Thanks to the COM352 students for contributing a bunch of new pages! I'll be moving these pages into the main area of the wiki soon.

From UMassWiki

So Much for Little Me
Stephanie Etienne

In life a person can either fight for their beliefs or deal with whatever life throws at them. You cannot escape these issues if you want to succeed to become a leader, or simply a well-educated and civilized human being. Today, education is one of the most important ways for an individual to earn trust and respect. I grew up in Haiti where knowledge and an education are highly valued because so many people rely on these to support themselves. I needed school everyday because it was impossible to wake up and think about the future and be clueless. How would I survive on my own? I had living proof that without education, you are nothing. Some of my Haitian neighbors never attended school: they suffer, shifting from one dirty job to another. Other people I know are doing fine because they have knowledge and knowledge is power.

Education is important, but life with education is nothing without family. I have a lovely family that supports me every step of my way. Whenever the world seems like it is coming to an end, whom do I turn to for safety? My family, because I know for a fact that they would never let me down; instead, all of them would lift me up higher if possible. Family members can never be replaced, you will learn this when you are in a bad situation and all of your friends turn their backs on you. If you were rich and suddenly become poor, the only people that will stick by you will be your relatives, not your friends. Yes, I rely on my family because I know they love me and also appreciate what I do (being a good daughter, niece, and cousin).

Identity means finding who you are to the world, especially with those people who live around you. The world is fun but can also mean trouble. Some people may like you for who you really are and others may hate you for their own reasons. Everyone loves an intelligent person because that person might benefit him or her in some way; others might be jealous because they want to be smarter than you and therefore try to cause you harm. I pretend that these individuals do not exist and continue with my life. If they persist, I tell them off in a good manner because I learned the principle to always be nice. I will not go down without a fight to keep my dignity; I will do this because if I do not, I will lose and let my enemies, the haters, win.

Everybody has two different sides of their personality, one is good and the other is not so perfect. (Most people keep the less perfect side secretive. Whatever it is varies, for me it is timidity). My dad wants me to be the daughter who listens to her parents one hundred percent, while my friends see me as girl of mystery because they cannot understand my intentions (my emotions and feelings). For example, when I am out with my friends I do feel guilty because my parents think that I am in my room. Why? The reason for this is since I was a little girl, I did everything the way my parents expected. Now that I am not with them, I have the freedom to do whatever I want. Whenever I do something that technically I am not supposed to do, then my conscience bugs me. I try to balance both of my personalities as much as I can, but sometimes I feel stuck and don't know what to do.

All my life I have been doing what my father wanted. Now I have freedom since I do not live at home anymore. I try to make him happy because I have not changed that much. I do party once or twice a month instead of staying in my dorm all weekend long. Whereas at home I go to church and stay in the house all day because my dad always thinks that other kids will have a bad influence on me. My dad wants me to avoid talking even to my own sisters because they do not listen to everything he tells them.

My friends enjoy me because I am being me ninety-five percent of the time. I can laugh as loud as I want because my dad is not present to tell me that girls are not supposed to laugh like that. I go to parties and dirty dance, wearing what I want without worrying that others will judge me. This may be against my religion but then again I need to have fun and not have any regrets. The real me likes to party and still be innocent because other people's opinions about me do matter. I am still growing up and learning along the way. The only thing I am still sure about is that education is the number one element you need in life. Life is a journey to enjoy while you can because if you do not, you will have regrets. I am not perfect and neither is my family. In today's world you cannot escape where you come from, who you are, or who you want to become. Life is about survival and enjoyment. Sometimes, I do go against my beliefs but not in the end. I am being true to myself and returning to my original roots. The only way I will succeed in life is by being honest and respectful: these are my bedrock qualities from which I cannot escape.