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Rocky Tayeh

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My name is Samr, aka Rocky Tayeh. I'm 15 years old. My birthday is December 4. I go to Edward R. Murrow High School. I chill and sleep in my free time. I hate homework. I can spend $100.00 in one hour. (Spring 2003)

Interesting Fact: "I broke my leg doing the chicken dance".

Story Description: My Struggle with Obesity
Fifteen-year old Rocky, a Palestinian American, lives with his parents and siblings in Brooklyn. Rocky's story is about his emotional struggle with obesity. Three times the size of his twin sister, Rocky is the target of many of his siblings' jokes and insults. When they're not ridiculing him, his family tries to entice him to lose weight by offering him incentives like a laptop computer or $1,000 if he loses 30 pounds. Rocky earnestly wants to slim down but doesn't know how to control his eating. Rocky adores his family and would love the $1,000, but he thinks his siblings have no idea how much their jokes hurt him and how they're actually causing him to eat more, not less.

Mentor: Nicholas Chesla got his start in radio a little over ten years ago in his native Australia. Nicholas's efforts in the area of documentary have included working with young people of color at Manhattan's Project Reach to produce "Voices of Change" and "A Vision Borne of Struggle." In addition, he has worked with lesbian and gay seniors to produce "Gay and Gray in New York City," an award-winning documentary aired on PBS. During the day, Nicholas reports on U.S. financial markets but continues to do freelance gigs for the ABC. He loves camping in the summer and also plays keyboards in a small ensemble. He is an alumnus of the Graduate School of Journalism at Columbia University. (Spring 2003)