Then...
- 13 years old
- Carlsbad, New Mexico
Now...
- 23 years old
- Carlsbad, New Mexico
- Graduate Teaching Assistant at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
My Story...
8th grade was probably my worst year growing up. On top of not knowing how to tame my curly/frizzy hair and wearing braces, I also had to put up with a friend bullying me and pushing me out of our circle of friends (it had to do with jealousy, I was later told). Everyone around me seemed to have a boyfriend, and I was worried that, because I didn’t, something must be wrong with me. That was also the year my family’s house got flooded (yes, even in the New Mexican desert), and life at home was just generally a struggle at that time. If it weren’t for me diving into my creative writing, I don’t know what I would’ve done.
The beginning of high school didn’t start out well either, but gradually I gained better friends and joined theater, which helped me break out of my shell. I graduated 6th in my class and went on to the University of Montana in Missoula and received my BA in English, emphasis in film studies and creative writing. I made my 13-year old’s dream of going to the UK a reality when I studied abroad in Edinburgh, Scotland for a semester. After a year of teaching and doing videography work in New Mexico, I’m moving on to teach freshman composition and get my master’s (and possibly Ph.D.!) in English: Media, Cinema, and Digital Studies at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
I’m very happy with where I am now. I think I almost needed those awkward teen years to motivate me to build myself up, find the clothes and makeup that I like, and be the kind of person I’d want to be around. While I love caring for and helping people, I’ve also learned that self-care is just as important and that sometimes I need to do things for me and not worry what other people will think.