My sophomore spring I took time off from Wesleyan for personal reasons. During this gap semester, I decided to split my time between working and traveling. Though I learned a lot over the course of the break, the most notable discovery was learning how to take care of myself. Since attending Wesleyan, I have been independent since I was about 18 years old. But taking that necessary period off, I was reminded of and refocused on why receiving higher education is important. Following COVID I took a semester off from school January, Spring Semester, 2021. I moved into a shared room and functioned without the Wesleyan security. During my time off I learned how to take care of myself, developed a passion for hair, and Interned for Cushamn and Wakefield in the Summer of 2021 before arriving back to Wesleyan.
My time away from school highlighted three truths that I had not yet realized. First and foremost, I was burnt out. I have been dedicating my time to extracurriculars and participating in the workforce since I was about 15 years old. In middle school, I attended the Steppingstone Academy, and remained an active member until my senior year of high school in 2019.
Dinner(rice with fried pork) with a friend I made in Puerto Rico 2020
Second, I discovered my passion for social justice work is to who I am. This passion can be channeled in an array of forms, from personal interaction to community involvement. From a very young age, I’ve always taken pride in being adaptable. I’ve spent a considerable amount of my college career working for The Connection, a non-profit agency in Connecticut. Fall of 2022 I was CPR certified by the Red Cross through the Connection. I know what it feels like to be labeled as the “other”. I’m familiar with the feeling of needing assistance from others, but not knowing how to ask for it. These experiences are one of the reasons why helping other people is so important to me. I challenge myself to always be selfless, although there are other times where I have to put myself first, because all I have is me by establishing boundaries.
Lastly, I learned how to be independent. One habit of being is having to plan ahead and prepare for any and everything that comes my way. I have done this through programs I have participated in and the courses I have taken at Wesleyan. Throughout college I have worked full-time with an assortment of jobs. I worked as an Residertinail Aid at Wesleyan for two years. I’ve also spent some time working at the Middletown Hair City, a nearby hair story. At the hair store I developed a wig making hobby that I potentially want to explore in the future. In Spring of 2022 I will be exploring that passion at the University of Massachusetts Lowell.
