Store # 50832 Birmingham, Alabama

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Brian Hawkins – a poet, artist and community organizer known around town by his stage name, “Voice Porter” – grew up in Birmingham. He had his first cup of coffee with his grandmother, a singer and songwriter who creates music for gospel quartets. 

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“As the story goes, somewhere around 4 or 5 years old, I just kind of woke up one morning and poured myself a cup. I would never let a 4 or 5-year-old drink coffee now, but apparently she just let me do it,” Hawkins said, laughing. “I remember sitting in the kitchen with her early in the morning, sun's not quite up, and having a cup of what I thought was coffee but was really mostly creamer. Just a little bit of coffee with my creamer is what I was having. But I think since I've been introduced to tea, I've been mostly, I'd say, 51 percent tea, 49 percent coffee.”

He got his start as an artist at 11, when his cousin, Sherman, enlisted him to help with a mural at an elementary school. The two boys, along with two employees from the Birmingham Museum of Art, painted a tribute to a teacher who had died.

“We painted the teacher with angel wings. And I was responsible mainly for painting the angel wings, because painting the face was not going to be my thing. I knew my space. I knew my strengths,” Hawkins said. 

He has since become a proponent for public art, which he thinks provides an opportunity for a communal deep breath and reflection. If he could paint a mural for the whole world to see, he would make it one about what’s happening in the world – the pain, the melancholy, the hope.

“I would hope that they would spend 15 minutes looking at it, and in that time find such a range of emotions that it brings them to the middle, and to a space where they can think about what's happening in the world. They can think about the subject matter, about how they fit into whatever we're talking about, how they fit into this narrative, and how we can work together to change it,” he said. “I do feel hopeless sometimes. But what gives me hope is just watching people be the best person they can be for no other reason than to be the best person they can be – and knowing that being a great individual can help other people be great individuals. That is a thing that brings me joy.”

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If he could paint a mural for the whole world to see, he would make it one about what’s happening in the world – the pain, the melancholy, the hope. 

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Brian "Voice Porter" Hawkins - Starbucks Stories

Stories to inspire and nurture the human spirit

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This week, To Be Human visits a store in Birmingham, Alabama, where we met Brian Hawkins, a poet, artist and community organizer known around town by his stage name, "Voice Porter."

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Store # 50832 Birmingham, Alabama

Brian “Voice Porter” Hawkins

Brian Hawkins

Jorge Espinoza was by far the most dapper person at Starbucks one evening, due in large part to him having come from his job as a personal banker. He’s going to school for finance and hopes to someday get into commercial banking.

“That’s the five-year plan,” he said. “Really, I've always wanted to be a pilot.” 

He still plans to get his pilot’s license so he can fly on the side. 

“I just love flying. Ever since the first time I got on a plane and going to airshows as a kid – it just caught my attention,” Espinoza said. “Being above the clouds – it's exhilarating but then at the same time it's calm.”

He said he enjoys being spontaneous, adventurous and positive. Part of his outlook was shaped by being born with gastroschisis.

“That's when your organs develop outside of your body. Then I remember I would be in and out of surgery as a kid. Probably about four different times,” he said. “I remember in Parkland Hospital we'd have Christmas in July for all the little kids. I remember it would be me, and then there were kids who now I realize had cancer. I remember thinking I was only there for a couple months, and I never knew if they got out of there. After I realized that it made me feel better about my own situation. I always think that I could have it a lot worse. When I complain or think about things that are going on in my life, I take a step back and look at myself and really realize it's not that big of a deal.”

“When I complain or think about things that are going on in my life, I take a step back and look at myself and really realize it’s not that big of a deal.”

Jorge Espinoza - Starbucks Stories

This week, To Be Human goes to Dallas and meets Jorge Espinoza, a banker with sky high plans — literally, he wants to be a pilot.

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Store #53267 Dallas, Texas

Jorge Espinoza

Ray Holmberg was first elected to the North Dakota State Senate the same day Jimmy Carter was elected as president in 1977. He’s been there ever since.

“I hate to admit it,” he said, smiling. “I've been there awhile.”

Throughout, he also worked as a high school counselor for many years. 

Holmberg was meeting a friend for coffee at Starbucks, something he does often, and spoke about his daily routine. 

“Every morning I go to Starbucks -- I really do. I get a grande Pike Place, and then I go to Wal-Mart, because as a political person, you have to be out there seeing what's going on in the world, and it's a perfect place to see a cross-section,” Holmberg said. “I always comment that my legislative district in Grand Forks is probably one of the most diverse in the state of North Dakota, because I have in my district, and it's not a huge district, I have all three golf courses in Grand Forks, and both Wal-Marts. How more diverse can you be?”

Why has he continued to work in public service for more than 40 years? 

“The people. The opportunity to do things for the state, and you just work with a great number of people that are great,” he said.

“Every morning I go to Starbucks -- I really do. I get a grande Pike Place, and then I go to Wal-Mart, because as a political person, you have to be out there seeing what's going on in the world, and it's a perfect place to see a cross-section,” Holmberg said. 

Ray Holmberg - Starbucks Stories

This week, To Be Human visits a store in Fargo, North Dakota, where Ray Holmberg talks about serving in the state senate since 1977.

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Store #50107 Fargo, North Dakota

Ray Holmberg

Store #55386 New Orleans, Louisiana

Joseph “Joe” Witkowski (or “Jeaux” as his nametag reads, because New Orleans), a 10-year Starbucks partner, was recently promoted shift supervisor. He wears a gold crown to work, partly in keeping with the city’s bold, eccentric fashion mores and partly because it’s a symbol of the leader he wants to be. 

“It’s a very ‘me’ item and customers have come to look for it and expect it,” Joe said. “I'm the queen of my shift or the king of my shift or whatever. For me, the crown is me owning who I am as a shift supervisor, as a partner, as a person, and as someone who's really invested in what I do in my community.”

Community is his favorite part about working at Starbucks, both his fellow partners and the wide range of customers. 

“You could be a bartender or you might be a CEO, and you're still coming to hang out with your friends for that cup of coffee. And being able to be that person who is the face you see every day has been really great for me,” he said. “I say a lot to my partners and to my customers, ‘I live a block away. We're in my extended living room. So, welcome. How can we take care of you? How can we treat you?’ I get to really provide that third place and that legendary service.”

“For me, the crown is me owning who I am as a shift supervisor, as a partner, as a person, and as someone who's really invested in what I do in my community.”

Jeaux Witkowiski - Starbucks Stories

This week, To Be Human returns to New Orleans and enters the magical realm of a Starbucks barista named Jeaux.

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Store #55386 New Orleans, Louisiana

Jeaux Witkowiski

To Be Human: Jeaux Witkowiski

Rudy San Miguel attended graduate school at New York University with the goal of becoming a television writer. Three years later, he graduated as a playwright.

“I actually met <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Albee">Edward Albee</a>, and became a playwright because of him,” Rudy said. “I love how real and immediate it is. When I was a kid I was always fascinated with plays and the way that the actors would be on a stage without a net. There’s no one there to protect them. Shouting ‘line’ would ruin the whole play. The performance you see will never be done again, that way. It’s exciting, and I love that about it.”

He moved back to New Orleans because he couldn’t afford to be a writer in New York. Currently, Rudy works as a manager for a food truck – and sometimes at a local bar alongside his partner, Eric – and spends as much of his free time as possible writing. 

“I came down here to survive and not die on the streets penniless,” he said, laughing. But in New Orleans, he was able to stage a production of his first play, a thriller called “Human Resources” about a scorned woman who ends up in a job interview with her ex’s new lover.

“I have another master’s degree in human resources and industrial relations, so I was able to use both degrees on my play, kind of,” he said. “Opening night I was a mess. I was also a producer, so I was in attendance at every show. It was directed by someone who I respect immensely – he’s actually my ex, but he’s such a great director that I asked him to do it, and he did a beautiful job. I was so terrified, but thankfully it was all friends. It was everyone I knew, and they felt very comfortable talking to each other about what was happening like it was a movie or a soap opera. And I was across on the other side of the stage watching. It put me at ease to have so many friends in the audience.”

When he wrote the play in grad school, his thesis advisor asked him what it was about. 

“I said ‘Love,’” Rudy said. “And he said, ‘Yeah. That’s right. You can keep writing it.’ I think it’s important in any medium if you’re going to put words to paper, there are so many words out there, especially with social media. And there is so much garbage out there that, I feel it’s incredibly necessary to say something that matters and is important. Even if it’s just to you.”

 “I came down here to survive and not die on the streets penniless,” he said, laughing. But in New Orleans, he was able to stage a production of his first play, a thriller called “Human Resources” about a scorned woman who ends up in a job interview with her ex’s new lover. 

Rudy San Miguel - Starbucks Stories

This week, To Be Human visits a store in New Orleans, Louisiana, where Rudy San Miguel told us about his decision to follow his dream of becoming a writer and imagined how a scene from his life would unfold on stage.

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Rudy San Miguel

Store # 7807 Rehoboth Beach, Delaware

At dusk one evening as their Atlantic beach town was winding down into the off-season, Bowen Ryan and his daughter, Avery, 7, walked down the street from their house to their local Starbucks to hang out. 

“It’s a very, very close-knit, cool, artsy, open-minded community,” Bowen said. “It’s your typical beach town – chaotic and crazy during the summer, then as soon as everybody leaves, the locals relax and come out and start hanging out.”

Father and daughter took a moment to share their favorite things about each other. 

“I would describe her as probably one of the smartest, sweetest, kindest, strongest, bravest little girl you could ever meet,” Bowen said. “She’s very smart, very funny and probably the most creative and cool little girl to walk the earth. I don’t want to boast, but she’s very, very smart. Her mommy is from Belarus, and Avery is completely fluent in Russian and English and also speaks a little Spanish. She also plays the piano.”

“I’m sorry, yes. And horseback riding and swimming,” her dad said.

“Well, he’s strong, fluent, funny, strong … oh, I already said strong. He is special and he is very caring and very honest,” Avery said.

“She’s very smart, very funny and probably the most creative and cool little girl to walk the earth.”

Bowen and Avery Ryan - Starbucks Stories

This week, To Be Human visits a store in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, where Bowen Ryan and his daughter Avery tell us what they really think about each other.

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Store # 7807 Rehoboth Beach, Delaware

Bowen and Avery Ryan

Bowen & Avery Ryan

Store #50880 Fairbanks, Alaska

As part of his career in the Army, much of which he can’t discuss – especially in a busy Starbucks in Fairbanks, Alaska – Michael Dahl worked as a linguist in intelligence and arms control. He inspected weapons of mass destruction. He literally climbed into missile silos. Over the course of his career, he stood next to enough fire power to obliterate half of the solar system. So, given all that, what – if anything – is he afraid of? What keeps him up at night?

“People,” he said. “The thing I fear the most is not the weapons themselves. Humans have had weapons as long as there have been humans. There was a day, an age in history, when the catapult was the most devastating thing in the world that people feared. It's the people.”

“Same thing. People,” Michael said, smiling as he took a drink from his iced mocha, displaying the Mickey Mouse watch his wife gave him. “I've met some of the scariest people in humanity I can imagine, but I've also met some of the noblest and most beautiful human beings because of their capacity to care about other people and make a difference.”

Michael’s father, Larry Dahl, was killed in Vietnam. The elder Dahl, a truck driver for the Army, threw himself on a grenade in an ambush, saving all his fellow soldiers in the truck. Michael was 3 years old at the time, and 6 years old when his father received the Congressional Medal of Honor. His father’s story was featured in a documentary film. He also has a ship and buildings named after him. 

“My father is a little bit of an institution. But he was an ordinary, everyday person who put on his pants and shoes like everybody else. He had no delusions of being any of that, that just kind of happened,” Dahl said. “Regrettably I have very few cogent memories of him because of my age, but it definitely kind of added a powerful background to my life. It was always kind of there.”

Michael eventually decided to join the Army as well, but on his own terms.

“I went to the recruiter, and he was like, ‘Oh, your dad was …’ and it's like, no, I'm not driving trucks, not my thing. I had studied three or four different foreign languages, and I said, ‘The Army's got that language thing, right? Throw it at me – Arabic, Russian, Swahili, whatever floats your boat. If I’m going to join the Army, I need to do something I can crush, otherwise why go?” Michael said. “The biggest thing I always tell people is … you don't have to be your parents, or do exactly what your parents did, however noble and inspiring that may have been. It's about being a person they would be happy to talk about.”

“You don't have to be your parents, or do exactly what your parents did, however noble and inspiring that may have been. It's about being a person they would be happy to talk about.”

Michael Dahl - Starbucks Stories

In honor of Memorial Day, Michael Dahl talks about his career with the Army and shares the story of his father, who sacrificed his life to save his fellow soldiers in Vietnam.

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Store #50880 Fairbanks, Alaska

Michael Dahl

Michael Dahl, Army Veteran

Store #49087 Norfolk, Virginia

Jacquelyn Dyer joined the Navy to pursue her dream of owning her own café and bakery.

“It’s my passion. It’s what I’ve always wanted since I was about 7 years old,” said Jacquelyn, who was doing culinary school homework on the patio of a Starbucks in Norfolk, Virginia. “The whole reason I joined the Navy, actually, was because I wanted to get schooling paid for, and not to have any student loan debt, because that’s terrible.”

When she got out of the military, she tried to start school two days later. The transition was tough.

“When I first came back from my deployment, I feel there was a lot more darkness in my life,” she said. “It's really hard to explain the feelings you have when you're coming out of the military, because the camaraderie is unmatchable. You learn a whole different language when you join. You go from being constantly surrounded, working a lot of hours, to nobody understanding what you’re talking about – what you went through.”

A six-month internship at <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2018/mission-and-purpose-veterans-caregivers-find-new-direction-at-dog-tag-baker/">Dog Tag Bakery</a> helped turn that around. The non-profit in the D.C. area is geared toward helping military veterans, their spouses, and caregivers with entrepreneurial skills, but Jacquelyn said it also helped her confront some of her traumatic experiences, find her voice and tell her story.&nbsp;

“It was healing. That’s when the lightness really started coming back into my life,” she said. “I never would have told anybody that stuff, not even my family, you know? These were veterans who had seen similar things, if not worse, so it was people I could relate to. Now that I'm able to speak about some of the things that happened to me, and it doesn't hurt, it doesn't cause me to stress out as much as it used to and I'm at peace with myself more so than I ever was before.”

Working for the non-profit also made her realize she still wanted to realize her childhood dream, but with a twist.

“People today don't know how to cook, but it's kinda necessary to survive. I wanna open up a place that reaches out to families that are low income and allow their children to come to my kitchen and teach them how to cook, and then send them home with a meal for their family as well,” she said. 

 “It was healing. That’s when the lightness really started coming back into my life,” she said. 

Jacquelyn Dyer - Starbucks Stories

In honor of Military Appreciation Month, #ToBeHuman shares the story of Jacquelyn, a Navy Veteran pursuing her dream of owning a café where she can teach low-income families how to cook.

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Jacquelyn Dyer

Jacquelyn Dyer, Navy Veteran

Store #02799 Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Alexandra Fontenille stopped by her local Starbucks on a sunny Friday morning on the way to take her young daughters, Isabelle and Amelia, to daycare so she could go to yoga.

“I got into yoga two years ago. It’s truly changed my life,” she said. “I was in a really dark place at the time. My mom had passed away, and I was a new mother. I was just trying to find the balance of everything, and it really helped. It brought new life to me.”

Alexandra was just 24 when her mom, Jane, died of a brain aneurysm. She was completely unprepared for the sudden loss of her mother who, at 53, rode her bike every day and ate a mostly plant-based diet. 

“It was pretty rough, being a new mom. You kind of come full circle with your parents or at least being a woman, with your mom especially. At that point, I was like, ‘This is when I need her the most,’” she said. “There's days where you question it and you're like, ‘This isn't fair,’ and you're just mad. But all you can do is just remember all the good times.”

Alexandra said her mother was the most caring, selfless, hard working person she’s ever known, the kind of woman who would buy groceries for those who couldn’t afford them and bring meals and water to the homeless.

“I just remember seeing her do kind things like that for strangers growing up, and it had such a big impact on me,” Alexandra said. “I try to be more selfless, I try to be the hardest worker in the room. She had so much compassion for other people. I strive to be like her every day.”

Plus, her mother never would have stood for the sadness to last too long.

“When we woke up in the morning or if we were not feeling good or we broke up with a boyfriend in high school and we were sad about it, my mom would say, ‘You need to get up, drink water, eat a healthy meal, and be active,’” Alexandra said. “That was her famous line. So, on the hard days, I would just remember that and live by it.”

 “I try to be more selfless, I try to be the hardest worker in the room. She had so much compassion for other people. I strive to be like her every day.” 

Alexandra Fontenille - Starbucks Stories

In honor of Mother’s Day, #ToBeHuman shares a story from Alexandra, a customer in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, about the sudden loss of her mother and how she’s trying to pass her mother’s selfless, hard-working legacy on to her own two daughters.

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Alexandra Fontenille

Store #7711 New York City, New York

Lori Price takes twice-daily walks through her neighborhood, New York City’s vibrant Meatpacking District, with her French bulldogs, Lexie and Milo. These walks are the calming book-end to very busy days spent working as a hedge fund manager.

“It’s definitely hectic, fast-paced, fun and difficult all in one,” she said. “You're never short of having something to do. There's always a challenge, which is really good, but it's also a difficult industry right now to be in. I went to UCLA and went straight through graduate school on scholarship and started working and I remember my parents saying, ‘This is a really tough industry. We don’t know if you’ll survive it, and we’re scared for you to go to New York.’” 

“Anything worth doing is worth overdoing,” she said. “Anything you do, really put your heart and soul into it. Do the very best you can. There is no such thing as partway.”

Her dogs keep her grounded. For a while after she moved to New York City from Los Angeles, she lived without a dog. But then a friend got a French bulldog.

“They were just so fun-loving and affectionate and mooshy. I just wanted to have one of my own,” she said. “Then, when I had one, I needed to have another, and that's sort of how it went.”

There are a lot of photo shoots around her uber-hip neighborhood, and her dogs have even ended up in advertisements for Barneys and Calvin Klein. 

“They’ll tell you a lot about themselves,” she said, laughing. 

“Anything worth doing is worth overdoing. Anything you do, really put your heart and soul into it. Do the very best you can. There is no such thing as partway.”

Lori Price - Starbucks Stories

This week, To Be Human visits a store in New York City, where Lori Price told us about her career as a hedge fund manager and her two almost-famous French bulldogs.

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Lori Price

After his daily jog, Vaughn Davis stopped for a coffee and to research the perfect chocolate cake. 

“I've been actually researching the perfect chocolate cake for a really long time,” Vaughn said. “I have a recipe that I am kind of confident in. It utilizes mayonnaise to make the cake more moist. I've been increasingly more interested in baking. In the culinary arts. I've been watching the Great British Baking Show on Netflix. I think it's a hilarious show, for one, but the expertise that goes into baking – it's almost like a science, you know, which I think is really pretty incredible.”

Vaughn recently graduated from Webster University with a degree in sculpture. Though he’s an artist with a penchant for baking, his interests go well beyond. Vaughn grew up in St. Louis, and he is fascinated by its history, its culture and its future. His mind moved quickly through topics: driving while black; food deserts; art and park spaces; safe water; and balancing his desire to invest in his city while also spreading his wings. 

“How do I balance home and away, you know?” he said, adding that there’s a way to do both.

“I think one of the best things about our generation now is social media and the fact that we can connect with so many people via these things we hold in our hands, which are our cell phones. I think that the establishment of a team will be the most important thing for myself but also for a lot of people who are looking to achieve a great amount of change there's power in numbers,” Vaughn said. “I recently got back from Memphis, Tennessee, and I was able to go see the site of Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination, but also learn about the ethos of Memphis and the South and how many things got done because of a team. It has really inspired me to connect with a lot of people here in my city but also wider, across the U.S. but also hopefully one day, have this international network of people, this huge web which I could call and beckon upon.”

 “I think that the establishment of a team will be the most important thing for myself but also for a lot of people who are looking to achieve a great amount of change there's power in numbers.” 

Vaughn Davis - Starbucks Stories

This week, #ToBeHuman visits a store in Ferguson, Missouri, where we met Vaughn Davis, a recent graduate from Webster University with a degree in sculpture. Though he’s an artist with a penchant for baking, his interests go well beyond.

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Vaughn Davis

Dan Friedman wears a large, gold anchor around his neck.

As a young man in the Air Force, he saw the anchor in a shop on the Greek island of Mykonos. The storekeeper let him pay with a post-dated check and told Friedman to take it back to the United States and have it appraised. If it wasn’t worth what he paid for it, Dan didn’t have to make the check good. Back in the United States, the gold anchor appraised at twice what he paid. He’s been wearing it ever since – for 50 years now.

“I wear it every day. I never take it off except to shower and to sleep,” Dan said. “It’s a nice piece of jewelry. It doesn’t mean anything, I just liked it. We did have a boat once, but this was bought long before that was even a dream. So that’s the story of my anchor.”

After getting out of the Air Force, Dan earned degrees in three different fields – a bachelor's in physics, an MBA and a law degree. He practiced civil law, representing a lot of hospitals, doctors, car agencies and the like. (He once represented world-renowned pianist Van Cliburn for five years, though the two never met.)

“I spent my whole life as an antagonist. Some people go to work to sell clothes; I went to work to argue. And that takes a lot out of you,” Dan said. “So, when I quit that, I tried not to argue anymore.”

After retiring, Dan and his wife of 56 years, Jeanne, moved to Maui. They’ve lived there for 36 years. 

“I'm happy because we're healthy, we're living a wonderful life, and I get to play golf three days a week and I enjoy it very, very much, even though I don't play well,” he said.

 “I spent my whole life as an antagonist. Some people go to work to sell clothes; I went to work to argue. And that takes a lot out of you,” Dan said. “So, when I quit that, I tried not to argue anymore.” 

Dan Friedman - Starbucks Stories

This week, #ToBeHuman visits a store on the Hawaiian island of Maui, where Dan Friedman talked about his beloved wife of 56 years, his career as a professional arguer and his trademark gold anchor necklace.

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Dan Friedman

To Be Human

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