"To bring about change, you must not be afraid to take the first step. We will fail when we fail to try." — Rosa Parks

I have been a writer since I was in middle school. In seventh grade literature, my teacher directed our class to write one journal entry per day, based on a prompt she would give us each morning.

I have also been a bit of a procrastinator, perhaps for just as long. I would receive those writing prompts, write them down in my colorfully striped composition notebook, and leave blank pages to go back and complete the assignment later.

This, of course, led to late night writing sessions in which I would cram several writing prompts together and, subconsciously, write short stories. My teacher complimented me on the skillfulness and style of my completed homework assignments, comparing me to known writers who I had never heard of before.

My 13-year-old brain took this information and stored it in a sacred space in my mind. At the time I was filled with pride, that my homework cramming sessions had resulted in comparison to professional writers. After graduating that grade level, and no longer having an assignment to write, the idea of continuing to write grew more and more distant.

I’ve journaled through the years, as I have found writing to be a productive exercise of sorting out ideas, venting, and being creative. I have not, however, shared my writing. The thoughts I have given ink to have stayed within the confines of the journal jacket I warmly bound them in.

During those same early years of writing, and throughout the life of my years in academia, the question was constantly, incessantly asked: “What are you going to be when you grow up”? What would my focus of study be? What college would I attend? What profession did I want to assume, fresh out of school and with zero life experience?

You may have noticed by my tone that these felt like pressuring questions to me at the time. I have joked, even recently as an adult, that I still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up.

I have been in the HR field for the last twelve years, humbly and happily serving others and being an advocate for people when they need one.

At the core of it, serving in HR has fulfilled a deeply seated passion of mine: lifting other people up and bringing some light and some positivity into their day.

This field has also allowed me to explore internally and learn my innerworkings. My experience in helping others has allowed me to analyze my own strengths with greater understanding and visualize potential areas where I could shine.

Which brings us to today. To right now.

I am thirty-four years young as I write this bio, and I’m sure I will update it as I continue on this path. I still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up.

What I do know is that I am a writer. I always have been- as innately as I have been empathetic, and a good listener, and a warm friend.

We are what we repeatedly do, and it takes intention to decide to lean into and emphasize an area of ourselves that we wish to more deeply explore.

I am doing just that.