“What advice would you give to other girls your age?” “Never feel pressure to try to fit in with the crowd. Be yourself because God made you the way you are. You are beautiful and made for a reason and a purpose.”

“The scariest thing about living in today’s time is the fact that we no longer hold anything as an absolute truth. It seems like there’s no standard for measuring. The way I measure truth is the Bible. That’s my compass. I feel as people we have lost our compass for life. ”

“What would you do differently if you knew that no one was judging you? ” “I’d be more open and relaxed. I wouldn’t worry anymore about what people say or think of me.” “Do you worry that people judge you? ” “Yea” “How often is the thought of being judged on your mind when interacting with people?” “About ninety percent of the time of the time”

“What’s for favorite childhood memory?” “My entire childhood just went blank.”

“What’s your favorite thing in the whole world?” “Chicken and Dumplings.” “What are you afraid of?” “Spiders.”

"I run because there’s nothing more beautiful than experiencing God’s creation while running a 50mile race or any ultra marathon distance. Secondly, I run because I love the whole atmosphere of the ultra running community. The ultra running community has a very nonchalant type of atmosphere and everyone seems to have a good time while suffering through the race."

"What inspired you to pursue a degree in sign language?" "My need to communicate with people. By adding ASL, I could talk with a whole other group of people and learn from them"

“Where do you find peace? ” “I find peace in spending time with my son and wife. Holding my son in my arms is really peaceful for me.”

“If you could spend 15 minutes with anyone, living or dead, who would it be? Why?” “I would meet my grandmother when she was just my age (16). It would be of interest to know all about her dreams and future ambitions. I’d love to compare them to present day.”

"What's your favorite childhood memory?" "My favorite childhood memory is being with my grandma sue and sitting with her at the piano. I can see her smile and it’s one of my dearest memories and I’ll carry it with me always."

"We had a really great relationship until I was 5 years old. Then he wasn’t in the picture anymore. I went through this weird phase without a father. I had father figures like uncles and my older brother, but I never really had an actual father. I thought I could use everyone else’s dad as an example, but I still had a void for fatherly love and discipline. When I got older, I reached out to my father and discovered he was actually an amazing person. The most astonishing part was discovering him for who he actually is and not by what others made him out to be. I got to know him and he actually ended being someone I really enjoyed talking to and someone I could give my whole heart to. I saw him last year in the Dominican Republic for the first time and he was just as great as I thought he would be."

“What is the hardest thing you ever had to go through?” “Losing my dad. It was more painful than losing my leg. He was best friend. I miss him everyday”

“What are you doing to pursue your dreams right now?” “I’m going to school full time and working on this blog”

“The only advice I will give to other runners is to never lose the feeling of having fun while running. There’s no point in training 100s of miles without having fun while doing it. ”

"My favorite childhood memory took place when I was seven years old. As a young boy and a first born, my greatest aspiration was to please my dad. He was the head coach of my wrestling team and I was facing my first wrestling match. Within ten seconds, the mat was slapped! I had pinned my opponent, won the match, and gained my dad's approval."

"What's the biggest struggle in your life right now?" "Waking up in the mornings. I'm having to constantly tell myself that God has a plan for my life."

"My dad has always been my biggest music inspiration. He was the one that grounded me in country music and growing up watching him perform made me realize at a young age that following in his footsteps and performing music was what I wanted to do as well."

“If your entire life was a movie, what title would best fit?” “I think I would say The Unforeseen. It seems like every couple of years life takes me down these unexpected side roads toward where I'm headed, or other times down a completely different way from where I was originally going.”

"Why do you use face book?" "To connect with friends. "

"What's the most rewarding part of finishing an ultra marathon?" "The most rewarding part of finishing an ultra marathon is stopping and laying down. However, after the pain subsided, the feeling of accomplishing something that most people think is impossible is a great feeling."

"What do you think are the biggest challenges women face today?" " I think there are so many challenges faced by women that it would be ludicrous to name only one. First-world women struggle with being paid equally for equal work, being objectified and not taken seriously as an equal, and worrying about what could happen to them just walking down a street. Women in poorer countries struggle to find work with good conditions, protect their children from disease and hunger, and find adequate health care for gender-specific conditions. We definitely need to keep working for equality."

"Jason David Frank from Mighty Morphine Power Rangers inspired me to pursue acting. I had the opportunity to me him. Jim Carrey was another inspiration of my mine. I love making people laugh in general, but Jim Carrey really brought it out of me. My mother inspired my voice acting. She loved Sean Connery growing up so I learned his impression to make her laugh."

"How influenced is your generation by the media." “Extremely influenced! My peers are living in a world that never existed before. We are a generation of guinea pigs. We are given access to things that were inaccessible to previous generations. With the press of a button, we can figure out what the new trend in Europe or New York is. It’s hard to find yourself when everyone is trying to keep pace with what the media thinks is cool.”

"What inspired your trip to Zambia and South Africa?""Four years ago, at the age of twelve, I heard a message on going into the world and spreading the Gospel. After listening to the message, God really just started to lay missions on my heart, particularly to the country of Africa. Over time, this idea grew into something that I really felt God was calling me to do. One of the main focuses God was calling me towards was children's ministry. I've always had a huge heart for children, which I think probably came from growing up as the oldest on both sides of my family. I've always been around younger children. When I went to Romania two summers ago and got to play with the village children, it kind of just completely reinforced my desire to go to Africa to show God's love to the children there. The feeling you get when a bunch of little kids run up to you, laughing with a huge grin on their face, and grab your hand, is an experience that is completely unforgettable. That is the main reason I chose this trip, because I get to play with the kids the whole time and show them Jesus' love. I can't think of a better way to spend my summer."

"If you received enough money to never need to work again, what would you spend your time doing?" "If I didn't have to worry about money I would spend as much time as possible just being a dad and a husband, and I would like to be a youth pastor"

“What’s the best part about your job?” “I love my job as a counselor because I have an opportunity each day to make a difference in the lives of the youth that we work with. In my previous career in law enforcement we spent a lot of time locking them up, but had no effective solution for troubled juveniles when they came out of the system. I realized if I had an opportunity to reach them before they entered the system I could make a huge difference in their lives.”

“What year did you come to America? ” “1967…48 years ago” “Why did you choose to come to America? ” “Most of my family members began migrating here from the Dominican Republic in search for a better opportunity. When I came we bought a house for $21,000 and Three years later I bought another house in Dominican Republic.”

"What did you want to be when you were a kid?" "A farmer"

"Why do you love to play?” “Music is a language of it’s own. When I’m playing by myself I actually hear words to the notes. It’s a way of expression so it’s a language to me.”

"What’s the worst business advice you've ever received?" "You have to work 65 hours a week or you won't make it."

"What do you want to be when you grow up?" "A nurse."

"What would you do differently if you could push the boundaries of your comfort zone? ” “I would play piano and sing more publicly. I have severe stage fright so I keep it inside. ”

"What is the most important lesson that you have learned in recent years?" "I would say the most important lesson is that not everything is your fault. In the past few years, my grandfather passed away, my parents split up, and I blamed myself even though it logically couldn't be my fault. Following that, I ended up being diagnosed with clinical depression and general anxiety. I blamed myself for that. Then, to top it all off, I stopped eating enough, which caused my medications for the other conditions not to work. I couldn't find anyone to blame, so I blamed myself, and in recovery I've realized how important it is not to do that; it's unhealthy and inaccurate."

"What is the last thing that you’ve done that’s really worth remembering?" "Last two big thing I remember doing was making the commitment to graduate college in order to make a good living to support a family in the future and becoming a bit more serious in my faith in Christ a year ago"

"How do you express your gratitude for good things and people you have in your life?" "That's a tough one, but for me I believe that me never giving up on my dream is a way to show that. I have a dream to start my own private school from grades K to 12. Without the good things and people around me, I wouldn't be motivated to work towards this dream."

“What do you like most about yourself?” “My personality! I love my personality!”

“The most annoying person on television right now is Steve Harvey. He’s very annoying. Whenever I see him I see this huge mustache. I think of a ferret just landing on his face! ”

“Do you like being home schooled?” "I love being home schooled. I get to spend more time with my mom. I don't have to sit at a school desk for six hours. I can do my school in my pajamas and I get to sleep in."

“What’s the best part of being in your 80’s” “Nothing! There’s nothing great about being old! You just keep trying to keep on moving and do the best you can.”

"What do you really love to do? Do you do it often? If you answer no, why not?" “I really like being a makeup artist. It’s something that became a creative outlet for me. I like to bring out the beauty in people that is already there. I like the moment when someone looks in the mirror and feels great about their appearance.”

(Left) “What’s your biggest pet peeve?” “When she sings!” (Right) “What your biggest pet peeve?” “When she doesn’t listen to me!”

"Why do you create music?" "I create music for many reasons. For starters, I think music can influence a younger generation to strive for change and for a better future. I am reminded of the influences that rap and rock music have had on society. Music is a way I choose to share my message and ideas. If it causes change in any way, shape, or form, then I have succeeded.Music is also therapeutic for me. It’s a way to express many ideas I have in my head, and make them audible for listening. Nothing is more satisfying that capturing a thought, emotion, or idea in a composition."

“What lessons in life did you learn the hard way?” "Learning to trust that God would provide for me and my family instead of trying to do everything on my own."

"What do you want to be when you grow up?" "A Skateboarder."

Q: "What inspires you? What inspired this piece/idea?" A: Kenneth, I think what inspires me is that point where human intuitiveness is brought to life by Divine inspiration, represented by the point of light in the composition. Design has always fascinated me for this reason. This particular work began as I was asked to create a mural that would draw people into the alley space where a really great little beauty salon was. The owner loves flowers and was drawn to a photograph I had of the "Springhill Road Hollyhocks." These flowers escaped from a garden long ago and continue to bless the community where they come back every year on the street corner. A gas station has replaced the house where they were first planted, but since they were first planted by my young colleague's great-grandmother, they have come to represent generations past blessing generations to come. In that spirit they have been carried forward to create a work that hopefully is a blessing to people in a new place as well.