When I was younger I would spend hours locked in my room listening to music and writing poetry. As enjoyable and therapeutic as this was to me at the time, poetry was something I was always very self conscious and embarrassed about. I kept my poems hidden in an old shoe box under my bed and never showed them to anyone.

I stopped writing poetry my senior year in high school, something about the whole process began to seem forced. It may have lost its genuiness, but it had served its purpose. I learned that writing was something I deeply enjoyed, no matter what the format may have been. Some of the least stressful moments of my scholastic career were spent writing essays and working on papers.

When I was debating whether or not I wanted to put my journal entries online, I battled with many of the same negative emotions I had when I thought of showing someone my poetry. What will people think? Why would anyone be interested in my story?

It wasn't until I spoke with Evan that I acknowledged the potential positivity an online journal could bring. What good were words if they were never seen? How much change is possible if problems are only confronted behind closed doors?

I decided that this was an opportunity for me to confront my deepest emotions and discover who I truly was. Putting everything in the open was a way of solidifying my path and keeping dedicated while connecting with people on a deeper, more significant level.

The internet is a place where it is easy to be someone else. A lot of people portray their 'representative' online. I am no longer ashamed nor embarrassed about my writing, these blogs are who I am. This is the real me.