Human of Appalachian State

"My parents were always present while I was growing up, and they constantly told me never to judge people for any differences they have. I learned it was okay to witness these differences, but never to discriminate or judge because of them. This is what led to me being so close and open with people, which is a bit of an issue sometimes. When I was questioned by classmates if I was gay or not, my answer was “I don’t know”. This led to the common “oh my god he IS gay” mess, and led to me feeling disgusted for feeling and thinking different from everyone else. It was not until I met some of my good friends in highschool that I came to accept myself, and much longer to not care what others thought. It was halfway through my freshman year that I finally spit out the thoughts I had bottled within me since elementary school. I thought I would feel better saying them, but I felt worse. Just wondering if my parents would hate me for being gay. They brushed this over as to them it was...

"What had the biggest impact on me in becoming who I am today is my parent’s involvement in politics, with my mother being a social worker and my dad a public school teacher. In 2013, Pat McCrory signed into a law Senate Bill 353, which was a motorcycle safety bill that closed half of the states abortion clinics. My mother, seeing my interest, took me to as many rallies and legislative hearings as possible. The planned parenthood community organizers I met through volunteering taught me I could have a career in changing politics!"

"I think one of the things that has shaped who I am today is the fact that my mom moved five hours away from my family when I was 16. Essentially, she took a new job that would require her to commute back and forth between our home in Charlotte and her job in Richmond. For the past five years my family and I have watched her live out her dream job and make a really big difference in the Richmond community. For me, it forced me to completely develop independence at a relatively young age. My older sister was already in college and my dad also worked full time, so it was my younger brother and I at home. I would do a lot of the cooking and cleaning, the carpooling, driving him to work and making sure we got homework done. I would make lunches and all that good stuff. Independence grew from that, and I really learned to appreciate the woman my mother is and the marriage my parents have, while growing into my own and realizing my own potentials as a big sister and daughter."

"When I first got hair extensions I looked in the mirror and finally felt like a girl instead of a guy. It instilled a whole new confidence in me. I finally presented as who I felt on the inside. I never wore a dress or a skirt before then and after that a whole part of me was changed."

"Austin being born and watching him grow up has shaped me into a more caring and understanding person. I think it's because I nannied him and had to be so patient with him. He struggled a lot as a baby because of cleft and it's really humbling being part of a special kids like and watching a kid grow up. I just learned that like.. everyone is a person that someone else really cares about even if it's not someone who's family. If anyone was mean to my Austin I think I would snap, so I think about that a lot when I engage with other people. I realize that everyone has had challenges I may not know about (his cleft is hard to see now, so some people don't even realize he'd been through three surgeries by the age of one) and you just have to have patience and be kind."

"When I was in middle school I traveled with my school to England. The experience was like no other. Being immersed in a culture so different from mine gave me a new perspective of how I view the world. As a result of this travel opportunity I was able to be more open minded in my studies and be more adventurous. I hope to travel abroad again during my college years."

"One thing that has shaped me to be the person that I am today is my philosophy class. This was a two year course that I took over the period of my junior and senior year of high school. The philosophy of religion coursework changed my thinking of my religious background. I was forced into a Christianity by my parents and never really understood why I believed in a God. After challenging the meaning behind God and challenging the bibles word I decided to be agnostic. I don’t want to leave my childhood knowledge behind but I know that some of the words in the Bible are flawed. To this day I believe in a higher being but don’t know what category I fall under."

"My parents got divorced  when I was really young and I was raised by a single mother. We did not have a lot of money and we went on public assistance for a little bit so we used food stamps for a while. My older sister Gina had to step up and help raise me and my other sister Jessica. We're really close as a family because growing up it was just us. Our extended family was all up in New York and we didn't talk to them much. It was a lot harder growing up with just one parent. It taught me to respect hard work and my mom make it clear to us that education was always a priority. She let my sister Gina go to college right out of school even though it would've been easier to have her work and contribute she let her to to college full time. My sister then got a job after graduating which really helped us out. Being raised by a single parent was a huge part of my upbringing."

"I came to Appalachian State from Maryland because I needed a change and did not want to be in the same place my entire life. I love the nature of Boone. It's not a big city, super laid back, welcoming, gorgeous, and seasonal. Once I graduate I want to go somewhere new again. I want to discover new ways of living in places around the country other than where I grew up."