love Archives - Tony Ward Studio

I’Mani Sellers: Better Half

Posted on March 17, 2015, by I’Mani Sellers

Kass has been seeing Denny for a while now and their relationship is very serious. Kass prides herself in not worrying about what people think about her and not letting that influence her decisions about life. Kass also prides herself in not letting just anyone into her life. Denny was a very different story.

She has known Denny and she has seen him grow and mature, just as he sees her grow and mature. They spend as much time together as they possibly can. Kass describes him as her better half. Kass and Denny have planned everything about their future, and they would not let anything change or jeopardize that. At least that is what Kass thought.

Denny came to Kass one day and told her he had enlisted in the army and was leaving to boot camp in three weeks. Three weeks was all they had left together for a while. It hurt Kass so much, because she believed Denny betrayed her; he had betrayed their dreams. She was angry; she wanted nothing to do with him for a while. She was ready to erase him from her life.

As she counted down the days, she realized she would regret not speaking to him before he left, so she gave him one last goodbye. She sought comfort in her friends at school, but nothing was like the touch of his arms around her as she hugged him. Nothing else could complete her. She writes him letters, and every time she signs them with, “How can you live without your better half of your heart?”

She still sits at home, waits for his return, does her daily routine of going to classes, but she does not feel like she is living. She is still looking for the answer, of how to live without her better half.

About the Author: I’Mani Sellers is a sophomore with a focus on the field of STEM, College of the University of Pennsylvania, Class of 2017.

Allison Denenberg: Perspective

Posted on March 12, 2015 by Allison Denenberg

About a month before my sister started high school and I began my freshman year of college, we found out that our mom had cancer. We were heartbroken and afraid, but also shocked and confused. How could something like this happen to our mom? She was so healthy. So alive. So kind. So undeserving of such a diagnosis. We feared that we were going to lose her, and we didn’t know what to do.

For months, we watched her undergo intensive chemotherapy treatments. She became frail and fatigued, but never stopped smiling. She constantly reassured us that she was fine, and that everything would be okay. Our mom was a ray of positivity and hope through one of the darkest times of our lives.

My sister and I learned a lot as a result of our mom’s illness. For one, it taught us not to sweat the small stuff. Failing a test, not getting the lead role in the play, being rejected from your top choice internship – these disappointments barely scratch the surface of the sadness and hopelessness that you feel when someone you love is sick and there is nothing you can do to heal them.

It has also taught us to be more appreciative of the good things in life, both big and small. A sunrise, the excitement of a first date, spending time with those you love – these are the things worth focusing on. It isn’t healthy to dwell on the negatives, because in doing so, you might overlook something wonderful.

While I never would have wished our mom to go through such an ordeal, there was definitely value in the experience. Watching her take on her illness with such positivity and grace was inspiring – and I was astonished at how her strength influenced my sister’s (and my own).

Now that our mom is better, we have all gained some peace of mind. But in her illness, we gained perspective.

About the Author: Allison Denenberg is a senior enrolled in the College of the University of Pennsylvania, Class of 2015.

Jungmin Ryoo: The Journey

Posted on March 11, 2015 by Jungmin Ryoo

My dearest Sixsmith,

I dreamt of you last night. I could not get in the mood to do anything all day long. So I went for a drive to the city. The city where we were together.

The sun imbues the skies as man imbues the roads. Wish we could see this rapture together again. Back then we were so alive.

Our hearts were driven by extremes. In the heat of the summer, we were blind with dreams and tight with fears. Every passing minute permeated our lives like the sound of music and perfected it. Back then we were so young.

All then suddenly became unclear. My life was filled with an endless dull of ordinariness and I became scared of uncertainty. I have died every night being lost in old memories.

But I know that it is stupid to hold on to the pieces of the past while waiting for the future. When I look back at the journey we rode, I soon realize that all is going to be well. All will be so perfectly well.

Now I lay the past to rest and live today. I miss you. Can’t wait to meet you again.

About the Author: Jungmin Ryoo graduated with a degree in Bioengineering from the University of Pennsylvania in 2014, and is currently a research assistant at XLab: Experience Design and Technology Lab, University of California, Berkely.

Corey Fader: My Second Mom

Posted on March 2, 2015 by Corey Fader

For the first 16 years of my life, Myra was like a second mother to me. While my parents were busy working, Myra was there to take care of all of the housekeeping, cooking, and my sister and me. As early as I can remember, she would push me around in a stroller to museums such as the Please Touch, Franklin Institute, and the Museum of Natural History. She was always there to bathe, feed, and support me in any possible way.

As I grew older, everything around me started to change. I went through a notorious time in my life when I had to figure out exactly what I wanted to be. I was on the brink of expulsion at school, and I was associating myself with a bad group of friends. Even though these were a few rough years for me, I always knew that I could come home and have Myra brighten my day. She taught me right from wrong, and significantly helped me navigate my way through tough situations.

Entering high school, I was aware that my time with Myra was beginning to come to a close. My sister was getting ready to go off to college, and I was much more self-reliant than when I was younger. As each day of freshman year went by, I realized that we were that much closer to the end.

I can still vividly remember the day that I learned that Myra would no longer be with us. My parents let me know that Myra had received a full-time teaching position at Trinity Academy. I immediately went to my room to cry, and I was confident that Myra was doing the same on the other end.

I suppose people are correct when they say that you never fully appreciate something until it is gone. There is not a day that goes by that Myra does not cross my mind, and I can honestly say that I would not be where I am without her.

Photography and Text by Corey Fader

About the Author: Corey Fader is a freshman enrolled in the Wharton Business School, University of Pennsylvania. Class of 2018

TWS: Portrait of the Day in Celebration of Black History Month

Portrait of the artist, Mikel Elam. by tony ward — Title: Portrait of Love