Thirteen was one of the toughest years of my life thus far.
I spent 6th grade at RIC's very own Henry Barnard School and was thrust into an urban public school for 7th (having never attended public school in my life). I came from a safe haven and was exposed to the real world that I was was entirely ignorant to.
My first memories are of riding the bus and how traumatic of an experience it was. I had one friend at the school already who I had known since childhood (and she definitely wasn't one of the coolest girls around compared to the 'popular' crowd). I was awkward and didn't fit in with the socially accepted fashion forward girls that ruled the school.
The first day of classes was frightening. Some kids were friendly, but many made fun of my race with comments like "what you lookin' at white girl". I had never experienced that kind of hatred and it only took me few days to realize I needed to be tough in order to make it through a day. This experience built my character in more ways than I know.
Soon after arriving at my new school, I got my period which made things so much worse.
I was officially in puberty, very awkward, and got braces half way through the school year. Yet, slowly but surely I made good friends that I'm still friends with today.
Besides making life long friends, middle school was also a very positive time. I began playing jazz piano after having only practiced classical pieces for years. I explored all sorts of music which led me to writing songs and performing at clubs and venues in high school. I was able to build up my confidence at a young age which continues to benefit me.
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