Nathaniel relishes his memories of school, and now, he’s saving up for college
Nathaniel Yanzick is a popular guy at Street Roots. He has a big personality and brightens the office with his friendly demeanor during every visit.
Street Roots is Nathaniel ’s first job, and he loves it. He considers his customers friends and looks forward to their visit every week.
Sometimes it’s hard to reach new audiences, he said, but he doesn’t know why anyone wouldn’t want to buy the paper; he believes it’s one of the best publications on the market.
He began selling the paper on Jan. 2, 2018, after a vendor sold him a copy and introduced him to the organization. It was one of the best New Year’s experiences of his life, he said.
His favorite part of the job is earning money — to “save up for college, of course!” he said.
“I love to learn new things,” Nathaniel said. “I want to spend the rest of my life learning.”
Nathaniel was born in Gresham, where he graduated from high school in 2012. He then went on to graduate in 2015 from the Centennial Transition Center, not too far from his high school.
His favorite subject was art, and he focused on animals in their natural habitat. He enjoys the calmness he feels when drawing or painting.
He enjoyed gym class, as well. He liked competing with his classmates by practicing weight training or playing basketball. Now, he stays active by swimming, hiking and dancing.
In college, he wants to study the sciences and to take art classes to strengthen his drawing skills. He might even study sports broadcasting. “I haven’t decided yet,” he said.
After college, he’d like to travel.
“I want to see so many countries and learn something new each place I visit,” he said. “I also would love to visit Florida, New Jersey, Colorado, and Wyoming. I want to see so much of the United States.”
But first, he would like to visit his sister in California. The youngest of three siblings, he has family scattered across the country. He likes to visit as often as he can.
His favorite place he traveled to recently was the Wildlife Safari.
When he’s not traveling, you’ll find Nathaniel selling the paper each week at the Hillsdale Library and Hillsdale Basic Market.
Street Roots is an award-winning weekly publication focusing on economic, environmental and social justice issues. The newspaper is sold in Portland, Oregon, by people experiencing homelessness and/or extreme poverty as means of earning an income with dignity. Street Roots newspaper operates independently of Street Roots advocacy and is a part of the Street Roots organization. Learn more about Street Roots. Support your community newspaper by making a one-time or recurring gift today.
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