I grew up in Massachusetts, but spent most of my adult life in San Francisco and New Orleans. I've lived in Chicago for nearly two years. I entered college straight out of high school as an English major with a Sociology minor, but dropped out after a semester. I went to a few more colleges over the years, then decided "it wasn't for me." After an eight year gap in my formal education, working many odd and boring jobs and pursuing my art on the side, I went back to school and earned a BA in Interdisciplinary Studies from the California Institute of Integral Studies and an MFA in Poetry from Columbia College. I wanted to find a way to integrate my art with my career. Along the way I encountered many teachers who challenged my thinking and my perception of education, and discovered I loved teaching myself.
The most important things in my life are family, writing, traveling, and constantly challenging myself to grow as a person and artist.
I learned to read at a very young age, and was profundly influenced by the writings of Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg. Through them I discovered that there was a huge, exciting world beyond my small town and there was a place in it for people who thought differently and wanted to create their own lives. I've learned that we're presented with many choices in our lives, but ultimately, my biggest regrets are the opportunities I haven't pursued.
Natalia
ReplyDeleteMost people call me Nati since for some it's much easier to say. I grew up in East Chicago my whole life but can honestly say I've never felt comfortable there. Since about the 5th grade, I began to notice that I was different than the other kids and that they didn't seem to like different. So growing, I was kind of an outcast and not really seen upon as popular or even normal. I choose journalism as my major because I had this passion for writing that just took over sometimes. I was able to put words together and create a story or inform a person about something that they felt they were there themselves. Columbia was one of the schools on my list I couldn't ignore. The enviroment and just the idea of being around people that had the same passion as me and were unique like me made my heart swell so much. I finally felt like I belonged somewhere. The three things I hold important to me.... That's hard. But I'd have to say for one, my little sister. She's only ten years old but her way of being makes me so jealous of her sometimes.Sje has this confidence that I wish I had at her age and she has this natural way of understanding that not even people my age have... Two would have to be my friends. My friends mean the WORLD to me. Whenever I've gone through something or just needed to laugh, I've always had them to be supportive and to understand how I was feeling. Coming from a family who's not too affectionate, it really helped me get through alot of hard times... Third and not least is my IPOD. I know, it sounds really lame but it's true. Music to me is a way of life that is inevitable and so liberating. There's always a type of music for everyone from a soft beat that can make you ponder life and cry to an up-beat jam that makes you sing at the top of your lungs and dance around. Music, I think, is something no one can live without.
Alot of things make me into who I am. I was raised to be the picture perfect kid but I never was able to really fill those shoes. My whole life I tried but I kept fooling myself till now. I decided that my passion in what makes me who I am. A thinker, a writer, a dreamer, a realist, and most importantly; a journalist. I love skittles, red bull, green day, the color teal, books about real life, and most of all...Love & Peace. <3