Latest news with #Makenzie
Los Angeles Times
10 hours ago
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
Laguna Beach's Fischer sisters honored with USA Water Polo retirement ceremony
Makenzie Fischer was a record-setting water polo player at every stage of her career. Her U.S. national team coach, Adam Krikorian, explained why rather succinctly. 'She could, on any moment's notice, be the best player in the world in any phase of the game,' Krikorian said. 'Whether it was defending the center, playing perimeter defense, on the counterattack, playing six-on-five, shooting from the perimeter, she could literally be the best player in the world.' She holds the Laguna Beach High girls' water polo career scoring with 456 goals, winning two CIF Southern Section titles in 2014 and 2015. Three championships at Stanford University followed, along with Cutino Award nods in 2019 and 2022 for the nation's top collegiate women's water polo player. Fischer is also Stanford's all-time leading scorer with 288 goals, and won Olympic gold medals at the 2016 Rio Olympics and 2020 Tokyo Olympics alongside her younger sister Aria to only help cement that legacy. Both Makenzie and Aria Fischer were honored Friday night with a retirement celebration ceremony, prior to the U.S. national team playing an exhibition match against Spain at Irvine's Woollett Aquatics Center. 'I love the water polo community,' said Makenzie, 28, who actually retired back in 2022 after helping Stanford win the national championship, in a pre-match interview. 'It's been a huge part of my life. It's fun to see all of the national team girls and be reintroduced to the spirit of what I really love, which is the team aspect of everything. It's kind of fun to put a bow on everything, because water polo was a really big part of my life and something that still means a lot to me.' She now remains in the Bay Area working as a mechanical engineer. Aria Fischer, the 2023 Cutino winner who won three CIF championships at Laguna Beach and three NCAA titles at Stanford, was unable to be at Friday's ceremony. Makenzie said her younger sister, now 26, is working at a production company in London. Family members present included parents Erich and Leslie. Erich Fischer, who still coaches at Laguna Beach, was a two-time national champion in water polo at Stanford himself and an Olympian in 1992. 'I think it's fun to have water polo as a common thread,' Makenzie Fischer said. 'He clearly loves it, he's still coaching. It's always been a fun part of our family. We love watching the Stanford games, the national team games. It's kind of fun to be able to transition to a new role as a spectator, have a little bit less of a front seat but still be able to talk about it with him. It's definitely something that bonds us, for sure.' Team USA edged defending Olympic gold medalist Spain in the exhibition match that followed the ceremony, 9-8. Jenna Flynn led the Americans with three goals, while Ryann Neushul scored the match-winning power play goal with 1:06 remaining. Goalkeeper Amanda Longan made 13 saves. The match was the first international match of the new quad for Team USA, which finished fourth at the Paris Olympics last summer. 'We are a newer team, which is super exciting, and I think it gives us a lot of wiggle room,' said Flynn, who plays for Stanford and was a member of the Paris Olympics group last year. 'Spain is a super-talented team, and that competition between the U.S. and Spain is just really strong for as long as I've been in the water polo world. It's definitely a privilege to come here and explore with this young team, but against such good competitors.' Laguna Beach alumna Emma Lineback had a goal, an assist and a field block for Team USA. Lineback, a left-handed attacker coming off a second-team All-American season for UCLA as a redshirt junior, was aiming for a spot on the Paris squad but was not selected. Now, she said she has a short-term goal of making the U.S. roster for her first World Aquatics Championships next month in Singapore. 'It makes you rethink what the little wins are, because you're playing with the best of the best every day,' Lineback said of being back with the national team. 'It pushes you to work really hard, harder than you think is possible. That was kind of my motivation to come back, because I knew that I wasn't done growing. I just love this environment. It really is special. College is great, but the buy-in here is just different.' Spain beat Team USA 7-5 on Sunday in the second of the two-match exhibition series, led by a hat trick from Paula Camus. Emily Ausmus led the Americans with a pair of goals. Team USA opens play at the World Aquatics Championships on July 10, with a match against China.
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
11-Year-Old Shares Powerful Lesson on Trauma, Leaving Her Mom 'in Shock' in Viral Video (Exclusive)
On TikTok, an 11-year-old, Rylie, guides her mom through a moving exercise, using rocks to represent the release of past traumas The moment highlights the young girl's wisdom beyond her years Her mom hopes the video serves as a reminder that moms can have open relationships with their daughters, even as they growA heartwarming TikTok video features a daughter teaching her mother a valuable lesson as they enjoy a day out by the lake. Makenzie Curtis, a single mom, shared a video of her 11-year-old, Rylie, guiding her through an exercise designed to release past traumas. The video begins with Makenzie and Rylie gathering rocks by the lakeside. Rylie instructs her mother to name the 'biggest bad thing' that has ever happened to her, stacking a rock for each negative experience. As Makenzie piles the rocks, the structure becomes increasingly unstable. 'It's hard, isn't it,' Rylie observes, 'You have to improvise, don't you? So we have to pull other things in just to balance it.' The tower eventually collapses, prompting Rylie to throw the rocks into the lake, declaring, 'It doesn't matter. Why care about all the bad things that have happened? They don't matter.' Speaking with PEOPLE, Makenzie reflects on her initial thoughts when she realized the lesson she was being taught. 'I was in shock,' she says, 'I really think that she was trying to symbolize letting it go. These things don't matter anymore. We're gonna literally throw them into the lake and never going to see them again, because they don't matter anymore. We can't keep hanging on to them.' In the video, the pair go on to collect flatter, more stable rocks, representing positive experiences and qualities. These rocks are easily stacked on top of each other, creating a balanced tower. Rylie says in the viral clip, 'With the bad things, we have to pull something else that wasn't ours and we had to put it in to make a tower.' She continues, 'But in this, all we used was the things that we had and we could make it balance.' At this moment, Makenzie realized her daughter's wisdom, she says, and now, hopes she can continue to foster it. 'I really just want to make sure that she has the tools she needs when she gets older, so she doesn't have to go through the same stuff I did,' Makenzie notes, declining to elaborate on her own past traumas. Since posting the video, Makenzie has received an array of feedback. While many praised the video's message and Rylie's insightful approach, others criticized the mom for not sharing her specific experiences with her daughter. She defended her decision, saying that some stories are not appropriate for children to hear. 'I try to be authentic in everything that I do, and things that came to mind were things that I needed to let go of,' she notes. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Makenzie hopes other mothers will take away the importance of authenticity from her experience, adding, 'I hope other mothers know that they do not have to show up perfectly for their kids.' She continues, 'They want your unconditional love. They want to know that no matter what happens in their life, you know they can come to you like you're home base. You're a safe place, and it's okay if you make mistakes.' For Makenzie, the experience with Rylie has reinforced the idea that healing is an ongoing process, and that children can be powerful teachers. 'I realized how much I needed to forgive myself because those things weren't my fault, and I was just beating myself up over and over again … I had to realize that.' As Makenzie continues to heal from her past, she hopes to continue to build with her daughter by opening up more as she gets older. She adds, 'I know she trusts me. I know she loves me. I have always been her safe place, the person that she confides in, the person that she knows that no matter what, she can come to mom.' Read the original article on People
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
New Bern High School senior receives Marks-Taylor Scholarship
NEW BERN, N.C. (WNCT) — The New Bern Historical Society announced that the Harriett Marks & John R. and Alice Land Taylor Scholarships for 2025 were awarded to New Bern High School senior Makenzie Richardson. Throughout her high school career, Makenzie demonstrated academic and athletic excellence. She was a straight 'A' student, played basketball and softball all four years of high school, won All State honors, and won Rookie, Offensive Player and Sportsmanship Awards. She is also a member of groups such as Project Unify, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, the National Honor Society, and multiple projects in the community. Makenzie will be attending Campbell University in the fall of 2025, majoring in Special Education and minoring in Entrepreneurship and Christian Studies. The Marks Scholarship was created in 1968 under the terms of the will of Miss Harriett Marks as a memorial to the O. Marks family. A separate scholarship, the Taylor Scholarship, was made to complement and supplement the Marks Scholarship. It was created in 2015 by the North Carolina Community Foundation and is sponsored by their grandson to honor the memory of his grandparents. Both of these scholarships are annually awarded to a senior graduating from New Bern High School based on both scholarship and financial need. They contribute to the tuition, board, or lodging to help them receive a higher education at an accredited college, university, or other institute of higher learning. These scholarships can be renewed for three succeeding years if academic standards are maintained. The Marks and Taylor Scholarships further the Historical Society's mission 'to celebrate and promote New Bern and its heritage through events and education.' Offices are located in the historic Attmore-Oliver House at 511 Broad Street in New Bern. For more information, call 252-638-8558 or go to their website or Facebook page. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Forbes
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
The Imagination Industry Fails To Imagine Artists With Accessibility Needs
What If the Most Creative Industry Is the Least Inclusive? Despite its reputation for innovation, the performing arts industry is overlooking a critical form of talent: artists and professionals with accessibility needs. This article explores the barriers they face and the solutions they utilize — from stages to behind-the-scenes production. They are building a more accessible entertainment economy and showing how inclusion is a business advantage, not a burden. I wish to acknowledge that the American Sign Language (ASL) conversations were made possible through the support of ASL interpreters. Growing up just outside New York City, the arts were not just part of my childhood — they were central to it. Dance, theater, music, museums, and galleries filled my time and shaped my worldview. I was drawn to both the spectacle and the subtlety of live performance. From Broadway blockbusters to experimental theater in downtown lofts, I learned early on that art is an expression of humanity. I even trained as a mime and once dreamed of studying under Marcel Marceau. That deep appreciation for performance never faded. But as my passion for accessibility evolved, I started seeing the industry through a different lens. For all its creativity and innovation, the performing arts industry continues to lag in one critical area: opportunities for professionals with accessibility needs. A colleague from my time at Apple recently reconnected with me. We had worked together on Apple Retail's accessibility initiatives, ensuring our stores were inclusive for both employees and customers. Today, Mara Jill Herman is an Executive Producer and Communications Strategist who helps artists elevate the visibility of their work. She initially reached out asking if I would write a profile on one of her clients, Makenzie Morgan Gomez, a performer with an accessibility need. But instead of just writing a single story, I invited her into a broader inquiry: What does it really look like for professionals with accessibility needs to navigate the world of theater, film, and television? That conversation sparked something larger. We began interviewing actors, dancers, directors, and consultants — individuals whose experiences reflect both the barriers and the breakthroughs in the entertainment world. Their voices brought clarity to a truth too often ignored: accessibility is not about limitations — it is about unlocking potential. Makenzie Morgan Gomez is a performer who is redefining what it means to bring your whole self to the stage. As a queer, non-binary, Mexican-American actor who also lives with a disability, Makenzie is not interested in fitting into narrow industry boxes, she is reshaping the whole casting conversation. As creator of Music and the Mirror (& Mobility Aids), Makenzie integrated her use of a wheelchair, crutches and a cane into the physicality of the character, creating a layered, authentic performance that challenged audiences to rethink their assumptions about mobility and identity. Makenzie's work extends beyond acting. She collaborates with creative teams and casting directors to embed accessibility into scripts, and engages in training efforts to build awareness in production environments. Whether she is consulting on set design or co-creating wellness practices tailored for disabled artists, Makenzie is committed to a vision of the arts that is inclusive and creative. Makenzie's insights cut straight to the core of the industry's imagination gap. She is not looking for special treatment, she is asking for what every artist deserves: the chance to be seen for the fullness of their talent and the richness of her identity. Her performances, advocacy, and lived experience are a testament to what is possible when the performing arts expand their definitions of who belongs in the room and what stories are worth telling. In the evolving landscape of theater, Deaf actor Erin Rosenfeld is challenging traditional casting norms and redefining performance accessibility. Born hard of hearing and now completely deaf in one ear, Rosenfeld navigates the industry by utilizing ASL interpreters, live captioning apps, and lip reading to communicate effectively. Her performances in productions like Spring Awakening and The Rocky Horror Show demonstrate her versatility, while her advocacy describes the systemic barriers deaf performers face in mainstream theater. Rosenfeld's mission extends beyond personal success, she aims to become a transformative representation for younger deaf actors. By challenging casting directors' narrow perceptions and proving that deaf performers can authentically inhabit any role, she is reshaping the industry's understanding of inclusivity. Her core message is simple: accessibility can enhance storytelling, not limit it. Through open-mindedness, genuine collaboration, and a commitment to breaking down barriers, Rosenfeld is not just seeking opportunities for herself, but creating a more expansive, imaginative future for performers with disabilities. Danny J. Gomez is an actor who experienced a life-altering mountain biking accident into a transformation. Paralyzed from the waist down, Gomez shifted from being a part-time bartender with acting aspirations to a dedicated performer who has since appeared in Off-Broadway productions, commercials, and short films. His journey exemplifies how personal adversity can become a powerful driver of professional passion and purpose. In the entertainment industry, Gomez has become an advocate for accessibility, consistently highlighting the systemic challenges faced by disabled performers. From experiencing humiliating situations like being forced to use an alleyway as a restroom during a commercial shoot to being dropped from a production due to inaccessible locations, he has encountered numerous obstacles. However, Gomez approaches these challenges not with anger, but with a constructive mindset focused on education and gradual systemic improvement. Gomez seeks to demonstrate that actors with disabilities should be evaluated on talent, not limitations. By consistently delivering performances and advocating for better industry practices, he is helping to reshape perceptions of disabled talent in entertainment. His message is clear: accessibility is not just a moral imperative, but a business opportunity that allows productions to tap into a large, underrepresented talent pool and audience demographic. Through his work, Gomez is not just advancing his own career, he is paving the way for future generations of performers with disabilities. Shane Dittmar is a visionary blind theater artist and composer who is reshaping perceptions of accessibility in the performing arts. As a music director and writer, they navigate the complex world of musical theater with innovative tools and determination, using specialized Braille transcription techniques to transform digital sheet music into a format they can read and perform. Beyond their creative work, Shane is an advocate for disabled artists, challenging the entertainment industry's narrow perspectives on inclusion. They serve as a director for ActionPlay, an organization supporting neurodivergent and disabled young artists, and actively participate in panels and discussions that highlight the vast, often overlooked talents of performers with disabilities. Their approach goes beyond mere representation, demonstrating that artists should be valued for their skills, creativity, and professional capabilities, not defined by their disabilities. Shane's career, which spans music composition, theater production, and accessibility consulting, exemplifies the power of innovative problem-solving and self-advocacy. By developing custom workflows, leveraging advanced technological tools, and consistently proving their professional competence, they are gradually dismantling systemic barriers in entertainment. Their work sends a powerful message: 'disability is not a limitation, but a unique lens through which extraordinary artistic contributions can emerge.' Melanie Waldman is more than a performer. She is a small business founder whose work is at the intersection of creativity and lived experience through social media, podcasts, and yoga. After her amputation and subsequent Ehlers-Danlos diagnosis, Melanie did not just adapt from a non-disabled actor to a disabled one — she redefined her identity, personally and professionally despite her prosthesis. Her journey includes acting in film and background roles, establishing her own LLC, launching a podcast, and developing a unique approach to how we think of accessibility in the arts that challenges conventional narratives about disability. Melanie has carved out a niche beyond traditional performance spaces as an adaptive yoga instructor to clients, using her platform to educate them about accessibility and inclusion. Her work blends her performance background with her advocacy, demonstrating how disability can be a source of strength and innovation rather than limitation. Melanie's vision is clear: dismantle the binary of 'disabled' versus 'able-bodied' roles, and replace it with a more expansive, inclusive definition of creativity. John McGinty is a Deaf actor with performances on Broadway, national tours, and major productions. He is also a behind-the-scenes leader advancing authentic Deaf representation in the arts. He has been an advocate for the Director of Artistic Sign Language (DASL) role, which ensures that sign language and Deaf culture are thoughtfully and artistically integrated into a production. As one of the earliest adopters, John utilizes the DASL role to work alongside directors, not to override their vision, but to interpret it through the lens of Deaf culture. A DASL, who is Deaf and fluent in sign language, collaborates with the cast and creative team to make performances resonate authentically with Deaf audiences, enhancing storytelling while preserving artistic intent. Through this work, John ensures that sign language is not just included, but deeply embedded in the heart of the narrative. In addition to his onstage work, John is founder of SignesGlobal, a Deaf-owned firm that embeds intersectional Deaf narratives into society, from small to large corporations. For the entertainment world, he trains hearing production teams in cultural competency and insists that inclusion be part of the entire process, not just the casting call. He is a fierce advocate within industry organizations, pushing for union recognition of DASLs as a standard production role, akin to fight choreographers or dialect coaches. His goal? To ensure that accessibility is not an add-on, it is a built-in. Maria Porto, who is hard of hearing, is the founder of Access Broadway, Maria brings a systems-thinking approach to accessibility that combines design, software innovation, and cultural fluency. Under Maria's leadership, Access Broadway has completed audits of more than a dozen theater institutions, uncovering barriers not just in physical spaces but in ticketing systems, emergency protocols, staff training, and hiring practices. Act One Access, her proprietary captioning solution, is drawing industry-wide attention. Designed entirely by professionals with disabilities, it offers adaptive Universal Interface (UI) for different impairments, and is operable by users with mobility, vision, or cognitive differences. Maria runs tailored training sessions for theater companies, including deep-dive workshops for crew, box office staff, producers, and casts. Her goal? 'To make accessibility so embedded that people stop calling it 'accessibility,' it's just how things are done.' For Maria, accessibility is not a sideline, it is a full-stack solution, backed by tech, talent, and strategic business thinking. Alie B. Gorrie is an arts educator and actor with low vision due to optic nerve hypoplasia, Alie began as an actor navigating inaccessible rehearsal rooms. Today, she is a strategist behind accessibility programs for regional theaters, performing arts centers, and production companies across the U.S. Her approach, which she calls '360-degree inclusion,' includes accessibility audits, policy reviews, and full-scope training programs for creative teams. In one case, she helped a midsize Southern theater triple its disabled audience attendance over two seasons by redesigning their front-of-house experience and overhauling their casting processes. She is the force behind the documentary series Able, and regularly performs in roles where disability is neither central nor sidelined — simply part of the character's identity. Alie's insight comes from lived experience, but her solutions are strategic, scalable, and refreshingly concrete. She's building a playbook that others can follow. While performers continue to break ground through their individual work, they are forging systemic change through collective action. Danny J. now includes accessibility requirements in his contract rider, a practical step experienced from too many inaccessible sets. He joins a broader movement, alongside many of those featured here, to embed accommodations into SAG-AFTRA and Actors' Equity agreements. Organizations like Access Broadway, co-founded by Maria and Shane are pushing theater institutions to do more than retrofit. Their audits evaluate not only physical spaces, but also programming, employment practices, and digital touchpoints. They created 'Disability 101' workshops for producers, crew, and venue staff — shifting the conversation from compliance to culture. John is advocating for the recognition of DASLs, while Alie B. and Erin are building networks of mentorship, awareness, and public education — using everything from social media to in-person workshops to illuminate pathways for the next generation. And across the board, there is a rallying cry — cast us not just when the story is about disability. Cast us when the story is about love, power, ambition, fear, and joy. Cast us when it is not about disability at all. Accessibility is not just an ethical imperative, it is an economic advantage. People with accessibility needs, their families, and allies represent a powerful and growing market. They are theatergoers, film fans, and cultural participants — and they are often excluded, not by content, but by logistics — broken assistive tech, poor signage, untrained staff. Meanwhile, the digital world has raised the bar. With streaming services offering customizable captioning, voice-activated features, and adaptive interfaces, live venues now lag behind. Theaters and studios that fail to catch up risk losing more than ticket sales — they risk relevance. And as Danny J. puts it, 'You're missing out on that whole sector of income.' In my own observation, what these folks have shared is something that doesn't get enough attention: the toll of participation. For performers like Melanie, Danny, and Makenzie, there is physical pain — even with prosthetics, wheelchairs, or mobility aids. Performance, for them, is physically demanding. For Alie, Maria, Erin, Shane, and John, those who are blind, low-vision, hard-of-hearing, or Deaf, the challenge is cognitive. Delay in processing visual or auditory cues through interpreters, captioning apps, or adaptive tech is mentally fatiguing. Our brains work harder to interpret, translate, and communicate in order to contribute and perform. These are not abstract concerns. They affect performance, presence, and participation. And they are solvable, not by asking less of disabled professionals, yet by designing systems that ask more of the institutions. The performing arts should be the most inclusive industry — not the least. This is, after all, an industry about humanity. And yet, here we are. Stories abound. Talent is abundant. Enormous opportunities on the horizon. This moment calls for bold reimagining. What if accessibility were embedded from day one, not as a fix, but as a framework? What if we normalized presence instead of spotlighting difference? What if we moved from retrofits to red carpets, from barriers to belonging? The professionals featured here are not asking to be included out of charity. They are showing what is possible when accessibility is seen as innovation — not limitation. The responsibility does not rest solely with performers. It belongs to producers, funders, unions, educators, and decision-makers. The path is open if the industry chooses to walk it. If this industry is to reflect its telling of the human experience, it must be built by and for everyone. It is time to make room.
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Young diesel mechanic opens shop in Jamestown
Makenzie Heiston is the first to admit that she doesn't look like a typical diesel repairman. But the 23-year-old has been all about engines since she was old enough to escape the house and hang out with her dad in his shop in their back yard. Ray Hieston owns Hieston Trucking and for years has repaired his own diesel dump trucks and other equipment in a pole-barn shop behind his rural Jamestown home. Makenzie began racing micro sprint cars when she was 13 and hopes to move to sprint cars in summer. And she opened her own shop, Hieston Diesel Services, after graduating in June from WyoTech Advanced Technical Training in Laramie, Wyo., where she studied advanced diesel technology and business management. Makenzie is certified in diesel repair for heavy vehicles such as semis, dump trucks and buses, but not light vehicles such as pickup trucks. Her experience includes engines, electrical systems, starters, hydraulics, transmissions, power train systems, brakes, and more. But she also accepts welding jobs. The 2023 Western Boone High School graduate welds her dad's aluminum dump truck beds and even teaches welding classes for the West Central Indiana Career and Technical Education Program when her former instructor, Kelly Murphy, takes a day off. She operates out of her dad's shop for now, while she sets up her own larger shop behind his at 7601 W. C.R. 600 S., Jamestown. Makenzie forgives her all-male classmates for ribbing and underestimating her. They didn't matter because her dad took her seriously and encouraged her to take technical training, she said. 'She was never into housework,' Ray said. 'She'd always come out here with me. She used to run for parts and hold my flashlight.' 'Now you hold my flashlight,' she said, and they both laughed. 'I hated holding the flashlight for my dad,' Ray said with a shake of his head. 'And now I'm doing it again.' 'I was always out here with him,' Mackenzie said as she crawled under the Boone County Sheriff's Office's amphibious vehicle to check the oil drain. For an appointment or more information, call or text 765-577-9914. Or, visit Hieston Diesel Services on Facebook at
