On Tuesday, I attended to a roundtable discussion where the lovely Dr. DeSimone talked about her podcast and what advice she gives women going into the industry, and it truly was eye-opening. At first, I was hesitant about going to the discussion. I had schoolwork I needed to get done, and all I wanted to do was go back to my single dorm and take a nap.
But I decided to go, since I knew my friend would be there. I will say I’m glad that I went. I took away a lot of advice from that discussion, including something Dr. DeSimone said, which Dr. Heather Harris, who was also present, had mentioned before.
“We’re Building Cathedrals.”
When I heard this, the words played through my head throughout the entire meeting. Since 1848, women have paved a path for future generations to follow throughout history. Women have fought for the right to vote, obtain an education, and to be able to work. Women are building cathedrals to showcase to younger women the story of how they fought for our rights.
In a way, I have been building a cathedral of my own life since I was born. As my life progressed, I faced many hardships of being bullied for having a lazy eye or because I was deemed as “too nice.” Although I wished I didn’t endure those things, I’m glad I did. It showed me that when life gets tough, I will always get tougher.
When I was in high school, that’s when I was building the person that is writing this article. I was constantly doing service opportunities such as helping during bingo games hosted by the school, singing Christmas carols at local middle schools, giving tours during open house days, and wrapping Christmas presents to help parents who couldn’t afford them for their children. Not only did I make a name for myself by helping, but I was also named “Ms. Announcer” because of my energetic tone that would wake up everyone during the morning announcements.
Even when I came to college, I knew I needed to branch out even further. Next thing you know, I traveled to Philadelphia to help feed and care for the homeless, I’m part of many clubs on campus, and I get to express my thoughts and my voice with others through Her Campus, which is something I love most in this world. Each day, I pave the way for myself and all the young women in my family by pursuing my goals and taking pride in everything I’ve accomplished, and believe me, I am so proud of myself for it.
With this little story of my life, I strive to be the best person I can be. My cathedral will be here for my nieces, my future children and my future grandchildren to look at. That way, they know that no matter what they do and no matter what people say, they can push themselves and say, “I can do it too.”