Success, One Step At A Time: Allison Tortorici

Allison Tortorici , 2009, Waterbury, CT

What are you up to? I am currently working part time at Marshalls in Watertown and attending Post University’s online program. I am finishing my bachelor’s in Psychology after I was forced to drop put of UConn in 2011. I live with my boyfriend and my cat in a condo that we rent. I lead an average life that doesn’t sound like anything exciting, but I’ve come to appreciate stability and the simplicities of life.

How'd you get here? When I graduated from Watertown High in 2009, I chose the traditional path of going to college. I had always been a smart person and school came very easy to me. I was always told “You are so smart, you can do whatever you want!” I had always had a passion for helping those struggling with mental illness. For me, psychology was the only option for my future career. Unfortunately, in 2010, I began experiencing symptoms of Schizophrenia. In the matter of a week my whole world came crashing down. I was hospitalized and completely lost touch with reality. It was the scariest experience of my life and I completely lost my confidence. Once I regained control of my mind, depression set in. My intelligence and drive didn’t matter, I felt I was failing at life. I had to drop out of school and temporarily leave my full time job. At one point, my illness became so unbearable that I entered a program where I resided for 7 months. There, I learned coping skills to manage my anxiety and symptoms which helped me greatly when reentering the world. I also met the love of my life in the program and we have been together for 5 years now. My story is not of a glamorous career or a super successful job. For me, my success is measured in how far I have come mentally. Being able to manage a daily living was something I thought I’d never accomplish, but here I am, managing a part time job, my home, and school.

What are your goals? My goal for the future are to, in a small way, break down the stigma surrounding mental illness. Schizophrenia can happen to anyone, and symptoms go unnoticed until young adult years (how convenient, right?). Right now I am focusing on getting my bachelor’s degree so I can work with others suffering from mental illness. When it comes to the brain, so much is unknown, and inability to control your brain is the most terrifying phenomenon. I hope that I can help just one person, in any way, that is dealing with a family member with mental illness, or struggling with mental illness themselves. I believe our purpose in life is to help one another, and those suffering from a disease that they can’t control need an enormous amount of help. Eventually, I’d like to become an APRN and own my own practice, but for now I am taking one small step at a time.

What has been your biggest challenge? My biggest challenge in life has been accepting my illness for what it is, and moving forward. I spent so much time comparing myself to former alumni I had grown up with but our lives weren’t comparable. Social media can cause a lot of doubt because we are constantly only posting the good in our lives. I finally am able to accept where I am in life, and appreciate how far I’ve come. I am thankful for my illness because it caused me to refocus my life and regain my passion for psychology. It is a beautiful thing to appreciate the chaos that has shaped you.

What has been your happiest moment? My happiest moment was moving into our condo with my boyfriend. It sounds corny but when we met we were at the lowest points in our lives. Creating a stable and happy home for us has been the best part of my life thus far.

Advice for WHS Students: My advice for WHS students would be to not give up when your life doesn’t go as planned. I thought my life would be simple! Go to college, graduate, get a job, etc. We can’t plan for what life has in store for us so just go with it! It may not be what you wanted or how you planned for things to go, but it is your life. It is your story. Own it and learn from every curveball life throws at you.

If you could tell your high school self one thing, what would it be? Don’t stress about everything! Everything works out the way it is supposed to. Let go and have faith.

Adding up the Moments: Angela Hughes

Angela Hughes, Class of 2015, Watertown, CT

What are you up to? I have always told myself that everyone embarks on his or her own journey through life and develops an unforgettable story. So here is mine - I am officially beginning my new career as a Tax Accountant for Crowe, LLP in October of 2019. Since graduating high school, everything has been so different than what I had expected. As of December 2018, I have obtained a Bachelors in Accounting, Business Administration, and a Certification in Forensic Accounting from Post University in Waterbury, CT. 

Aside from my career journey, I have been a dedicated dance teacher for 8 years as an Associate Teacher and Choreographer at Powerhouse Dance Academy. I also run my own food page (Homemade For You) on Facebook & Instagram for recipes, pictures, and more!

How'd you get here? To me, moments are not bought, they are earned. At the heart of every moment is the effort you have put in to make it real. Every moment of my college career thus far has contributed to the business woman I am aspiring to be. 

On a late night in 2015, right after graduating high school, my mom and I found ourselves struggling to get out of our burning home due to someone’s reckless actions. Shortly after this tragedy, I began my college journey at UCONN. After my first semester, I was at a point where I was struggling in my personal life while also being unhappy at my university and in my field of study. I thought to myself that I needed to reevaluate my goals and make a change so I could find my passion in life. 

I don’t have a simple answer as to why I want to be an accountant. Ever since I can remember, I aspired to be a 4th grade Mathematics teacher and never thought twice about it. Dance was always my passion, therefore I thought because I enjoyed teaching dance that I would want to do it every day. My dad somehow always found a way to incorporate “I’m telling you, try accounting, I think you’re really going to like it” into our daily dinner conversations, but I never listened. When I started college as a pre-teaching major at UCONN in 2015, I decided to reevaluate my goals and make a change. I wanted to separate my career from my passion of dance and cooking because they were things that I did in my spare time and have an amazing time doing. One aspect of my journey that has constantly motivated me to never give up is my mom and dad. The bond that my parents and I have created has shown me the true definition of selflessness and passion. Growing up, I was taught if you want something, you need to work hard for it and eventually everything will pay off in the end. So that is what I did when I transferred to Post University, I didn’t give up.

What are your goals? My goal is to get the most of every chance I am given to help someone else. It isn’t about how much you keep for yourself, but how much you pour into others. My ambition in life, after much thought and consideration, is to become someone that I am proud of. As an accounting major, I am an aspiring Certified Public Accountant. But, there are a lot of other goals that I hope to accomplish in life, and think that one should never limit themselves. Having a family to build memories with, creating a successful food business, being a proud dance teacher, and growing as an accountant are all moments I hope to experience.

If you could tell your high school self one thing, what would it be? If I could tell my high school self one thing, it would have to be that there is no direct route to your future. Consider yourself to have an imagined future that is filled with some moments that are currently unknown, some that might be unexpected. But, at the end of the day, they will shape who you are and what you can share with the world. There is not one moment that defines you, but a bunch of little ones that make you special and successful.