Episode 46: Watertown Youth Coalition Peer Leaders (Jenna Houjazy, Vana Stepanian, Priscilla Samakwrong)
Meet Jenna Houjazy, Vana Stepanian, and Priscilla Samakwrong! They are students at Watertown High School and members of the Watertown Youth Coalition Peer Leaders group which is organized by Christina Lupica of Wayside Youth and Family Support Network here in Watertown. In this conversation, we talk about their likes and dislikes about Watertown as a whole and their high school experience, their advice for other youth members of the community, and we end it with their advice to adults on interacting with their generation.
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Find out more about the Peer Leaders group at: watertownyouthcoalition.org/peerleaders/
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This program is supported in part by a grant from the Watertown Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.
Transcript
Matt: 0:07
Hi there, welcome to the Little Local Conversations podcast. I'm your host, Matt Hanna. Every episode I sit down for a conversation with someone in Watertown to discover the people, places, stories, and ideas of Watertown. This time I sat down with a group of folks over at the high school. Some of the peer leaders in the Watertown Youth Coalition Peer Leadership group invited me into their usual meeting to record a conversation with them about their views on Watertown from a youth perspective. So I sat down with Jenna Houjazy, Vana Stepanian, and Priscilla Samakwrong. And also Christina Lupica, the Youth Engagement Specialist at the Wayside Youth and Family Support Network here in Watertown, who leads this group, gives a brief introduction. Yeah, so I'll let the Peer Leaders introduce themselves and then we'll get into our conversation.
Vana: 0:54
I'm Vana Stepanian.
Priscilla: 0:55
I'm Priscilla Samakwrong.
Jenna: 0:58
I'm Jenna Houjazi.
Christina: 1:00
And I'm Christina Lupica.
Matt: 1:01
Cool. So let me just ask first of all, what is this group? And, Christina, I thought you might introduce us because you're the one who organizes this.
Christina: 1:08
Yeah, so we're here with the Peer Leaders, which is a group out of Watertown High School. We are a part of Wayside Youth and Family Support Network, which is out of Watertown on North Beacon Street. And the idea of the Watertown Youth Coalition Peer Leadership Group is to connect with high schoolers or any high school aged people in Watertown and create a space to talk about prevention and to talk about mental health and other things that are going on with the young people in Watertown and to also create events and create more spaces for youth to talk throughout the town and to different players and stuff like that.
Matt: 1:46
Awesome, great, let me grab that. Let's hand this over here. So who wants to take the first turn of why you joined this group? You want to go ahead, Priscilla.
Priscilla: 1:53
So originally I joined this group because I wanted community service hours and my friend Levi was like hey, Priscilla, join this group, it'll be fun, you have friends there and we do stuff for people. And as I started going through the process of Speak Week and other things like that, I kind of realized that this group is actually very meaningful and we do do a lot to help the youth. Like, for example, when I was doing an activity for Speak Week, there was a group of girls who was like oh, this is so fun. And it was just heartwarming, I'd say, to see that I can actually make a difference from doing this.
Matt: 2:32
What is Speak Week?
Jenna: 2:33
I can try to answer what Speak Week is. Speak Week was just when we took time out of classes. It used to be a bigger deal than it is now, especially because in the new building we don't have as much space as we used to have and because of that we've had to minimize Speak Week to what we can do in just minor events. But Speak Week used to be a big deal, especially in the old high school, and I really hope that in the new high school it can become a big deal again. But one week out of the year there would be a huge assembly and we would bring talkers in and they would kind of discuss important issues like drug and substance abuse and people would come in and share their experiences and try to give an idea and try to inspire people what we really want to do with our lives, what shouldn't we do, what's obvious that we shouldn't do. And throughout the week we would have sprinkled in little activities and events that any teacher could sign up for their class to come down and participate. And my favorite two off the top of my head when I was a freshman and sophomore was we used to get in a dog. It was an emotional support dog. It would just be for an entire hour, a period long. We would sit in the library and we would just pet this dog. It was such a nice break. Especially this was like, I believe, right after midterms week or around that area. It was such a nice break especially this was like, I believe, right after midterms week or around that area. It was such a nice break after midterms week.
Jenna: 3:48
And another activity I liked a lot and made me feel closer to my peers was we had this activity where I was a part of the Kingian Club and the Kingian Club was the one that ran this event. But you could sign up and you would come down and you would write something on a little sticky note or a piece of origami paper, something that like upset you or just you want to get off your chest and you would fold it up into a really pretty like little cane. And I thought it was really cute. And at the end we made a string of canes and it was really pretty and the plan was to put in the library. But of course the high school isn't there next year, so that kind of got sidetracked. But yeah, that's what Speak Week was. Also why I joined Wayside, I also joined because my friend Levi was like, hey, you should join this club.
Matt: 4:29
I need to talk to this influencer. Who's Levi?
Jenna: 4:33
Not here today, unfortunately. No, they very much are an influencer. But yeah, and then so I decided to join and I came in for a meeting and I also knew about Wayside through previously when I did Speak Week as a freshman and sophomore. So I came in and I realized like, really quickly, this is a really cool club because I could just sit down and talk to people, be able to say whatever I want, get whatever I want off my chest. And I feel like, especially as a student, it's difficult to kind of get my opinion on matters of the school out.
Jenna: 5:03
And it's nice because in here we are asked what do you think of this, what do you think of that? We're asked specific issues and it's nice to be able to actually talk about those issues. So it became like a highlight of my Mondays, because Mondays are just such bad days. But it became a highlight of my Mondays to be like I can go to Wayside and I can talk about how I did really bad or good on this test, or I could talk about this weird interaction I had and I can talk about just whatever I wanted. And it was really nice.
Matt: 5:28
Same question to you. So why did you join this group?
Vana: 5:30
So I joined because Arthur told me to. He’s like right behind me too, right here he's looking at me.
Matt: 5:37
So there's another recruiter other than Levi.
Vana: 5:38
Yeah, he said I think this would be super fun for you to do, since you know a lot of people here. I do know some people here very well, so that's one reason. And also I just like being a part of a community where I can, I guess, make a difference in some way or try to help even a little bit. So it's also good use of my time, better than sitting at home and doing nothing. So it's fun, makes Mondays a lot better, as Jenna just said. Yeah.
Matt: 6:06
Nice. So thanks for giving me your intro into the group. So I'm looking at a list here of things that you all wanted to get to in terms of perspectives you wanted to give the community on what you like about Watertown and such. So why don't we just dive right into that? So, what is life like for young people in Watertown? Right, and you have likes and dislikes here and I know I think you divvied some of these up. What did you want to talk about, Priscilla, about your likes and dislikes in Watertown?
Priscilla: 6:27
Well outside of school, personally, what I really like about Watertown is the small businesses and public transport. Not specifically like the environment of public transport, but I really like how, when you live in Watertown, there are so many different buses I can go to and I can just go to so many different areas with just like a dollar and 70 cents. But, yeah, I think it's a really good way to get out of the area you're in if you don't want to be like in here and you're getting bored of it, because not everyone wants to be at Arsenal every single day. I really like the small businesses. My favorites are probably the O’some Cafe and Banh Mi Cafe and the fish market that's very close to McDonald's and Stop and Shop, because it's a lot cheaper there than like going to an actual sushi place in Watertown and tastes a lot fresher and everything too.
Matt: 7:23
All right, passing it on. Same question to you. Maybe we'll go with the pros and then we can go around with the cons.
Jenna: 7:28
What I really like about it is it has a small town feel, but it's also just an amazing place to grow up, because I personally am not one for the big city. Boston is right there, but a fast paced environment like that. I like fast paced environments, but that is like incredibly fast or just overwhelms me and gives me a headache. So it's nice that I can go into Boston really easily when I want to do something fun, but it's also nice that I'm not there constantly. And while I have that option, I also am here in an incredible community. That's what I have to say.
Vana: 8:00
Same question?
Matt: 8:01
Same question to you, yeah.
Vana: 8:05
I've lived in Watertown my whole entire life, so I'm just used to it. I think it's really nice, considering it's pretty small, but it's a good place if you want to raise a family. It's safe. It's safe. There's not a lot of things that happen here that are too crazy. I think it's a pretty nice community and building a little bit on what Priscilla said about the small businesses, there's this one spot that you should totally check out. It's called Arsenal Pizza and it's right next to Wicked Bagel and it's run by a very sweet Greek couple, I believe. And they make really, really good chicken cutlet subs. Also, it's really nice. Lots of nature here, a lot of geese, if you like geese. There's a lot of places that you could take your kids. In short, it's nice, nice place. I like it.
Jenna: 8:53
And I just wanted to add on to the nice place to raise your family, because I actually think about this often. My parents when they immigrated here, I genuinely believe that Watertown might be one of the best places that they could have chosen to live in because there's just so many pros to it. But, like Vana was saying, it really does have a nice family community here. Also, it feels incredibly safe, like I have no issue walking alone in the dark. I don't feel in danger at all or anything. When it's late out, it feels safe no matter what time of day, and I really like that aspect of it.
Matt: 9:29
Nice, yeah. So why don’t we, you know, I like harping on the positive, but what are some of the dislikes or the things that you can look at from your perspective that could be improved in Watertown?
Priscilla: 9:35
Personally, I feel like some of the roads in Watertown, no matter how many times people construct them, it seems to get worse every single time or it just doesn't seem to be fixed, you know. But I think driving in Watertown Square is very bad. I don't think it's the same as Boston bad, but it's very annoying to try to get through when everyone's honking at you and if you're trying to cross the road immediately somebody is like about to run you over. I think in the school specifically, the hallways are very narrow compared to how it was in the actual high school and the fact that we're living in a trailer park right now is not exactly the best. When I'm walking through the hallways and there's like these six feet guys walking by crowding the entire area, it's very hard to get through and go to my actual class. It's just not very convenient.
Priscilla: 10:34
Also, I feel like when we were in Zoom, we were kind of like the test subjects. You know, like this isn't really something that most people have experienced aside from people who do homeschooling. And it was very like everyone is new to it and whenever the teachers would try to teach it wouldn't work out and it was very awkward when they would bring us into those private Zoom rooms with other kids because nobody would talk. And when we got back nobody was very social.
Priscilla: 11:03
Like even the so-called popular kids would not talk to each other or anybody aside from themselves. It was a very long time for everyone to actually get used to the environment again and to be accustomed to it. So coming to high school with that was a very hard transition to go through. I think that it has gone a lot better, but for some people it's kind of a big change and this whole new environment with the whole trailer park thing going on, it's also a big change and I don't think that a lot of people are used to it. Even my teachers have been complaining about like how annoying it is that we have to be here and we have to like walk 10-15 minutes to go to a gym and then come back and the gym's also very small. Yeah.
Jenna: 11:44
For dislikes for me, I also want to talk about being a high school student while also not having an actual high school. It's kind of insane. You know you got to do what you got to do, but it's just very upsetting that, like we don't have a choice. Because obviously Watertown is growing, we need a bigger school. What we had before, I guess, wasn't cutting it. So it is what it is, like we're in here now, but it's also kind of upsetting because there's no life in this place and it's just like, I don't want to say bland, but that's what it is.
Jenna: 12:17
Especially for lunch and things like that, or during your study, there's really nowhere to go. And by nowhere I mean inside the building. If you want to go outside during lunch or study, you have amazing options right. You have a couple restaurants down the street. But when you're actually in the high school, your two options for lunch or study is the library, which is tiny. It is so small. When I saw it, when I actually came into here for the first time and I saw the library, I was like that's it. It's insanely small. And also when we first came here, when people were still adjusting to this high school, the cafeteria we have now is just the middle school second gymnasium. That was like the lower level, which is also incredibly small. Like I remember my junior year, there were people who were just sitting on the floor or up against the wall because there was not enough chairs for everybody and there's not enough places for everyone to sit. And we were still new to the new building and everything so we didn't really realize that we could leave. And a lot more people leave now, so it's a lot less cramped, but it's just still kind of saddening to see, I guess. But also something that I'm really upset about is how standardized testing, the culture of it, is completely gone. During midterms week, you can't even call midterms week midterms week anymore because it doesn't exist.
Jenna: 13:27
Before, in our old high school, how it was set up is you would have two tests a day. They would both last an hour and 30 minutes and you would have a 10 minute break in between the two periods. It would be a half day. You'd have those two one hour 30 classes, 10 minutes in between, and then after at like 12 o'clock you could go home. And, yes, while it was extremely stressful to basically have a test for every class, I felt like I had enough time in between each day to like successfully prepare and everything. And it felt serious, it felt important and you could tell okay, this is midterms week, I got to lock in.
Jenna: 13:57
But now there's none of that. Instead, what it's become is you have your regular classes, like normal, and teachers have the option to give you midterms. Majority of the teachers now honestly don't give you midterms because there's really no point, because it's extra test for them to grade and it's going to feel like a regular test no matter what. Because you still have the entire day set up like normal and it's literally just if you get to that class and you have a midterm in that class, you take a test and that's it. But it's way more high stakes than a regular test, but it doesn't feel like it. And it's more stressful because now I have to do a midterm, but I also have all my other normal classes and I have my normal amount of homework and I have my normal amount of everything else. Which is kind of insane to me because if you're going to give me a test as significant as a midterm, then at least make it feel like it's going to be a significant test. But that's my major takeaway about this new location. I really dislike the entire week of midterms now.
Vana: 14:53
I don't have too many dislikes, I mean school related. I think you guys really covered it all, especially the hallways. That's really really tough. I would say that one thing, not school related, you know, once you hit that age of like you know you could go out by yourself with friends and stuff. After a while I think things get really boring, especially here. I mean you could go to Arsenal Yards, but what is there really to do there other than maybe see a movie and walk around. They have a lot of restaurants, but it gets boring really fast. There's not a lot to do here. I wish there was more interesting places. And also it's always under construction, just the whole town. There's always something going on. But it's mostly labs, nothing really fun. So usually me personally, I have to leave the town. I have to go, maybe Boston, Allston around those places. I mean it gets boring basically, that's what I'm saying.
Matt: 15:43
Cool. Well, thank you for sharing those ideas and perspectives on what it's like. So well, what else would you like to see in Watertown that you feel is missing?
Vana: 15:51
I don't know in specifics. I think it would just be better if there were more fun stuff to do. You know what I mean? All of the fun stuff, they're pretty far away and they're a lot more expensive because they are far away, especially if you're taking, like, an Uber, which is like $30 per trip. So I don't know in specifics. I think it would just be better if they had more activities to do that are more centered around older teens. You know what I mean.
Priscilla: 16:17
Yeah, I think that. So there's a little skate park at Arsenal, right. And I haven't been there in a really long time because I just feel like it's a very small area and it's great that there are like a few ramps and stuff. But I think that they could definitely add more. If they did, I think that'd be great, cause, like I don't know, I feel like in my middle school years everybody skated and now like nobody skates anymore. And I think it was like really fun to just have a group of people I could do that with, but I would always have to go to Allston or other towns to like have a bigger area to do that in. But yeah.
Jenna: 16:54
I agree with Vonna. I really would like to see more businesses, that isn't really just restaurants. I want to be able to do more things without having to go to Allston or Boston. But I also think Watertown is on a great path. I like what the future looks like here. Maybe, if anything, especially for the youth, and when I say youth I don't mean us, I mean the younger generation, like elementary level kids. I want them to have more resources. Especially because I was talking to, and this kind of goes hand in hand with the Zoom kids being the Zoom guinea pigs.
Jenna: 17:26
But I was talking to my friend's mom recently and I realized that. My little sister's weird, let me start there. And my friend's little brother is weird. And I'm like, why are these kids, and I work with kids right, I'm like, why are they so weird? I love them, but some of the things they say. And kids are always weird, but my friend's mom pointed out that they’re Zoom kids, they’re COVID kids. During that age when they were supposed to be able to interact with each other and learn the basis for interactions, they didn't really get that. And I kind of feel bad. But I just want to make sure that they have the resources they need to be able to grow up to understand how to communicate with people well.
Matt: 18:03
Yeah, cool. So let's move on here. Let's talk about, well, you kind of touched on these, but kind of get to the tail end of this thing and talk more about what you're hoping as peer leaders, what you're hoping to instill on the rest of your peers and those below you in your time left here.
Jenna: 18:18
The one piece of advice that I have for my peers and this is going to be kind of embarrassing to say, but please go to class, please graduate. The amount of people who just rather not be in class because it doesn't make them happy doesn't feel rewarding the hour that you're sitting in there, but it's going to feel rewarding when you've graduated. And go to college. You can go to college for free, community college, it doesn't matter if it's a bad place, good place, just go to college. Get as many degrees as you can. Be successful.
Vana: 18:45
For advice. I think I would give this more to freshmen, I mean it's pretty late in the year at this point, but I'd say incoming freshmen, maybe younger kids. Freshman year, I think it's a mutual thing that it sucked for like almost everyone. That might just be, you know, a transitional thing, because it's totally different than being in like middle school and stuff. Your homework grades actually count a lot. So do that and don't skip class. That is what Jenna said basically. But you know, like, do your work, try not to slack off. I know it's really really hard to do because it's your first year. You're not really used to doing as much work. Yeah, it actually counts and first year is always pretty important because it really adds up in the future, so. Also, don't do drugs, please. Don't do that. You're going to mess up your head. So that's my advice.
Priscilla: 19:35
My advice for freshmen kind of ties in with everything that Vana and Jenna were saying. I think that don't stress too much, like it's the first year, but do pay attention to your grades. Yeah, and you can be friends with whoever you want, but don't look up to people who you don't see being someone you want to be in 10 years. And don't just try to follow your friends because you think it's cool or whatever. Do what you want to do. Follow your own path. You don't have to have anyone else tell you what to do. You don't even have to listen to what I'm saying right now. Yeah, just follow. This sounds so cringe. But follow your heart and don't let anyone try to tell you that you are not who you are. Do what you want, because in the end, it doesn't matter and you're not gonna be seeing any of these people within 10 years, so it doesn't matter.
Matt: 20:31
Nice, let's do another, one more round of advice, but this time for give advice to the grownups about the youth here.
Priscilla: 20:37
So personally, I work with kids and something I've noticed when the adults talk to me about their children and their issues with their children. I understand that some things are like oh my god, why is my child acting this way? He or she should not be doing this. I didn't raise them like this. You have to be more understanding in a lot of ways because you are not in the same generation as them and they are growing up a lot differently. We went through this whole pandemic thing and you might be like, oh, that was plenty of years ago, they should get over it. But some things just don't work like that.
Priscilla: 21:16
Not everyone is the same. You might be like, oh, why was this person able to do it, but this person not able to do it? Again, everyone is different. Everyone experiences things differently. Maybe have a good conversation with them about why they are the way they are. Punish them if needed, but you still have to keep an open ear because when the time comes and they're older, they're probably gonna be like, hey, thanks for actually listening to what I had to say back then. Compared to if you didn't and you shut them out, in 10 years they're probably gonna cut all contact with you and you're gonna be like, oh, what did I do wrong. And they're not going to tell you because they're not going to talk to you anymore.
Vana: 21:56
So honestly I would just say for parents, kind of like what Priscilla said, just really listen to your kids. Me personally, both my parents, they're not from America. They immigrated here from around the Middle East region. So I know it's very different, especially based off of where you were raised and culturally. But just listen to your kids, because it's definitely hard and I know that they don't really like talking about stuff like personal, also could be a cultural thing. I know sometimes it's really hard for people to do that. But yeah, just I guess I would say, take care of them in a way that they really get what they need. Like if your kid tells you like hey, I'm really really struggling with this thing right now, if it's like personal or even school based, I mean, find them help. You know whether it be like ask a relative to tutor them even, if that works. Or try to get them to open up more about their feelings, especially if they're getting to that age of late middle school, like eighth grade and up, very hard years. So yeah, that's about all.
Jenna: 23:00
What I'm about to say, my advice, I promise I'm not trying to make anyone feel old, but times have really changed. You need to have an open mind when talking to the younger generation. And also my job has me talking to parents on a basically daily basis. The thing that I've noticed the most with adults is that they don't often take the time of day to treat me, because I'm younger, with respect. Please do. I'm a person as much as you are. And although we might not agree on things and we were raised in two different generations and we don't see with the same lenses anymore, take the time of day, listen to what I'm telling you. Because at the end of the day, I'm trying to help you. Thank you.
Matt: 23:41
So anything else people wanted to add on or you feel like we didn't hit on before we just wrap it up here?
Priscilla: 23:47
I also think that with the older generation, or specifically teachers, obviously not all of you guys are the older generation, but a large amount of you guys are. And I think that when a student is struggling in your class and you see that happening, I don't think it's a good idea to just tell them, hey, you're going to fail if you don't do this. Or email their parents saying, hey, your child's going to fail and do summer school. I think that, yes, that is completely fair to do because you're teaching a course and this is happening, but I also think that you should be checking in on the student and being like hey, like what do you not understand, or why do you not want to do this? Or just actually helping them to get their grades up. There's a math lab, an English lab here too. Maybe send them there for some help. So, yeah, I just think, instead of only paying attention to the kids' academics, maybe also pay attention to their social and emotional needs.
Matt: 24:48
Cool. Well then, thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and stories on what it's like to be youth in the city. And, yeah, thanks for taking the time.
Vana: 24:55
Yeah, thank you, you're so welcome, thank you. Thank you for listening. So fun.
Matt: 25:03
So that's it for my conversation with Jenna, Vana, and Priscilla. If you want to find out more about the group, I'll put a link in the show notes to their website. Head on over to littlelocalconversations.com if you like the podcast and you want to find more episodes, find out what events are coming up. When this episode releases, I will have just done the second Creative Chats event over at the Mosesian Center for the Arts, but there'll be another one coming up in March. Keep an eye out for that. And the big event coming up for me is the anniversary event for the podcast, which is going to be on March 18th, Tuesday night over at the Mosesian Center for the Arts from 5.30 to 7.30 pm. I'm excited to see a bunch of the guests from the past year and I'm going to have some discussions with some of them, live podcast panel and maybe a couple other things up my sleeve, we'll see what I can pull off. And, yeah, it's going to be a $20 suggested donation at the door, which all the proceeds will go to the Mosesian Center for the Arts and the Watertown Community Foundation. Two nonprofits in Watertown that are doing work that I find important so I want to help support them with this event. So come on out, should be a great time. There'll be a cash bar, there'll be light bites. Yeah, it should just be a good time. Love to see you there. So I'll put the link to that in the show notes as well, or head on over to littlelocalconversations.com. You can find it under the events. And if you want to stay up to date on everything Little Local, you can sign up for my email newsletter that I send out once a week. There's a link to it in the show notes, or again, you can head on over to littlelocalconversations.com and find info over there to sign up.
Matt: 26:26
Alright, and a couple of things here to wrap up. I want to thank the Watertown Cultural Council for giving me a grant this year to help support the podcast. I want to give them the appropriate credit, which is this program is supported in part by a grant from the Watertown Cultural Council, a local agency, which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency. You can find out more about them at watertownculturalcouncil.org or massculturalcouncil.org. I also want to give a shout out to a promotional partner, the Watertown Business Coalition. They're a nonprofit organization here in Watertown that is bringing businesses and people together to help strengthen the community. Find out more about them at watertownbusinesscoalition.com. They have some events coming up too that you might be interested in including a city update, with the city manager coming up in March. So check out their website for their events. And that's it. So until next time, take care.
