Health

Wilma Sanchez was born in Puerto Rico where she lived with her father’s family until the age of six. At that time she began living with her mother and she describes episodes of neglect and sexual abuse. In this interview Wilma explains how she began using drugs, became involved with men who sold drugs, had two sons, was diagnosed HIV positive, and had a relationship with a female friend. Eventually her drug habit led her to prostitution and a jail sentence. Wilma entered a drug treatment program and overcame her drug habit.

Lynda Young was born in in 1947 in Buffalo, New York where she grew up with her parents and older sister. She learned to play the flute and her love of music was inspired by her mother who was a piano teacher. She graduated from State University of New York Buffalo and went on to medical school at SUNY Buffalo Medical School where she was one of six women in a class of 105. In this interview, Dr.

Pat Masiello was born in 1937 in Worcester, Massachusetts where she grew up with her parents and siblings. She attended Dix Street School and Commerce High School and she describes playing in Institute Park, Elm Park, and the Worcester Art Museum. After high school she worked at Massachusetts Protective Association, later Paul Revere Insurance. She married at the age of 20 and when she was five and a half months pregnant with her first child she had to leave her employment.

Anne Milkowski was born in Worcester, and grew up in Whitinsville Massachusetts with her divorced mother. When her parents remarried, she moved to Falmouth, Cape Cod. She went to the University of New Hampshire for the Occupational Therapy program, and traveled around the country for her internships. She worked at a variety of facilities until getting her master’s degree in special education while living in Illinois. She moved back to Massachusetts when she was 30 and eventually got a job as a special education physical education teacher and OT in a vocational high school.

Suzanne Lewandowski was born in Patterson, New Jersey and moved to Massachusetts in 1979 when she was about 25. Lewandowski attended Butler University and received her BA in interior design. She started working towards her Master’s in Education at Assumption College in 2004, and will complete her education in the next few years.  Lewandowski is also taking courses at Plymouth State University through a certified program at the Eating Disorders Institute of Plymouth State University.

Amy Szarkowski was born in South Dakota and moved to Oregon when she was ten. She majored in psychology at Southern Oregon State University, earned her master’s degree at Eastern Kentucky University, and attended Gallaudet University as a hearing minority. Currently she is a psychology fellow working in a deaf and hard of hearing program at a children’s hospital. In this interview, Amy describes her passion for teaching and helping deaf children as a psychologist and a teacher.

Lori Connolly was born in 1975 and is married with two daughters. She earned her degree from Worcester State with a major in Occupational Therapy and a certificate in Gerontology. In this interview, she talks about the differences between her growing up years in Worcester and her children’s as far as freedom to play outside or walk in the neighborhood; caring for her two daughters, one of whom has cerebral palsy; and her work as an OT. She also shares memories of what was fashionable during her teenage years and of Christa McAuliffe and the Challenger tragedy.

Katherine Mary Saba was born in Shrewsbury, MA, in 1984. She is one of three girls in her family, falling at the end of the birth order spectrum. In this interview she discusses the personal devastating impact of an eating disorder and depression. She shares her thoughts about moving to Los Angeles following her graduation from Worcester State College. She describes her fears about living alone in a large, fast-paced city and credits her mother with support and encouragement.   Kate's goal is to combine her love for physical fitness with a degree in nursing.

Samantha Vayo was born on March 23, 1990 in Worcester, Massachusetts where she also grew up. She attends The Learning Center for deaf students in Framingham. While she claims not to like going to school, she does like math and being with her friends. In this interview she talks about the excitement of being chosen one of five young women out of 250 by Seventeen Magazine for a modeling session in New York and how she now works as a model in Boston.