When I was born I did not have a choice on who I was. I did not get to choose where I was born at. I did not get to choose my name or my parents. I did not get to pick the color of my hair or the sound of my voice. I did not get to choose the religion I was acculturated to. I did not choose to be a boy. I did not choose to be white. I did not choose my physical characteristics, my religious beliefs, or what bed I was going to sleep in. So why do these things grow to have such an importance on my life? Why do these things of which I did not choose affect me so? Have you ever asked yourself these questions? Have you ever thought about what your life would be like if you went left instead of right? Have you ever thought about how your story has shaped you? Are you struggling with who you are? You are not alone. Together we can empower each other to be the best version of ourselves that we want to create. The truth is, we may not have picked our beginning, but the rest of our story is ours to write. We do not have to fight to be who we are. We can be who we choose. We have chances to make choices and along the our curiosity creates chance. Come join me in my quest of understanding and learning about this great world around us. Come share with me who you are and who you want to be. Share with me your story of overcoming the odds. When you do, I promise you will be better for it and our community will too. I look forward to learning about you, and sharing myself along the way.

-Brandon