CHELSEA

JOSE (PEPE)

JOTHAM

LAUREN

LONNIE

MIKE

NAOMI

RHONESHA

SAMANTHA

VAHE

The Person Behind the Face:

My name is Naomi. I like to be outside and I've never really seen real snow until yesterday. It's so pretty, and so cold. I feel like the snow is a nice place to visit, but I wouldn't choose to live here.

About myself...I was born and raised in San Francisco. I like to visit the beach. I like swimming in lakes and streams. I would like to travel the world throughout my life. I like cooking, music, laughing and little kids. I like writing when I'm not told to. I think I'd like to direct a few movies during my lifetime. My favorite time of day is when the sun leaves the sky. I like the nighttime too. I have a very good memory sometimes but usually I can't remember things like the other topic we were supposed to write about. Right now, I feel like I'm in a dream. I'm glad I live in California.

Wilderness...

is the way God made this whole earth. It's the way everything started out. When we preserve life we get wilderness. Trees and water and animals and people are wilderness. In Berkeley we still have some reminisces of wilderness, but most of it has been industrialized.

Letter to Self

Dear Naomi,

I hope that you are doing well. I hope that you will keep in your mind all the you learned in Yosemite. It was a rough trip. You had snow that froze your whole body; you had to help yourself and your friends survive. You learned how to live and work in a group. [To] give your strengths and take what you needed. Remember how hard you worked to hike up the snow hill with those snow shoes. Remember how much you just appreciated and loved life. The simplicity. Remember how it smelled and how the sky looked at night. It hurt sometimes, but you saw pure life. You lived a life that your ancestors did. You loved to eat and sleep and laugh. Life was easy to see and you appreciated what made you feel good.

Go back so you can smell the trees and listen to the birds. You can't live without seeing the sky with those stars one more time. This time it will be easier to love. You might go deeper into the woods and see more. This helped you clear your mind, body and soul. This helped you to love yourself and life. Please go back again.