With new beginnings, came new friendships. I was fortunate enough to find a group of friends whom I am still very close with today.I remember sitting with the group, although we had only been together for a few weeks, it felt as though I had known them my whole life. We spent what felt like hours sharing stories of childhood, our family, high school friends, etc. During this whole time, I was listening to the stories being told, laughing at the first date stories. At one point of the night one of the stories ended, and the room grew silent. Someone from the group had noticed I hadn't shared yet and asked, “What’s your story?” I stood frozen, no words coming from my mouth. For the first time, someone whom I had only known for such a short amount of time was expecting me to tell everyone my whole life story... do I even know my story?

I thought back to the past eighteen years of my life. A flood of ideas started popping into my head. Stories of growing up in Vermont with loving parents, and two older sisters. I would have continued with stories of our family in vacations in Maine that we took every August. I could have taken a different approach to the question and talked about the loved ones I have lost over the years, or the challenges I faced in school. Although all of these moments have shaped me into who I am, in that moment, those answers didn’t seem enough. I tried searching for something deeper that reflected who I was. I looked around the room, nervously. Everyone’s eyes were on me, waiting for my response. I hesitated and replied, “I don’t have a story.” A voice from the group spoke out, “everyone has a story!” I paused to think some more. Nothing. Someone else from the group broke the silence and shared about stories from their life. In that moment, I felt embarrassed that I couldn't talk about who I was.

Over the course of my freshman and sophomore year at college, I have heard a countless number of life stories. Everything from eating disorders, overcoming heartbreak and loss, mental disabilities in the family, sexual assault, the list goes on. After hearing these stories, it has made me want to think of my life more. I have learned that although people experienced pain and heartache, these events were still an important time in that person's life. These experiences helped guide them to become the individual they are today. I’m not saying that everyone has to experience bad situations in their life to have a story, but people will go through challenges at various points in their life. It’s how you choose to overcome these obstacles that will help you in writing your story.

But as for my story, to be continued...