Blog #4 Youth Work Autobiography (300 words)
I first decided to work with children when I was just a child myself. From as young as I can remember, I always wanted to be like my mom and work with children. She is a teacher's assistant for special needs children. I always have admired the work she does and how hard she works. For some reason that I couldn't pin point early on, I didn't want to be a teacher, however I knew I wanted to work with children one way or another. After the countless times that I watched my mother in her element at school, I knew this was the kind of work I wanted to do.
After high school, I was pretty lost with direction as far as college went, so I decided to move to LA to live near my aunt and uncle and work for them. Come to find out, there were positions opening at their gym in the daycare department. I quickly joined the team and started working there. After getting settled, I enrolled in a local community college and began taking some general courses there. However, after months of school and working full time (aside from the daycare, I also worked as a nanny for a very wealthy family in LA, taught spin classes, and worked at a spa in hollywood as a receptionist), I realized I had far too much on my plate. It was towards the end of that year after I moved to LA that I realized I needed to go back to RI and finish my education there instead.
Once i moved home, I enrolled in classes immediately at BCC and finished my general education classes. It became time to transfer to a bigger university, and a professor of mine recommended RIC because she had gone there and gotten her bachelors/masters in Education there. And so it began, she gave me a written recommendation to go to RIC and now here I am. My first few months here I still was unsure of what specific major I would be taking, until a friend of mine recommended Youth Development. I had no idea what it was, so I took a class and then suddenly it hit me... this is what I have been doing my whole life and what my mm has been doing her whole life. It finally clicked with me that this was the right major for me, and now here I am today; happily majoring in Youth Development.
This is my aunt (far left) and her close friend Peggy and I, the first Christmas I spent away from home in California.
Here is my aunt and I again, only this time... we are back on the East Coast! Right after I decided to move back home and attend BCC.
And alas... here I am 2 years ago moving into my new dorm at RIC! and the rest is history :)
After high school, I was pretty lost with direction as far as college went, so I decided to move to LA to live near my aunt and uncle and work for them. Come to find out, there were positions opening at their gym in the daycare department. I quickly joined the team and started working there. After getting settled, I enrolled in a local community college and began taking some general courses there. However, after months of school and working full time (aside from the daycare, I also worked as a nanny for a very wealthy family in LA, taught spin classes, and worked at a spa in hollywood as a receptionist), I realized I had far too much on my plate. It was towards the end of that year after I moved to LA that I realized I needed to go back to RI and finish my education there instead.
Once i moved home, I enrolled in classes immediately at BCC and finished my general education classes. It became time to transfer to a bigger university, and a professor of mine recommended RIC because she had gone there and gotten her bachelors/masters in Education there. And so it began, she gave me a written recommendation to go to RIC and now here I am. My first few months here I still was unsure of what specific major I would be taking, until a friend of mine recommended Youth Development. I had no idea what it was, so I took a class and then suddenly it hit me... this is what I have been doing my whole life and what my mm has been doing her whole life. It finally clicked with me that this was the right major for me, and now here I am today; happily majoring in Youth Development.
This is my aunt (far left) and her close friend Peggy and I, the first Christmas I spent away from home in California.
Here is my aunt and I again, only this time... we are back on the East Coast! Right after I decided to move back home and attend BCC.
And alas... here I am 2 years ago moving into my new dorm at RIC! and the rest is history :)
Baily!!! I find it amazing that you had the courage to move to LA and live there a year without knowing anyone but your aunt! I think its so cool that you got to experience work on the west coast and especially child care. I am so happy that I met you when I did through this program and that we get to grow together as youth workers and gain knowledge and experience through one another!
ReplyDelete