work that I have ever done. I plan on building this organization into a lifelong venture for myself, and the others that support it.

jamii fund logo created by Bodwell

LS: Tell us about jamii fund. What is it, and where did the idea come from?

RB: jamii fund is a nonprofit organization focused on putting an end to medical debt in the U.S. We’re going to do this by encouraging people to give back to others in their community. I came up with the idea after one of my favorite teachers from high school was diagnosed with breast cancer. It was the first time that I was this close to such a serious diagnosis, and it was hard for me to handle. For the first time, I considered making a substantial donation to an organization that supports breast cancer research, and I did some research of my own to see what organization to donate to. What I found was that their efforts were involved with raising awareness for the disease instead of helping the people that it impacted, and you never really knew how your money was going to be spent. I felt that people would be more willing to give if they knew exactly where their money was going, and I would have given thousands of dollars had I known that it was going directly to helping my teacher. Further research showed that there was no nonprofit currently doing this kind of service, so I started one that could, and jamii fund was born.

The website features jamii fund recipients, like Holly,
where they can develop their own campaign
to raise money for their fund.

LS: How does jamii fund work?

RB: We are completely web-based. When people visit jamiifund.org they will be able to view personal profiles containing stories of individuals that are struggling with medical debt. These profiles will also have a button that visitors can click on to donate to that specific person. The money will be collected by jamii fund inc. and held in an account until there is enough to cover one of their expenses. At that point, we will write a check directly to the care provider to cover the costs. People can request a profile on the site by sending us a message on the “contact” section of jamiifund.org. Once we verify that they have a legitimate need, we build a profile and launch it on our website. You can think of it as crowdfunding medical debt, just like one would crowdfund an invention on Kickstarter.com. There are other companies that help people raise money in this way, but jamii fund is the only nonprofit. So when you give to someone on jamiifund.org you can rest assured that 100% of it is going towards helping put an end to medical debt. We do not take any percentage of these donations unless the beneficiary decides to give us a percentage on their own. I didn’t start this organization to make money, I started it to help people, and that’s what I’m going to do. 

LS: What have you achieved so far? What are you currently working on?

RB:A lot of paperwork. There is a ton of paperwork involved with setting up a legal nonprofit, and all of it needs to be done before you can do the fun stuff like fundraising. But I have been able to build a starter website to get our name out there, tailored our social media accounts, and recruited some artists that are creating content for marketing campaigns. I’m currently still working on paperwork to obtain our 501(c)(3) certification, so that we can be super official and whatnot, and, of course, keep working on getting our name out there.

jamii fund's Facebook page

LS: What do you hope for the future of jamii fund?

RB: Big things. I would love to work with this organization for the rest of my life. Right now we are focused on helping people pay off their medical debt, but, long-term, I want to be able to build an entirely new industry. I want us to create a system where, instead of just paying off debt, we can prevent the debt from piling up in the first place. We can do this by finding quality care at lower prices, and by communicating with care providers to avoid overcharges. Working with patients from the point of diagnosis will allow us to avoid unnecessary charges and use donations more effectively.

LS: Quote to live by?

RB: “It’s not that serious.” This is more of a mantra for me because I say this to myself all of the time to keep things in proper perspective. I used to have a bad habit of blowing things out of proportion, and stressing out about things that weren’t that big of a deal, so I starting reminding myself that it’s really not that big of a deal. In most cases you can make up for a mistake after the fact, and there’s no reason to freak out about it, or obsess over ways to avoid making a mistake. You just have to remind yourself that what you’re doing, or trying to do, is really not that serious.

Be sure to check out the links below to find our more information about jamii fund and ways you can help support the cause:

The website: http://jamiifund.org/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jamiifund
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/jamiifund?ref=ts&fref=ts

This one's mine

This particular story started a little while back. About 19 years to be a little more precise. The story of someone who loves to tell stories. If you stick with me, you'll get to hear a lot of them. Stories about other people; their lives; their dreams; their work. This blog, yes- this one's theirs. But to start it off, you'll need the story of the storyteller. So this one's mine. 

 My mom has told me since I was young, over and over again "Leanna, if you want something badly enough, you can achieve it." I've been known to be very cautious and meditative in my decision making, but I can honestly say I have found the niche where I am no longer hesitant, and a place where I feel I can best use my personal talents and abilities to serve others.

I didn't always start off thinking I would want to do what I do now. Against the Texan backdrop in which I was raised, the elementary-school-aged me saw herself in a more rugged setting...as a cowgirl or farmer. But my aspirations eventually began to change and develop when I moved to Florida and was accepted into an arts middle and high school. There, I was able to find the skill set that began to form my ideas of my future role in the real world, and what kind of purpose my efforts would be put towards. I wanted to tell people about the world and about all the people in it. I loved feeling like I was working for something bigger than myself; how I was given the opportunity to serve the community I was a part of. As you can see, I wasted no time...

I started off reading the daily lunch menu and have since progressed to playing a role hosting and producing in my college's Integrated News Facility,

While I was a communications major, I realized that there was a way to make a living doing the things I loved doing. People fascinate me. I love to listen to them, and I love it when someone teaches me something. I like making each day unique, and collecting stories with me along the way.

My greatest aspiration is to become a well-respected journalist who has the ability to travel and report through all platforms. I hope to have a fulfilling career reporting and that eventually I will make a positive impact in this field and continue to enhance the storytelling medium.

I like to use photography to help capture some of those stories. 

Leanna Marie Photography

So this blog here. This is for artists, dancers, dreamers, thinkers, tinkers, and all those in between. I want this to be a platform for them to share their work, their thoughts, and their dreams with you, so that one story may affect another in some positive way. After all "We are the music makers, And we are the dreamers of dreams." So stop in often, and experience their stories. Because if anything else isn't, this one's theirs.