My name is Amber and it seems to be quite fitting, especially since it happens to match the color of my hair, eyes and skin almost perfectly. My mother could not have possibly planned this out (mainly because I was born with a thick head of chocolate brown hair!) I grew up in a relatively small town called Lockport, NY. Lockport is a nice little town but something about it always made me feel constrained. I often felt like there was much more out there to discover and something about it made me feel suffocated. Although I did not move very far from home when I chose to attend Canisius College, I appreciate the atmosphere of a larger city and I love the independence and responsibility of living on my own. This may be due to the fact that I grew up with two brothers who used to tease me until there was no end. Even though I do enjoy living on my own, I love my family and miss them a whole lot. Shh…don’t tell!
Ever since I was a young child, I have passionately yearned for success. You may ask, what is “success” in my own words? My definition when I was nine years old probably would have included the following: happiness, a career that I could look forward to every morning when I wake, and a family to share my life with. If you asked me the same question today, I would still include these factors in my definition of success. The greatest attributing factor to my hunger for success and will to achieve is due primarily to my parents divorce. All too often people sit around and feel sorry for themselves when something doesn’t go their way, but for some reason I decided to take what I had experienced and use it for motivation to make myself the best person I can be. After watching my parents argue, scream and criticize each other, I learned exactly what I do not want in life, unhappiness. I do not want to get married at 20; have children at the age of 21; nor juggle working on top of being a mother and a student. My parents have taught me the most valuable lessons of all in life: what not to do! This may sound twisted and cynical, but my parents negative relationship forced me to grow up faster, take school more seriously and decide that my life is what I make of it. Every day I live by this and even though my parents may not know this, I would not want things to be any different. I do not regret my parent’s divorce because it was a lesson not only meant to be learned for each other, but for their children to benefit from too. Both of my parents are now very happy and I actually appreciate enduring this life-changing experience.
Knowing that I can have the power to change people’s lives is also what motivates me. The fact that after a couple more years, I can inform, alert and enlighten others who may not have an opportunity to speak their opinion gets me through the long school day. I think it is crucial to be aware of what is going on in your neighborhood, city, state, nation and across the globe in every day life. I want to share my passion with others and be a voice for the voiceless. I am very enthusiastic about becoming a journalist and being en route to attaining this goal is what keeps me going, with a smile!
3 comments:
I found this to be a heart warming, meaningful, and important piece of work about an inspirational beacon of light and journalistic veracity in a world of confused values and lacking transparency. Some would say Ms. Blinky's piece is self-serving, and I would say NAY, sir, NAY INDEED.
Though the piece is indeed titled about me, the subtle use of her family history implies a subtext of Amber as a Christ figure. The longing for parental unity, and the later realization of triumph in the face of adversity is less a simple exposition on someone's background and more of a metaphor for the tragedy of being and the longing desire we all have to look beyond ourselves and find some meaning in the world that is greater than us.
To Ms. Blinky I would simply say KUDOS and HUZZAH for bringing forth such a complicated and personal view of a complex and sometimes overwhelming world. She's more than just an inspirational figure...more than the subject of troubadours and raconteurs of times gone by. She exemplifies the deep seated desire in all of us to take ownership of our experiences and look beyond the confusing tribulations of the day to day and grasp for something bigger than all of us.
Alfred Lord Tennyson wrote "To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield" and Ms. Blinky's treatise, while several years old, portended a bright future in her chosen field. It exemplifies a more overwhelming raison d'etre that all of us can find cause to envy. A need from deep within the triune brain for Ms. Blink to herself strive...seek...find. And, yes, also refuse to yield.
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