Tymika Morrison (TM)
Kyle Holland (KH)
Karissa Allen (KA)
Chevonne Collins (CC)
Oak Park & River Forest High School, just outside Chicago IL
What 3 words would you use to describe yourself as a teenager.
TM: Cool, Focused, Soft spoken
KH: This question reminds me when people used to call me a “ghetto nerd.” I think what they meant was that I was into school but still a cool person. But in my own words I would say: studious, social and loyal
KA: Driven, eager, positive
CC: Athletic, Funny, Introverted
What clubs/extracurricular activities were you involved in?
TM: I was in Young Black Scholars (YBS), wrote for my high school newspaper (The Highlife), danced for 2 years, and was a Polyette (drill team). Oh and my friends and I would go to our class senate meetings, but weren't really involved...lol.
KH: I was involved in Leadership, Class Council, Performance Choir, Play Production and Cheerleading.
KA: Marching/Concert Band, Peer Leadership, Key Club, Odyssey of the Mind, Destination Imagination, Ballet, Jazz Dance, Volunteer at the local hospital
CC: Cheerleading, Basketball, & Softball
Were you a follower or leader?
TM: I hate the word follower because it tends to have a negative connotation but I wouldn't call myself a leader in high school. I was just there. And by that I mean that I was a member of several organizations on campus and had my core group of friends. I only had one leadership position (managing editor of the school newspaper) and I wasn't the leader of my group. Although I wasn't a leader in the typical sense, I was still very active but I wouldn't consider myself a follower because I've always made my own decisions.
KH: Leader for sure
KA: At times a little of both
CC: A little bit of both. I was a leader by being a thinker - having my own opinions on things & voicing them when necessary. Also, I led by not succumbing to peer-pressure & doing things I wasn’t necessarily comfortable with (usually… I did give in to peer pressure a couple times I’m sure; we all do… but most of the time, I didn’t). I was a follower because there were team captains, group leaders, & and others in leadership positions who I had to answer to.
Would you describe yourself as book smart or a party animal?
TM: Definitely book smart. I've always been a "nerd." I rarely went to parties in high school unless it was somebody's birthday.
KH: I was definitely a little bit of both. I was a book worm in disguise. Earning good grades and getting into a great college was very important to me, but I also made it a point to have lots and lots of fun…sometimes too much fun.
KA: Definitely book smart. My friends and I would go to the movies and go shopping but we rarely went to parties.
CC: I was book smart, but still knew how to have a good time. :)
What was your biggest insecurity? How did you overcome it?
TM: My biggest insecurity was my weight. In high school, I was considered "thick" before Beyonce made it cool. All my friends were skinny, so I was considered the biggest (in my eyes) in the bunch. I would always compare myself to them...wishing that I was smaller. My senior year I was determined to lose weight. I did a bunch of diets, including the Hollywood 48 hour diet where you eat NOTHING and only drink the solution. (Ladies don't try it!) I ended up losing a lot of the weight before my freshmen year of college, but gained it back with my freshmen 15...lol! Surprisingly, all my friends in college were "thick" though and I didn't really care anymore. I wasn't the odd one out anymore.
KH: My biggest insecurity was my standardized test scores. I always kept them a secret from everyone, including my best friends because my scores were never as good as I knew they should have been, especially since I was a straight A student. I took countless SAT, SAT ll and ACT test prep courses, from Princeton Review to Test Masters. My scores improved a lot, but it was always an area that I had to justify in college applications etc.
KA: This is not so much of an insecurity, but I was shy and afraid of public speaking. I overcame it by joining Odyssey of the Mind/Destination Imagination which required me to put on performances at assemblies in front of the entire school. I realized that I liked performing and that being in front of people wasn’t so scary after all.
CC: I didn’t know it then, but looking back now, it was probably my body. I had always been really skinny but in high school, puberty set in & I developed really quickly & wasn’t used to getting so much attention from boys. I wore a lot of big shirts, jeans, & sneakers as a way to cover up. I typically shopped in the men’s section for clothes unless it was something for church or a special occasion. Big clothes were in style at the time anyway (think TLC or Aaliyah), so I got away with it. I think I just overcame this insecurity with time. I started college at 17 and got more comfortable in girls clothing & wore sandals for the first time in God-knows how long. Gradually during my college years, I shed my tomboy image & became a girl. Lol!
Who was your celebrity crush?
TM: Ray J (pre Ray J of Love days of course)
KH: I didn’t really have crushes on celebrities…I really liked Usher though.
KA: Justin Timberlake
CC: Grant Hill & LL Cool J
Describe your first date.
TM: My first date was with a guy who lived an hour away from where I lived. I met him at my grandparent's church. After a year of cat and mouse we finally went on a date. I drove to him(Bad move ladies! He should come to you!) My grandmother drove us to the movies and we saw the movie Shrek. I remember being really nervous throughout the whole movie because I knew at some point he would try to kiss me. After the movie while we were waiting for my grandma to pick us up, he leaned in and gave me a kiss.
KH: When I was in the 8th grade, my dad (of all people) dropped my boyfriend and I off at the Century City mall to go to the movies. I had on a long sleeve, red and black, Guess t-shirt and some black jeans. I thought I was SO cute! We watched the movie, holding hands of course, and I just remember having a good time. I was crazy in love with this guy…who happens to be my current boyfriend now too! Funny how life comes full circle.
KA: I can’t remember my very first date, but typically my boyfriend and I would just go to the movies on a Friday night and eat Chipotle afterwards.
CC: I wish I could remember enough about it to describe! I think it was the homecoming dance my junior year in high school. I do remember my “boyfriend” at the time didn’t have a driver’s license, so he picked me up in this old 1978 limo. It was definitely a clunker & my friends had jokes about it all night. I was so embarrassed, but aside from that, we had a fun time.
What did you want to be?
TM: I think I wanted to go into marketing.
KH: I wanted to be a “businesswoman,” as if that were a job title or something. What the heck is a “businesswoman?” I think what I was trying to say back then was that I wanted to be the one who called the shots, a leader.
KA: I wasn’t entirely sure but I was interested in Journalism.
CC: An architect or a graphic designer.
Favorite hangout spot:
TM: This hamburger stand called Tommy's was the hangout spot. They had the best seasoned fries.
KH: My friend Lisa’s house. She lived right across the street from the school so that’s where we would go before and after school…and many times during school. Oh yea, I was a ditcher. I don’t recommend it though.
KA: Chipotle
CC: My best friend’s house.
Favorite memory:
TM: One memory that stands out is when my drill team advisor took our team to Las Vegas for our end of the year banquet. Being 16 in Las Vegas you couldn't tell us that we weren't grown. We had so much fun! We took a really nice charter bus up there and stopped at the outlets in Barstow on the way. In Vegas, we walked the strip and hung out at GameWorks. We had our banquet at New York, New York, which was really fun. That was my first little taste of freedom and I enjoyed every bit of it!
KH: KKK: Kyle, Kamille and Kimberly. The three of us rolled tough. We ate a lot, laughed a lot and made the best out of high school.
KA: My friends and I dressing up like burritos on Halloween by wrapping ourselves in aluminum foil and then going to Chipotle to get a free burrito.
CC: I have a lot from that year: My senior class brunch, my senior class trip to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, my high school graduation, and starting college. I did all of this when I was 17.
One thing you know now that you wish you knew then.
TM: I wish I would have cherished my teenage years a little bit more. I had it soooo good! I really didn't have a want for anything. Things are different now that I am an adult. I have bills (rent, student loans) and a full-time job. I miss not having any real responsibility and having the ability to have my mom take care of things for me. Many times I hear teens say, "I can't wait until I'm 18 or 21." Believe me you can! They say time is of the essence and my advice is to live in the present and make the most of your teen years!
KH: I wish I would have known that at the end of the day, it’s not so much about your grades, or awards…it’s about building relationships, doing what you love doing and giving back to your community in some way. Had I really known this back then, I wouldn’t have gotten so caught up on trying to look good on paper.
KA: I can’t say there’s really anything I wish I would’ve known then. But if I could talk to 17 year old Karissa, I would tell her that even though the breakup with her boyfriend feels like the end of her world, life will go on and it will all be for the better. I would tell her to take a little more time to have fun and enjoy being a teen, because in a few years life will all be about responsibility! And I would tell her to always remember the values her parents instilled in her and not to change herself or what she believes for anyone.
CC: If I met my 17-year-old self today, I would say: “Keep being “the nice one,” but don’t be so nice that you become naive. Trust your gut & if your instincts tell you that something doesn’t seem quite right, it probably isn’t.”
Hope you enjoyed that little flashback!
-- Brownstone Team
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