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The day I was born
Although this is not exactly an event that has happened in my life and affected my development, it is where everything started so I felt like it was an important aspect to include. -
My family moved to Phoenix
When I was two, my dad got a job in Phoenix and we were living in Tucson at the time, so we moved here, leaving behind all of my extended family. Although I was young, this still had an affect on me because I didn't have all of my family around me. Some people don't see this as a big deal, but it still has an impact on children. -
The day my sister was born
I was three and a half years old when my younger sister Makenna was born. This was one of the first big events in my life that affected my social and emotional development because I had to learn how to be a big sister, to share, and to help my parents with the new baby in the house. -
Started Preschool
My first day of preschool was the start of a huge burst of growth and development. It was my first experience of my school career and I learned a lot in that first year of schooling. I was able to learn who I was outside of being with my mom and dad and I met a lot of new friends. -
Great Grandma died
My great grandma died on my fifth birthday, which was a complete shock to me because I was at that age that I understood what had happened and I took it really hard. I was really close to her and spent a lot of time with her and she was the first person in my life that died so I didn't know how to cope with it. It was definitely an experience that affected my emotional development in a small way. -
9/11
September 11th was a day that I will absolutely never forget; to this day my memory of that day is very vivid in my mind. It took such a toll on me, on my family, and everyone around me. This definitely affect my emotional and social development because it was such a devastating thing to experience for me, just like every individual in the United States. I can easily say that day has left a scar on me, like millions of others. -
Moved to a new house
When my family moved this time around, I was a lot older so it had a much stronger affect on me. The reason being that I had to change schools, even though it was only twenty minutes away from my old house. So, I had to make new friends in the middle of a school year at a new school in fourth grade. This was a very hard and different experience for me, but it taught me a lot about myself and how to be myself when meeting new people. -
Went to Europe
When I was twelve, I was asked to travel to Europe as a student ambassador with forty other children my age to learn about a different culture and experience it first hand. We traveled to England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales and it was a great opportunity for me to learn who I am and how to be independent and also to learn about the world in a whole new way that many people never get the opportunity to do. -
Surprise Birthday Party
For my 13th birthday, my parents and best friend planned a surprise birthday party for me and all of my friends and family came. This was such an important event in my development because it showed me how truly loved I was and gave me an opportunity to be completely surrounded by everyone that I love and who are important to me in my life. -
Started High School
My first day of high school was a different experience than anything else because it was very intimidating walking into such a large school where everyone was bigger and older than me. I learned really quickly how to fit it in and my emotional and social development definitely increased with all of the experiences that came with being in high school. -
Got my Driver's License
I got my driver's license on my 16th birthday and my parents also surprised me with a car. Getting my license was a huge milestone in my life because for me it was my first sense of true freedom. It allowed me to test the waters of independence. -
Got in my first accident
I got in my first car accident three weeks after I got my driver's license and being a new driver, it was such a horrifying experience for me. It was not my fault, another driver backed into me in the middle of the road, but it was still one of the scariest things for me because I didn't know what to do in that split second. This definitely affected my emotional development because from that day on, I live with a little bit of fear because I don't want that to happen again when I'm driving. -
Graduated High School
The day I graduated from high school was my biggest accomplishment so far in my life because it was so important to me to be able to graduate and go to college. Graduating boosted my confidence and gave me a sense of acheivement, knowing that I could continue with my academic career and get a degree in something that I love. -
Chose the Degree that I wanted to Pursue
After moving back from Tucson, I really evaluated what I wanted to do with my life and finally realized that I wanted to be a teacher. I have always loved working with young children and I just knew that it was what I wanted to do so I applied to the Teacher's College at ASU. This even really helped develop me emotionally because I had a stronger understanding of who I am as a person and what I am supposed to do with my life. -
Moved into my own house
Last month, I was finally able to move out of my parents' house and into my own house with my friend and her two year old daughter. This has been such a positive experience for me and has already taught me a lot about myself and who I am as an individual. This decision was great for me to do because I made a decision for me and what I think is best. I am still close to my family because they are the most important people in my life, but a little space away from them is healthy. -
Moved back to Phoenix from college
My freshman year of college I went to the University of Arizona and I had the worst experience there. I was depressed a lot of the time and did not enjoy being there at all because I just knew it wasn't where I was supposed to be. My parents made me finish my entire freshman year there before making the decision to move back to Phoenix, which made it so hard to want to be there because I felt like I was being forced to stay in a place I absolutely didn't want to be.
