Urban Tech Works for Students

With over a decade of experience as an executive and sales leader, Janina Casey has worked for notable New York City financial companies. Janina Casey enjoys giving back to the community by supporting nonprofit organizations such as Urban Tech.

Founded in 1995, Urban Tech, or the National Urban Technology Center, works to advance the educational system and change students' lives by promoting social-emotional learning and critical thinking. Since its establishment, Urban Tech has been creating opportunities and bridging the digital divide for disadvantaged communities. SeedTech, for example, is a program that helps underrepresented populations develop leadership and technology skills.

In 2020, Urban Tech announced the launch of a new program called Parents Care. Urban Tech aims to implement the program across New York City in early 2021. Five Brooklyn-based schools were selected for the launch. The Parents Care Program will work to provide a smart classroom in every student's home as long as schools are closed. 

Three Hiking Spots Near New York City

Currently based in New York City, Janina Casey has worked as a financial professional for more than 20 years. Outside of her professional pursuits, Janina Casey enjoys participating in outdoor activities like golfing and hiking.

Despite New York City’s status as a large urban area, there are some great places to go for an outdoor hike not more than an hour from the five boroughs. Here are a few of the best spots for a hike near New York City.

Harriman State Park

Just 30 miles outside of the city, you’ll find New York state’s second-largest park, Harriman State Park. The park is filled with more than 100 different hiking trails great for hikers of all levels, as well as spectacular views and local wildlife.

Ninham Mountain Fire Tower

For a nice, easy hike that offers incredible views of the Hudson River Valley and sometimes a glimpse of the Catskill Mountains in the distance, try the trail up to Ninham Mountain Fire Tower. Just a mile and a half long, with a 400-foot elevation gain, it is an easy hike for beginners. For those who are more advanced, it is short enough to allow you to head out on another, more challenging hike on the same day.

Storm King State Park

Around an hour and a half north of New York City lies Storm King State Park. Mostly known for its incredible outdoor sculpture garden, Storm King State Park also has several hiking trails. The trails are appropriate for beginners through those with moderate experience. The park also offers lovely views of the Catskills and the Hudson River Valley.

All About the 1965 Film The Sound of Music

Janina Casey has had a long career as a financial professional, working in executive positions with three different wealth management firms over the past 20 years. In addition to her career in finance, Janina Casey was a successful child actor, appearing in several commercials and receiving a Daytime Emmy nomination for her work on the Electric Company. She also had a role in a production of The Sound of Music at Guy Lombardo Theatre.

The classic film The Sound of Music was released in 1965, and it remains the fifth highest-grossing film of all time. Starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer, the film was based on the Rodgers & Hammerstein musical from 1959 of the same name, which itself was based on the true story of the Von Trapp family as written in Maria von Trapp’s book The Story of the Trapp Family Singers.

Though the film initially met with mixed reviews, it soon became a prominent and lasting hit. It played in theaters worldwide, uninterrupted, for nearly four and a half years. The film’s success was due in large part to the performance of starring actress Julie Andrews as Maria, who had recently won an Academy Award for her work in Mary Poppins, playing the title character. The Sound of Music was nominated for 10 Academy Awards, winning five for best picture, direction, editing, music, and sound.

 

Major Types of Theatre Stages

An equity research sales professional, Janina Casey serves as a managing director at BTIG in New York. Besides her career in the financial services industry, Janina Casey was a child actor and appeared on commercials, shows, television, and theater productions, such as the sound of music, where she performed at Guy Lombardo theatre. Over the years, theaters have changed into various internal layouts due to the production types presented there.

One of the common theater stage arrangements is a proscenium theatre which is identified by the large archway (the proscenium arch) near the stage's front, where the audience watches the play. The arena is raised several feet above the front row, as the audience sits directly opposite the stage. There is a space behind the arch called the main stage, while the area in the curtain's front is called the apron. Any place not seen by the audience is called offstage.

In alley theatre, the stage is surrounded mostly by the audience on two sides. It's also called a corridor theatre or traverse, while the thrust theatre begins with the audience sitting on three sides. It may be arranged as a square or polygon shape.

Under theaters in the round, there is a central performance area organized to enclose the audience. The seating arrangement is seldom round and is more of a polygonal formation or square. Actors enter the stage through aisles, and the carefully positioned scenery is minimal, so it doesn't obstruct the audience's view.

Lastly, the platform stage consists of a rectangular platform raised at one of the room's end. The floor might be sloping or leveled, and the audience usually sits facing the stage in rows. This type of theater stage is also known as an open stage or end-stage.