M-O Stories
 

In this interview, Mary Jo discusses her experience with assistive technology like a cochlear impact and electronic captioning. She describes her journey and how sudden hearing loss has influenced her as an individual, her relationships and her outlook on life. She leaves us with a powerful message about the importance of advocating for ourselves and others.

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Dr. Marci Yoss talks to her new friend Camille Beckett (21) about her family, profession, and loneliness. Marci delves into the importance of her husband and children within her life, discusses how the medical field as positively impacted her, and how loneliness had changed as a concept in her life as she has aged.

Marcia explains how the simple act of being friendly and saying hi dramatically changed her world and formed life long relationships in the summer of 1968.

Marisa shares how her mother’s cancer diagnosis and subsequent passing profoundly influenced her life and career aspirations. Witnessing her strength and the care provided by nurses inspired her to pursue nursing, initially through fundraising and advocacy, then by formally studying healthcare. Though faced with challenges in transferring and entering a nursing program, Marisa used the opportunity to study kinesiology and public health, gaining foundational skills for her future practice. Now preparing to enter an accelerated nursing program, she is committed to providing compassionate care in honor of her mother’s legacy.

Mary Ann recounts her childhood growing up in rural Connecticut and goes on to share the powerful act of kindness her paternal grandfather did for her which was teaching her to drive. She expresses how this act impacted her confidence and gave her a new sense of freedom.

Mary Ann reflects on a life shaped by early loss and resilience, following the sudden death of her father, which forced her family to quickly adapt and develop survival skills. A pivotal moment came when her future husband encouraged her to pursue a long-held but unimagined dream of becoming a doctor. Today, she looks back on a rich, unexpected life filled with family, professional accomplishments, and personal fulfillment, appreciating the support and opportunities that helped shape her journey.

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Mary Young describes, in an interview with Hellen Muma, the cast-off treasures she discovered as a kid—and how those experiences turned her into a life-long collector. She shares a lesson learned from Louis Armstrong’s white handkerchief and remembers a great-aunt who influenced her with the gift of a corrugated gift box.

Mary, motivated by her retirement and the loss of her husband's sister, decided to run a breast cancer marathon in Jacksonville, Florida, which was something she’d never done before. She trained in Antigua, and when her race day approached, her husband warmly rallied up her nieces, daughter, and grandchildren to cheer her on with signs and bells, which gave her the final push to be able to push through to the finish line. She felt an intense sense of pride and joy crossing it, and it made the whole moment even more memorable and sweet, having her whole family beside her to celebrate. As she’s now approaching her 80s, she has sight of winning her age group in the half-marathon and running a 10k alongside her granddaughter.

Marybeth tells the story about her first time being intimate with her partner while attending college. She goes on to explain the journey of her pregnancy and reconnecting with her daughter years later.

Marylou Davis (76) talks with her granddaughter, Abigail Horan (21) about the pivotal moments in her life which sculpted the path to the life she has today. In the interview, Marylou discusses how moving from Florida back to Massachusetts where she originally lived was a tough decision, but ultimately worked out in the end because of the relationships she fostered once arriving back.

McKenna describes her love of gymnastics in this story. The lessons it taught her and the people she met along the way are invaluable to her, and she will carry these lessons with her throughout the rest of her life.

Megan (20) tells a story about the most important person in her life, her grandfather “Poppy”. She talks about a road trip to his log cabin in Vermont, the many stops on the way, and their special relationship.

Megan shares how her bond with her younger sister has helped her through growing up with social anxiety, helping her feel understood in ways no one else ever has.

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Miriam describes her experience studying the Hutterite community. She reflects on their sense of community and how it has been shown in her own life.

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Molly shares her unique journey through motherhood, detailing her experiences with her wife and their two adopted children. She describes her travels around the world and her struggles with infertility, which ultimately led to the beautiful story of adopting her two children. Molly reflects on how her children grew up in Boston and thrived right before her eyes.

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Morgan describes how the pandemic disrupted her Junior year of high school, but ultimately led her to new friendships, a major she loves, and a path towards a future in medicine inspired by her mom.

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After our mother died suddenly (due to complications of a childhood disease), our introverted father stepped in to raise three daughters (ages 14, 11, and 7) in the New Jersey suburbs. He was at work in Manhattan all day, but he ran a tight ship from afar. His steadfast devotion to us and his love of Broadway shows, the Great American Songbook, and American literature continues to supply me with uplifting lyrics, music, and other cultural touchstones.

Naomi talks about her experiences growing up and about how these experiences shaped her approach to parenting and helped her understand what she truly values in her relationships.

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Ngozi Okeke talks to Tamar Shadur about traveling to Nigeria, dad's special pancakes, and how she would like to be remembered.

Nikki describes her travels to Manzanillo Cuba where she and her fellow volunteers created and conducted a Kids Camp for the children of Manzanillo and its surrounding villages. She expresses the importance of perspective taking, treating others with compassion and understanding the true impact one seemingly small act can have on the lives of others.

Nina Kleinberg tells Liya Liang the story about the moment she decided to leave her home and STEM education to pursue an education and career in film on the other side of the country

Nina describes how being diagnosed with ADHD as a child led to academic struggles and rejection, but pushing through those setbacks helped her become resilient and confident in the person she’s become.

Noleen describes her and her family’s migration from Ghana to the U.S., navigating constant transitions before finally settling in Massachusetts.

Norma talks about how she found herself in the later stages of life identifying with something new- being an athlete. She talks about the skills she has acquired through this sport apply on the water and in her personal life as well. Listen to Norma’s journey to discovering one of her new passions of whitewater kayaking.

Obi discusses the influence of one teacher in his life, and how that teacher influenced not only his future career goals, but also his work ethic.

Listen to hear Olivia share her experience taking a gap year after highschool and traveling overseas with a program called ARCC Gap Year.

Owen discusses how he went to college during the Vietnam War and what he learned from not only the education and the professors but also the people he attended the university with.

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Owen describes how becoming a single parent forced him to confront complex feelings of frustration towards his son, and how overcoming these feelings led to their strong friendship today.

Owen reflects on the things he’d tell his younger self, emphasizing how life doesn’t always go as planned. Highlighting that family is important, staying open to the unknown, and keeping a positive perspective during difficult times. He shares his own experience with marriage, parenthood, and how even those struggles led him to have a deep and close friendship with his son.