Best Buddy Reflection #3

Going into the call, I didn’t really know what to expect. After talking to Caleb, I learned a lot of new information from him and gained many different perspectives. I realize that every person has different passions and different interests that make them happy. Caleb has a passion for plants and nature. Unlike me, he truly enjoys growing all sorts of plants, vegetables, and fruits. On the other hand, I discussed with Caleb about my passions, and it seems like he was very interested. Mainly, because on the outside of me, I look like your average teenage student who plays football, but once we got into deeper discussions, he started to realize I am so much more than just that. Same with Caleb, he was very welcoming and once he got more comfortable he started to tell me more about his life, which then caused me to realize how much different someone can be to their stereotypes. 

Caleb and I had many differences but still some commonalities. Some similarities were the sympathy we had for underprivileged students. We got into a lot of good discussion about the funds at schools and different opportunities to certain students. Then we discussed our life in the classroom; we are very similar students. We both have the same bad homework habits, although we still get all our work done on time, while we are leaders in the classroom. One last thing we have in common is that we stick by the phrase, “family comes first”. We both value our family and they are the closest people to us. Caleb has a really tight relationship with his grandma, which I admire. This inspired me to get closer with my grandparents, because Caleb taught me how important it is to spend time and talk with them, since we are both so lucky/fortunate to have them by our side. 

With a decent amount of similarities, we also had a lot of differences. One difference we obtained was our most valued interest, mine was football and Caleb’s was nature and wildlife. These two passions are very different from each other, but this caused our personalities to mesh and have great conversations as we taught each other about our differences. Another difference we noticed was our struggles. We talked about different conflicts and issues in our life than affect us in our own ways. Some of them were family oriented, or even treated poorly because of something neither of us can control. 

Caleb and I  had many similarities and differences, but at the end of the day we both are affected by commonalities. This shows how similar people are based on stuff that is deep down in them. On the outside, Caleb and I are very different people with very different interests, but still have factors that are in our life that coincide with each other.

Generation of Promise Blog #2

Stavros Panos 

What have you learned about Detroit and Metro Detroit through GoP?

I never knew much information about the background of Detroit and Metro-Detroit. Once I joined the program, and experienced the Detroit Culture day, that statement changed. For example, I never realized the amount of key landmarks in the city of Detroit, such as beautiful, historical museums, delicious restaurants, meaningful murals, and paradise-like parks. There are many historical museums that show extremely rare/ unique pieces of art, where you can’t find anywhere else. Also, the restaurants in Detroit have a wide-variety of foods to satisfy different cravings, and the best part is that the majority of them you can only find in Detroit, nowhere else! The murals in Detroit are depicted by Detroit-made artists who are there to display their beautiful artwork and make a name for themselves. Lastly, we were able to be informed of many new parks in the workings. This is super exciting because we were able to see the gorgeous pictures of the parks when they are supposed to be finalized.This states a super big step for the reconstruction of the beautiful city of Detroit, and we are all looking forward to seeing what the future holds in Detroit.

Another perspective of Detroit I would like to touch on is the abundance of history in Detroit, especially the different cultures/ ethnicities scattered through Detroit. They are all very different, but it is very intriguing to see all cultures mesh together and adapt to each other. Detroit is home to an insane amount of cultures that were accepted by the welcoming city. We were fortunate enough to learn about five of them, and look more in depth to the backgrounds of how they originated here in Detroit. 

What have you learned about yourself through GoP?

Generation of Promise has unlocked many news doors for me. One key perspective from me that I realized was to take pride in my background/ culture. I never really put in appreciation of my Greek culture. Once I got into this program and listened to every other student’s perception on culture, it pushed me to value my own. I began to realize how fortunate I am to have my ancestors, and the sacrifices and suffering they made for me to be here. I can’t thank them enough and this program made me be conscious of that, I am truly lucky to be a part of them. Now that I have been taught about many other cultures and paid close attention to other students explaining their cultures, I truly accept my own! And I find myself unique and lucky, because I understand that many other people/cultures are suffering through a lot more criticism than others and me.  

Another door that Generation of Promise opened up for me was being able to express my past and life story, which really conveyed myself to think more deeply about what I have been through and how it has made me,“me”. During some of these discussions with our family groups, I shared moments in my life that I have never told anyone else, other than family. I felt extremely safe and comfortable to share these moments with my family group, “mishparalusky”. I got the understanding that the majority of people in my family have gone through a lot more than me, and their lives are a lot more tougher than mine. This made me realize that they would understand the most out of anyone and it was a safe environment to share. Lastly, listening to my family members in my group talk about their past made me feel grateful for the life I have been given. I sometimes tend to take advantage of the life I have, and start to not value life the way it should be valued. Therefore, once I heard multiple heartfelt stories, I really turned my life around, and started to make myself more uplifting and optimistic. 

What do you want to learn more about from what we have discussed so far? How will you take initiative to learn about those things?

Due to the lessons learned in the program so far and some of the key perspectives acknowledged, I would really like to learn more how to give back to others and truly help important causes. I have noticed that many students in Generation of Promise are aware of issues occurring in the area/world. It has always been my passion to support a cause and actually make an impact/ difference. I will be taking initiative by having the opportunity to partake in the critical issue project. I am extremely excited to learn more about these causes and contribute to making a difference!

Generation of Promise Blog #1

Hi everyone, my name is Stavros Panos! Welcome to my story. My family’s history in the United States commenced around 1948 when my grandfather traveled from Greece to start his new life here. He came with nothing. He didn’t know the english language, he didn’t have much money, and he was not familiar with the area as a whole. My grandpa laid a foundation for the generations to come. I take pride in his story; he is part of me and he makes me happy to be Greek. I work to make my family proud of my accomplishments and my overall personality. I do this by working hard in everything that I do. I am a junior at Groves High School in Birmingham, Michigan. Throughout my three years in high school, I have formed many friendships and bonds. I am very involved in the Groves community. I am also a valued teammate on the football team. I play a variety of positions and I make sure to put in a lot of work and effort so that I can better myself as an athlete and individual. I am very dedicated to my team and I make sure that I never disappoint my coaches or teammates. Many people know me as a football player but I am so much more than that. After school, you can catch me spending time with my family, friends, studying for school, or working out. I am also an Editor of our school Newspaper, run track for Groves, mentor, and a director of social activities in our school’s student congress.  I am a very organized person and I make sure to balance my life so that I have time to complete everything that makes me happy. When I have extra time on my hands, I play with my fluffy Pomeranian named Henry. He keeps me company when I’m home alone and he puts a smile on my face when I’m having a bad day. My life here in Birmingham is busy and my story as a whole is motivating and exciting!