Inspired by the popular and widely successful series, Humans of New York, this is our very own catalogue of the lives and faces of humans that roam around Marymount campus. All photographs by Paula Mendoza ’15

It has been my great honor to speak with and photograph all you amazing humans. Thank you for sharing your lives with me and everyone else. I hope this feature has brought a smile to your face (or even a tear to your eye) and helped you appreciate the unique individuals that make up this incredible community we call Marymount. Beyond these installments, my wish is that you continue to spark engaging conversation and discover how each face has a story, and each human, a soul.

Summer Plair, ‘15

• “What qualities, if any, did you receive from your mom?”
• “We both have really, really good music taste. We listen to a lot of different music. And we both have really good skin . . . not to sound cocky.”
• “What do you love most about her?”
• “She is always supportive of me even if I don’t want to talk about anything. She’s always there for me and knows if and when I’m sad, she gives me cake and helps me out.”

Natalie Burger, ‘15

• “What’s the nicest thing someone has ever done for you?”
• “My parents supporting me in all that I do. I know horseback riding has been a huge commitment for me—and them. So I’m really grateful for all the times they’ve gone to horse shows with me, their patience with me and other horseback riding obligations. It takes a huge percentage of my time. So I think that’s the nicest thing they’ve ever given me: their time and patience.”

Laurel Wholihan, ‘16

• “How do you deal with failure?”
• “I try to think about the future when everything will be just a little bit better.”
• “At what point in your life has that perspective been helpful for you?”
• “Probably now when everything’s getting really stressful and you feel like if you do one thing wrong, the rest of your life is going to go to shambles. But then, you think that eventually everything’s going to get better and you have to keep a positive perspective on life.”

Seen in the Kitchen

Isabella Adler, ‘15

• “Do you have a personal mission statement?”
• “Live deliberately.”
• “Are you excited about your plans for the future?”
• “That’s an understatement.”

Sedona Nugent, ‘15

• “What’s the most daring thing you’ve ever done?”
• “I committed to my college without ever visiting. [Laughs] It worked out okay though.”

Seen on the Gateway

Seen under the Arches

Mr. Adrian Skrentny, Administration

• “What is the source of your procrastination?”
• “I don’t procrastinate.”
• “Not even a little bit?”
• “No, I feel that I usually overwhelm myself with a number of projects I want to do or accomplish, but I don’t procrastinate. Usually things get delayed, but it’s not because I’m trying to avoid it or procrastinate. It’s more, I just can’t get to everything, and so, I need to prioritize.”

Josephine Rielly, ‘18

• “One of my goals for this year was to get above a B in all my classes. Also, to be on Varsity Cross Country. And I did it.”
• “Woohoo! How did achieving all these things make you feel?”
• “Great! Like I could accomplish anything.”

Sindhu Sundar, ‘15

• “Is it wrong for vegetarians to eat animal crackers?”
• “I honestly think people should be able to do what they want as long as it’s ethically right and they’re aware of the consequences.”
• “Do you eat animal crackers as a vegetarian?”
• “I love animal crackers. But only the quality kind.”

Sophie Regan, ‘16

“Advice for the seniors going off to college: never forget your Marymount roots. You were once small, young children just entering the school. So don’t forget how you were once powerless when you have a lot of power.”

Seen on the Gateway

Seen during a CO(de)Literate Workshop

Ms. Traci Maffei, Sophomore Class Advisor

• “What was one of your goals for this year? Did you achieve it?”
• “Personal or professional? I did have two goals that I accomplished this year. One was that I really wanted to face my terror around doing art. So, I took a workshop, I decided to face my fear, I put myself in the front of the classroom. And I did art and I really realized the value of it and my work with students here in order to help people who might not be as verbal to access their feelings. I brought it to Human Development and it seemed to go quite well. A second one was that I wanted to try to engage my quieter students because sometimes students don’t say a whole lot, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have really important stories. So I kept my eyes peeled all year long and decided I would commit a lot of time to those students who were a little quieter. As a result, we’ve created some really meaningful relationships.”
• “What’s the most daring thing you’ve ever done?”
• “Oh my gosh. A lot. Do I have to just pick one? So, I have been forced to become very adventurous because my husband is. And he’s made me do some very death-defying things, so it’s miraculous that I am here right now doing this interview. For one thing, I was terrified of open water. So he thought it was a good idea to give me scuba diving lessons for my birthday. It was so scary. For six weeks, I did scuba diving lessons. You start in a pool and then graduate into the open sea. I’m living to tell, so it must have gone pretty well. And then he had me train to do an ice climb Mount Shasta, which is 14,000 feet and camp in the snow. If you’ve met me, camping is not my deal. But I did that: I trained for six months and I climbed Mount Shasta. It was crazy. If that weren’t enough, he made me, he made me, he MADE me do white water river rafting. At the beginning of that process, the instructor gives you a death talk and just warns you that it’s a wild river, and good luck to you.”
• “That’s incredible. I so did not see that coming.”

Cassie Obel, ‘15

• “What do you love most about your mom?”
• “She’s always a very positive person and can hold a conversation with anyone. I know I can talk to her about anything. She’s very social and overall a very good and loving person.”

Seen in High School

Victoria Sanchez, ‘18

• “What do you think is the best invention? Why?”
• “Probably paper because we use it everyday.”
• “But what about cutting down trees?”
• “It led to a bunch of good stuff, like people wrote their ideas on paper to make other things—like iPads!”

Ms. Rocky Rayos, Administration

• “What’s your favorite memory about your mom?”
• “Wow, there are just too many. My mom’s my best friend. I actually noticed that when I hung out with Coach S. and talked to her, I always would say, ‘My mom and I do this’ or ‘Yeah, my mom said this’. I talk to my mom a lot. At one point I actually caught myself talking to her: I said, ‘Sorry this is something my mom said but…’ So I really do take her advice to heart.”

Maddy Ryan, ‘16

• “What was one of your goals for this year?”
• “To improve my grades and be more active and be more healthy.”
• “Are you content with your success?”
• “Somewhat. I’m hoping to still continue to achieve them.”

Seen in Freshman Courtyard

Izzy Tagliati, ‘15

“It’s not going to be funny. Is that ok? The most daring thing I’ve ever done was honestly applying to college. The vulnerability you have when applying to schools is kind of like a relationship with someone and you don’t know if they like you back and you’re just waiting and putting yourself out there. It’s like a relationship where the person knows you so well, but you really don’t know them. Whether you decide to or not, but in my application, I talked about a lot of personal and intimate stuff, and that, in my opinion, was one of the most courageous things I’ve ever done. And you know, I did it! It worked out for the best.”

Ava Adams, ‘17 and Bianka Gravillis, ‘17

• “What’s more important: science or art?”
• AA: “I would say probably science because it saves lives. That’s weird because I like art more, but for medicine, discovery, and humans in general, I think science is more important.”
• “Is the first person you share happy news with the same person you share sad news with?”
• BG: “No. I usually share happy news with my mom and then share sad news with my best friend.”
• “And why is that?”
• BG: Because sometimes moms are weird and if you tell them sad news, they want to be all helpful, but you just need someone to rant to. But I mean my mom is like: Oh my gosh, I’m so proud of you! And that’s what I need when I have happy news.”

Seen in High School

Seen on the lawn