Dear Reader, here is a little bit about me! I hope you enjoy!
Growing up being the oldest of five kids has shaped me into becoming the person that I am today and will also play a large part in determining who I will become in the future. All of my life I have had to live up to the expectations set by my parents for me to be the best example possible for my four younger siblings. Even though this seems like a burden to me now, I believe that it is one of the main reasons why I have accomplished many of the things that I have.
At a very young age I learned the concept of responsibility; a task that some people never actually learn until way later on in their lives or even possibly never at all. Being the oldest child helped me learn responsibilities that have helped me be prepared for many situations; it also made me mentally mature a lot faster than most children do.
I was born in the city of Grand Rapids, Michigan on March 6th, 1998. Throughout my childhood my family moved around quite a bit. We lived in Grand Rapids until I was around the age of 3, then in Evart for kindergarten and first grade, the next stop was McBain for my second grade year, after that I attended Cadillac schools from third grade until the end of my freshman year, and finally here I am at Pine River High School finishing off my high school career. Moving around so much as a child has helped me be able to adapt to new situations that I am thrown into. I believe this will help me next year when I am beginning college and also later on in life with a career with plenty of the experiences that I have gone through so far.
In my life I have always had a great support system that is always there for me no matter the circumstance. For this I am so very lucky and eternally thankful because sadly, not everyone can say the same. In my household we were always taught that family comes first and will do anything for each other. A quote that has always stuck with me and has had a great impact on my life is this, “Friends may come and go, but family is forever”. That may not be true in all cases, but to me it is a perfect representation of how life should be. I consider myself so blessed because I can say that I know almost everyone in my family would do anything for me. My family has been the main influence of whom I have become. They have helped me gain the morals that I have, been here for me through everything, and always told me to follow my dreams because they know I could achieve anything that I set my mind to.
As well as acquiring skills from personal experiences in my childhood and the environment that I grew up in, I have also gained skills from the student based groups that I belong to during my high school career. I am proud to say that I have been apart of my school’s National Honors Society for three years now, and I am also an executive board member of the Leadership Class that is new to my school this year. These two extra curricular groups that I belong to mean so much to me and have taught me leadership skills that I know I will use for the rest of my life. While being in these groups, I have volunteered in many activities and events that have changed my outlook on life for the better. These include Project Christmas, where we donate and prepare boxes of food for local families in need, and Adopt-A-Family, which is when NHS chooses a few families around the area that are not able to buy presents around Christmas time. Not only do I participate in student groups at school, I also participate at my church. Being in that environment with the other members of the groups and my community has influenced me to enjoy volunteering and seeing the faces on the family’s faces makes it even better. Both NHS and Leadership have made me step up in my school and community by becoming a strong leader.
Unlike most high school students, I usually work all year around. Right now I have a job at Pine Grove Athletic Club working the front desk. I absolutely love my job and everyone that I work with! The gym is full of positive vibes and great people that make it a fun place to work at. It's always been important to me that I work for what I have and that everything isn't just handed down to me. Growing up, my family never had the most money; I didn't have the cutest name brand clothes or the coolest stuff. It's very hard for me to see people who just take what they have for granted and to not notice how great of a life they have it. I know I don't have an awful life by any means, but many people don't realize how much they have until it's gone. This is the reason why I have always had such a strong work ethic; if I want nice things then I have to work for it and save until I get it myself. Having this mindset is getting me ready for the "real world" after high school when I will have to make my own money and support myself.
It is the little things in life that nobody thinks about that make us who we are and who we will become in the future. My family, job, school, and childhood have helped create the outgoing, passionate, and driven girl that I am today. Without all of these people and experiences in my life I would never have accomplished the things that I have or learned the lessons that I now know. I wouldn't change anything that has happened in my life because if I did then it would most likely change who I am now, and I believe that everything happens for a reason.
Sincerely,
Lauren Stephens
Growing up being the oldest of five kids has shaped me into becoming the person that I am today and will also play a large part in determining who I will become in the future. All of my life I have had to live up to the expectations set by my parents for me to be the best example possible for my four younger siblings. Even though this seems like a burden to me now, I believe that it is one of the main reasons why I have accomplished many of the things that I have.
At a very young age I learned the concept of responsibility; a task that some people never actually learn until way later on in their lives or even possibly never at all. Being the oldest child helped me learn responsibilities that have helped me be prepared for many situations; it also made me mentally mature a lot faster than most children do.
I was born in the city of Grand Rapids, Michigan on March 6th, 1998. Throughout my childhood my family moved around quite a bit. We lived in Grand Rapids until I was around the age of 3, then in Evart for kindergarten and first grade, the next stop was McBain for my second grade year, after that I attended Cadillac schools from third grade until the end of my freshman year, and finally here I am at Pine River High School finishing off my high school career. Moving around so much as a child has helped me be able to adapt to new situations that I am thrown into. I believe this will help me next year when I am beginning college and also later on in life with a career with plenty of the experiences that I have gone through so far.
In my life I have always had a great support system that is always there for me no matter the circumstance. For this I am so very lucky and eternally thankful because sadly, not everyone can say the same. In my household we were always taught that family comes first and will do anything for each other. A quote that has always stuck with me and has had a great impact on my life is this, “Friends may come and go, but family is forever”. That may not be true in all cases, but to me it is a perfect representation of how life should be. I consider myself so blessed because I can say that I know almost everyone in my family would do anything for me. My family has been the main influence of whom I have become. They have helped me gain the morals that I have, been here for me through everything, and always told me to follow my dreams because they know I could achieve anything that I set my mind to.
As well as acquiring skills from personal experiences in my childhood and the environment that I grew up in, I have also gained skills from the student based groups that I belong to during my high school career. I am proud to say that I have been apart of my school’s National Honors Society for three years now, and I am also an executive board member of the Leadership Class that is new to my school this year. These two extra curricular groups that I belong to mean so much to me and have taught me leadership skills that I know I will use for the rest of my life. While being in these groups, I have volunteered in many activities and events that have changed my outlook on life for the better. These include Project Christmas, where we donate and prepare boxes of food for local families in need, and Adopt-A-Family, which is when NHS chooses a few families around the area that are not able to buy presents around Christmas time. Not only do I participate in student groups at school, I also participate at my church. Being in that environment with the other members of the groups and my community has influenced me to enjoy volunteering and seeing the faces on the family’s faces makes it even better. Both NHS and Leadership have made me step up in my school and community by becoming a strong leader.
Unlike most high school students, I usually work all year around. Right now I have a job at Pine Grove Athletic Club working the front desk. I absolutely love my job and everyone that I work with! The gym is full of positive vibes and great people that make it a fun place to work at. It's always been important to me that I work for what I have and that everything isn't just handed down to me. Growing up, my family never had the most money; I didn't have the cutest name brand clothes or the coolest stuff. It's very hard for me to see people who just take what they have for granted and to not notice how great of a life they have it. I know I don't have an awful life by any means, but many people don't realize how much they have until it's gone. This is the reason why I have always had such a strong work ethic; if I want nice things then I have to work for it and save until I get it myself. Having this mindset is getting me ready for the "real world" after high school when I will have to make my own money and support myself.
It is the little things in life that nobody thinks about that make us who we are and who we will become in the future. My family, job, school, and childhood have helped create the outgoing, passionate, and driven girl that I am today. Without all of these people and experiences in my life I would never have accomplished the things that I have or learned the lessons that I now know. I wouldn't change anything that has happened in my life because if I did then it would most likely change who I am now, and I believe that everything happens for a reason.
Sincerely,
Lauren Stephens
