I am a badass because...

To be yourself in a word that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment. Individuality is rare. Individuality is brave.

As for me—I don’t know how to blend in anymore. I was born to stand out, but for a long time I was too afraid to let my personality shine. When my dad went to prison I was ridiculed at school. Kids are mean & I lived in a small town at the time which means that EVERYONE & their mom knew about it. All I wanted to do was hide & blend in. I didn't want to answer questions & I certainly didn't want to hear from anymore of my friends that their parents were no longer letting us “be friends”.  I had to grow up much too fast and I lost a big part of who I was.

It took a while, but one day I decided that I didn't want to be this person. I didn't want society to win. According to statistics, the fact that my father was an addict & a criminal meant that my odds of following in his footsteps were extremely high. So, naturally, I joined the honors program, participated in DECA, played sports, won academic competitions, etc. just to spite everyone who told me that my “odds of graduating high school were not very good” & that I was "destined to be a trouble-maker". In the midst of my passive-aggressive road to success I also decided that I wasn't meant to blend in and I wasn't going to allow myself to be shy anymore. This was an incredibly brave thing for me to do because I was only 14 years old and a freshman in high-school—talk about intimidating. I thought that the transition back to my outgoing self would be hard, but it happened overnight.  I LOVE being around people. I am a complete extrovert—so much so that I can’t believe I spent those couple of years being so quiet & alone. 

After graduating high-school I didn't stop. I joined the Associated Students of the College of Southern Idaho as a freshman senator and went on to become student body secretary, and student body president and even spoke at my graduation ceremony. Every chance that I get to speak/participate at an event I AM THERE. I traveled to big conferences like NCSL in Miami and met some amazing individuals. Now I am currently starting a local chapter of I AM THAT GIRL and hoping to expand the organization throughout the state of Idaho so that girls have a place to go & talk about things that matter. 

So what is the point of this post? The point is that we make our own happiness. Be who you are meant to be and not who others tell you to be. Screw you statistics.