5 in 5 is a fun feature that will give you a glimpse at the "real" people behind the scenes at Public Allies and bring our diverse and creative network of people to life. Throughout the year, Development staff member Joanna Helou will interview staff, Allies, volunteers, board members, and others, asking them 5 questions that they can answer in 5 minutes.
If you'd like to be featured next,or would like to suggest someone to be featured please email Joanna at joannah@publicallies.org
Jubilee from the X-Men because she
was one of the first Asian-American women I saw portrayed in mainstream
culture. Plus she’s sassy and rebellious. If I were a superhero I would
want the ability to fly because there is so much of the world I want to
visit at the drop of a hat.
Cea
Weaver is a housing rights superhero for sure. She is a 2nd year Ally
and has been working with UHAB (Urban Homesteading Assistance Board) for
both of her terms. She recently got an article published on The Atlantic’s Cities website just by emailing them,
which just proved to me that you never know what will happen if you send
out your work.
I
get to be creative and work with art like a cartoonist, but the marine
biologist part doesn’t really relate at all. Maybe in my next life.
I like Integrity Man because he represents one of my favorite Public Allies values. And I think it’d be a pretty cool superpower to be able to tell when other people aren’t being entirely truthful.
Lori Deus – Miami, Class of 2010 – Lori is incredibly passionate and genuine and gifted at communicating her passion, either verbally or through her writing. She has endless empathy and compassion, energy and commitment to making positive change!
A US Supreme Court Justice.
I wanted to be on the Supreme Court because I was terribly opinionated and wanted to make change in society. Working as a Program Manager for Public Allies Central Florida allows me to be a part of creating change in my community, albeit in a much more bottom-up way than being on the Supreme Court.
Ally, Public Allies North Carolina
We sometimes refer to the people we admire as superheroes. Who's your favorite super hero and why? If you were a superhero what would your power be?
My favorite superhero is Storm from the X-men series because she's a powerful black woman in control, literally. If I were a superhero my power would be super intelligence, because knowledge is the greatest power that can never be taken away from you.
What super workday snack do you need to power you through the day? 
None other than the sticky, sweet, energy of Honeybuns!
Can you tell us about a superhero Ally in your current class?
Amanda Simmons. She has the uncanny ability to adapt like none other. She has had to wear many hats within her placement and even when things get tough she continues to role with the punches and keep striving for greatness.
What did you want to be when you grow up?
I wanted to be an author and write fiction.
In what ways does your childhood dream job relate to your current job?
Within my placement at the Durham Crisis Response Center, I have to be very creative and imaginative like an author and think of new and innovative ways to relate information to others.
Ebony Scott
Program Director, Public Allies Chicago
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We sometimes refer to the people we admire as superheroes. Who's your favorite super hero and why? If you were a superhero what would your power be?
I adore, absolutely adore, Batman because he's got a dark misunderstood side that actually fuels his need to do good. He's also staunchly committed to seeing his community (Gotham) be the type of community where its citizens can walk around unafraid. I also love him because in the end he's just a guy with no super powers so he had to figure out how to make it work without mythical magic powers.
What super workday snack do you need to power you through the day?
I can not even think straight with out a cup of coffee and a bottle of water. Unfortunately I have an absolutely terrible habit of not eating so the water cures the hunger pains (horrible I know)
Do you have a superhero Ally? What was their skill/talent?
My Ally super hero is and will always be Nicole "Quiet Storm" Sutton. Nicole was on my TSP back in 2007-08 and would always be very quiet and introspective during meetings and Friday training. Her super power was her ability to capture and hold the attention of a room and move people to action with just her presence and a few well placed words. Seriously, we'd be in a dead lock or a conversation would be going on and on and on in circles and Nicole would say about 16 words that were inspiring and thoughtful and the whole room's dynamic would change. We actually named her "Quiet Storm" because of it.
What did you want to be when you grow up?
I wanted to be a United States Senator representing Illinois and the federal drug Czar (aka head of the Office on National Drug Control Policy). I've always been a giant nerd who loved government and wanted to change the world. When I was 9 or 10 Carol Mosley Brown became the first African American female Senator and I was obsessed with becoming the 2nd. I learned about the ONDCP from watching CSPAN and taking D.A.R.E. Given that I always heard drugs were bad, I wanted to work in a place that would help get drugs off the street. (Did I mention I was like in 4th grade when I decided this?)
In what ways does your childhood dream job relate to your current job?
My childhood dream jobs are incredibly related to what I do now. I like to think that through my work here, I'm helping to make communities safer, get people involved in government, help the government help people (indirectly), and I get to talk and talk and talk (which is about 65% of what I think Senators do all day).
Diane Bacha
Director, Marketing & Communications
We sometimes refer to the people we admire as superheroes. Who's your favorite super hero and why? If you were a superhero what would your power be?
Abe Lincoln. I love that man. His super power was bringing extremely different people together and somehow inspiring them to get things done.
What super workday snack do you need to power you through the day? 
Hard-boiled eggs! Cheap and full of protein. That, or Trader Joe's Turkey Jerky for a splurge.
Tell us about an interesting Ally you've met (or interviewed in your case)
There are so many! My favorite day on the job is a day when I interview an Ally or alumni. I am always so humbled and inspired.
Recent example: Peter Hoeffel, who's one of the people Paul Schmitz writes about in his book EVERYONE LEADS. Peter is an alumnus from the early days of Public Allies Milwaukee, and now he's running an agency that supports people with mental illness. Before he was an Ally he worked at a sandwich shop. We met at the same shop, which is still owned by the same guy, who let Peter get behind the counter again and make a darned fine chicken-salad sandwich on rye. And then I talked to Peter about his approach to building a stronger, healthier community for people who are managing mental illness in their lives. He is a super impressive guy -- and I'm not just saying that because of the sandwich.
What did you want to be when you grow up?
I wanted to be Marlo Thomas in "That Girl." I don't even remember what her job was, but she lived in a cool apartment and wore cool clothes.
Now that you're embarking on a new adventure, in what ways do you think your job at Public Allies related to your childhood dream job?
I was doing what I love to do and Marlo did, too.
MacArthur Antigua
Director, National Recruitment and Alumni Engagement- National Office
We sometimes refer to the people we admire as superheroes. Who's your favorite super hero and why? If you were a superhero what would your power be? 
I wasn't much into comic book characters and all that, but I thought Voltron was pretty tight. If I were a superhero, I would be "KonectaDahtz", and I'd be really good at finding patterns and the implications of said patterns.
What super workday snack do you need to power you through the day?
Beef jerky, or the Kirkland fruit and nut mix
Do you have a superhero Ally? What was their skill/ talent?
I'm going to go in the wayback machine on this one. Kevin Heisinger was one of my favorite Allies -- he was Chicago '01. He was the most generous person, and even if he didn't have anything, he would give you his time and his attention. I can't remember an Ally who wasn't more loved and respected by all of his peers.
What did you want to be when you grow up?
I just had the opportunity to meet Bill Drayton at the Independent Sector Conference. His life has been an example of the notion that no matter where or who we are, we have the ability to make things better. After I introduced myself as working for Public Allies, he smiled and told me, "When I was starting a mentorship component of our Fellowship program, I asked Vanessa Kirsch [the founder of Public Allies] for advice, and she told me 'Don't call them Mentors, call them Allies. That'll make sure there will be no power dynamic, and that's a more accurate word to describe what role they're playing for your young entrepreneurs.' So we did." I was simultaneously affirmed, humbled, inspired. If I can get to a place in my leadership practice where I can do that for someone else just in an introduction, then I'll feel like I made it.
In what ways is your job at Public Allies related to your childhood dream job?
I wanted to be on NBC's Saturday Night Live or be the next David Letterman. While I don't do that, I still like to have fun. That's probably why the webinars I host have a presentation/broadcast feel to them, or feature me using odd voices.
Eddie González-Novoa
Executive Director, Public Allies New York
We sometimes refer to the people we admire as superheroes. Who's your favorite superhero and why? If you were a superhero what would your power be?
It's no secret to anyone who knows me that my family is my own personal Superfriends. My mom graduated college in her 60's while working full-time, taking care of both of her elderly parents and she defeated colon cancer. My father instilled in me a superheroic work ethic. As children, my brothers integrated our school system and as adults they grew to become a rocket scientist, photographer/professor and urban school district superintendent.
If I had a superpower, it would be empathy like Diana Troy on Star Trek: TNG. Or time travel. I'd love to visit my 10-year old self (from afar so as not to disrupt the space/time continuum).
What super workday snack do you need to power you through the day?
I drink lots of water throughout the day and a Godiva chocolate.
Do you have a superhero Ally? What was their skill/talent?
The first Ally I met was Bryan. Bryan, like me, is gay, Puerto Rican, from the Lower East Side with a background in early childhood education. During the matching process, he had to choose between a placement working in a school setting through Citizen Schools or working with the Gay Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN). He chose GLSEN and as a result of his experience, he came back for a second year. Now he is working full-time with LGBT seniors of color in Harlem and the Bronx at Services and Advocary for Gay Elders (SAGE).
I tell this story often to encourage Ally applicants and partner organizations to make the unpredictable, nontraditional choices. They'll have a much more enriching experience if they make choices outside of their comfort zone.
When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
As a child I wanted to be everything from a rodeo clown to a movie star but from an early age I thought I was called to a vocation as a priest (I even presided over my friends' ceremonies in the schoolyard in fourth grade). In college, I was fortunate to work with Dr.
Cornel West (pictured) as my thesis advisory and learned to integrate my spirituality, love of learning and commitment to social justice. Upon graduation from college with a degree in religion (with a minor in theater and dance), I interviewed with the Capuchin Order of Franciscans and auditioned for a scholarship at the Alvin Ailey school before eventually working at a daycare center. I grew up with multiple interests and commitment to multiple communities.
In what ways is your job at Public Allies related to your childhood dream job?
Here at Public Allies, I get to nurture my passions and surround myself with emerging leaders and organizations who share the multidisciplinary, holistic, issue-agnostic approach to community building. In some ways, I'm exactly the person I dreamed of being when I was in fourth grade. Minus the collar.
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