I've been a lot of different people throughout my short life. Generally I would always label myself as diverse, simply because I'm always changing. If you were to meet a version of me from 4 years ago, our conversation would likely be very different. So for this article I was looking to analyze myself at different stages of my life and bring my friends who read this article on the journey of my upbringing. So here we go!

Steve age 13:

The epitome of Napoleon Complex Steve. I must of been about 4 feet, 9 inches tall and very underweight. I had some friends, but generally my weekends were spent playing Nintendo and wishing I was doing something else. The music on my ipod nano consisted mostly of Britney Sears and other generic pop music. Damn, I really liked girls, but they very rarely liked me back. They hated me actually. This kickstarted my whole "if you can't love me, learn to despise me" persona. It's certainly a good thing that phase didn't stick around long. I'd be one shitty person!

Steve age 14:

This was they age that everything started to happen. I started to grow, my voice got deep, and I got myself some more friends. I had dreams of either being a D1 basketball player or a pro skateboarder (even though neither would ever happen). Then came on the most atrocious influence of my life. MTV's the Jersey Shore! I began idolizing some of the biggest idiots of the century, and emulating there lifestyle. This was the year I started experimenting with alcohol, wearing wife-beaters, and pronouncing words like sauce, "sauuwse". Yeah, 14 was the age to be.

Steve age 15:

Oh no, this is when the Jersey Shore stopped being cool, and I managed to almost get alcohol poisoning! This bad experience with alcohol along with a developing stereotype that I was a stoner inspired my straight-edge phase. I also began to realize how much taller I looked in skinny jeans. So everyone make way for straight-edge, skater Steve coming in hot. I finally could land a kick flip! But that was short-lived, because about a month later I broke my nose on a ramp and stopped skating for years. Haha.

Steve age 16/17

It's time for emo, hipster, rapping Steve! I was still kind of a dick, listening to mostly scremo music because the world was simply out to get me. I was still all about skinny jeans and Vans/Supra sneakers. This is also when Hurricane Sandy hit long island, and all the days with no power led me to start writing rap songs. I started writing and rapping for friends, and made swag a major part of my identity, although I hated anything and anyone trendy. I prided myself on really not making any sense at all. I was frequently spotted with my hoodie up and resting "I'm gonna kill a bitch" face.

Steve age 18/19

This is when I got my first real girlfriend, and started accepting that the world probably didn't hate me as much as I thought. I had a pretty ordinary conclusion to my high school career and start feeling somewhat normal, though I still had passionate dreams about being a famous rapper. I started working toward making mix tapes and letting the world know who I was. Once I went to college, I hated life again, and therefore brought back emo, rapper, skater Steve hard core. Then I broke my face again, and everything started to change.

Steve age 20

This was the year of the the ultimate Steve transformation. For one thing, I decided I wanted to be more than a 115lb skater douche bag with a shitty haircut. So I got a generic 2016 male hair cut, and started body building. Oh how the transformation hit! I was a new man. I also decided that musical theatre wasn't as lame as I thought, and so I joined a performance class, acted in a play, and made a whole new group of friends in a place where I had least expected it. I also realized that I didn't want to be a rapper anymore! Phew.

Steve age 21

Now here we are in the present! A continuation of 20-year-old Steve only a little bigger and more mature. Oh and I also kind of drink like a fish now, or a whale as my roommates say. With an easy final semester, I have found a new hobby in hitting the bars. I guarantee none of the previous Steve's saw that coming! But hey, it isn't alcoholism until you graduate. ;) To all my loved ones, you need not worry, because it's really not that serious. I also recently had an epiphany that I might want to experiment with being a country singer because #whynot? So yeah, I've definitely evolved quite a bit over the past 8 years!

Everyone has to grow up at some point. It's always fun to reflect on our journey that brought us to where we are today. Hope y'all enjoyed reading!