Human of Appalachian State

"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."

"When I was younger I didn't have any parents. My parents worked five in the morning until eleven at night every day except Sunday. I basically raised myself and it sucks. From the age of eight or nine to when I graduated I was basically on my own. It sadly taught me to not put trust into anyone and how to do things on my own all my life."