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about me​
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Wenting Yu learned about Humans of New York in her sophomore year NRHS Intro to Photography class with Ms. McCaul. The concept behind the HONY project was so exciting yet so terrifying that she knew she had to try something similar with New Rochelle. So, she set out to the streets of New Rochelle with nothing but a camera in tow, and began asking strangers to tell her their stories.
Since the inception of this project, Wenting has worked with Humans of St. Louis, one of the largest “Humans of…” branches in the world, met Brandon Stanton (founder of the original Humans of New York), and, most importantly, practiced the skills of genuine curiosity and deep listening every single day. And although much time has passed, her original philosophy remains unchanged: She truly believes everyone has a story worth sharing.
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I can usually be found wandering the streets of New Rochelle, but if by chance I'm not there, please don't hesitate to contact me.
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about humans of new rochelle​
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Humans of New Rochelle (inspired by the amazing Brandon Stanton and his Humans of New York) was created as a love letter to the city in which I have grown up, and an homage to the humans who bring it to life. Through this project, I have set out to paint a picture of New Rochelle through its diverse inhabitants and their stories, as well as challenge my own introverted nature by speaking to stranger after stranger after stranger...
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I truly believe that everyone has a story worth sharing. If you would like yours to be heard, please reach out to me through any of the means to the right.
updated notes from 2024
Four years ago, I described Humans of New Rochelle as my “love letter” to my hometown, before I truly understood what it meant to love and then leave a place you call home. I left for college about a year after I started HONR and only then realized what a special place New Rochelle is. Revisiting this project now, a generation of storytellers later, I am realizing that this was never my love letter to New Rochelle – I was only ever the messenger. HONR is a collection of love letters, manifested through authentic stories shared by people who are all tied in some way or another to New Rochelle. They are stories of love and loss, of dreams and struggles; they are stories that I ultimately hope will resonate with readers and inspire cycles of empathetic listening.
new additions to the team​
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Annie Gombiner and Veronica Yu are both graduates of the New Rochelle High School Class of 2024 and incoming first-years of the Harvard College Class of 2028. They have been managing Humans of New Rochelle since 2021. Hearing everyone’s stories has been an incredibly eye-opening, humbling, and fulfilling experience for them, and while they are sad to leave, they hope to maintain and strengthen their relationships with the humans of New Rochelle.​​
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