Kristian Dorken and Ali Amiri, co-founders of Unleash America’s Passion (UAP), spoke to three health classes on Friday, September 28 about the importance of fulfilling one’s passions in life.
UAP is a 10-week national cycling tour that began in Los Angeles and ended at Stuyvesant. Dorken and Amiri are part of a five-person team that biked over 4,000 miles and visited youth centers and high schools in 25 cities.
“We cycled across the USA because we wanted to show that when you’re passionate about something, no matter how difficult the challenge [is], if you are coming from a place of passion, it is possible to do it,” said Dorken.
They were inspired by a book called “The Passion Test,” written by Janet and Chris Attwood, which empowers readers to foster change in their lives.
Dorken said the tour was not a promotion of the book, but “more [of] a promotion of the idea that to be really effective leaders in our society, we all must do what we really love to do.”
Dorken, a chiropractor, served in the Canadian Military and now trains regularly for Ironman triathlons. He said the best part of UAP is “talking with youth about how they can reach their dreams.”
Ali, also a chiropractor, has entered two Ironman competitions and qualified for the 2007 World Championships in France.
The UAP team spoke primarily at Boys and Girls Clubs and Juvenile Detention Centers across America.
According to Dorken, they chose to end their tour at Stuyvesant because “the [school] administration was so friendly with our message and we wanted to speak in lower Manhattan.”
Assistant Principal Health and Physical Education Martha Singer organized the event. “They [conveyed] to students that if you are dedicated to a goal, you can gain success,” she said.
In the three health classes they visited, Dorken, Ali and their assistant, Cathy Johnson, distributed a six-page worksheet called “The Comfort Zone” to students.
Students had to write down their top five passions on the worksheet and then select their top passion from the list.
Dorken and Ali played mainstream hip-hop music while students answered the questions. Students and teachers received a copy of “The Passion
Test” after class.
Although students found many aspects of the presentation childish, they enjoyed the event.
“It was interesting and fun, but I feel like [the presentation] was geared towards younger students,” said junior Jeffrey Shiae.
Junior Snigdha Das agreed. “Even though the presentation was juvenile, I thought the message was very clear. It got me thinking about my passion and how I should live it everyday,” she said.