Positively Pretty With A Side of Pink

Hello Everybody!

I briefly explained in my blog cover page why I am starting this blog, but I decided to have my first blog post as an introduction to who I am. (This is literally my whole life story condensed to as short as it can be!) First, I created this little collage here to share my interests and a sneak peek at my life!

I am from the Boston area and call New England my home. Despite growing up in the north and becoming acclimated to enjoying many snow days off school in the winters, I HATE the cold. When I began looking at colleges, I knew I wanted to be somewhat further away from home and most likely in warm weather. That doesn’t beat the fact that I will probably end up in New York City after graduation, but we can chat about that later. I have loved beauty for as long as I can remember, and we have many pictures for proof. I created “Spa Awesomeness” in my bedroom when I was about 8 years old. I had a planner to keep track of “appointments” for my family. I would do little manicures, makeovers, and even hairstyles. I would carry around a caboodle case full of Claire’s makeup because I always wanted to be prepared.

I went to a private catholic school from first through eighth grade, where rules were fairly strict. I also went to a private catholic high school, but the rules were a bit more lenient. I had to wear a uniform daily and could not wear makeup or nail polish, which required me to find other ways to express my creativity. I began taking art classes once a week after school with my first-grade teacher, and I took these classes until I graduated eighth grade. These classes made me fall in love with art and creativity and helped me realize that I would eventually find a career in a creative industry.

I grew up as an active kid, beginning in gymnastics, and then I fell in love with cheerleading and stuck with it. In middle school, I started to cheer on three teams simultaneously because I loved competing. I also began to coach the tiny teams at my school because I wanted to share my love for the sport with younger athletes. It seemed like all my time was spent perfecting and improving my skills or teaching others. In October of 2016, I was two months into eighth grade, on three cheer teams, and I got into an almost fatal car accident. I was driving home from cheer practice with one of my friends during a bad rainstorm when our car spun out on water that did not drain on the highway. Another car hit us after hydroplaning as well, and we were all rushed to the nearest hospital. I ended up having a brain bleed and a major concussion, as well as many other open wounds. I was incredibly grateful that I was alive after it, but being 13, I was so devastated that I could not cheer for a few months because that was my favorite way to spend my time. With the head injuries that I had, I could not focus much, and schoolwork was difficult for a while. This led to me drawing more in my free time and re-falling in love with art, as it was one of the few things that did not cause severe headaches. Eighth grade was difficult adjusting to my new reality of constant headaches (that I still have), but also having to keep going with my schoolwork and daily tasks because life did not stop. I had to find ways to let out my pain and stress, and that was poured into both cheerleading and art. I could take out my stress and frustration through cheerleading by pushing myself to be the best athlete and teammate I could be, and I would lessen my pain through mindless drawing and painting.

I made it through eighth grade and went to a private catholic high school, where I was pushed in my academics. This became difficult for me due to my headaches, but I learned how to live with it, and it has made me as strong and disciplined as I am today. I was put on varsity cheerleading during my freshman year of high school, and I simultaneously competed for an all-star gym because of my love and dedication to the sport. Again, cheerleading was my outlet and a way to detach from the stress of my academics. Attending a high school known for its academics resulted in looking for colleges and majors starting freshman year. I began to research various creative careers as I knew that would be something I would love and be good at. I fell in love with fashion and beauty as I had more freedom in attire on weekends and used dress-down days to experiment and find my style. Cheerleading helped me spend time doing my makeup, as it needed to be extravagant to see from a stage. I started touring schools for fashion while on vacations and during weekend cheerleading trips, which made me realize I wanted to pursue that career. I was eager to go to college as I wanted to be creative 24/7 and experience a place other than my hometown. However, cheerleading was my entire world, and I dreaded the day I graduated high school as I knew I would be unable to cheer in college due to my health and chosen career path.

I knew my options for college at the beginning of junior year. SCAD and FIDM. While I was a junior, I applied early to FIDM Fashion Design and was accepted that year. I was still figuring out exactly what I wanted to do for a career and realized it once I researched SCAD. The Business of Beauty and Fragrance program was new, and I knew it would be my best choice. I was passionate about fashion but knew and loved the beauty industry much more. I applied to SCAD the second I could and was accepted in September of my senior year. I checked out of high school the second I decided to go to SCAD during the fall of my senior year. I still got great grades, but I was excited to move down south and have classes on subjects I enjoyed. The one thing that kept me going was cheerleading. I soaked in every moment of my last season and captured those moments on my YouTube channel.

I started my YouTube channel in December 2019 when I got my first camera for Christmas. I had been inspired by other creators on YouTube as it is where I learned how to do makeup and where I get inspiration from. I post weekly to my YouTube channel to this day, and it is my favorite way of documenting memories to look back on. One thing that I was most excited about coming to college was being able to vlog it for my channel. I wanted to be able to share my experience at SCAD with other incoming students, as all I wanted was to watch those videos before starting. Almost every week of my college experience has been documented on camera as I pushed myself to record no matter what happened. I have some of my best and worst memories in my videos, and I could not be more grateful for my digital time capsule.

I am halfway through my junior year of college and beginning to look ahead at summer internships and where I see myself post-grad. I have discovered my strength (and also love for) marketing in the beauty industry, and I am researching where my skills can be used. I hope to be in New York City this summer to experience the fast-paced lifestyle of the city that never sleeps while gaining experience in the beauty industry. I have been documenting pieces of the process on my YouTube channel and intend to share what a summer internship in beauty will entail. I want to be a source of inspiration and creativity for others to be able to follow their dreams as well.

I keep myself busy outside of school as I need a million things happening in my life at all times! During my freshman year of college, I missed cheerleading, so I joined the local all-star gym and competed on two teams. I began coaching tumbling classes at that gym to stay involved after I stopped cheering myself. I took a break for a bit as my classes did not align with the gym hours, but I am excited to say that I am back to coaching cheerleading once a week. Besides coaching, I work at a clothing boutique downtown called Morgan Rae Boutique. I love sharing my love for fashion and applying things I learn through my fashion marketing classes to my job. In my free time outside of my jobs, I love to hang out with friends, explore Savannah, and stay active by going to the gym or taking long walks downtown.

I have been passionate about writing all my life, but I have never thought of doing anything with it. I love the idea of blog posts, so I am starting my own. I created this website because I needed a way for future employers to see the projects I have created since being at SCAD easily, as that is how I show my skills. It only made sense to add a tab for blog posts to the portfolio website. This will become a place where I can share my love for fashion, beauty, and lifestyle in a written form, and I cannot be more excited. Having a blog will also force me to take more pictures of my clothes so I have something to show for my writing:).

2024 will be a year for new beginnings as I hope to have an internship this summer and am preparing to graduate in the spring of 2025. This blog is just one of the many new beginnings, and I cannot wait to share everything that comes up.