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Early Childhood- Autonomy vs. Doubt. Systems affected: micro, mezzo, and exo
This is a picture of me with my great-grandpa when I was about 2 years old. We lived in New Jersey with him until I was about 4 years old. This greatly impacted my life trajectory, as he was my first hero in life. I learned a lot from him in my first few years of life. I always felt safe and protected with him, which is something I lacked the majority of my life after we left New Jersey. -
Middle Childhood- Industry vs. Inferiority. Systems affected: micro, mezzo, exo.
This is an image of myself and my two brothers. I was about 8 years old here. When my little brother was born my life changed drastically. At the time, my father had been abusing multiple substances that left him incapable of caring for us. I found myself taking the role of caregiver for my little brother. Knowing that my little brother needed me stopped me from a lot of self-destructive behaviors as a teen. -
Middle Childhood- Industry vs. Inferiority. Systems affected: micro, mezzo, and exo.
This is an image of myself and my two best friends when I was about 10. The next summer one of them passed away. This event sparked the onset of my destructive behaviors, including being violent and getting into a lot of fights in school. I had always struggled at home, but school with my friends was my safety zone. When he passed I felt like that shattered, leaving every aspect of my life in shambles. -
Adolescence- Identity vs. Role Confusion. Systems affected: micro, mezzo, and exo.
This is an image of myself and my grandmother when I was about 16. This was when I was at my lowest point in my life. I had been experiencing a lot of abuse in various forms up until this point. After developing an eating disorder and repeated self-harm, my parents sent me to stay with my family back in New Jersey for a summer. Although I do think it helped tremendously to be in a new environment, there was a lot of family issues there at the time and it wasn't a good place to recover. -
Young Adulthood- Identity vs. Role Confusion. Systems affected: micro, mezzo, and exo.
This is an image of my acceptance letter into the University of Wisconsin- Stout. This was a huge turning point in my life, as I was finally able to move away from the toxicity of my home town. I was the first person in my family to go to college and I was excited to break the mold. Although I did experience a lot of positive growth, I neglected to leave behind certain people and relationships that were unhealthy. -
Current Life- Intimacy vs. Isolation. Systems affected: micro, mezzo, and exo.
This image was taken in April on Camelback mountain. This was my first time ever in Arizona. I had no plans on moving here until this spontaneous trip to tour ASU. Of course I've experienced negativity and faced hurtles on my way to where I am, but I have never felt so healthy and free in my entire life. I moved here with no friends or family, but within a few short months I have developed the strongest support system I've ever had. I can say I'm truly blessed and grateful to be here.
