Turning an adaptive lifestyle into a rewarding lifestyle
By Hannah Gebresilassie A Medill Newsmakers Report When society thinks of people in wheelchairs, we often think of what they can’t do instead of what they can do. In this edition of Medill Newsmakers, wheelchair users in Chicago open up about living an adaptive lifestyle. The perspectives come from gunshot survivors, Skyhawks wheelchair basketball team […]
Reflections: Pioneers in women’s basketball look back at progress in the sport
By Hannah Gebresilassie “We’re girls and we just want to have fun,” said 90-year-old Mary Wersells, the first girls’ basketball coach at Simeon High School as she reflected on the history of the sport. Nearly four decades ago, Title IX was enforced which prohibited discrimination against female athletes. This opened the doors for pioneers in […]
Nairobi Girls Chorale from Kenya visit Chicago to support their dreams using music as a tool
By Hannah Gebresilassie “I call it the trip of God,” says David A. Isindu, founder and director of Nairobi Girls Chorale. A group of 17 girls from Nairobi, Kenya visit Chicago to challenge stereotypes, gain exposure and raise tuition money. Isindu founded the Nairobi Girls Chorale in 2008 to empower young women in Africa. “I […]
Tom Perski: A visually impaired pioneer serving the blind at the Chicago Lighthouse
By Hannah Gebresilassie When Tom Perski turned 19 years old, he noticed something was off with his vision during a baseball practice. “I saw the ball go up in the air and then it disappeared completely and then reappeared again,” Perski says. Perski was later diagnosed with a rare case of Stargardt macular dystrophy, a […]
Medill Reports Newscast
By Hannah Gebresilassie Watch the Medill Reports News Update. This week our reporters talk about challenges graduate students face through the eyes of a Loyola University Chicago student. We see how more than 100 veterans experience a special send-off to Washington D.C. through the Honor Flight program. Finally, we get to hear from Reckless Records […]
Visitor finds surprise at Swedish American Museum on its 40th anniversary
By Hannah Gebresilassie Alan Hagstrom visited the Swedish American Museum on Tuesday and didn’t expect to find what he saw. “I walk into the room of the display and lo and behold,” says Hagstrom. “There are my grandparents highlighted on the immigrant wall.” Edward John and Hilda Marie Hagstrom are just two of his four […]
John the Barber: beats odds to cut hair again, even from a wheelchair
By Hannah Gebresilassie Getting shot six times and becoming paralyzed from the chest-down didn’t stop John “So Icey John” Sharp from becoming one of the best barbers in town. “I got shot up being at the wrong place at the wrong time,” Sharp, 28, says, adding he wont let the circumstances prevent him from continuing […]
Ethiopians celebrate Fasika (Easter) in Chicago following 55-day fast
By Hannah Gebresilassie Hundreds of Ethiopians came together at Debre Tsion Medhanealem Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church in Chicago to celebrate Fasika, or Easter, on May 1. The 6-hour service includes individual and community prayers led by Father Michael during worship. From Good Friday to Easter Sunday, priests and some church members don’t eat anything to show […]
Vikings’ Laquon Treadwell makes new friends, learns to play checkers on draft day
By Hannah Gebresilassie From visiting patients in the a.m. to getting drafted in the p.m., Laquon Treadwell had an “emotional rollercoaster” on draft day. Treadwell spent the morning visiting patients at Shriners Hospital for Children – Chicago on April 28. There he made two new friends, 8-year-old Sheila Bourke and 10-year-old Katie Kuehn, who taught […]
NFL Draft prospects are bigger than ball at Shriners Hospital
By Hannah Gebresilassie The NFL Draft is more than contract negotiations and draft picks. It’s a time for the top players in the country to give back. On Thursday morning, fifteen future NFL players participated in an NFL Play 60 Clinic at Shriners Hospital for Children. Seventeen kids received certificates for completing the clinic. [vimeo […]
