So a few weeks ago on one of my many trips to New York i met up with an old friend of mine, Mandy Velez. We met early in childhood, both attending St. Cecilia’s Catholic School in Northeast Philadelphia. We acted in a few plays together and our initial connection was that we were two of the only Puerto Rican students in our classes at school.

We stayed connected on social media over the years, engaging politically and on social issues, with the occasional callback to our time in the 8th grade rendition of “Into The Woods” (I was Prince Charming, Mandy was Little Red Riding Hood. Video exists of this somewhere….I challenge you to find it, internet.). In recent years we especially have connected over a mutual love and admiration and joy in the skyrocketing success of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. As Puerto Ricans who grew up with seeing our people in the media used either as criminals & hoodlums or as funny sidekicks, seeing this fierce, strong, calculated, relentless, persistent and ingenious borciua rise up and reclaim her hood from a White Male Boomer Incumbent…that was a day we will never forget.

So when Mandy reached out with this idea of a funeral for her student loans, I immediately accepted and loved the idea. As we began to workshop it and think of locations, almost immediately my mind went to Wall Street. What better place to make a statement than at the heart of this all. When Mandy mentioned a graveyard, my Hamilton fandom kicked in to remind me of Trinity Church, right in the heart of Wall Street, where A.Ham, the father of our banking system, was laid to rest. Everything fell into place.

Both being Philly kids, there was a lot of irony in the fact that the bar we met up at in New York, which I chose due to it’s proximity to our shoot location & the pain in my feet growing along with my thirst, just so happened to be a Philly bar owned & operated by Philly natives. (I broke my rule and ordered one of their cheesesteaks…I kind of had to at that point…and well….I didn’t hate it, I’ve had worse steaks IN Philly before…but man New York bread just is not the same as an Amaroso…)

Anyway…y’all don’t care a lick about my cheesesteak recommendations. Once Mandy published the story it absolutely blew up almost immediately. Within a few hours she was getting interview requests from Good Morning America, ABC, USA Today & Forbes, all just in the first 12 hours. And it’s only grown since. It’s amazing and humbling and so fulfilling to see this amazing accomplishment of hers get so much attention and notice.