I was born in Tacoma, Washington on January 3rd, 1999. Four months later, I was adopted by my loving parents who took me back to their home in Longview, Washington. I lived in Longview for four years, before my parents decided to move to Draper -- a suburb outside of Salt Lake City, Utah. I resided in Utah until I was 13 years old, then my parents decided to move to Lake Chelan -- a small rural town in North Central Washington.

 

The transition was tough at first. After growing up in Utah, I was accustomed to life outside of the city. Lake Chelan is considerably smaller than Draper, with a population of merely 4,000 people. I felt like an outsider-- not only was I new, I was also the only black person, and one of the few LGBTQ+ people in my high school. 

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During my junior year of high school, I decided to create a Gay-Straight Alliance to create a safe space for other LGBTQ+ students at my school. It is incredibly important for me to feel as if I have a place to belong, and I wanted to ensure that other kids who felt different knew that they had a place of their own-- regardless of whether they were gay or straight. 

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My desire to have a sense of community ultimately led me on my path to San Diego State University, which was the most diverse school I applied to. After being accepted and graduating from high school, I packed my bags, said my goodbyes, and embarked on my journey to sunny San Diego. 

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