It took me a really long time to find myself. It took me a really long time for me to figure out what major was right for me. It was really hard for me to come out of my shell and to be able to speak my mind about issues I feel passionately about.
When I was in middle school, I was constantly bullied because I was fat. And I am still fat, but I don't care anymore. I know that my body is not what makes me have value; my mind does. I accredit my still being here today to my middle school counselor, Amy Rohlfs. If you read this, I honestly believe you saved my life. Thank you.
In high school, I took two years of creative writing as an elective. My teacher, Mr. Sullivan, was the greatest teacher I had in grade school. He was one of the few teachers I knew that really cared about his students, especially about me. I don't remember why exactly, but I ended up crying in his class one day and he took me out into the hall to talk with me, and made sure I was okay. I owe a lot to him. He used to jokingly call me a fascist because of my love for Captain America. I miss him a lot sometimes.
When I was a junior, I had a lot of big dreams. I thought I was going to move to New York City, go to college for Creative Writing, and be a writer. I thought I would be able to get into Columbia University. Don't let anyone tell you I'm not a dreamer.
I was told a lot that being a writer wasn't marketable, so I didn't end up pursuing that. Instead, I started college going towards nursing. I later changed that to Veterinary Technology. And back to nursing. And then to Forensic Investigation (where I wanted to work for the FBI), then to English Education, then to Psychology, then to History (I wanted to go to graduate school at JOHN HOPKINS and work at the Holocaust Museum people), then to History education, then to Criminal Justice, and then finally to Social Work.
This semester in Social Work has been amazing for me. I feel really at home when I'm with other Social Work students, and I feel like I'm finally doing something that will matter to people.
The issue I care about more than anything probably is that of sexual assault on college campuses. Watching "The Hunting Ground" literally brought me to tears and changed my life. I want to do a lot because of the documentary. Most of all, I want to work in a Title IX office so I can right the wrongs of previous Title IX offices.
So how did I find myself exactly?
I found myself when I found feminism.
