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Real-life inspiration
| | | Unstoppable aerialist | Professional aerialist and Circus Warehouse co-founder Michelle Arvin didn’t let pregnancy stop her from practicing her wild trapeze moves. Arvin’s friend snapped photos of Arvin on the trapeze at 38 weeks pregnant, and the pics went viral. Arvin, now a hero, was asked to go on the “Today” show to talk about her moves — but when the day came, she was a no-show. She had a good reason: She was in labor. |
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| | The humble florist who perseveres | Tucked into a corner not far from the bustle of Union Square in New York City sits a compact flower shop run by one man: Paulino Gaspar. For 12 hours a day, seven days a week, he clips and composes the perfume-filled arrangements that color the shop he named Angelina’s Petals. “To be successful, you have to work hard,” Gaspar explains. “The only way I will succeed is if more people buy my flowers, and you never know when people need flowers.” |
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| | The dance teacher who can’t dance | On her 22nd birthday, dancer Chelsea Libitzki was in a car accident that left her paralyzed from the chest down. Distraught by the thought of never dancing again, she gradually realized dance could continue to be a part of her world. Libitzki now teaches alongside her mother, sister and aunt at her mother’s dance studio. Though she sometimes asks others to demonstrate moves on her behalf, she remains very much in charge of teaching the Vaganova syllabus, including the building blocks of ballet. |
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Unapologetically different
| | | The left-wing pro-lifer | Terrisa Bukovinac seems like the typical 30-something San Franciscan. She’s a Democrat, a feminist, a vegan and loves to go to karaoke with friends and drink at Dolores Park. She also happens to be the president and founder of Pro-Life San Francisco, a group of millennial pro-lifers fighting against the “abortion industry in its own metaphorical backyard.” The group would like to change the broader cultural and societal perception about abortion. |
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| | The power of pole dancing | It’s hard to believe that dance didn’t come naturally to Mona Marie when you watch her glide and turn across the hardwood floor and around the silver pole that stands at her fitness studio, aptly named Poletic Justice. Located in the Bronx, Poletic Justice is a pole dancing studio that stands as a beacon of change and investment in the future of the area. Marie opened Poletic Justice after years of pole dancing in the gentlemen’s club scene of New York. |
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| | Gay, Jewish and radically rabbinical | Growing up in San Francisco, Adi Alouf was known among her Jewish friends as “the Jew,” and her passion for understanding her religion has always made her stand out among her peers. With an inspiring sense of optimism, she sees religious teachings and practices as holding the solutions to many of the world’s most pressing problems. Alouf also believes that Jews with intersectional identities who face challenges in simply being themselves can help the larger Jewish community fight for social justice. |
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WATCH TINA KNOWLES-LAWSON
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A day in the life
| | | He looks out for you and yours | Emmitt Watson paints, cleans, parks cars — and handles internments. Known to many as the caretaker, Watson looks out for the people he works with, whether they’re alive or dead. Families come to the San Francisco Columbarium to visit their loved ones’ remains, but they also come to visit Watson himself. He goes above and beyond his job description and takes the time to actually learn about the lives of the departed. He does this, he says, to keep people alive for their families. |
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| | Bending gender until it fits | Jax Quinn grew up in the suburbs of Greensboro, North Carolina, playing with friends, riding her bike and shooting BB guns. She felt like “one of the guys” and never questioned her gender identity until moving to New York City to pursue photography. While working a summer job on Fire Island, a well-known queer community, Quinn was dressed in drag by a performer “on a whim.” She instantly felt “excited and alive” in a way she never had before. |
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| | Working the Israeli border | Motti Sherby has a job few people would envy: He works as a guard on the Lamed Hey border crossing in Israel. Noting that Palestinians view Israeli soldiers in uniform as an occupation force, Sherby says there are ways he can help ease tensions. He and his fellow guards wear civilian uniforms, and Sherby strives to speak to people humanely, or what he calls “at the height of the eyes.” While an astonishing 3,000 people pass through his border crossing every day, Sherby says, “You have to address each one as if they’re the only person you’ll see that day.” |
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Community Corner
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What real-life stories, heroes and everyday people have brought inspiration to your life? |
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ABOUT OZYOZY is a diverse, global and forward-looking media and entertainment company focused on “the New and the Next.” OZY creates space for fresh perspectives, and offers new takes on everything from news and culture to technology, business, learning and entertainment. Curiosity. Enthusiasm. Action. That’s OZY! | |
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