Being someone who has always battled insecurity, my move to the Big Apple to pursue a dream education and career has certainly challenged those insecurities. My ambition and risk taking has yielding fruitful (no pun intended) results in proving that I need only depend upon and love myself. Growing up, my learning style had caused many to worry if I was fit for higher education, or if I had a learning disability. Well, I got a BA in anthropology and art history, and I just completed my first semester at Parsons School for Design in NYC with a master’s program that is funded in part by a Dean’s scholarship.

NYC has toughened me up. I’ve still got my Southern warmth, but I also have become street smart, trading in my dainty pumps for combat boots. I still keep my vintage/feminine style, but show far less skin and strut down the sidewalk with a purpose. I am more confident, and I no longer worry about what men think of me. I have found sexiness in taking total control of my body and leaving it to the imagination what is concealed behind my utilitarian dress. Last week, I grew tired of dealing with my medium-length, fluffy hair, and had most of it cut off. Now it is fluffy on top, but appears almost shaved underneath. My makeup keeps the whole look pretty feminine, but in showing that I couldn’t care less about fitting the mold of typical beauty, I’ve found strength and a whole new way to present myself.

A couple of days ago a friend of mine took me out to see The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. I could relate slightly to Lisbeth in the film, and her character also reinforces strength and power found in reclaiming your body and mind, which I find appealing.

So that’s what I have to say about my goal thus far.