Hi there! Thanks for stopping by, I am happy you are here :)
So I have decided to make a blog. Why? Honestly, I just really love writing and I especially love reflecting on my experiences in the water and in my travels.
I have thought about writing a blog for quite some time, and never "got around to it", never took the final step and hit publish on anything. I have many drafts sitting in a google doc, waiting to be shared, but instead constantly edited for fear of not being good enough to share.
This is a first for me. The whole website, blog, sharing more personal writing. But, I wanted to do this because I thought the ocean deserves more people sharing in its magnificence and fighting for its protection. And because as I navigate this new chapter of my life, I thought it would be dope to have an outlet such as this one to share my progress more extensively.
My love for writing is by no stretch a life-long passion or talent. In high school, I wasn’t even convinced I could be a good writer or stellar English student because, well, I was told a few times I wasn't a good writer and that sticks with you. Plus, I liked science. And obviously, to me, I could not be both good at science AND writing. Except I don’t have a completely science-oriented mind either. So that was confusing.
Standardized testing my sophomore and junior years confirmed many times, over and over again, that I am not blessed with the impressive ability to sit still for four and a half hours, completing continuous math problems, and retaining countless four-syllable synonyms for the word 'hungry'... which is usually how I felt after leaving 5 hours later with only a 15-minute snack break somewhere in the middle.
I digress...
What it DID hint at was hidden potential to write.
With some encouragement from close mentors and teachers, I became a bit more confident and as I entered my second year of undergrad, I became a writing tutor and discovered a true love for editing papers and learning how to eloquently convey my rambling thoughts on paper. It started to make sense why I always preferred writing essays over taking tests. I felt like I had the opportunity to better explain myself without the pressures of a 40-minute class period or multiple-choice questions that left little room for interpretation. While I prefer having a balance between the two, in the last few years I have embraced the opportunity to write.
In addition to the plethora of academic essays and personal statements, I also began journaling. In the middle of sophomore year, I reached a point in my life where I sought new outlets and ways to reflect, so I turned to journaling. It started as a way to work through some tough moments and process the swirling thoughts in my brain. And though it still is, I also have a collection of wonderful memories, captured in the direct moment, filled with emotions that come flooding back and bring a smile to my face as I relive them with a new perspective.
So in this next chapter of my life, I have decided to break through the walls of my journal and share some of these moments with you all.
And before I conclude this first post, I want to say thank you to all of those who have supported me in getting to this point. The simple messages of encouragement or the brief “I can’t wait to read!” or “I love your Instagram, I want to see more!” in conjunction with the longer conversations of belief in and excitement for me are what got me here.
So what are my goals for this blog?
I hope for this to be a space to share my stories as I navigate the underwater world and to engage with you as you read about my experiences. I hope to spark curiosity and excitement and promote a shared understanding of how precious our oceans are.
I plan to share my adventures as a woman in science, specifically marine science, as a diver, how I have gotten to where I am, my struggles and successes, my goals and ambitions, and my motivation… the great, blue sea.
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