Interview by Emily Hessney Lynch.

Published July 31, 2020.

Where are you from? How did you end up in Rochester?

I was born and raised in Rochester and have lived in the city for most of my life. I went to School of the Arts for high school and graduated in 2003. I love it here.

What are some of your favorite hidden gems you've discovered around Rochester and how did you find them?

I didn’t start appreciating what Rochester has until I got older. Sometimes I’d skip school and go to the MAG or Village Gate. More recently, it was Pokemon Go that got me out exploring new places. Rochester has so many landmarks and wall art, and I’d discover lots of them by finding new gyms and pokestops. That game got me to start asking, “What else can I find? What else can I see?” 

I also love taking pictures and have a cell phone addiction. Every six months or year when a new phone comes out, I get the best one with the best camera, then I go out and take photos around Rochester. They get me deep in thought, in a way, you’re apart from reality when you’re taking photos. I wonder, “Who else saw this? Who has not seen it? What was their thought process when they saw this?” For awhile, I was at a standstill with my photography, but a health scare got me to change my diet, go vegetarian, and get back out there taking photos. I love to hit up Fuego at like 7am then go find different stuff to take pictures of in the early morning.

If you had $100 and two hours to kill, how would you spend the money/time?

I’d go see a Red Wings game! Maybe I’d bring two of my Vertus students with me. I’d definitely buy a hat at the Red Wings store too.

If you could only eat one Rochester food for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Dogtown, for sure! I love garbage plates and their vegetarian garbage plate is so good. They’ve perfected it. 

What's one memory that captures what Rochester means to you? 

The art scene is what Rochester is about. It’s the bloodline of what Rochester is, all the different, unique talents that come from here. We’ve got WALL\THERAPY, Shawn Dunwoody, and so many other artists. I can be a part of it by capturing it through photos I take around Rochester. I owe it to myself and the city that I love to keep going.

What would you like to see change in Rochester over the next year? 

There’s always division between the suburbs and the city; we need something that brings all the different aspects of Rochester together. It would be great to have more people going around showing what Rochester’s all about. We should have ambassadors that showcase what Rochester has to offer. It would be cool to have a physical, interpersonal aspect, taking people around to show them different spots. 

Tell me a little bit about your work at Vertus. 

I love working at Vertus, it’s like my second home. Before working there, I was an in-school suspension teacher, which made me see things in a whole new light in terms of what students need. Vertus’s staple is character education. It’s an all-male 9-12 school and it’s all about building up young men. For about two years, I was Lead Preceptor and part of the leadership team. I recently switched over to being an ELA teacher. I’m always in the lab helping students with ELA related questions. There’s a big online component to our curriculum already, and students and parents all have access to text teachers or staff members when they need help.

How has COVID impacted your work? 

We converted to everything online because of COVID, but we had a routine already because of our online component. I held Zoom office hours to help students with coursework when they needed it. There were some struggles with technology issues, and I miss the component of actually physically teaching. Teaching is an art!

One thing that saddened me was the graduation portion. We did a parking lot graduation this month for our students, but they should be able to have grad parties! They’ve spent 13+ years going through thick and thin every day. They work so hard and deserve to be celebrated! Graduation is the seal of approval to know that they took what we taught them and they’re going to do something with it, changing their lives and other people’s.

What advice do you have for people who are new to Rochester and looking to get to know the area?

Start downtown and move your way out. Connect with the people you know here and find others on social media. There are lots of things to do here and some holes in the wall that you’ll find when walking around! Don’t forget the great places that are a little further out there, like Lori’s Natural Foods in Henrietta and the Shops on West Ridge in Greece. 

A few other places for your list: Abbott’s ice cream, Red Wings games, the MAG, Strong Museum, RMSC, the George Eastman Museum, Ugly Duck, Spot Coffee, Fuego, Hettie’s Cafe, Powder Mill Park, Ontario Beach Parkway, and Seabreeze.