by Ryan Nolan

It was just routine day for each of the sixty youth convicts as they entered a room to hear what they thought was just another guest speaker. These convicts had been living in the Pendleton Juvenile Correction Center and were not just convicts, but the most violent offenders in the US. Little did they know, the man who was standing in front of them was once in their very spot.

Keith Robinson was not a bad apple; he was a forgotten child. Born into a family with a vicious cycle of poverty, his parents both high school dropouts. From early on, Keith endured verbal, emotional, and physical abuse. Over time, he watched his father’s health deteriorate and the absence of a father created a feeling of invisibility. After his father’s untimely death and his mother’s subsequent marriage four months later, Keith began to seek attention in a negative way, desperately wanting someone to notice him. It did not take long before he fell behind in school. He ran away from home nearly twenty times between the ages of 12 and 17 and turned to alcohol and drugs for comfort finding that the substances masked the pain that consumed his life.

Time went on and the circumstances remained, when the buzz actually affected him were his best day. Keith was tired of his mundane routine, which led him to seek for a high that did not entrap him.

There was a shift and Keith began to experience heart felt change. He found the ultimate high: God as he lived the lowest times of his life, constantly drained of any feeling of happiness. As he saw a change in the world and in himself, he realized there were caring adults, such as his high school principal and his English teacher, which wanted nothing more than to see him succeed. His peer group did not change overnight, but the people he associated with began to shift. He surrounded himself with people who built him up, instead of encouraged his previous behavior. Keith had been sentenced to do time in Pendleton, but due to his radical transformation, he was given a second chance. After graduating high school, he went on to college to receive his degree and graduate with high honors.

Keith was determined to create a change in society that was consumed with empathy. He started working and traveling with Chad Varga, a former NBA star, and was able to speak all around the nation to thousands of students and share his story. As he saw the heart of thousands change, Keith started to dream even bigger.

In 2009, he founded Emerge Incorporated, a non-profit organization whose mission is to bring healing to broken lives. Emerge aims to help restore relationships within schools, households and communities. Keith uses his story to challenge both students and adults to emerge out of and rise above their circumstances so they can achieve at their highest level and maximize the potential inside of them. Since the launch of Emerge, Keith has had the opportunity to speak to over 300,000 students.

I was fortunate to cross paths with Keith Robinson my junior year of high school. Keith was able to share his story at a school assembly. It was the first time someone captured the attention of the entire student body at my school. After the assembly, hundreds of students came down and shared their struggles with him and his team. My high school became united that day, and has not been the same since.

After experiencing the change that took place at my high school, I wanted to do more. I was able to connect with Keith and his team to express my interest in getting involved with the work they were doing. Since then, I have been brought on as an intern for Emerge. I have had the opportunity to speak life into students and mentor people who are struggling with addictions and trials they have had to face in this life.

Merriam and Webster’s Dictionary defines radical as something or someone who is very different from the usual or traditional. Keith Robinson made the decision to emerge out of his circumstances and use his struggles to create a culture of caring adults to connect with students and lead the next generation. Due to his encouragement and recognition of my potential, I seize the day.

By Ivana Martinez

Three words: Daniel Oliver Vasquez. One of my closest and most cherished friends, but also a radical in the making for gay rights.

Growing up in general can be tough, but growing up in a firm Christian family while being gay is unimaginably restraining. Yet even with a strict family, where gay is not A-Okay, Daniel never shied away from who he really is. He is your stereotypical gay man: loud and proud! But this is not what necessarily makes him a radical. Now what does may you ask? Well, how about starting a Gay Straight and Transgender Alliance in a tiny school where the senior class normally ranges of 40 students and academics are the priority.
The school in which we attended is relatively new and not only is it a high school, but it is a middle school as well. I can only assume that my school wanted to keep a naïve perspective on life due to the young children that walked the hallways. But in today’s society it is pointless to keep the children deprived from reality. Since the school was heavily focused on academics to the point where the only art elective a student can take was art history, to bring up a group to support gays was difficult.
It was during our senior year when Daniel figured it would be wonderful to start the Gay Straight Alliance organization during a conversation of teen and gay bullying in our law class. With Daniel being an open gay man, he thanks his support system for helping him become the strong person he is. And when hearing upon these young gay teens committing suicide because of all the negativity out there, he decided none of the gay kids in our school should be alone.

Thankfully with the help of our law teacher, Daniel was able to create an organization were kids can just be themselves, gay or not. He formed a group where there was no judgment and the kids were able to be themselves and not shy away from their true form. Although the group was only open to high school students, Daniel’s warm aura allowed the kids from all ages to come with an opinion of their feelings on homosexuality. Whether it be supportive or anti-gay, Daniel tried to at least bring peace with everybody, not just to keep the Gay Straight Alliance alive, but to create harmonious relationships that are based on personality, rather than labels. And with the success of the Gay Straight Alliance, the group was able to have and celebrate their first Ally Day.

At this celebration, the Gay Straight Alliance gathered together and played silly games with other students, and the straight supporters for gay rights, “Allies”, signed a petition to stay supportive of gay rights. This event was quite successful, in particular to the point where most of the signatures belonged to children ranging from the ages of 11 to 13. And yes, it is not a big school, however to see that it was Daniel’s personality that gathered these young supporters was inspirational.
It was a blessing to have met Daniel and to have helped him with the Gay Straight Alliance. Being straight myself, I forget about the hardships that homosexuals circumference on a day to day basis, and for young gay teens having to face an army of bandits for years while attending school. To see a young, vibrant, and extraordinary man rise up during a tough time for gay people and to bring other young gay teens together and to celebrate who they are was miraculous in every way.

By Carlee Craig

When thinking of the word “radical” many inspirational people race through my mind such as, Martin Luther King, Mahatma Ghandi, Rosa Parks and John Lennon.

However, in my opinion no one defines the true meaning of radical more than Mr. Timothy Leary. He was a Harvard psychologist, explorer, counterculture philosopher, psychedelic spokesman and much more. Timothy Leary was a revolutionary avatar of the mind. “Turn on, tune in, and drop out” was Timothy Leary’s famous quote that turned into the slogan of Leary’s mind-altering movement. An icon of 1960s, Leary is most famous for the therapeutic and spiritual benefits of LSD, a synthetic crystalline compound and hallucinogenic drug.

Born and raised In Springfield, Massachusetts he was abandoned from his father at the age of 13. Graduating from Springfield’s High school he later went to the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts. In 1943, Leary received his bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Alabama. Not long after in 1946, Leary earned his masters degree at Washington State University, and in 1950 Leary got his PhD in psychology from the University of California, Berkeley. He went on to become an Assistant Professor at Berkeley (1950-1955), a director of psychiatric research at the Kaiser Family Foundation (1955-1958), and a lecturer in psychology at Harvard University (1959-1963).

Before his first experiments with mushrooms, Leary described his life of 35 years writing that he had been “an anonymous institutional employee who drove to work each morning in a long line of commuter cars and drove home each night and drank martinis . . . like several million middle-class, liberal, intellectual robots.”

When introduced to the psychedelic (psilocybin mushrooms) from Leary’s colleague Anthony Russo (Ram Dass) Leary claimed that he “learned more about his brain and its possibilities and more about psychology in the five hours after taking these mushrooms than he had in the preceding fifteen years of studying doing research in psychology.” Timothy Leary found the key to the unconscious mind; seeing things that he never even imagined of. He felt reborn, as if he had a new mind and soul!
With Leary’s life changing research on LSD he argued that with the right dosage, place and with the guidance of professionals, it could be used in a beneficial way. It helped with alcoholism, chronic pain and schizophrenia. Many of Leary’s research participants reported profound mystical and spiritual experiences, which they claim permanently, altered their lives in a very positive manner. According to Leary’s documentary, LSD was given to 300 professors, graduate students, writers and philosophers, and 75 percent of them reported it as being like a revelation to them and one of the most educational experiences of their lives.
Leary was a person who held strong convictions and extreme principles. He was the man behind the hippie movement; during the 1960’s Leary published his research on LSD. It was then when the rebellion of America was on its uproar, triggering the social activism and psychedelic movement. Richard Nixon called him the “most dangerous man in America” Leary at that time was advocating people to use LSD after it becoming illegal. For being labeled the most dangerous man in America Leary did the total opposite, he just wanted people to be high and happy.

What is more radical than the man who changed America? With the help of the hippies he opened peoples eyes to new of thinking, believing and living. Not only was Timothy Leary a badass; he stood up for what he believed in; never giving up or becoming weary of his goal.

by Lisa Marie Salerno

Whenever a question such as “who is my radical” arises I immediately think to whom I have wholeheartedly admired since I was 14.

I admire through adversity came the strength and talent of forming a band and realizing his dream. I love to express my appreciation, tell my opinion, and compare what I see in myself. Not a biopic, but a tale of what he went through, how he dealt with it, and how he found himself. Most importantly, why I chose him as my radical.

No other person has impacted my life from the start of interest as much as John Lennon. I don’t know why, but I feel we share(d) the same dream. For the world to live as one, for people to realize there is more to life than worrying over fights and obstacles, and there is more to life than material things. One of his mottos: “all you need is love,” and something that matters most: the learned behavior of being kind and selfless. No one is perfect, but trying is better than nothing at all. Imagine living in a world where everyone does their best to make their and other’s lives meaningful by spreading these messages. Not a perfect world, but a world full of new possibilities.

When John met Paul, the first inklings of the Beatles were formed. They played clubs in Hamburg and eventually worked their way up the ranks, acquired a new drummer, and John Lennon was way on his way to realizing his dream of success and his ultimate fate of superstardom. “Be careful what you wish for, because you just might get it.” I’m not trying to imply that John was ignorant of what would come, but you have to think about it from all sides. The Beatles were surely not rock stars overnight, but what came to say, a normal celebrity in the 1960’s, was blown up to massive proportions. Beatlemania ensued, and John was starting to see the downside. In 1966, He proclaimed that that Beatles were bigger than Jesus in an interview. It was the most controversial comment he had ever made, and it spread everywhere. He dealt with a lot of anger and a lot of hate from people, there were “Beatles burnings” massive bonfires where people burned their records. Not many would say it but I believe he dealt with everything in their touring career gracefully, amidst the madness, the screaming, the obsession, Shea Stadium, and the world.

“I’ve always needed a drug to survive,” Lennon said to Rolling Stone in 1971. This may or may not be completely true, but John Lennon obviously survived his drug addictions, his history with LSD.  Even though I look up to this man, I wouldn’t want to follow in his footsteps for this path in life. I The lifestyle- sex, drugs, and rock and roll- maybe be alluring, but sooner or later one finds out that maybe all this leads to is breakdowns and depression, and you can only go so long before it gets even worse. It was out of sheer luck did John Lennon come of this pretty much unscathed.  It obviously was a huge drawback for quite some while, but I think he found a better drug in his love for Yoko Ono.

On December 8^th, 1980 John Lennon was shot dead by Mark David Chapman in New York City, John and Yoko’s home at the time. The world was shocked.  I found out in 2001, when George Harrison had died (I hadn’t a clue about anything related to the Beatles at the time, I was unaware of my eventual subconscious love for the band). I was shocked as well. (I remember later on I found a picture of all the people gathering outside of the Dakota, and a man holding up a poster that read “WHY?”) The man who would later change my life left the world far too early, and only God knows what the world would be like if John Lennon was alive today.

In 8^th grade choir, I discovered “In My Life,” in my opinion one of the greatest songs ever recorded. I fell in love with the music, this guy, his band, and it changed my life. All of our dreams constitute at least making one small change in the world and I’d like to try to do that in honor of John Lennon. He is so vitally important to history, his music made such an impact, and his overall message meant more: love. Only love can change the world, I know it and I’ve experienced the fact that love is very much stronger than hate. This is why he is my radical.

By Angelike Bekiaris

Most people either say too much or say little to nothing at all. There are very few out there who have found the balance between the two. So, if you had to choose between the two, which would you choose? Well personally, I would choose to say what I wanted, much like how Kayne West does. I envy his ability to be so outspoken. It takes a lot of courage and confidence to speak out about what’s on one’s mind.

Kanye Omari West was born on June 8th of 1977. In his early life, his parents divorced. He attended school normally until college, where at first he attended classes at Chicago State University as well as the American Academy of Art. At some point he then dropped out to pursue his music career. His first productions were involved with rapper Grav’s album Down To Earth. West produced eight tracks on the album. Down To Earth didn’t really grab too much attention. His fame came later, when he started producing for A-Fella Records, where he ended up producing Jay Z’s song “This Can’t Be Life”.

He continued producing and had great success with it. West then began to pursue the career of rapping as a solo artist. His pursuit was quite a struggle though, seeing as A-Fella Records only saw him as a producer.

He then got the chance to rap a verse in Jay-Z’s album Blue Print: A Gift Or A Curse. He produced for this album, and was also signed to as a rapper.
As far as West’s outspoken side goes, there were a few times where he has spoken openly about how he feels. One of the most memorable ones I’d say was at the Video Music Awards, where West went to the stage after the first award was given, for Best Female Video, which was presented to country singer Taylor Swift. He took the microphone from her and said, “”Yo Taylor, I’m really happy for you, I’ll let you finish, but Beyoncé has one of the best videos of all time. One of the best videos of all time!” This of course made the audience go silent, both from shock as well as disgust. Later on, rapper Wale who was the MC for the house band, told the crowd, “You can’t fault a man for speaking his mind”. This of course was followed by more disgust from the audience, this time followed by booing.
Though being too outspoken sometimes can be taken harshly by most, it is still an admirable quality to have. The way I see it, if you don’t say barely anything or nothing at all, no one really takes note of your presence. But if you take a stand and say what you have to say, then people will hear you. Of course we all have different opinions and thoughts, so not everyone is going to approve or agree with what you say. But it is better to speak your mind, rather than go unheard, and that is why West is my radical.

By Erin Simmons

As smoke curled around in the crisp air of the January night, I closed my eyes. A hearty cherry tobacco smell drifted over to me, and I inhaled slowly. That is one of my favorite scents, as it reminds me of my Grandfather Clyde. He rocked slowly back and forth on his wooden rocker, occasionally puffing on his cork pipe. “Snow’s ass deep on a seven foot man, I’d say.” Clyde mumbled. I laughed at his dated expression. He has a lot of those; they never seem to run out. Old chestnuts, I suppose he’d call them.

We sat in silence for what seemed like a long while, not because we didn’t have anything to say, but for the simple fact that we enjoyed the silence. It never feels awkward or uncomfortable, that’s just Clyde’s way. He cherishes the modest things in life. Walks in the woods or a fresh packed pipe are his joys. He doesn’t need much to feel satisfied, laughs often, and appreciates small gestures. He is a dedicated man who sees a job through to the end. When family visits, he doesn’t allow distractions to get in the way. All of his attention is focused solely on the person he is with and what they have to say.

There aren’t many times in today’s world when a person can feel special. Most of us blend in to one another, copying the trends and following popular culture. Clyde makes everybody feel like they have something to offer, and you don’t have to trample over others to receive his praise. Everything in our lives is packed to the gills. We listen to our iPods as we surf the web while texting a frenemy at the same time as we hold a halfhearted conversation with a person we don’t truly care about. Clyde brings my family and I back down to earth. He makes eye contact when he speaks to you. My cell phone doesn’t get service at his house, because the town they live in probably isn’t even on a map (not that anybody outside of New England knows where Vermont is anyway). He holds his family and friends close, and all other unimportant things he casts aside. There is no extra baggage in his life weighing him down, and he is a content man for these reasons.

If everybody could live their lives like Clyde, the world may be less technologically advanced, but they would be happy. No false sense of being or phony friendships would exist. People might use phrases like: “On a sticky wicket”, or “Finer than a frog hair split four ways”, but the words would be involved in a conversation that meant something, not sent over a text. Many people miss out on the important things in life by exhausting themselves in a constant race to nowhere. Clyde has taught me how to be happy for eternity, and for that, I’m eternally grateful.