John Rivera

John Rivera is a twenty-seven-year-old math teacher. He was born in Texas, where he and his two siblings were raised by their grandmother. He has been teaching at East Palo Alto Phoenix Academy, a charter school, for three years. He is grateful to all the people who have helped him grow, learn, and overcome the obstacles in his life; he hopes to be that person for his students.

He is pictured above completing a worksheet with his Geometry class.

Watch my video here

Paloma Lucas

Paloma Lucas

Paloma Lucas is a professional artist in Palo Alto. This is a photograph of her at her worktable in her studio, where she works with her fellow artist Servane and a chihuahua named Watson. In this image I hoped to convey her openness- both to other people and to new printmaking techniques. 

Video

Maya Adam

Maya Adam works as a current lecturer and instructor at Stanford University. She began her career as a ballet dancer and after 10 years of training, acquired an MD to become an infectious disease doctor within the pediatrics division. Now, Maya works as an illustrator for informational courses that she creates to provide education regarding medical issues to those who cannot access them. ​In this photo, she is pictured with her three children (Kiran, Misha, and Milan) and halfway through Kiran and Milan decided they wanted to "dab" in the photo much to Maya's discontent. 

listen to her speak about her transition over life and careers here 

Lisa Van Dusen

Lisa Van Dusen currently works at the Silicon Valley Social Venture Fund as their Chief Relationship Officer. At the time of the podcast, she was working at Palo Alto Weekly and had recently finished adding all of their content online. In her free time, she enjoys drawing, painting, walking and helping in her community.

Podcast

Carl Williams

Carl Williams has been living on the streets of downtown Menlo Park for over 20 years. He has a strong connection with his religion, and tries to live his everyday life by God's will.

See a short photo essay detailing Carl's life here.

Sharon Robinson

Sharon Robinson is a personal trainer and sports nutritionist at the JCC in Los Gatos. She is also an National Physique Committee figure competitor, natural body builder, marathon runner, tri-athlete, and a trained lifeguard. The photo above is a picture of her after a training session with my mom and her friends. The day this photo was taken was a crazy pants day, and Sharon is always ready for this fun tradition. 

podcast 

Larry Bach

Larry Bach is a 27-year-old Vietnamese American. He is in his second year of teaching math at William C. Overfelt High School in San Jose, California. Larry has wanted to be a teacher for a long time. He's passionate about math and his students, and wants to positively influence his community. Above, I have just asked if I can take a photo of him, and he is straightening out his desk before "posing" for the shot.
Podcast