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Birth
My parents at the time were not married which according to my mothers side of the family, was a mistake. My birth automatically challenged the social norms and values that they saw fit, and as a result, my mother ended up limiting contact with them.
Obviously, had I not been born I wouldn’t be here right now, I would have missed many life events such as my first day of school, and although having an older parent can be challenging sometimes, I’m glad my parents had me when they did. -
First Day of Kindergarten
My mother was one of the many fear-stricken ones who followed the school bus to the public school in order to be there when the bus came. To this day there are a few scattered memories of the transitions I went through in the school system, as well as the entire rite of passage that is a child's first day of school, entering into a social institution that will always be a big part of your life. I remember the relationships, some of them still existing but on a much smaller scale. -
Mothers Death
When my mother died it enormously impacted my father who now had to deal with a new role in his life, I think he felt enormous role strain when trying to be a mother and father to me, especially since he had already had role conflict with my mother about his involvement in his life leading up to her illness. -
First Day of High School
On my first day of high school, I was fully aware of the rights of passage that existed in society and I knew that this would be one of the biggest moments in my educational career until my graduation. It wasn’t until my first day of high school though that I also began to understand the various roles that social institutions play in our society. The status based social pyramid that had already existed in middle school was only made to be larger in Secondary School -
Meeting My Best Friend
I had best friends and groups prior to this, but I always sort of outgrew them after a year or so, I’d move on quickly. When I met my best friend, Ksenia, who was two years older than me and also working for Mcdonald's, it was only then that I realized what it meant to have a best friend, a cohort, someone to support me. Ksenia is my very best friend, the person who knows me the best, my future roommate, all in one person. -
High School Graduating
Assuming that I graduate high school, I know that it will be seen as a big deal within my family. It is a rite of passage that few people in my family have completed, and a transition that even I am not sure how to prepare myself for. -
Post Secondary Graduation
I hope for a cap and gown like my sister, who attended Trent University, had for her graduation, and I know that my father and my close friends will be there for me. This will be one of the final, big Rites of Passage that I will choose to face in my life, given that the next steps come when one is getting married and having children- two things I do not plan on doing. -
Job at CNN
After working as journalist at such places like BlogTo, Goodable News, and CTV News Channel, I will be able to become a part-time foreign correspondent for CNN as well as a producer. I am undecided if I will move there or not due to the fact that I like Canada much more than America, however working at CNN in some way shape or form is the goal, establishing my role as a reporter and foreign correspondent. -
Firs Book Publication
Writing and authoring books has been a long time dream of mine, and my first book will be a step in the right direction to doing that. For my first book, I wanted to start out easy by writing a book of essays, aimed at girls who have lost a parent. It will be called ‘The Halfway Orphan’ (an inside joke amongst me and my cohorts) and the essays will target things such as anxiety, fears, relationships, etc. Moving forward, I would like to also public various works of literary fiction. -
Reporting on Peace in the Middle East
Peace in the Middle East is a very broad topic and encompasses many countries and their problems. I want to be there for all of them. I want to report on the ending of the Persian Gulf Crisis, the eradication of the Taliban, the elevation of the rights of women, etc. The values and norms being perpetuated by the people in power of these various countries are harmful, and I want to be there when it ends so people can know that.