Exploring New Territory Anonymous

I am an explorer. At 10 months old, my travels began with my family’s first move. Over the years, we have been relocated because of my father’s company, gradually bringing a family of five from East to West. Five states, five homes, and five experiences: I am from where I have been.

Wandering is said to be aimless and with no purpose, and each moment my father sat my siblings and me down, I would have agreed with this seemingly appropriate definition to describe moving. There was no reason for me to start all over again as the alien outsider in a new school each time; my dad did not need to accept another new job opportunity. As I wandered however, I learned, I adapted, and I became somebody who thrived in new environments, taking in new cultures and ideas along the way. There was a purpose, and in it I grew from a wanderer into something else, an explorer.

I have had the privilege to not only discover diversity but to distinguish and develop myself in each and every state: New York, Virginia, Minnesota, Arizona, and California. From shoveling snow in Minnesota to hiking through cacti in Arizona, the transitions were both intimidating and exciting. At a young age I learned to adjust to new people and places. Not wanting to be...