Personal Narrative: My Growing Up In Forestdale, Alabama

grew up in Chicago, Illinois, a beautiful city surrounded by violence and controversy by the media. I found things more simple when I was kid growing up here, there wasn't much to worry about but as I got older things became more complex here. The sounds of the " L "' or as you know it as, The Train, and the roaring sounds of cars passing by my house made me feel alive while growing up and as a matter of fact still does. You could wake up in the morning and see the vibrant blue skies being pierced by the skyscrapers and see other kids playing ball or riding their bikes. When it was summer time I would play ins sprinklers or go downtown and play in the fountains with my family. Of course, like most big cities I had to watch my back while growing up because you never knew what somebody was up to. It's weird really growing up here because you never know what's going to happen next , wether it's a good thing or a bad thing. All I can really say about growing up in Chicago is that if I had the chance to redo it, I'd do if a million times.

Hello, reading over your discussion about growing up in Inglewood California brings to mind my African American co-worker who talks about living in Compton. She tells us often how growing up in that area you had to carry either a gun or a knife and be on guard whenever you go anywhere. She is a very dear friend of mine and she reminds me she is a changed person from the way she used to be. Her mother still lives in California but in a better neighborhood now but she is planning a trip to see her mother. My friend often tells me years ago she and I would have never gotten along because she had so much anger inside her. I am glad my friend did get out of that neighborhood alive and somehow found in her heart to not keep anger inside.

Growing up in the Chicago area was a great experience for me, I was always a good kid but I had always struggled in school. The reason that I had a hard time in school was that I had A.D.D which was the cause of my distraction. Entering Pritzker College Prep was a different experience for me because I was overwhelmed, the reason as to why I felt overwhelmed was because of the amount of homework we got. I ended up spending nights where I would do my homework and wouldn’t get a sufficient amount of sleep and would also cause me to fall asleep in class. My grades started to drop which caused me to stop caring in school, so I also decided to just stop doing my homework and it caused a decrease in my grades.

Green, black and white, the colors we represented from kindergarten on. The pride we had for Southlake Carroll was indescribable. Our Friday nights consisted of the lights of the stadium and families who eat, sleep and breathe “The Tradition”. We were raised to become the Dragons or in my case the endless hours of training to become an Emerald Belle wasn’t an option, it was a lifestyle. Although Southlake is known for great academics the favoritism was very noticeable. I was spoiled with the leniency of the teachers who felt sympathy for my fourteen hour days. I got free passes and green lights, not gonna lie, it was pretty great. When I got hurt and my training to become the highly idolized Emerald Belle came to an end, so did the free passes.

I was born in El Paso, Texas to Mexican immigrant parents who did their best to raise me and my three siblings. Growing up in El Paso I never even saw myself applying to college, but then my dad made a bold choice to start a career in homeland security and that was when we moved to the DFW area. Ever since we moved to DFW every grade in junior high, i was talked to about college: how to get there, how to pay for it, and how to make it a reality. The thought of going to college never even crossed my mind before coming here. Now as a Senior in high school I'am doing everything in my abilities to make my dreams come true, to go to college and graduate to make my parents proud and prove to them that all their sacrifices haven't gone by without

The greasy scent of cheap burgers and fries wafted into the car as we pulled into the parking lot of a Wendy’s, right in the heart of who-knows-where, East Tennessee. I couldn’t contain my excitement as I rushed my 12-year-old self out of the minivan and into the palace of grease. Clad in ratty sweatpants and a t-shirt with my hair pressed down from my prolonged use of headphones, it was evident that I spent long hours sitting in a car, asking “if we’re there yet” too many times to count. In this moment, however, carving up Snowshoe Mountain on my snowboard didn’t seem as exciting as the machine that stood across the room. Standing tall, shiny, and red, the Coca-Cola Freestyle soda fountains were in the early stages of being released, and

I stayed there for a yr and I didn't like it, I wanted to go home after one week of me being

Who would have known traveling could be such a hassle? Especially when moving from Wilson, North Carolina to boring Goldsboro. Especially when having strict parents, an annoying sister, a spoiled brother and an innocent me stuffed in a van, just to move only 26.4 miles. Moving cannot be that dreadful, I tried considering to myself. Making new friends and memories are not the worst thing in the world. There was only one slight problem …school. It was fall of third grade and everything was different. From math to English to science, concepts were thrown at me that I was so sure that I had never seen at my previous school. So at first sight of trouble, I turned to my parents, but only to end up with a frustrated me and a very agitated mother.

On May 24, 2016, I thought it was just going to be a regular day. I was very wrong. But let’s backtrack some, I was invited to be a part of Girl’s State for the state of Alabama, for my school and Tuscaloosa county. On this particular day there was a meet and greet for all the young ladies that were invited from the area. My mom had pestered and bothered me the entire week about going, but I just had no desire to go. Me not listening to my mother this day has been my biggest regret of my life so far. Hence the title of my essay, you have to win some to lose some.

One of the hardest things about moving to Little Rock for college is knowing that I will not get to enjoy southern home cooked meals everyday. My grandma’s crispy pork chops with fried potatoes, and creamy macaroni and cheese and freshly picked green beans, from the garden in the backyard, or her homemade vegetable soup and buttered cornbread really screams my name as I stand in line for a standard cafeteria meal. Not having her cooking available to me everyday is definitely a struggle. Food is the center of my whole family. Food is what brings us together. Not just ordinary food though, no. It is southern home cooked food.

As an incoming freshman to high school, I didn’t know much about the world around me. All I knew was about what happened in Baldwin County. When I first walked into International studies I wasn’t sure what to be prepared for. When we picked our countries, mine was Brazil, for Model U.N. (United Nations), I was anxious about expanding my world view and learning about the world that I live in. Learning about Brazil opened up my mind to new experiences and culture I had previously never known about. Then came the presidential election that year. Our class watched everything involving the election, from interviews to debates, if it was on television we knew about it. Even though I couldn’t vote that year, it altered my perspective on what a president

Nolensville, Tennessee. The place I call home. I have lived here for the past five years, and although I have not loved every second of it, it has grown to be a place I love to call home. I mostly grew up in Brentwood, Tennessee until I was 13 and got the news we were moving to a new town. I would have to change to new schools and make new friends while having to move houses too.

Growing up in Northern Michigan and having family members from all over the state meant that my family traveled around quite a bit to see all of the natural wonders that Michigan has to offer.  From the time I was born until now I have lived in the same neighborhood (Lake Arrowhead). When I was in fifth grade my parents divorced but because both of them loved the neighborhood so much my mom kept our house and my dad built a new home about three miles away but still in the same neighborhood. I use to think this was strange that my parents were divorced but still lived in the same subdivision, as I got older I realized it was because they both shared the same love for the Lake and wanted their children to be raised by the water. This neighborhood is special for many reasons, it is a private neighborhood, there is many miles of trails for ATVs, a private pool, and most importantly there is the actual lake arrowhead lake (Buhl Lake).

Growing up in Michigan, my childhood was anything but serene. I faced adversity at a young age, being bullied and picked on by other kids all my life for being slightly different. I was very skinny kid with lots pimples, jet black hair, and very insecure. Everyone has insecurities that remains dormant their from childhood. My list of insecurities came directly from my childhood dealing with authority figures and people of power such as my father. I always wanted to please others before pleasing myself and gain their approval others. One thing I could not tolerate any type of constructive criticism or feedback from anyone growing up. This clearly effected me once I entered the workforce later on in life. I was described as hyper sensitive and

Eighteen years ago Julie Carol Parton (my loving mother) and Ric Parton (my inspirational father) brought Logan Parton (that's me) into this unique and vastly changing world. Little did I know that one day I was going to set immensely challenging goals to achieve. I grew up in a small town, near the corner of Indiana, known as Vevay. For the early portions of my life I lived on a middle sized farm with my family. There always was two different perspectives within our household. On one side of the house there was my father and my oldest sister Christina, and on the other side was my mother and my middle sister Melisa. The perspective that my father and oldest sister shared was that they both felt the want to make money and move away from Vevay, on the other side my mother and middle sister had the mindset of wanting to be farmers and