Meet Tracey Taylor

Tracy Taylor
Tracy Taylor is an English major here at Frostburg State University. Tracy is 34 years old, a single mom, and a current resident of Frostburg. Tracy’s concentration is in Creative Writing, and for good reason. Tracy has had lots of experiences to write about, having lived in nine different states thus far, including California and Montana. She was born in Clarksburg, West Virginia and graduated high school from Chesapeake High School in Essex, MD in 1993. But as Tracy says, “If I told you in which order I lived in all those states and why, you would have way more information than what you need.”

Now, when asked what her favorite place to live was, Tracy replied, “Baltimore, because a lot of my friends are there.” However, Baltimore has not always been kind to Tracy, as she goes on to explain one of the scariest moments of her life. “I was in a bad neighborhood one night, and as I was walking down the street a guy came up to me and put a gun in my ribs and asked for all my money. Luckily I was able to get away.”

Ms. Taylor goes on to explain how she simply took off running after she told the man she did not have any money to give him. As she came to the next intersection a few good Samaritans noticed she was frightened and in a panic and they willingly gave her a ride back to her car that was parked several blocks away.

It is a good thing she was able to escape, because Tracy has a 16 year old daughter and a 9 year old son that she has to take care of. Tracy is a caring mother. She lights up when she quickly talks about her kids. “My kids are brats sometimes, but I still love ‘em and I manage to get all my work done.”

Tracy is aspiring to become a professional writer, either as a journalist or a fiction writer. However, she is still a student and makes mistakes as all student writers do, but when she does, she turns to her father who is a successful playwright. Her father lives in Ohio, and when Tracy runs into a problem, she communicates with him via e-mail to see if she is doing things the right way.

If creative writing does not work out, Tracy says she would like to be a teacher of English; and with two students of her own at home, she will have plenty of time to practice.

Uno, Dos, Tres...SUCCESS!

Andres Lara better known as “The Cuban Guy” paid a visit to Frostburg State University on September 17th 2009. The intention of his visit was to enlighten students of the University the key to success. Audience members could not ask for a better individual to give a motivational speech on success. Andres is a highly successful individual in many aspects. At the age of sixteen, he escaped from Cuba and came to the United States. Having grown up in Cuba, Spanish was the only language that he knew. No family of his lived in the states either. This lead Andres to be stranded in the United States. No family, no shelter, no understanding of the English language and no money. Ten years later, Andres was a millionaire. Currently, he is the CEO of A. Success Training, an author and a world renown motivational speaker. At one point he was also the president of Inspiration Magazine. He has been the feature in numerous radio shows and newspapers as well.

The atmosphere upon entering the ARMAH was mellow. Music was playing while Andres was making rounds to students and other audience members. Calmly and confidently he approached different people and struck up conversation. By glancing at him, one might think he was a college student dressed up for a formal occasion. His whole aura was that of a strong, confident, successful individual, though he was not intimidating. Approaching him before his speech the question, “what do you think the key to success is?” was presented. Calmly and without a bit of hesitation he answered, “I will tell you in the first five minutes of my seminar, it will hit you, one word. You don’t even need to write it down.”

That one word was “goyaata”. Immediately after revealing the word of truth he announced, “Get off your ass and take action.” That is exactly what Andres did. He decided he needed to better his life and leave Cuba, even knowing the risks that it entailed. Only having been in the states for ten years, he had already took action to learn English, find a home and become a successful young man. Andres provided books to the audience members that he is the author of. The Finish Line includes a series of motivational quotes, insights and inspirations. The book is categorized into different types of messages, for example complaining, remain focused and rise above to name a few. On the opposite page are quotes that obtain to the message. Andres gave specific instructions to audience members as to how to use the book, “It helps, it really does” he stated to members of the audience.

Audience members has rave reviews of Andres. Emily Fucello, a junior at Frostburg State University stated, “I was anticipating the greatness this gentleman had to offer. After hearing him speak it was everything I hoped that it would be and more.” Genesis Martinez, a sophomore at Frostburg State University stated, “I see exactly why this guy is a millionaire!”

Michael "Bunni" Sicilano

Since Michael Sicilano was been eleven, he has not cut his hair once. That means, over a span of seventeen years, not once have clippers, scissors or anything been taken to his long locks. To be able to successfully avoid a barber for seventeen years is truly a talent, the reason behind this incredible effort was just the lack of desire. After not having cut it for a long enough time, nature began to take its course and now his hair is thinning. Michael believes that there is not reason to cut his hair at this point. Intriguing, motivated and loyal are three attributes that are prominent in twenty eight year old Michael, better known outside the classroom at "Bunni." There nickname was given to Michael years ago by a close friend that drew a picture of a rabbit wearing a yamaka. Underneath of the picture read "bunni rabbi." Upon presenting the drawing to Michael the friend stated that this was a portrait of him. Ever since that day, the nickname has stuck.

Michael is currently a student at Frostburg State University. He has been enrolled in college over a span on ten years and in this time frame, attended three different colleges. Michael stated, "If a super senior is five years, I have no idea what to call myself." He used the phrase "touring majors" to justify why he has been in college as long as he gas. From an education major to everything in between, liberal arts is now his declared major. throughout his lifetime he was moved about fifteen to twenty times. How much longer he will be a student at Frostburg State University is a wild guess. Michael stated, "I like to say corporate nomad" when describing his father and the reason as to why he moves around so much. Thus far, four years has been the longest for his family and himself to reside in one destination and that place is the friendly town of Cumberland, Maryland. Having finally settled down in a location, Michael has been given the opportunity to participate fully in something that he is passionate about, "Church should be called a fellowship," stated Michael. This is a strong fact in which Michael is a thorough believer. With such a strong opinion, there is no doubt as to why he is the vice president if his church board. He is also involved on the Frostburg State University campus; he created a live action improvisation club.

Something else that Michael enjoys doing in his free time is debating; he considers this a hobby. He believes that his helps him to better address issues though he is embarrassed by the fact he debates so much. In his free time, role playing games also strike much of an interest in Michael. Friends that he plays with often find themselves calling one another by the names used in these games. This is only when they are trying to discretely something in the presence of others. At times, the other individuals present could be his two siblings, a brother and a sister, both younger than himself. Although Michael is the oldest, he does tend to envy a certain aspect about his brother. The fact that his brother studies video game design in Baltimore, Maryland leads to the classes that he takes being much of an interest to Michael. Though, his brother does have a reason to be envious of him. Other talents of Michael's include ballet and martial arts. Martial arts is one sport which Michael understands fully. When Michael was living in Switzerland as a younger child, he missed the whole time period in which sports came of interest to male teenagers. For a young teenage boy, the appreciation and understanding for American sports never exactly set in.

Having lived in such exotic places in other countries and many different states, Michael keeps an open place in his heart for New York. That is by far his favorite place. Much of the passion he feels towards New York may be due to the fact that he played Columbia, a female role and Riff Raff is the Rocky Horror Picture Show. So, if you ever travel to New York or decide to join the live action improv club, keep an eye open for this "bunni" hopping along.

Bruno Yoffe

Nearly twenty years ago, a boy by the name of Bruno Yoffe was welcomed to the world. Bruno, born in Ann Arbor, Michigan, is now a junior at Frostburg State University, impressively double majoring in Political Science and Law and Society. After graduating from FSU, he plans to attend law school, or, if that doesn’t work out, join the Peace Corps.
There is much more to Bruno, however, than his academics. Choosing to talk on the steps outside of Dunkle Hall on a warm, sunny day, Bruno sat down to tell his story, revealing the many memorable happenings in his life, including an unforgettable trip to Paris when he was a kid that had an itchy outcome. “I was watching an eclipse and I looked up, and then scratched my head, and my hair had lice in it!” he recalls, then adds with a smile, “But don’t worry, I got rid of them.”
Dressed in shorts and a red sweatshirt, Bruno grew warmer and warmer each minute under the shining sun as he unfolded the many layers of his life, starting with his childhood. Because he was born to a father from Latvia and a mother from Russia, Bruno’s first language was Russian. He regrettably lost the language however, when he started public school and began to speak English. “I was kind of ashamed of it,” he comments. “I didn’t want kids to think I was a foreigner.” But that didn’t stop him from socializing and becoming very active as a child. Bruno began snowboarding at the ripe age of eleven, and continues to do so every winter, purchasing a pass to the Wisp in Garrett County. In addition, he remarkably earned a black belt in Tai Kwan Do when he was only thirteen years old.
When Bruno was two years old, both his mother and father received separate jobs at the Library of Congress, forcing the family to make a move to the Washington D.C. area on Christmas day. His parents are no longer together, but his mom has since remarried her boss at the Library of Congress, causing Bruno to humorously note, “That worked out well for me, because he has a lot of money.”
Bruno currently lives on Maple Street in Frostburg with three roommates and their dog, Bemis, named after Max Bemis, the lead singer of the band Say Anything. Since attending Frostburg State University, Bruno’s standout memories include an outrageous prank pulled on him by his friends in his former dorm, in which he was tied up and placed outside the R.A.’s room, and a trip with roommates to Philadelphia for a hockey game, where he ended up being “the only Capitols fan sitting in the middle of a bunch of drunken Flyers fans.” In addition to being a Capitols fan, Bruno is a passionate fan of teams in the D.C. area, including the Redskins, Nationals and Wizards.
Bruno is a man who loves to have fun and will take whatever life throws at him. Whether he furthers his education in law school, or becomes a proud member of the Peace Corps, Bruno hopes to have a successful future where he ultimately has a positive effect on the lives of those around him.

Meeting Tiffany Dicks

Many things can be said about Tiffany Dicks, although she carries a laid back persona, a closer look reveals there are many unique assets that promise a very flavorful lifestyle. Tiffany is as local as it gets. She attended Fort Hill all four years of high school. During her time there she played softball and was a cheerleader. Tiffany graduated from Fort Hill in 2007, and shortly after she attended college at Frostburg State University and is currently of junior status. She is an employee at American Eagle Outfitters at the Lavale Country Club mall. Tiffany would claim she has no direct hobbies, but after brief acquaintance it is evident there is a longing for adventure and thrill behind her calm and collected front. There are uncountable assets that contribute to Tiffany’s warm personality, however her love for an active lifestyle, traveling, and family are above all most important to her.
Tiffany has always been an active person. She says “Ever since I was little I’ve been very curious, longing to know and experience as many joys as I can out of life!” Her claims hold true as she proceeds to admit her love to do anything and everything recreational. She loves to play mini golf whenever the opportunity presents itself, even claiming she cannot be defeated. Her sun kissed complexion may give it away, but Tiffany spends a lot of time on vacation at the beach. When she can, she loves to go banana boating, jet skiing and parasailing. Tiffany does not limit her activity when she isn’t at the beach. She keeps herself busy with shopping and going out to eat whenever she gets the chance. Her favorite places to eat include: the Olive Garden and Buffalo Wild Wings.
When asked if there was one place she would love to visit, where would it be, Tiffany simply states, “That’s a tough one, probably Hawaii? I would love to see it all. There is so much out there to experience and so little time.” During her past summer, Tiffany had the opportunity to cruise to numerous beautiful places. The stops she encountered included Costa Rica, Panama, and Cozumel. Thinking one of those exotic places particularly enticed Tiffany was a mistake. When asked where her favorite place was she has visited, she replied without hesitation, “Jamaica.” Winter holds no exceptions for Tiffany. She loves to go skiing and tubing at the Wisp. She comes off modest, but the tone in her voice reveals she shows the slopes no mercy as she cuts and dices them any chance she gets.
Tiffany is a personable young woman, speaking freely of her interests. As conversation continues she explained the things that mean the most to her. After talking of her interests and pleasures, there is obviously more to be said. A deep look into the blue and green of her eyes shows there is still a more profound love in her life, her family. Tiffany is the kind of person who puts her siblings’ needs in place of her own. She has spent much of her life enjoying time with her parents, brother Colton, and older sister Brittany. Tiffany’s dad is pilot certified. He owns a Piper Cherokee Lance airplane, making travel easy and convenient. Tiffany’s boyfriend Dane Christopher is considered to be part of the family, often accompanying them on any outing or trip he can possibly partake in.There are uncountable characteristics of Tiffany’s personality that give he. None of which are less notable than others. Tiffany displays a positive outlook on life stating that she “always tries to find the best out of any situation. Everyone has hardships but those are simply learning experiences that can be worked out.” There are many unique interests that hold priority in Tiffany’s life. Tiffany’s desire to be active, travel, and find joy and love in family is all most important to her. She does not hide that her family members are the closest people in her life. She stated “Without my family there would be no flavor to life. They have always provided the warmth and care any child could possibly be blessed with.”