Humans of Bellaire Fall 2021

Teaching during COVID-19 "I moved to China Pre-COVID-19 to live and teach there. I was there for about six months before COVID-19 happened. I got to kind of explore a little bit more and I did get a little bit of traveling on the breaks from school, but then COVID-19 hit and then everything locked down very quickly. Like, you couldn't move out of the city, and it was a lot more strict. I was th...

Journey to becoming Bellaire's only male cheerleader “I first got interested in cheer when I went to my first pep rally at Lanier Middle School in 6th grade. I saw the cheerleaders and thought they looked really cool, and I realized I wanted to be one. I tried out at the end of 7th grade, but didn’t get in. However, I did become the Lanier mascot. I went to every practice and learned every cheer...

Singer/songwriter's journey through music “I started singing since I was a kid. I remember my family always made me sing in front of people when I was little. But, I didn’t really start songwriting until COVID-19 hit. I was struggling, and I thought to myself ‘I’m just gonna write a song.’ I was always told by my parents or therapists in the past that I should write stuff down and I th...

Turning failure into success “My first job right out of college was at Braeswood High School as a football coach, baseball coach and history teacher. I didn't start teaching business until about five years ago. I left this school to go back to Austin for a year, and then I came back and they didn't have any history positions, but I have a degree in Business and I'm business certified. I gradua...

Employed at a haunted house “I went to Phobia just to be scared and went home with a job. I started working the very next day. My manager offered me the clown house, and I thought it would be fun for me because I love doing makeup. I had to pick out my own costume, so I got a sparkly tutu, tank top and thigh high socks all covered in fake blood. The first day I actually did full makeup, with a...

Teaching through a new lens “There was this thought that teachers always had to be disciplinarians, that you couldn’t really use your personality. In my head, there was always a ‘way to be a teacher’ and I was always more of a fun, campy person.  But, it was when I started volunteering for my daughters classes that I started to see what teaching was about. Then I would teach, and the kids resp...

Exploring a traditional Chinese instrument “I was born in Shanghai and came to the U.S. in 2019. My father and I moved to Houston in order to take care of my aging grandparents. I started playing the guzheng four years ago. The guzheng has 21 strings that are divided into two parts. One part is for pressing while the other part is for plucking. It is a traditional Chinese stringed instrument ...

Student creates fashion line “Peace. Love. Power. Basically it’s a motto of some sorts. My grandpa was a pastor and a very influential person. He would always say that when we parted ways. He passed away when I was in the seventh grade, but I think that’s what made me take my music more seriously. I always wanted him to see me be somebody. I think about him everyday. I’ve always loved mu...

Self-discovery through squash Squash is essentially like an indoor racquet sport where there are two players and roughly a ten by twenty foot court and there’s a small black ball about that can fit within the palm of your hand. The goal is to get to 11 points before your opponent. It's a best of five game, so if you win three games, then you win the entire match. Generally, you need a squash r...