First Interview with Principal for the Day – Sarah Sacco

INTERVIEWER: Good Afternoon! My name is Hadi Malik and will you please tell me about yourself.

SARAH: Sure! My name is Sarah Sacho. I am a business owner in Jersey City and I own a home lifestyle brand both in retail and wholesale and I also manufacture around the world. I went to college in Philadelphia University which is now Thomas Jefferson University. There I studied fashion design.

INTERVIEWER: What did you do before starting your own business?

SARAH: Ever since I was a little girl, I knew I wanted to be a fashion designer, so I went to college for that and I worked as a designer for the fashion industry for about 9 years. I then decided I wanted to put my focus on what I can change by supporting artists to create beauty to put inside their homes. Not having to make the sacrifice of hurting the environment or anything like that and keep their beauty in their homes.

INTERVIEWER: So, would you advertise these arts?

SARAH: Yes! I have created a website and I do long-term pop-ups in the northeast area. So, that way I can work directly with customers. So, I have a lot of customers who send me pictures of their living room or whatever. I would then furthermore help them choose items.

INTERVIEWER: If you didn’t want to pursue the career you are doing right now, what could it be?

SARAH: If I wasn’t doing my current job, I would probably do something in psychology. But I think that’s what interests me so much about design is that you are designing for people you are really thinking about, what they might want, or what they might need.

INTERVIEWER: Why did you decide to start this business? Is it for your own personal passion or helping others?

SARAH: You know it’s a little of both. I think I take a hard look at  the things that I have a set of skills in which are from design and I wanted to incorporate those skills in order to become helpful. I think there is a way to be beneficial to two types of people. I think the first is working with many of the artists that I work with. Both in my manufacturing process and the ones I bring in the shop. To give you an example I work with a female elective out in morocco. So their goal is to make financial stability for themselves and to honor the traditions that they are leaving. I’m able to bring their products and share these skills and kind of put faces with what’s going on in this artwork. I also feel like I’m helping my customers by showing them amazing products that they’ve never known about.

INTERVIEWER: I like how you incorporate other cultures and other countries to assist them and show their artwork.

SARAH: I feel like there is so much beauty out in the world to support and even in mass manufacturing.

INTERVIEWER: What was the greatest challenge in your career?

SARAH: Well, I launched my business at almost the start of a pandemic. I planned to put the business prior to the pandemic and learning to pivot was a great struggle. I had kinda this strategic way of starting the business and it ended up in a completely different way. I could also say my experience has primarily been in art and design. So, I had to force myself to teach the business side of things. Since there is none who will always hold your hand. It was hard but very empowering and rewarding.

INTERVIEWER: Even though yes, the struggle could be very hard to manage, it is better for you to challenge yourself in order to pursue whatever you want in life. This further on to my next question which is what inspires you about the career that you chose?

SARAH: Well, something that I love is designing and art, and having the opportunity to support other people is something that I am very passionate about.

INTERVIEWER: Yeah, it’s very cool that you get inspired by other people and how hard you worked to achieve those goals like how little no hand-holding through your career. It shows that even though the path can be hard, it can be worth it in the end.

SARAH: Yeah! But you would need the basic knowledge from school. *laughs. I think that not knowing can be overwhelming or a challenge that you feel like you can overcome.\

INTERVIEWER: This may be off-topic but what is your favorite book?

SARAH: That’s a great question! I have so many that I love. You know I feel like my favorite book is the one I’m reading right now.  Right now, I’m reading “To Paradise.” I wouldn’t mark this book my favorite ever but  it is covering a lot interesting

INTERVIEWER: What’s the book about?

SARAH: It covers three different storylines and it is kinda an interesting rewriting of history. Like it covers an era in the 1800s, then the 1900s, and then the future. It talks about society and the relationships you choose to live with

INTERVIEWER: My next question is quite similar to my last one but what is your favorite instrument to play?

SARAH:  So, no instruments but I did sing but I have terrible stage fright in singing. I can talk to others but singing it is just unbearable.

INTERVIEWER: My last question is what do you like to do in your free time?

SARAH: I love to hike, and love to go upstate and hike. I’ve been going to the local parks. I live downtown in Jersey City. So, I love just walking around, and supporting other businesses. And I really love to be creative. One of my mentors had told me that it’s important to keep on moving creatively forward even if you’re not working on something specific. As long as you have the creative wheel going, you can keep on the momentum going.

INTERVIEWER: I feel like a lot of people can relate to that if you have that creativity, you can keep on working hard in order to pursue your passions.

SARAH: Yes! I think I like painting, and a little creative projects are fun for me too!

INTERVIEWER: Thank you for participating in this interview! It was nice talking to you!

Sarah: Yes! It was nice talking to you!

Second Interview with Dr. Treniere Dobson

INTERVIEWER: Good Afternoon! My name is Hadi Malik and will you please tell me about yourself.

PRINCIPAL: I’m Doctor Dobson, the principal of Infinity Institute. I’ve been a principal since 2010, so this is my 12th year at Infinity and I’m happy to meet with you today

INTERVIEW: Happy to meet you too!

INTERVIEWER: The first question I like to start off with is what was your motivation in becoming a principal of Infinity Institute?

PRINCIPAL: Well…. I think in general my motivation in education is to provide a place, a learning environment for students to be all that they can be. And I know it sounds “cliche” but it is truly what I want. Whether that is academic opportunities, extracurricular opportunities, or just a place where it feels like a second home to them.

INTERVIEWER: My second question is quite related to the last question but what caused you to pursue education as a career?

PRINCIPAL: I attended Rutgers University, Newark campus for my undergrad, and I received my bachelor’s in arts and technology from there. For my master’s I went to Columbia University and I majored in curriculum instruction. And lastly, for my doctorate, I got from Kean University.

INTERVIEWER: My third question is going to be if you weren’t a principal right now, what will you be doing?

PRINCIPAL: Anything, right? Because it would probably not be education. I think if I was able to go back to school and not have to work and go back to school for a whole year, it would be something to do with medicine. I would like to be a neonatal nurse. It kind of fits the description of who I am

INTERVIEWER: Someone who loves helping others and still involves children.

PRINCIPAL: Exactly but it’s a different kind of help and I think I would like that. If I hit the lottery, and I can stay home and not have to work, I would go back and become a nurse.

INTERVIEWER: So, my other question is did you have any other aspirations other than education or becoming a nurse?

PRINCIPAL: Well, it changed a lot. I say this and am going to tell the graduates this year. Don’t panic, if it isn’t already planned out. Initially, I think I wanted to be an airline stewardess. Before in High school, I believed that I would be able to fly around and see the world. Then, when I entered college, I thought about doing something related to computers because at that time everyone said that was the thing to do. Even though that wasn’t something I wanted to do. After that, I thought about doing something with social work since I was thinking about helping others. Moving on from that I then transitioned into psychology because I enjoyed why we do what we do. I then transitioned back to education because that was the thing that I truly loved to do.

INTERVIEWER: We all think about, “Oh, I want to do this because of the money but not what you really want to do.” Because in the future if you do a job because of the money, you will be dissatisfied with the work you are doing for the rest of your life.

PRINCIPAL: Yeah, I realized when I ended with my degree in psychology and if I thought back, I remember having early conversations with a friend of mine and texted her “I like psychology.” So, I should’ve stayed true to myself in the very beginning. But sometimes you would think about what others want you to do, even though that isn’t the thing you aren’t passionate about. Always listen to yourself and honor what you like.

INTERVIEWER: Did you have any setbacks in your educational career?

PRINCIPAL: I’ll say this wasn’t a straight path to my career, you know I finished high school. I went away to college and actually went to Pittsburgh University and went to Kean University for a semester and I ended up going back home. Thinking it back right now, I probably should’ve stayed in Pennsylvania. I was homesick and had a relationship that I missed. I took the opportunity to come back home and for me that took me off track a little bit because then I started working. And I think when you start working, you start making decent money and you think that school isn’t worth it due to the money you are making. I eventually went back to rutgers. But I believe that gap did make me a little more educated in some ways because I knew the value of going to school like that. Okay it’s not just about obviously becoming educated  which is great but it is also about if it will support me in the long-run.

INTERVIEWER: My next question is that have you ever had any hobbies growing up?

PRINCIPAL: I enjoy reading. I love to read. I enjoy reading, and I love to ride my bike. But probably the most enjoyable thing is reading. For me at least, the genre of books I like has changed. I used to love a lot of mysteries, moved into scifi, and now I’m more into historical fiction. My genre in books has always changed but I’ve always loved to read as a hobby.

INTERVIEWER: That’s very nice to hear because I think a lot of people have the same interest in reading books because it engulfs you into the plot.

PRINCIPAL: Yes, yes I love a good book, hate it when it ends.

INTERVIEWER: My last question is that have you ever played any sports or any instruments growing up?

PRINCIPAL: I did play the recorder in elementary school. In high school, I did play sports one year which had been basketball. I wish I began it earlier in high school but only that one year I played.

INTERVIEWER: Thank you for participating in this interview! It was nice talking to you!

PRINCIPAL: Same here!