Patch: When did you join the military? Where in the world are you now, and what's your current rank? Ochoa: I enlisted Jan. 11, and left for Fort Benning, Georgia, April 11. I'm currently live at Fort Carson in Colorado. My MOS, a.k.a. job, is 11b and that's infantry. Patch: What motivated you to join? Ochoa: I wanted to do something with my life. I wasn't going to school--I tried BHCC and didn't have the discipline to keep with it. Now I think I'm ready for school, but right now I can't. Patch:  What's an average day in the military like for you? Ochoa: So far, I love this place. This place …

As Jimmy Ye looked up at the TD Garden jumbotron, he couldn't believe it was his own face staring back down at him. It was like a dream. When he looked away from the screen and saw Andre Agassi staring at him across the net it didn’t get any more believable. Ye was just a ball boy at the Garden for a Champions Cup on Oct. 2 before four-time Grand Slam champion Jim Courier handed him a racquet and told him to face Agassi. Courier needed to break Agassi’s serve and the 16-year-old from Charlestown was his best chance. “When [Courier] gave me cue to come over there, I was shocked,” Ye said. “I …

Tom MacDonald has worked as the director of social ministry at St. Mary-St. Catherine of Siena Parish since 2003 and manages the Harvest on Vine Food Pantry. Outside his day job, though, the Braintree resident is also a writer and recently became a published author. His first novel, “The Charlestown Connection,” follows protagonist Dermot Sparhawk as he tries to solve the mystery of his godfather’s murder. MacDonald will present “The Charlestown Connection” at Olivia Browning Thursday, Sept. 22, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Patch: How did you begin writing fiction? MacDonald: At night after work I’d…

Meet Mark Dowdle, the new Chief Park Ranger for Boston National Historical Parks, including the Navy Yard and Bunker Hill Monument. He's also one of Charlestown's newest residents. (This was written by Mark Dowdle for Patch.) Boston National Historical Park is part of the National Park Service system that encompasses nearly 400 natural and cultural sites throughout the United States. Charlestown is home to several of these important sites. The first major battle of the Revolutionary Wa was fought on Breed’s Hill on July 17, 1775. I cannot walk the grounds around the Bunker Hill Monument …

He has worked with everyone from the Swedish government to Charlestown charities, but new resident (new by Charlestown standards) Dave Evans, owner of Digicraft, took time out between Skype meetings to give us some insight into his life and business. Patch: Where did you grow up, and how did you end up in Charlestown?  Dave Evans: I grew up in New Jersey and came to Boston for college in 1991. I worked for a small marketing communications firm in Dorchester, then moved to NYC to work at an advertising agency from 1995-1999, travelled for a while, and came back to Boston. I moved to …

You may not see him on a Wheaties box (yet), but one of the world's great athletes lives right here in Charlestown.  Jesse Bump runs ultradistance marathons--that's a race of at least 26.2 miles--and was just awarded a bronze medal for finishing the 55-mile Comrades Marathon in under 11 hours.  He took time out of the races to sit down and give us some insight into his efforts. Patch: How did you get started running ultramarathons? Jesse Bump: At the expo before the 2006 Florence (Italy) Marathon I was on my way to packet pickup and I passed a booth promoting the 100KM Del Passatore race. I …

Tommaso Whitney, 26, started his wrestling career after graduating from high school. Leading up to his debut, he trained at area gyms and wrestling schools. He's assumed many characters, both good and evil, and his current ring name, “Ciampa” (prounced Champ-a) is a family one. Whitney brought his dog, Harry, to the Edwards Playground recently to talk about how his youthful dreams about wrestling shaped by WWE clashed with the reality of the work.   See a YouTube video of Whitney's first appearance on the wrestling show Ring of Honor. 

Last summer, Amelia Sagoff, 24, trained women in Dodoma, Tanzania, to use software on mobile phones to educate expectant and new mothers in their villages. Sagoff hopes the initiative will help lower the neonatal death rate in Tanzania, which is one of the highest in the world. The Charlestown-based health and technology company that Sagoff works for, Dimagi, created the software that drives this and other community health projects in countries worldwide. Sagoff has spent the last few weeks in India training others to use it, but will return to Dodoma in July to reunite with the women she …

Life-long Charlestown resident John “Jack” Duffy, 76, will serve as the chief marshal of the Battle of Bunker Hill Day parade this year. Duffy served in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War and participates in the American Legion veterans organization and the Charlestown Lions Club.  Q: How do you feel about having been chosen to be chief marshal? A: It’s a great honor. I’ve been in Charlestown all my life, and the parade is the biggest thing here. Q: Where did you grow up? A: I was born at home on Ellwood Street on Oct. 11, 1934. In those days, that was common. Since I married 50 years …

Meet Charlestown’s Curator of Chic. When it comes to interior design, stylish shop owner Nikki Dalrymple puts the “fun” in funky. The former TV producer took a chance on her passion and opened ACQUIRE boutique in the North End in 2008.  Blending the vintage with the vogue ACQUIRE carries everything from haute home furnishings to quirky jewelry – and the world is taking notice. ACQUIRE has been featured everywhere from The New York Times to Travel and Leisure. Recently, Nikki sat down with Patch to give us a glimpse into the glamour and gall behind the ACQUIRE operation.  Q: Acquire seemed to …

Think you know Boston? Real estate maven Karen Dempsey-Carney has been on the Hub house scene since the early 80s. Today, the Navy Yard resident is the successful owner of Alliance Relocation and a dedicated member of The Friends of the Charlestown Navy Yard. Recently she sat down with Patch to muse on everything from glass ceilings to clam chowder.     Q: With Alliance Relocation, you help people from all over the world find communities that are right for them right here in the Greater Boston area – how do you do it? A: Interesting question, right now I am working with a French family. The …

The Temptations, Smokey Robinson, Sam Cooke, Dennis Taylor…just a few of Motown music’s most talented acts. But wait -- who’s Dennis Taylor? You must not live in Charlestown if you’re asking that question. Dennis Taylor happens to be the 15-year-old singing sensation that has the ladies swooning and the guys thinking back to the good ole’ days. The high school freshman is a self-taught musician, but his most valuable instrument is his voice.  From City Hall Plaza to the Boston Garden, Taylor has graced his share of respectable venues. Recently, Charlestown’s crooner took some time out of his …

Think your family has a history with Charlestown? Architect Andrew Crocker’s story might have you beat – some of his ancestors were the men behind the Bunker Hill Monument. Following a decade of work at some of the area’s top architecture firms, Crocker opened Andrew Crocker Architecture/Design here in Charlestown, where he resides with his wife and two young children. Q: Though you’ve only been part of the Charlestown community for the past decade – I hear your ancestors made their mark on the neighborhood centuries ago. How so? A: I didn't learn until I moved to Charlestown that my great, …

Meet Christie Melene Kent, the creator and designer of Melene Kent Jewels. Kent’s sophisticated line of handmade jewelry has been featured everywhere from Bloomingdales to nearby Olivia Browning. Adding even more credibility to our blooming artist community – Kent has her studio here in Charlestown. This emerging entrepreneur is also a family oriented fashionista – Kent and her husband are the proud parents of two children and one canine. Q: So does fashion run in your blood? How did Melene Kent Jewels come about? A:  I inherited my middle name (Melene) and my urge to design from my mother …

When Harry met Michelle, she was working from home and loving her career in the public relations field. But she was spending a lot of time solo and missing human interaction; she decided to scratch that itch with a dog. Enter, Harold Ellison Shuman (Harry's formal name.) Fournier had never entertained the thought of owning a business in the doggy industry – but after taking a very dirty Harry to a do-it-yourself dog wash in nearby Cambridge, the rest as they say, is history. Fournier is now the proud owner of Durty Harry’s on Main Street here in Charlestown. This month, the booming business, …

You may not recognize his face, but there’s a good chance you wake up to his voice every morning. Karson Tager is the eponymous radio co-host of the Karson & Kennedy morning show on Mix 104.1. This popular yakker is also our neighbor, he and his young family live here in Charlestown. Recently, Karson took some time out of his very busy schedule (this guy gets up at 3:50 a.m. every day) to tell us why he’s had no trouble settling into the neighborhood. Q: Before coming to Boston I read that you lived and worked in some very different cities -- did you know what to expect before coming here?  A…

Editor's Note: Rhiannon D'Angelo is on vacation this week in Europe. Let's all feel envious for a second. While she's away, I've decided to re-run a couple of my favorite Stopping by this Life columns. This was originally published on March 2. The very funny Tony V. is a well-known comedian, actor and writer, as well as a spirited member of the Charlestown community. Tony married into Charlestown in 1982 when he tied the knot with his wife Kristen, a lifetime resident. Tony has had apartments everywhere from the Big Apple to Los Angeles, but has never given up his Monument Ave. home. Recently…

Shawna Pelton is a fourth generation Townie and a Certified Holistic Health Practitioner specializing in helping people find inner peace and harmony in life through a natural healthy lifestyle and sustainable self-fulfilled happiness. Q: What was your life like before earning your degree in Holistic Health? A: I had some pretty decent hardships just like most anyone you talk to around here. As a young single mother I struggled to figure out what my place was in life, but felt at home in my role as nurturer and provider. My aim was to be the best role model for my son, an inspiration, and …

MaryLee Trettenero is a psychic intuitive and the owner of Boston Intuitive, an intuitive consulting company, which provides practical insights and spiritual guidance to individuals and businesses. Trettenero is also a vibrant member of the Charlestown community where she’s resided for the last 23 years.  Q: Before opening Boston Intuitive I hear you spent some time in the corporate world? What was that like?  A:  I had a very successful hotel career – even spending some time working at the Plaza Hotel in NYC while there I managed 180 employees in the Rooms Division. I was very successful in …

On the third floor of the A building at Bunker Hill Community College is the school's art gallery. It's carved out of a corner of an ordinary lobby, and the space has become a stunning addition to the local art scene. With its dazzling glass doors giving a window into the world of local art, it is amazing to realize what a small space can become, when someone has the vision.Laura Montgomery has been providing that vision since the gallery's first exhibit in September 2004. She came to Bunker Hill with many years of art gallery experience and this expertise, along with her enthusiasm and deep …