I view myself as a very driven and independent person and it
is through my constant motivation to succeed that I build myself up as a
person. I was raised in a very religious household and was not brought up in a
traditional way. While my family’s religion restricted me from doing most of
the things I wanted to do it also fostered qualities of industriousness,
honesty and care for others. My efforts to break away from religion while still
staying true to myself has been a constant process that has defined who I am
and how others view me. I work two part-time jobs as a full-time student and
cover most of my expenses, including my rent. While I am very proud of the
things that I have accomplished (despite being stressed 24/7) I think that my achievements are interpreted
differently by the various people in my life.
I have four main social spheres, these being high school friends,
college friends, family, and members of authority like teachers and
supervisors. I believe that for the most part everyone that I meet recognizes
me as a kind, independent, focused, and for the most part likeable person. I am
extremely sarcastic and at times have been jokingly called “sassy” but I think
that mostly stems from my desire to be realistic and true to myself and others.
I believe that my high school friends see that side of me more than anyone else
because I have known them the longest and am still very close to a few old
friends, including my roommates whom I have known since middle school. Because
we grew up in similar environments my old friends understand why I am such a
determined person and recognize my accomplishments in a town where many of our
friends go to community college and live at home. Similarly, my college friends
realize that I am hard-working and have leadership qualities but may not fully
understand the challenges that come with financial independence and separation
from family, as well as what it is like to go to school in my own hometown and
basically have a life outside the small social sphere of Rollins. However, my
college friends also see a more recreational side of me and view me as
relatively laid back when it comes to making plans or going out. As superficial as greek life may seem to some people my involvement with Chi Omega in the past year has been the first time I have truly felt like I am a part of something that I want to be in and further motivates me to exhibit my good qualities and draw closer to others. In contrast, my family is
pretty unaware of most of the things that I do. However, they have made me who
I am more than anyone else. My grandmother always tells me that I’m a hard worker
just like my mom. Despite my growing distance from them in the past year or so
my parents do express their pride in my school and work accomplishments.
However, this is shrouded by their disappointment because of my separation from
the church. I think that my realization that I will never make my parents
completely proud has made me focus more on making myself happy and
accomplishing my own personal goals. I do not see any other option but to put
forth 100% of my efforts into everything that I do, whether that be a task at
work, an assignment at school, or a relationship with a friend or significant
other. Although there are slight differences in the way the demographics of my
life understand me I think that everyone realizes that I will accomplish what I
set out to do, I will do anything for those that I care about, and I always
strive to portray myself in the most genuine way possible.
