pascal zamor

BLURB
Pascal Zamor was born in the Elmond Village neighborhood of Buffalo, New York to Joaquin and Geonna Zamor. He is the second eldest of their five children; two girls and three boys to be exact. Geonna is a retired elementary school teacher and Joaquin a retired Elmond Village police officer. Pascal came from very humble beginnings. His grandparents on both sides immigrants from their native countries of Spain and Poland. His father's side of the family are Spanish while his mother's side are Italian and Polish. The different cultures of each side are widely expressed and meshed in the Zamor home. Big meals, acceptance, traditional values and more love than you can handle. Family is key when it comes to the Zamor's.

School for Pascal was difficult at times. Not so much in grade school but he was bullied quite a lot when he entered junior high and high school. He was different from the other children. More focused on his studies than socializing. He also hadn't quite grown into his height or his looks. To everyone he was the big nosed kid with lanky appendages. Pascal did his best to ignore it but kids can be relentless when they've found someone to tease. He found companionship in the few friends that he did have and some of his teachers. The bright eyed kid was eager to learn and absorb the lessons that were given to him. At least Pascal had his eldest brother around to protect him from schoolhouse fights.

Because he focused so much on his studies, Pascal was able to land himself a scholarship to a few schools of choice. By his senior year of high school he had already figured out what he wanted to do with his life. He aspired to be a teacher like his mother and follow in her footsteps. Though Pascal had a different path in mind. His plan was to become a high school World History teacher and use an education from NYU to do so. It would be a big move, one that would be scary and a major change of scenery compared to small town life in Elmwood Village. But he was prepared. Life was about taking chances and taking risks. Staying in Buffalo wasn't in the cards for his future.

Pascal's family took the move rather hard. Especially his father. Wanting his second eldest to remain home in Elmwood rather than hours away in the big apple. He urged his son to stay but he'd already made up his mind. New York City it was. The change was a struggle at first. The hustle and bustle of the city took a bit of a toll on Pascal but like any Zamor, he was resilient. He kept the stories that his grandparents had told him about overcoming adversity and making a life for themselves when they started from nothing. They were words that he channeled as he adapted and pushed his way through college. Which to his surprise went much more smoothly than his younger days had.

Like all things, time was a major factor in his adjustment. Pascal managed to make friends, locals of the city that were more than happy to show him around and make him comfortable. Friends he roomed with through the remainder of his college days. While he went to school, Pascal took up odd jobs around the city in order to pay the bills. He was a waiter for a while before landing a job at a bookstore called the Strand in the East Village. It was within walking distance with school so it made getting to and from quite easy.

After finishing his bachelor's degree in history, Pascal took it upon himself to further his education and go after a master's in teaching social studies. NYU offered an accelerated dual degree program that allowed Pascal to complete both within five years. Not only would it help him in a competitive world, he also logged tons of hours as a student teacher. Being that it was required. The courses offered at NYU Steinhardt encouraged Pascal to take a fun teaching approach. Channeling the energy of a world history teacher that he himself had while in high school. He made it a point to focus on that when he became a teacher. Not wanting to lose sight of his real goals. Educating young minds and getting them excited about what they were learning. He didn't want to be a teacher that didn't care, that handed out a test and said to do it. Pascal was going to be a teacher that prepared his students for everything.

By twenty-three Pascal Zamor was a college graduate. For the Zamor family, it was a huge celebration. Everyone had flown in from Buffalo to attend the ceremony and cheer him on. While they had opposed the mood at first, they were proud of their son for achieving his goals. The high of graduation soon wore off though and Pascal was no different than most college students. Struggling to find work in their field. He figured that his best bet was to try subbing for a while to gain the experience that he needed and get some good recommendations from different schools. With a lot of time and a lot of hard work, at the age of twenty-nine Pascal finally landed his dream job at a school in upstate New York - much closer to home.Fairland was right up his alley.