This summer I traveled to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico for a week

Sadly our vacation came to a end and I realized reality would set back in after living lavish in a different country. The appointed time came and I reluctantly placed my bags into the truck taking us back to the airport. As we boarded the plane I took one last look at the beautiful city. The memories and experiences that i took away from Mexico will last a lifetime. If given the chance to visit again I wouldn’t hesitate to pack my bags.

During the summer I frantically applied to every place hiring imaginable no matter where it was. If the hiring age was 16 , I filled out the applications. From getting job interviews from several fast food chain restaurants to finally getting hired at my current job Sears. A proud moment for me where I was old enough to earn my own money. Getting hired at sears has taught me several skills and the value of hard work while shaping my self confidence.

One important skill I learned was interpersonal skills. From being a little shy to being able to greet, be positive and friendly to anybody and how to interact better was a huge skill I learned. Working in retail helped me become a better people person and improved connections with others from members(customers) or even my own co workers and managers. Interacting with so many people helped me become a better listener to being able to listen to what the customer wants or needs and helping them out to the best of my abilities.

Working in retail allowed me to gain experience and transferable skills I can take outside the work place. I learned how to be helpful but genuine and friendly but effective. I also learned how to deal with difficult situations and not let anything or anybody get to me or get out of hand. Lastly working in retail helped me gain time management skills and how to no longer be lazy but instead an effective and reliable employee. Sears knew it was my first job and gave me the opportunity to learn and grow within their company and they helped me strength and gain skills that can help me with future jobs or even life skills. I’m thankful for the opportunity they gave me and they helped me become a better version of myself.

Right before summer started I turned 16 which meant I could get my drivers permit. I enrolled in a drivers Ed class and within the course of a month I passed my permit test and was ready to drive. It was an exciting time to have freedom to drive and not rely on someone to drive me around anymore. The only problem was I didn’t know how to drive or ever even sat in the drivers seat. I dedicated the whole summer to learning how to drive and not let my nerves get to me.

Learning how to drive wasn’t as glamorous and easy as I thought it was. My parents enrolled me in a behind the wheel lesson with my driving instructor Mr.Waldron. My very first 6 hours of learning how to drive was with him and everything I learned was thanks to him. My first lesson I was convinced I was gonna do horrible. Matter of fact I did do horrible, I had no idea what any gears did or how to control them but my instructor had the patience and energy to convince me I was the best driver in the world. Any wrong move I made he corrected me in a way where I didn’t get discourage but instead motivated to continue to learn. He took me driving on the express way on our second lesson which quickly taught me the greatest lesson to have trust in myself while driving. He never made me feel uncomfortable driving which pushed me to drive in areas and distances I never thought I would feel comfortable driving in.

My 6 hours quickly came to a end and it was time for me to start driving my moms truck. Everywhere we went I drove, didn’t matter how close or far. Constantly driving made me comfortable and confident in my driving. From once being anxious getting in the drivers seat to now being ecstatic every time I get the opportunity to learn more with driving. I’m proud that my constant driving went from me not knowing how to turn on the truck to parallel parking in a matter of the summer break.

Virgil Abloh’s exhibition opened at Museum of Contemporary art Chicago. Figures of speech , the first museum exhibition devoted to the work of the iconic Off-White designer.

Within the exhibit I explore the different worlds that Virgil moves in , covering fashion, design, music, art and architecture.

Virgil Abloh is pictured here for a feature article on fashion magazine System. The European Union flag represents his entrance into his brand Off-white. The Louis Vuitton toolbox is an item he designed so buyers could customize their designer handbags. The jacket on the floor was designed by one of Virgils role models, Raf Simmons. The dinosaur and wooden plank were just in the Tellers studio but ultimately reflects Virgils willingness to improvise.

Rapper Chief Keef premiers Supremes new box logo. The box logo replaces the solid red background for three blocks of red, black and green, the same color scheme used in Pan African flag. This sparked rumors of an Abloh/Supreme collab on the way. As of right now this shirt /collab has not dropped.

“Early work” showcases Virgils early designs across street wear and and luxury fashion. Virgil collaborated with tennis player Serena Williams to create an outfit for her appearance in the 2018 US open tournament. A skirted bodysuit with a asymmetric top that flows into a airy tulle tutu expressed her bold playing style.

The museum of contemporary art really opened my eyes to the different art and style Virgil creates. It was a good experience to witness his earlier work and how he’s multitalented and not bonded to one style.

In this TED Talk Nadine Burke Harris discussed childhood trauma and the different ways your health is affected by it. Severe threats, abuse and neglect , parent with a mental illness or substance dependence are all different forms of trauma a child may experience. High doses of trauma can affect brain development and function , immune system and developing hormonal systems. There is a 20 year life expectancy difference to those exposed to very high doses of trauma. The adverse childhood experience study interviewed 17,500 adults on their history of exposure. Exposure includes

Physical, emotional , sexual abuse

Physical and emotional neglect

Parental mental illness

Incarceration/ divorce

Domestic violence

Sixty seven percent had atleast one ACE. 12.6%(1 in 8 people) had 4 or more ACEs. The higher the ACE score, the worse health outcomes they had.

Those with four or more ACEs were found to have 4 and half more chances of developing depression and are twelve times more likely to have suicidal tendencies.

These facts are scary and are often looked over.Watching this Ted talk made me realize childhood trauma isn’t widely discussed as a important topic but effects a large group of people worldwide. As Nadine Burke Harris states in the video we need to start recognizing childhood trauma as a medical issue so symptoms are treated and don’t go without being treated and worsen with age. With many cases of childhood trauma going undiagnosed adults live and suffer with the trauma but once we start recognizing and treating this trauma seriously , the number of adults living with this trauma will greatly decrease.

Thanks for joining me!