I’m a fourth-generation circus performer. My mother is originally from Hungary and my father is originally from Bulgaria. My great-grandfather and great-grandmother started circus arts in Budapest. He did slack wire, balancing on a thin wire suspended in air and juggled side-by-side with my great-grandmother. Photos by Hedi Lamarr Rudd In 1963, both my grandmas …
Milwaukee is really the only hometown I’ve ever known. I was born in Washington, DC, but I’m the youngest of five, and I was kind of the straw that broke the camel’s back. Before I was one year old, we moved to Milwaukee so we could live closer to my dad’s family in Chicago. I …
I was born and raised in Wausau. My family’s story to America is one that is very similar to many folks in the Hmong community and other groups of people, including Afghan families – a story of sadness and sorrow that forced them to flee their homeland and start a new one in a new …
I am the owner of Las Milpas LLC, a Mexican restaurant and Latino grocery store in Baraboo. Photos by Hedi Lamarr Rudd My day starts at 6:30, getting my daughter to school and heading to my store. In the afternoon I pick her up, we eat dinner together, and then I go back to the …
“If we all stay united, we can be all stronger.” Read More »
I grew up in Evansville, about a half-hour south of Madison on Highway 14. Mine was a pretty good childhood. My dad, who was an engineer on the railroad, was away a lot, but he made things count when he was home. Photos by Hedi Lamarr Rudd Evansville was a really great town. My front …
“I hope to spend my whole life from here on in the service of others.” Read More »
“I like to say I am Mississippi-made, California-cultivated, and Midwest-matured. Photos by Lovell Richardson I’ve always had a big personality and been outspoken. Growing up my friends looked to me to be a leader. When I was in grade school, I knew I would be the voice for people who couldn’t speak for themselves. I …
“My faith in God is what really strengthens me.” Read More »
I grew up in Evanston, just north of Chicago. I met Buddy, my husband, in grad school a landscape architecture program. Photos by Hedi Lamarr Rudd After we graduated, Buddy got an internship at the Aldo Leopold Foundation in Baraboo and I got a job in Chicago. We decided there would always be jobs in …
I was born in Chicago. My family moved back up to the Bad River Reservation where my father is from when I was four months old. After a few years, we moved into the border town of Ashland, which is just to the west of the reservation. Photos by Stanley Schrock I went to the …
I grew up on the outskirts of Sun Prairie. As a kid, I spent most of my time on my granddad’s farm. It was a great time. I learned machinery and a work ethic, no doubt about that. Photos by Sterling Strathe I think it also laid a groundwork for a land ethic, even though …
My father was an English teacher. When I was seven years old, he asked me, ‘Masood, when you graduate, where would you like to go?’ I said, ‘I want to go to America.’ Photos by Hedi Lamarr Rudd He said, ‘Why is that?’ I answered, ‘Well, I’m reading a lot about America and learning about …
“I believe that if people can be taught to hate, they can easily be taught to love.” Read More »
I grew up in Port Washington. I feel like I lucked out because we were right near Lake Michigan, it was part of our family routine to take our dogs to the beach. The lake has always been this place for me to have fun, but also reflect and kind of meditate. There is something …
I’m from Fall Creek, Wisconsin, which is a very small town. Growing up, I was surrounded by a family of storytellers. Photos by Andi Stempniak My dad’s a public speaker, and my grandparents love to tell stories. My paternal grandmother has been writing poetry for longer than I’ve been alive, and my mom’s mother used …
“I love creating characters with important life lessons to learn.” Read More »
