Personal Narrative: Growing Up As A Coastal Christian

I lived in Barriere most of my life since 1998 .. I lived in a family with three sisters and a brother named Shilo, Jessica, Moriah, and Thomas. Moved to a 5 bedroom house, my room was downstairs. I lived in a teachers subdivision in Barriere. Back then my home church is Pentacostal Christian Life Assembly I still attend there today. My family had been going there since was about 4 years old. At that time I had been going to youth run by a guy named Cliff Millar at the PCLA. I had lots of friends in Barriere and surrounding places. I hanged with my crew in that youth group. I was just hanging with them to feel like I belonged somewhere. But really I was empty inside I felt as if I needed to act out or showoff to become cooler and or better

Growing up in Southern California, I was surrounded by coastal culture, which has influenced me in many ways. No matter whether I lived in San Diego or Ventura county, I was never more than ten minutes away from the beach. Every weekend, it seemed, my dad would take us to the beach as family so we could play in the water, build sandcastles, catch hermit crabs, see the tide pools, and most of all, spend time together. I was enchanted by all the beach had to offer. Every sandcastle built was a palace for a hermit crab and every tide pool a thriving community. Whenever I stepped into the water, my imagination would run wild. Despite how often we went, I always enjoyed our days at the beach.

I knew one thing for certain: Tennessee was a very stupid state filled with stupid people and I would never drink their stupid sweet tea. Thus was my twelve year old opinion.

Church, temple, sanctuary, or the Lords’s house, these are just a few names that your average person might call the place you come to worship God, I have always called it home. The Church I have been attending, Memorial Baptist Church, which is also where I attend high school, I have been attending since I was the age of three years old. Moving to the area that my family lives in now, I do not believe is any accident. At the age of two years old, my father was stationed in Tennessee for the military. After passing away from brain cancer, my Mother moved my two older sisters and me to Killeen Texas, to be closer to her family. Memorial Baptist Church was the only church we have ever been members of since moving to Texas, it has always felt like

passion. I attended school at Sumter Central High School where my passion to teach children grew stronger.

I moved to Crawford my 7th grade year. I attended Crawford Middle School that year. That year went by exceptionally well, but the next year the school closed for 7th and 8th graders, so I had to join Hotchkiss Middle School. I found the Hotchkiss kids very welcoming, and friendly. I instantly became friends with almost all of them. There was just something so welcoming about that school from the friendly teachers who all cared very deeply about each individual student. The happy and friendly attitude wasn’t just at the school, it seemed everyone everywhere was just so happy to be in a beautiful place. Hotchkiss has always been a home for me from that day on because of the welcoming attitudes.

I spent a year of college trying to be African. Afrobeats vibrated through the walls of Beets-Veenstra’s first floor dorm. My Christian college had an open-door policy. Walking past the ninth door on the left gave visitors an eyeful of my black hips swaying in circles as if an invisible hula-hoop entangled my waist. I had to get the moves I learned at the parties right. The beats were different from the hip hop music I regularly danced to. They were smooth tempos, but faster than reggae and bodies rocked with more control. My roommate complained about the hours I spent dancing in front of the mirror. We were not flat mates the next the year.

As a child, I felt that having friends was the most significant cause in who I am today. Throughout my life I have had many friends who have influenced me in numerous ways, but now most of them have become distant acquaintances. Although the majority

Busch Middle School of Character had a wonderful sense of community, each student, instructor, and family, made sure they were doing their part. I believe it’s important for educators to understand the needs of the families and community of their students because the more resources the better. When schools actively involve parents

supports each and every student. When this small intimate school opened there weren't many students at

Walking through the forest, a lone owl hoots at my presence. There are thousands of creatures accompanying me in this dense wood, yet my eyes catch only this owl. The leaves crunch under my feet; the predators and the prey of the forest watch in curiosity as this strange intruder stamps across their land. I know they’re there, somewhere, yet they stay shrouded in their leafy homes. It was in that moment that I found what fascinates me the most: why am I here among these creatures? It wasn’t a feeling of alienation, rather, a lack of understanding for the purpose of our existence.

What I also like about Harmony is that it offers a variety of classes that goes hand and hand with our future careers. Compared to my friends in public school I notice at Harmony I have more academic opportunities and we also get prepared for college . Since Harmony is such a diverse school I’ve learned so much information and traditions from different cultures which made me appreciate them more. It made me more open minded as

I went to a very small high school around 25 kids to every class. I was able to develop real relationships with my teachers and fellow students. This helped fuel my success in school and in my social life. With Lycomings small class sizes I feel that I can achieve the same success that I did in my high school. Being able to know the person sitting in class next to me and the professor teaching, me makes it easier for me to learn. I was always able to walk into a high school class and make my teachers smile and I believe that I can obtain these same relationships with my professors at Lycoming. I was also very involved in my High School, through several clubs I was able to develop my leadership and public speaking skills. Through several different clubs at Lycoming

In my time at Albany University I have had time to mature and pursue my passion for serving people through medicine. One factor that has aspired me to study at Oklahoma State University is their emphasis on serving rural and underserved areas of Oklahoma. I was raised in a rural area of New York and really love the environment and people. One of the best parts about growing up in a rural area is the ability to getting to know everyone in the community personally. In high school I got to see the continuity of our community first hand when two of my fellow classmates passed away tragically. During this time our community came together to help our classmates families by holding fundraisers and holding gatherings to show our support. It was amazing to see continuity of our community during these tough times. Being able to form connection like these is main reason why I wish to support my community wherever it may be through

Growing up in the south is usually a pretty peaceful event; it’s quiet and there’s never too much going on. As a child, I attended a small private school in Tennessee. My three best friends, Hannah, Zane and Chandler also went to the same school with me, and we were all in the same sunday school class. I spent my entire childhood with these three friends, and many of my fondest memories come from this period. When I was entering the sixth grade, my dad had to move to Virginia for his job, so my mom and I came with him. My parents bought a house in Chesapeake, and I began going to a public school for the first time. I expected a big difference, and I was worried that I was going to hate it there (picture the scene from Mean Girls where all the teenagers are acting