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Birth Date
On this day 17 years ago I was born in Petawawa, ON. -
Moved To Belleville
I grew up in a military family so my family had to move to Belleville for my fathers job. -
Started School
I started JK in 2008 and had to transition from being at home with my mom all day to going to school every other day. I did not take this transition easily and was constantly crying and trying to find ways to get picked up from school. -
Social Norms
My mom never taught me or my sisters gender or social norms. One year she let me choose my own winter clothes, I chose clothes from the boys section. When I wore this outfit I was picked on for wearing "boy clothes" and I didn't understand why. This is because I was never taught social norms like boys need to dress masculine and girls need to dress feminine. If we all grew up without social norms than we would all feel more comfortable being who we are and dressing the way we want. -
First Job
I got my first job working at a horse farm in 2017. This is the first time I faced role conflict. I worked weekends and this cut into time I could spend with my friends. I was in grade 7 so sleepovers were still very important to me and since I worked weekends, that cut into time I could be having sleepovers with my friends. -
Grade 8 Graduation
I graduated in 2018, this was a very significant life event at the time because this meant leaving my cohort of people who I was comfortable with and have known since I was little. This would turn out to be a big change for the better because going into high school would force me to meet new people. -
Started Grade 9 at Centennial Secondary School
When I started grade 9 I had practically nobody I knew at that school. I tried to act and dress how I thought was the social norm because I thought this would gain me status and popularity but I was wrong. -
Arts Program
I got into the arts program with vocals being my major and drama my minor. The Arts Program became the main social institution that I associated with. Being in this program surrounded me with a cohort of people who all had similar interests as me and I think that had a big impact on discovering who I am. -
Schools Closed
Due to the pandemic, schools closed and we began to do online school. During the lockdown I really began to question the social norms and roles that we have been taught as a society. At this time I was still too afraid to break the social norms so I continued to dress and act the way I saw my peers acting. At this time I also started to face role strain because it became very stressful doing all of my classes online. -
Unlearning Social Norms
In 2021 I stopped caring about what others thought of me and broke social norms by chopping my hair off and dying it purple. This was a huge deal for me because I had been wanting to dye my hair for as long as I could remember but I was always worried about what others would think. This was just the first step for me, now I have a pixie cut and I dress the way I want. What I have learned from this is that society has made unrealistic standards that we need to unlearn. -
Housekeeping Job
I have had a few jobs but the job I have now has had the most impact on me. I am part of such a fun cohort of people, they all make the job so much easier. My role set as a house keeper includes a lot of hard work and the people around me really make it easier. -
Going To Algonquin College
A major life event for me is being accepted into Algonquin College for Pre-health. This will be a huge transition for me but ultimately I am excited because this is the beginning of a new era.