workshops    lower east side workshop

Alena Kuczynski

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Hey, I'm Alena Kuczynski. I currently live in downtown Manhattan, although I have lived in Davis, CA and Miami, FL. I've lived in NYC the longest though. I like my music (punk, alternative, etc.), trying new things, snowboarding, being with my friends, acting, dancing, etc. I'm currently home-schooled. One of the hardest parts of home schooling is budgeting my time, which is what I'm stressing over these days. This September I'm going to LaGuardia High School (for drama). I'm equally interested in my academics as I am in the arts. I have one older brother who is a sophomore at Stanford. I'm fascinated and confused by the world and I love to explore it. I like being carefree and playful, but I can also be serious. I'm very outgoing and straightforward. I love the color black.
Summer 2002

Interesting Fact: I really want to skydive but I have to be 18 first. I am also saving up for a trip to Africa. I want to bungee jump off the bridge over the Victoria Falls.

Story Description: Alena's parents let her make a lot of her own decisions, but when Alena leaves her apartment she feels less free. She feels discriminated against because of her age. Alena is fourteen and frustrated by laws that say she can't vote, drink or drive.

Mentor: Catherine Fenollosa is a Producer for WNYC's Next Big Thing. She started in radio right after college... wandering into the newsroom at WBUR in Boston. After a year of working the early morning news shift, she spent a few years learning all there is to know about cars as the Associate Producer of Car Talk on NPR.
Summer 2002