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Letter 1

Dear, Nicola Tesla

My name is Peter Pezowicz, and I am a student currently attending Stevenson high school in IL, registered in an AP history course, and I am writing to you today because not only have we learned much about you that has fascinated me even up to this point but you have also personally affected my life for the better. A major reason as to why I am such a huge fan of yours is not only because you have a really cool name, but also because you developed so many revolutionary ideas and patents such as the ac powered motor which is still widely used today without wanting credit, fame, or money but simply inventing for the betterment of society and mankind as a whole. But my adoration for you really first began when I discovered you invented the radio, which had a major impact on society back then and also has many of the same basic concepts in use today, but you did not seek any credit for it but rather allowed Guglielmo Marconi to do so. Furthermore, even when you ran into financial woes and survived your rough upbringing you did not allow that to affect you and still carried on with great resilience, which has also influenced many others besides myself to become your fan. But, in my personal life you have helped to shape my views and hence myself as a person, by inspiring me to be moré selfless and do acts of kindness for others as you have done through your personal life and creations; you have also inspired me to always stay curious by about science by having my own personal views and not be pushed into blindly accepting things as fact without question, such as when you yourself questioned the legitimacy of the existence of the electron. However, because I am such a great fan of yours and do actually idolize you, I was hoping I could pose some questions to you so I can better understand you as an individual human being. As someone who also struggles with OCD and ADHD I was wondering, how did you cope with such illnesses? If you had more time on this Earth, what else would you have wished to create? You claim to be religious but, why did you never fully accept Christianity? And finally, what would you wish that we as a society did differently? Once again, I am a huge fan of yours and I hope this letter does not disturb or distract you from your ordeals, I just simply idolize you and see many pieces of myself within you and you truly have inspired me to keep walking through the dark with the power of electrical light.

Yours Truly,

Peter Pezowicz

Letter 2

Dear, Samarth Bhat

We did it my friend, we have survived all the drama, hardship, and crazy adventures that this astonishing school has thrust upon us both indirectly and with full intention, but most importantly we survived APUSH! However, I did not just decide to write this letter to reminisce about our past endeavors, but rather, I have decided to write to you because throughout the year you have turned me into a great fan of yours. Not only have single handedly brought me much joy throughout this crazy year and helped me get through some of the roughest moments within my life, but you have also greatly changed my views for the betterment of myself. I remember that I used to be scared of taking up a more rigorous mathematics course, however, you have since changed that view I use to hold and inspired me to take a greater leap in academic excellence via helping me through my endeavors in my current math class as well as also helping to instill more confidence in me about my abilities to take up such a course. Those facts alone are enough to make me a great fan of yours however another reason as to why I like you as a friend so much is because you always seem to be trying to uplift the moods of everyone around and you are always so nice and that is something I admire a lot about you. Furthermore, I am eternally grateful for you because you have been a source of inspiration for me to keep on going through life even when grades and life at home are not always the best, and you have always had my back even when others in the class did not. I truly am a great fan of yours and I wish nothing but the best for you in whatever route you decide to take in the future.

Your friend,

Peter Pezowicz

3 Desires

Learning about the more recent civil rights movements in APUSH has had a significant impact on me because it allowed me to see how even during, “golden ages” of American prosperity in history, there has always been some form of oppression taking place and learning about this has truly inspired me to want to stick my neck out for others by taking action against injustice in our society even when I myself might not be be experiencing it or may be having a relatively good time in my life.

The war in Ukraine means a great deal to me because it is interests me by allowing me to see how military operations are unfortunately conducted in real time and that I need to be more aware of propaganda and messages I intake on the daily because there is so much incorrect information from Russia that tries to wrongfully demonizes Ukraine and turn people against the innocent.

Another thing that intrigues me a lot is seeing how our nation responded to the outbreak of covid-19 because it allowed me to see first hand how people within the governmental health agencies think and how society responds to them which has impacted me by making me want to try to help people via entering the pharmaceutical field and creating drugs to try to combat diseases and hopefully ease the tensions that people have developed against one another.

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Maybe this isn’t the most personal historical event, but I’m fascinated by the Berlin Wall. Specifically, I am really inspired by the rebellions in East Germany. It was a symbol of fascism and containment of the East German people to prevent them from fleeing to freedom in the West. A few years ago, I watched the movie “The Silent Revolution”, a film about high schoolers in Communist Germany who took a moment of silence in their class for victims in the failed anti-communist Hungarian revolution of 1956, based on a true story. It’s about the resistance of teenagers in the face of expulsion and arrest because they believe strongly in anti-communism and feel suffocated by their government. It tells a story about the presumed foolishness of these teenagers but the real empathy they have. In this film, they simultaneously deal with generic teen issues and the political turmoil of their government. Most of all, it’s about true rebellion and strong conviction in their beliefs. It’s an inspiring piece of media and an inspiring true story about the oppression of East Berlin and the pockets of rebellion within this struggle.

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Dear Olin,

You are extremely funny, SO TALL, and really smart. I admire you, definitely, because of your height and strange comments that make me giggle. You have a very deadpan sense of humor and it always startles a laugh out of me. You’re also really aware of current and historical events and manage to use that knowledge expertly in discussion! You once said manwhore when Mazzuca was looking for the word “player” and I think about that a lot.

-Nitya Shastry

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One topic that we learned in APUSH is the battle of Gettysburg. This battle had everything riding on it even though at first it didn't seem like it. Lee's offensive into the north hadn’t even even been planned, only a pit stop after realizing a boots factory was located there.

One thing that affects the world today is Roe V. Wade being overruled by the supreme court. I believe that this will have historic social and political consequences that will last longer than I’ll be alive. Another one is the green lighting I’d the Willow project by President Biden, while I’m sure that a lot of estimates on consequences are overblown, it’s nonetheless a scary notion that one day

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Dear, Anthony Mishels

We have been sitting across from each other for two semesters, not to mention the time we were table mates in physics. The APUSH class was the best class I’ve participated in. From the Teacher to the students, it has been a colorful class chalk full of unique personalities. However, your calm demeanor and funny attitude has shown through the 112 days of torture this school has put me through this year. I always look forward to this class and you’re no doubt a part of that reason. I’m not sure what else to say except this class wouldn’t be the same without you.

Thank you, Olin Kusevskis

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Dear, President Roosevelt

I hope this letter finds you well. I would like to introduce myself as Olin Kusevskis. I’m from Northern Illinois in a town outside of Chicago. As over 100 years have passed, and the legacy of your presidency has settled, I can proudly say that your ideals of courage and toughness have persevered throughout that period and have reached me in the present day. I have struggled with school all my life. Ever since I was a kid the concept has always bored me. This, of course, comes with the baggage of bad grades that have plagued me ever since I stepped in the front doors of Washington Elementary. It’s not that I hate school, as an extrovert I like the idea of meeting peers and creating life long bonds that would last moving to a different middle school. But the core purpose of school is to educate people on the importance of memorization and strictness. It confused me so much how a place where I had the potential to have so much fun, devolved into something I so sorely despised. However, when I was in 4th grade, on my mothers old Chromebook, I came upon a curious video. It had an animated portrait of a president, the title read “Teddy The Trustbuster”. The video intrigued my little 4th grade self as I clicked on the thumbnail. That video would change the outcome of major decisions in my life. It showed me an animated history of You, a history so simply put, that I couldn’t help but watch the following episodes on your adventure to take down the Standard Oil trust. The channel had a myriad of other different videos, some of which I couldn’t yet understand, but nonetheless I had watched. But this video will always stick with me. I would find myself, even now as a 17 year old junior in a completely different town I had grown up in, rewatching the entire series again and again. And as I lay in my bed on a late Wednesday night writing to you, I reflected on why I had come back to the video so often. Why it had captivated such a young mind to pursue his love of history. Could it have been the animations? The pacing? The little myth and fun facts sprinkled in? No. It was the emphasis on your character of unwavering courage and bravery. Never faltering in regulating a trust, or shying away on a big hunt. You pursued what the people wanted, all the time, any time. It never mattered to you who on top was hurt, if it saved the people on the bottom. I write this letter as a thank you. For all you’ve done for this country, it’s people, and me, who although struggling, can find your ideals to shine through the muck of the world and become better.

From, Olin V. kusevskis

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Dearest Jack Kerouac,

You are a little insane. You’re a Columbia dropout who chose road trips over ivy leagues. Your writing is objectively bad and I don’t understand what you’re trying to say most of the time. It’s commonly thought that you wrote it in three weeks while high and somehow managed to create one of the most iconic pieces of literature written in the 20th century. Sal Paradise and Dean Moriarty are some of the funnest characters ever written and simultaneously the most annoying. You spearheaded Beat culture, which had a massive cultural impact on artists such as Bob Dylan, Jim Morrison, David Bowie, and Eric Kripke. These artists have produced music and TV that changed my life!!! And it’s all thanks to you! Your friends and their anti-consumerist anti-capitalist road-tripping personalities are exactly what I want in life.

Love,

Nitya Shastry

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One piece of media that has greatly influenced me is Derry Girls. This show takes place in 1990s Londonderry, and the showrunner, Lisa McGee, grew up in Derry in Northern Ireland in a largely Catholic neighborhood, the Bogside. In 1969, there was a massive conflict between residents and local militia and spread, leading to dozens of deaths. Northern Ireland was not an area immune to conflict; Bloody Sunday was a massacre where over a dozen civilians were killed by soldiers. In the 80s and 90s, it wasn’t uncommon to hear about bomb threats or see soldiers patrolling the streets, and she was inspired by the casualness with which these topics were treated. A bomb threat at the time just made people shrug and move on, feeling mildly inconvenienced. In an episode of Derry Girls, there’s a bomb threat that blocks the bridge, and a character is annoyed that she’ll have to take the long way to her tanning appointment. It is a show that spotlights joy and teenage drama in a time of violence and political rage. It’s shocking to us viewers to see the girls worrying about crushes and drinking when people keep dying due to religious and political conflicts in the background, but it speaks to the resilience of the people of Londonderry and only leaves me more fascinated by the history of British-Irish conflicts in the late 1900s.