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Birth: Photo included of a home in the Cedar Grove community in which I grew up.
From birth, I grew up in a low-socioeconomic neighborhood in Shreveport, Louisiana, until my parents built a house and moved when I was in college. While I grew up in a community that was defined by poverty, I grew up by my grandparents, who were incredibly loving, attentive, and nurturing. Along with the support of a wonderful father, I learned from a very early age that your future success is not so much dependent upon where you come from but what kind of family environment you are exposed to. -
Southern Baptist Upbringing: Photo included of me and my mother
My maternal grandparents were Southern Baptist and tended to think that anything that could possibly bring shame or embarrassment to the family should be ignored. One such thing was my mother. She suffered many mental health struggles as a child and teenager and never received the help she so desperately needed. These struggles later led to addiction and self-destructive behavior in her adulthood. Because of the mentality of my grandparents, I tend to have an aversion to organized religion. -
Holidays and Family Traditions: Photo included of me and my cousins with our Paps
Holidays and celebrations are very important in my family. My Granny was always the party planner. The women in our family were expected to make the event special and take care of all of its aspects and functions while the men sat in conversation, ate, and watched sports. We believe in showing affection and outward love to each other, so we were always hugging and sitting in each other's laps. My cousins and I would take turns getting back rubs from my Granny after the kitchen had been cleaned. -
Outdoors With My Dad: Photo Included of My Dad and my Paps Cleaning a Squirrel
Having grown up in northern Louisiana, my dad has always been an avid hunter since he was a teenager. From the time I could walk, he took me with him on his hunting trips. On these trips, he taught me to respect the woods and its creatures. Although I never became a hunter like him, these times were precious for us. We would talk about anything and everything and share our opinions openly. This allowed me to solidify my own personal beliefs and view points, as well as my strong sense of self. -
Paternal Grandmother's Influence: Photo included of me and my beloved Granny
Because of my mother's addictive and self-destructive behavior throughout my childhood, my paternal grandmother, aka my Granny, was more like a biological mother to me and my mother was more like my sister. I grew up next to my Granny, and she was an incredibly positive influence on my life. She always told me to present myself as a lady and that we come from a long line of good, strong Southern women. This made me not want to disappoint her or the women that had come before me in our family. -
High School Years: Photo included of my high school graduation party
In high school, I had a very close friend who was African American whom I invited to my home. My dad would not let her come over because she was of a different race, and he did not see this opinion as prejudiced or morally wrong. My dad has so many good qualities, but I knew in my heart that his decision was not right. At this point in my life, I learned that people are capable of both loving and hateful acts and that sometimes our actions are ruled by prejudices that our own eyes are blind to. -
First Boyfriend in College: Photo included of me and my first boyfriend and lifelong friend
My parents "allowed" me to go to a college with a high population of gay and bisexual students because it was a prestigious private school. My first boyfriend was gay, but he didn't come out until years later due to fear of rejection from his family and friends. To watch his struggle with deciding between who he was and what his environment wanted him to be was truly heartbreaking. I realized at that point the importance of self-expression and individualism and that these rights come at a cost. -
My Sister-In-Law: Photo Included of me and my sister-in-law
In 2004, my brother-in-law married a woman from Thailand. In her family, outward affection and open communication between the elders and the youth are not commonplace, so there were, and still are, times when misunderstandings and hurt feelings occur. To my in-laws, she seems aloof and distant, and our American ways appear disrespectful and out of place to her. For myself personally, I still find it difficult to maintain a sense of closeness and family with her. -
Oklahoma City: Photo Included of mine and my husband's dear friend K.J.
When my husband John and I lived in Oklahoma City the year before we got married, we had a close friend and roommate who was from Pakistan. He was in our wedding party when we got married, and several of our friends and family had concerns and asked if we were sure he wasn't a terrorist. My mind quickly went back to high school when my dad wouldn't let my friend who was African American over to our home. This solidified my belief in judging someone by their character and not by their skin color. -
My Wedding: Photo included of me and my husband John
When I got married, my Granny said that an expectation for me would be to have dinner ready on the table when John came home from work and that a strong Southern woman can do it all. I told her that I was working too and that John and I would plan dinner together. This was the first time I remember truly disagreeing with my Granny and thinking that the expectations she had for women and men were not equal and were unfair and that she had a misguided view of a woman's role in a marriage. -
Houston: Photo Included of me and my coworkers at Fisher Elementary
For the past 2 years, I have worked at Fisher Elementary, and this year I am working as an aide and interventionist. Many of my close coworkers now are Hispanic and bilingual. Many times they will speak Spanish to each other, and I think "this must be what it feels like to be in a minority group in society." They do not mean to exclude me in any way, but our language differences naturally create a barrier between us. This increases my desire to learn Spanish to help dissolve that barrier.
