Sitting here at MHC, it’s hard to see how I got to where I am today. Born in Virginia and spending my whole childhood in the south, western Mass seems like an odd choice. But, truthfully, all the events in my life have led me here, no matter how far away from my beginnings.
I suppose my life began in rural South Carolina. I started going to a small private school at the age of 5 and stayed in the same place for 10 years. Some of the time was good. Swim team, choir, and theatre kept me going. But most of it I don’t care to remember. You see, I was a closeted trans autistic lesbian in rural SC. My parents loved (and do love) and accepted me. Yet, bullied made every day a little harder than the one before. At 15, my parents and I fled SC and escaped to Delaware of all places. For a time, it was better with bullies long gone and real friends. It was all great until it wasn’t. There’s no need to go into detail about COVID-19. It combined with a biological disposition for depression resulted in some of my darkest moments. Lost and tired, running away to a world of fantasy. When college arrived, I took the opportunity to run and create my own world.
I was born and my lips were red, so I was named Ruby. My childhood began in the spring and perhaps fostered my love for bulbs and sunshine. I was an outdoor child, always playing with mud and building fairy houses, even when best friend Grace wanted to advance to more age appropriate activities. In most ways I am privileged; I have loving supportive parents, I was able to attend private institutions, and I have always had the best friends. In elementary school I went with my parents on two sabbatical years, the first being on an inland in Lake Michigan called Beaver Island, and the second being in Sarasota Florida, both of which followed the families of my mom and dad. These two years gave and took a lot from me, but gave me experiences I would never trade. When I was 13 I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, and after a few panic attacks I got used to needles. Since then it’s been a slough of oblivious children asking if they could catch it or if I was a robot, and annoyed glances when my medical alarms go off. In college those questions turned more academic, and the glances shifted from annoyed to surprised.
I have lived in Connecticut my whole life. I was taken out of public school in 3rd grade to transition to homeschooling, a decision that I am always thankful my parents made. It continued until 9th grade, when I was enrolled in public high school, a decision that I think my mom still sometimes regrets. I don’t. Homeschooling taught me that learning on my own can be fun and brought out my love for math and art, but high school taught me about people; how to socialize with the good ones and avoid the bad. I did not, for the most part, enjoy it, but I don’t regret it either. It helped me become more confident, more passionate about my interests. College taught me to love myself, to be more independent, and set personal goals. All these experiences of mine are important, since they lessen my fear of the future.
If I had to give a color to my life, it would be brown. Brown for the color of my father’s eyes, the color mine would turn with age. Brown for the cherry tree in my old backyard, for the floorboards—almost orange. Brown for the dirt of my childhood park, stuck in the crevices of my fingernails, for the ill-colored rocks lining the San Francisco Bay. Brown for Dahlia’s hair: curly, deep, flowing merrily from a two-story window. Brown for the worn leather jacket passed between two friends, and brown for the rotten color that friendship curdled into. Brown for the bricks of my home’s steps on a foggy January morning, for the look in my father’s eyes when he announced that he was leaving. Brown for the scaft I wear now that I’ve left, too. But most of all, brown because it has been so ordinary—natural. A life among lives.
I was born March 14, 2004, in Tucson, Arizona. I am the oldest of three brothers—the only daughter. We lived in Arizona for like three years before we moved to Iowa. I had a best friend who lived across the street from me named Teagan. She did my makeup sometimes. In the third grade, I moved to Kuwait. It was hard but I was optimistic. I had two brothers at this point, Henry and Calvin. We lived in an apartment building and almost every day I would go downstairs with Henry to call the other kid’s rooms on the phone in the lobby. My best friend was Raisa. She lived in the apartment above mine. Wes was born in Kuwait. We lived there for four years and then we moved to Virginia. It was devastating. I was in seventh grade and it was the hardest thing I had ever done. But I made friends, went through a few groups. I met my best friend early, but we didn’t become best friends until junior year. I think I always knew though. Her name is Jennifer and we are still best friends. I chose here for college because it was the only place I got into. I met my best friend Kate on the first day. Orientation group. Lucky. We are roommates now. Sweet.
I was born in Michigan. Then we moved to New York. I got my tonsils out there and when I was four we moved to Minnesota. I don’t remember the first two states. I have memories of being told what happened there but nothing uniquely my own. In Minnesota, I gained consciousness. I gained interests, a personality. I was fast and raced the boys on the playground — then bragged about my victories at the dinner table every day. I was smart — advanced courses and quick times on my multiplication tables. I realized these two victories were important to how I viewed myself. Then I moved to California and lost my coveted ability to exist in frigid climates. I started running track and began to measure my worth more and more by my classroom performance. It was sunny in California. I didn’t feel sunny. I felt feelings more there and I didn’t escape these feelings until six years later at Mount Holyoke. But in between, I moved again. I hated North Carolina. It was 2016 and I held a grudge. But I kept on with it, made close friends, cried over grades, and started winning races. Time continued and before I knew it, I wasn’t the same person that I was in Minnesota or California. At Mount Holyoke, I changed again and became this version of me. I grew up again but this time just a bit lighter.
My name is Hailey Noa Balinbin. I was born on March 25, 2004, around 7 AM. My mom can never give me an exact time. That makes me an Aries sun, Aries rising, and Taurus moon. I was instantly baptized Catholic. I am a California girl. I was born in Mountain View, lived in Sunnyvale as a baby, moved to Campbell to start preschool, and then moved to South San Jose right before I started high school. Now I live in South Hadley and attend Mount Holyoke College. If there were another place to call home it would be Ewa Beach, Hawaii. I am an only child— friends with my mom, dad, and my dogs— Oreo (may he rest in peace), Toby, and Cody. It’s just us in California and since everyone else lives in Ewa, it feels more like home there, than in California. I celebrated my first birthday at the beach across from Ala Moana Mall. I grew up flying on Hawaiian Airlines. Taking yearly trips there to run around with my cousins on Kauiki Street, stay up late to light fireworks in the street during barbecues, and pick katudai flowers for my grandma. Though technically my parent’s home, I also call it mine since I’ve always felt my most authentic self there. There was never enough space to feel that at private, Catholic Bay Area schools. I attended three Catholic schools— all with silly plaid skirts.
I am Kate Donovan-Maher. I was raised in Hanover, Ma, but born in Nashua, NH. My parents adopted me at birth. I have a younger brother and sister, both adopted, but they were born in Colorado. I went to Milton Academy where I studied and became interested in Latin and Ancient Greek. I graduated in the midst of COVID-19, and I now attend Mount Holyoke College. I am double majoring in Environmental Studies and English. My family and I spend our summers on Cape Cod, and for the past two years I have worked as a waitress. This past summer, I also interned at MASSTC, testing septic systems for their nitrogen and phosphorus outputs.
I was born to older parents. Given their age, and all the animals we grew up with – until the moment I was born, my mother hoped I would come out with four paws and a fluffy tail – we were very acquainted with death. I am a great plus one to a funeral.
They had me because my father had three sons and wanted a daughter. I was born on a leap year, which in a fantasy world might account for my persistent feeling of missing-ness, or that I’m running out of time. It was also an olympic year, and an election year. I maintain that I was born early just so I could be an aquarius (and in fact, so I could have all three air signs as my big three. I’m floating away out here.) I was almost a pisces, which, let’s be honest, would have been a lot for everyone. Speaking of a lot – after me, my parents had one more, because my mother was worried I would be a handful. I was anyway! My first memory is the day my brother was born.
We have lived in the same house my whole life. It backs up to a forest, and it was a beautiful place to grow up. My favorite part was a cherry tree in the front yard that was propagated from a cutting taken from D.C., when my grandfather emigrated from Greece to America through Ellis Island. I would climb up and sit in the wide base of the tree. I felt like I could see everything from there. I felt like a person with a story.
That said, I don’t remember much of my childhood, and what I do remember is very fragmented, disordered. There was a lot about me we didn’t know. I am autistic, which came along with depression, anxiety, and all their fun friends when I was still very small. I knew I was queer+trans when I was pretty young, which entails its own long and epic saga I won’t regale you with.
By high school, I had finally started doing what I’d wanted to my entire life: music & theater – a very confusing turn of events for my visual artist parents. I’m still not very good at it, but sometimes we have to do things for the joy of them. I did a lot of activism work that I’d like to get back to, if I can manage it. 2020 was busy. The world did feel like it was coming to an end, but there were some bright spots. I began a relationship with my current partner after being joined at the hip for years. I began taking psychiatric medication and, in an exciting turn of events, experienced joy for the first time in at least a decade. It made me want to be here, and pulled me out of severe dissociation. I had a semi-successful coming out as trans after a few test runs & started doing workshops with a LGBTQ+ youth arts organization that I still work with today. They encouraged me to pursue higher education in writing & drama.
2020 was also the year I began having more noticeable, or disabling, physical health issues. I’d had quirks my whole life that began intensifying in 2017, but that year, they began to get in the way of life. Unfortunately, it’s been downhill from there. It feels like I’ve seen every doctor in New England, not to much effect. I have a really difficult time with not feeling believed, and if nothing else, seeing so many doctors has taken the edge off, there. I am often surprised by what humans can adapt to.
…Long story short, I was a little kid who loved to read & write, sing, dance, and play pretend… and I grew up to be a slightly happier version of them, who still loves trees, and sees a lot of beauty in a lot of things.
I was born in Riverside California on May 20, 2002, at 12:10, one minute after my Emma twin sister was born. My older sister Lily, Emma, my parent, and I lived in Riverside California until I was five years old when we moved to Salem Oregon. I spent the rest of my childhood there. I played many sports, such as soccer, swimming and gymnastics. I was even on a bowling league for a little while but volleyball in middle school and tennis in high school were the biggest sports for me. My mom was a Professor while I was growing up so she drove to be very academic. In high school I was in many clubs, and honor classes as well as really into government studies. Being a twin is a large part of who I am. Growing up as a twin is amazing but hard. I always had her with me but we were always brought compared. Once at Mount Holyoke, I began to become more of my own person. I started studying politics and made some amazing friends. I have one semester left here and I have truly enjoyed all my time at Mount Holyoke.
I grew up in a small, picturesque town in Western Massachusetts called Shelburne Falls. It has a river running through it, which, during Hurricane Irene, almost swallowed the town whole. I remember the river that day, it was brown and swollen and angry. I was 10. I was interviewed about it by the local news, but, much to my chagrin, never made it onto TV.
I consider Shelburne Falls to be my hometown, but because I moved and changed schools a lot during my youth, I never really felt connected to one place or community. The summer before eighth grade I moved to Ohio. My grandmother became ill and the responsibility of taking care of her fell to my single mother. My memories of Ohio are mostly blurry, which is probably a good thing. It was a hard time for everyone.
After my grandmother passed away, we moved back to Massachusetts – this time to Northampton, which, to me, felt like a big city. During high school I fell in love with theater, specifically acting, which pushed me out of my shell more than I could have ever imagined. In addition to acting I have always loved art, and ended up majoring in it at MHC. I have always found comfort in expressing my creativity. Creating forces me to be in the here and now, which is something I cherish.
I am a Francis Perkins older student. Story of my life: Grew up in a small town and when the rain would fall down I just stared out my window. wanted to belong here but something felt so wrong here so I prayed I will get away (Kelly Clarkson song captures some of life). I moved had 2 children and survived. Survived the unimaginable started my education path to gain my freedom in my 30’s. I am bilingual-love nature- nature is my medicine- been interested in healing myself, questioning why I am here and psychological thirsty for knowledge to find more about myself in a more fun way.
I was born on a bathroom floor at midnight. That was not how my birth was planned, so I had a surprise entrance into the world. For the first 8 years of my life, I lived in the same house I was born in, in a small town called Amity, Oregon. I played outside most of those days, with my brother, imagining various stories and characters. The summer before I turned 9, my family moved to Salem, Oregon. I met my best friend Maddie on the first day of third grade. We lived walking distance from each other, and spent many days of my childhood together. Middle school was an uneventful period of my life, except for a couple month sickness with mono in the seventh grade, where I didn’t finish the grade. But I always worked hard in school with professor parents, so I caught up quick. In high school, I played the flute in marching band so I knew older friends to enjoy teenage life early. But then I got sick of it, and was ready to move on, far, far away. In 2022, I graduated High School, and moved across the country to go to college in Massachusetts.
I was born in Miami, Florida. My grandparents came from Cuba in the 1950s and started a new life in the United States. My parents met at the airport in 1994 and have been married since 1996. I have an older sister and a younger brother. My parents consistently ensured a comfortable life for my siblings and me, and I recognize how lucky I am to have their unwavering support and love. I feel fortunate to have found the love of my life at such a young age. He plays a significant role in my life, bringing me an abundance of love and happiness beyond what I could have envisioned for myself when imagining my ideal partner. As for my aspirations, I have always had a passion for dentistry for as long as I can remember.
I was born in Miami, Florida. My grandparents came from Cuba in the 1950s and started a new life in the United States. My parents met at the airport in 1994 and have been married since 1996. I have an older sister and a younger brother. My parents consistently ensured a comfortable life for my siblings and me, and I recognize how lucky I am to have their unwavering support and love. I went to a small all-girl public school which ultimately led me to the decision to choose Mount Holyoke, but I always contemplate how different my life would be if I had chosen to stay home like many had said. I feel fortunate to have found the love of my life at such a young age. He plays a significant role in my life, bringing me an abundance of love and happiness beyond what I could have envisioned for myself when imagining my ideal partner. As for my aspirations, I have always had a passion for dentistry for as long as I can remember. I hope one day I can achieve my goal of bringing happiness to others by enhancing their beautiful smiles.
Memory Loss Punctuated by Several Interesting Events
My life up to this point, have been like a scrap book. Some memories surrounded by a gilded frame, others, crumpled photos with creases and tears, peoples faces crossed out with markers. I’m three years old and all I want to be in life is a ballerina. I refuse to wear anything besides a leotard and tights and it drives my mother crazy. I’m seven, sitting in the back of a friends car while her mother drives me home from school. The friend excitedly tells me about plans for the weekend with other girls from school. She informs me I am not invited. I had been so excited to carpool. I’m ten, anxious to the point where I have to be taken out of school for my health. No one talks to me anymore when we go to pick up my sister. I’m twelve, I have a small pack of weird homeschooled kids who like me, and I like them. We run through woods together, and feel free. I’m thirteen and we’ve moved and I have nothing again. I’m still thirteen and I start to ride horses. I fall in love and cling to it, it carries me right towards my first abuser. I’m sixteen and I finally got away but my mental health crumbles around me, I don’t ride horses anymore. I’m seventeen and I find a new sport but I push myself too far and my mind collapses. I’m in the hospital. I’m eighteen and in the hospital again, my family is terrified. I’m nineteen and have almost died. It was a medication and it wasn’t my fault. I wake up with the last two years of my life gone but the doctors say that’s the best case scenario. Amnesia makes me the main character I suppose. I’m twenty and I meet the love of my life in a community college latin class. I get a B in the class, I could have gotten an A but I was distracted. I’m twenty-three and I’m at Mount Holyoke. I find my people. I love them, they love me. My life is no longer a scrapbook.
I am from a small town close to MHC, in Florence, MA. I could tell you little about my life before high school, but what I do remember is always running, playing sports, laughing, and creating stories with my twin sister. I went to a variety of schools in my life for different reasons, many of them I liked. The high school I ended up at was a largely conservative place filled with people who had known each other for their whole lives. Through sheer determination, I graduated and made it out into college. However, this was still an imperfect fit and I transferred to Mount Holyoke. Now, at MHC I have finally found a place where I feel like I belong.
I was born in a small town in the North of Germany 23 years ago. As a child, I always listened to my mother’s bedtime stories with joy. After having learned how to read, I started to immerse myself in the world of books and I absorbed every single word. When I turned 14, I did horribly in my English class at school and my parents decided to send me to a summer school in England. This experience certainly paved the way for my becoming an English major. After that year, I excelled in my English class. After graduating from High school, I booked a one-way ticket to Canada and ended up staying one and a half years. It’s where I discovered my passion for traveling, met some of my closest friends, and rediscovered my interest in the English language. When Covid hit I moved into my van and decided to learn how to appreciate nature, far away from people hoarding toilet paper and pasta. Summer quickly turned into fall and I simply could not live in my van anymore. I moved to Lisbon and stayed there for another six months before returning to Germany. I applied for an American Studies program at a university suddenly everything fell into place. I went from an 18-year-old with no plan but a desire to see the world to a college student being granted a scholarship to study in the US. I am here and I am ready for what’s to come.
I was born in Miami, Florida. The second oldest out of four. My mother came to America first, it was just me and her for almost a year until my father and sister could come to the States. I grew up nice and shy but also stubborn, opinionated, and hyperaware. Growing up in a place where I could usually count on one hand the amount of Black people who were present really formed who I was for a good majority of my childhood. No matter how “normal” my situation was to me, because I was born there, I always felt weird about the certain actions of my peers and teachers, but I never had the words or knowledge to fully express what I felt the issue was. It was very difficult for me. This realization was made only after many years of disconnection and a sense of “otherness” without intention, I hope, from my classmates.
My family is quite religious and I would be the one to question the rules and structure. I always wanted to know why while pretending I knew everything already. These qualities led to clashing with family, teachers, and friends. Reflecting my middle school days. Growing out of being completely unwavering was hard to learn because I thought I was compromising myself, when I was not.
I went to two different highschools my first two years. I was uncomfortable and not as happy as I could be, so I transferred. For the next two years I was in a highschool located inside of a college. This program academically challenged me while connecting me with such amazing people who changed me into the person I am today. I graduated with an AA degree, Highschool diploma, and scholarship. Currently I am still learning more about my career path while at Mount Holyoke and expanding my experiences.
Colorado has been my home for my entire life. Now when you think of Colorado, you might think of Denver or Boulder, the big city centers of Colorado, but I am not from the city. I am from rural Colorado, also known as Grand Junction. I live 23 miles from the Utah border, meaning I am quite literally in the desert and in the middle of nowhere. I went to a public charter school, kindergarten through 12th grade. That was actual hell because it was a primarily white Christian Republican high school and I am a liberal atheist. Every single day I was told I was “going to hell” or I was given a bible to “save me.” What a time in my life.
When I was younger I struggled to stay above water with school. I was always an athlete, since I was like 2 I was skiing, and then I joined team sports such as basketball and lacrosse in the 4th grade. The sports came easy to me, the schooling did not. However, something in me in high school kind of just clicked academically and I started to succeed.
Now, I sit here at Mount Holyoke college figuring out what I want to do with the rest of my life. I love it here in Massachusetts though. It’s beautiful and much more city-like and diverse, completely different from my town in Colorado. While at times I miss home a lot, it’s nice to have a life away from home, a life that I have completely to myself. I play lacrosse here and am studying English and Psychology, hoping to go into sports psychology but you never know, something may change along the way.
“You are just like your name only, cute and sweet!” , said the invigilator of the toughest exam in the country, that most parents in India, my homeland, don’t allow their daughters to appear in.
“You are indeed a ‘Radhika’!” , she added.
“My dad named me”, I said with a proud smile. Of course I was proud. My dad had always treated me in life, with more value and entitlement than I had ever thought I deserved. He never expected me to not go for difficult, big and magnificent goals, instead always wanted me to make my own strong identity in the world, and most importantly, in a much patriarchal society as of India.
Born on the funniest day of the year, my name should have been a joke or funny in general, but to a father who was eagerly waiting for a daughter in his arms, her name was an assignment that he had to score a 100 on!
Hence, comes ‘Radhika’, the name of the most beautiful and magnificent Hindu Goddess, the brown princess of Vrindawan, and the sweetheart of Krishna, his dearest Hindu God!
Not only did my father name his daughter after a Goddess, but has till date, respected, valued, loved and honored her like his pride.
21 responses to “Autobiographies”
Sitting here at MHC, it’s hard to see how I got to where I am today. Born in Virginia and spending my whole childhood in the south, western Mass seems like an odd choice. But, truthfully, all the events in my life have led me here, no matter how far away from my beginnings.
I suppose my life began in rural South Carolina. I started going to a small private school at the age of 5 and stayed in the same place for 10 years. Some of the time was good. Swim team, choir, and theatre kept me going. But most of it I don’t care to remember. You see, I was a closeted trans autistic lesbian in rural SC. My parents loved (and do love) and accepted me. Yet, bullied made every day a little harder than the one before. At 15, my parents and I fled SC and escaped to Delaware of all places. For a time, it was better with bullies long gone and real friends. It was all great until it wasn’t. There’s no need to go into detail about COVID-19. It combined with a biological disposition for depression resulted in some of my darkest moments. Lost and tired, running away to a world of fantasy. When college arrived, I took the opportunity to run and create my own world.
I was born and my lips were red, so I was named Ruby. My childhood began in the spring and perhaps fostered my love for bulbs and sunshine. I was an outdoor child, always playing with mud and building fairy houses, even when best friend Grace wanted to advance to more age appropriate activities. In most ways I am privileged; I have loving supportive parents, I was able to attend private institutions, and I have always had the best friends. In elementary school I went with my parents on two sabbatical years, the first being on an inland in Lake Michigan called Beaver Island, and the second being in Sarasota Florida, both of which followed the families of my mom and dad. These two years gave and took a lot from me, but gave me experiences I would never trade. When I was 13 I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, and after a few panic attacks I got used to needles. Since then it’s been a slough of oblivious children asking if they could catch it or if I was a robot, and annoyed glances when my medical alarms go off. In college those questions turned more academic, and the glances shifted from annoyed to surprised.
I have lived in Connecticut my whole life. I was taken out of public school in 3rd grade to transition to homeschooling, a decision that I am always thankful my parents made. It continued until 9th grade, when I was enrolled in public high school, a decision that I think my mom still sometimes regrets. I don’t. Homeschooling taught me that learning on my own can be fun and brought out my love for math and art, but high school taught me about people; how to socialize with the good ones and avoid the bad. I did not, for the most part, enjoy it, but I don’t regret it either. It helped me become more confident, more passionate about my interests. College taught me to love myself, to be more independent, and set personal goals. All these experiences of mine are important, since they lessen my fear of the future.
If I had to give a color to my life, it would be brown. Brown for the color of my father’s eyes, the color mine would turn with age. Brown for the cherry tree in my old backyard, for the floorboards—almost orange. Brown for the dirt of my childhood park, stuck in the crevices of my fingernails, for the ill-colored rocks lining the San Francisco Bay. Brown for Dahlia’s hair: curly, deep, flowing merrily from a two-story window. Brown for the worn leather jacket passed between two friends, and brown for the rotten color that friendship curdled into. Brown for the bricks of my home’s steps on a foggy January morning, for the look in my father’s eyes when he announced that he was leaving. Brown for the scaft I wear now that I’ve left, too. But most of all, brown because it has been so ordinary—natural. A life among lives.
I was born March 14, 2004, in Tucson, Arizona. I am the oldest of three brothers—the only daughter. We lived in Arizona for like three years before we moved to Iowa. I had a best friend who lived across the street from me named Teagan. She did my makeup sometimes. In the third grade, I moved to Kuwait. It was hard but I was optimistic. I had two brothers at this point, Henry and Calvin. We lived in an apartment building and almost every day I would go downstairs with Henry to call the other kid’s rooms on the phone in the lobby. My best friend was Raisa. She lived in the apartment above mine. Wes was born in Kuwait. We lived there for four years and then we moved to Virginia. It was devastating. I was in seventh grade and it was the hardest thing I had ever done. But I made friends, went through a few groups. I met my best friend early, but we didn’t become best friends until junior year. I think I always knew though. Her name is Jennifer and we are still best friends. I chose here for college because it was the only place I got into. I met my best friend Kate on the first day. Orientation group. Lucky. We are roommates now. Sweet.
I was born in Michigan. Then we moved to New York. I got my tonsils out there and when I was four we moved to Minnesota. I don’t remember the first two states. I have memories of being told what happened there but nothing uniquely my own. In Minnesota, I gained consciousness. I gained interests, a personality. I was fast and raced the boys on the playground — then bragged about my victories at the dinner table every day. I was smart — advanced courses and quick times on my multiplication tables. I realized these two victories were important to how I viewed myself. Then I moved to California and lost my coveted ability to exist in frigid climates. I started running track and began to measure my worth more and more by my classroom performance. It was sunny in California. I didn’t feel sunny. I felt feelings more there and I didn’t escape these feelings until six years later at Mount Holyoke. But in between, I moved again. I hated North Carolina. It was 2016 and I held a grudge. But I kept on with it, made close friends, cried over grades, and started winning races. Time continued and before I knew it, I wasn’t the same person that I was in Minnesota or California. At Mount Holyoke, I changed again and became this version of me. I grew up again but this time just a bit lighter.
My name is Hailey Noa Balinbin. I was born on March 25, 2004, around 7 AM. My mom can never give me an exact time. That makes me an Aries sun, Aries rising, and Taurus moon. I was instantly baptized Catholic. I am a California girl. I was born in Mountain View, lived in Sunnyvale as a baby, moved to Campbell to start preschool, and then moved to South San Jose right before I started high school. Now I live in South Hadley and attend Mount Holyoke College. If there were another place to call home it would be Ewa Beach, Hawaii. I am an only child— friends with my mom, dad, and my dogs— Oreo (may he rest in peace), Toby, and Cody. It’s just us in California and since everyone else lives in Ewa, it feels more like home there, than in California. I celebrated my first birthday at the beach across from Ala Moana Mall. I grew up flying on Hawaiian Airlines. Taking yearly trips there to run around with my cousins on Kauiki Street, stay up late to light fireworks in the street during barbecues, and pick katudai flowers for my grandma. Though technically my parent’s home, I also call it mine since I’ve always felt my most authentic self there. There was never enough space to feel that at private, Catholic Bay Area schools. I attended three Catholic schools— all with silly plaid skirts.
I am Kate Donovan-Maher. I was raised in Hanover, Ma, but born in Nashua, NH. My parents adopted me at birth. I have a younger brother and sister, both adopted, but they were born in Colorado. I went to Milton Academy where I studied and became interested in Latin and Ancient Greek. I graduated in the midst of COVID-19, and I now attend Mount Holyoke College. I am double majoring in Environmental Studies and English. My family and I spend our summers on Cape Cod, and for the past two years I have worked as a waitress. This past summer, I also interned at MASSTC, testing septic systems for their nitrogen and phosphorus outputs.
I was born to older parents. Given their age, and all the animals we grew up with – until the moment I was born, my mother hoped I would come out with four paws and a fluffy tail – we were very acquainted with death. I am a great plus one to a funeral.
They had me because my father had three sons and wanted a daughter. I was born on a leap year, which in a fantasy world might account for my persistent feeling of missing-ness, or that I’m running out of time. It was also an olympic year, and an election year. I maintain that I was born early just so I could be an aquarius (and in fact, so I could have all three air signs as my big three. I’m floating away out here.) I was almost a pisces, which, let’s be honest, would have been a lot for everyone. Speaking of a lot – after me, my parents had one more, because my mother was worried I would be a handful. I was anyway! My first memory is the day my brother was born.
We have lived in the same house my whole life. It backs up to a forest, and it was a beautiful place to grow up. My favorite part was a cherry tree in the front yard that was propagated from a cutting taken from D.C., when my grandfather emigrated from Greece to America through Ellis Island. I would climb up and sit in the wide base of the tree. I felt like I could see everything from there. I felt like a person with a story.
That said, I don’t remember much of my childhood, and what I do remember is very fragmented, disordered. There was a lot about me we didn’t know. I am autistic, which came along with depression, anxiety, and all their fun friends when I was still very small. I knew I was queer+trans when I was pretty young, which entails its own long and epic saga I won’t regale you with.
By high school, I had finally started doing what I’d wanted to my entire life: music & theater – a very confusing turn of events for my visual artist parents. I’m still not very good at it, but sometimes we have to do things for the joy of them. I did a lot of activism work that I’d like to get back to, if I can manage it. 2020 was busy. The world did feel like it was coming to an end, but there were some bright spots. I began a relationship with my current partner after being joined at the hip for years. I began taking psychiatric medication and, in an exciting turn of events, experienced joy for the first time in at least a decade. It made me want to be here, and pulled me out of severe dissociation. I had a semi-successful coming out as trans after a few test runs & started doing workshops with a LGBTQ+ youth arts organization that I still work with today. They encouraged me to pursue higher education in writing & drama.
2020 was also the year I began having more noticeable, or disabling, physical health issues. I’d had quirks my whole life that began intensifying in 2017, but that year, they began to get in the way of life. Unfortunately, it’s been downhill from there. It feels like I’ve seen every doctor in New England, not to much effect. I have a really difficult time with not feeling believed, and if nothing else, seeing so many doctors has taken the edge off, there. I am often surprised by what humans can adapt to.
…Long story short, I was a little kid who loved to read & write, sing, dance, and play pretend… and I grew up to be a slightly happier version of them, who still loves trees, and sees a lot of beauty in a lot of things.
I was born in Riverside California on May 20, 2002, at 12:10, one minute after my Emma twin sister was born. My older sister Lily, Emma, my parent, and I lived in Riverside California until I was five years old when we moved to Salem Oregon. I spent the rest of my childhood there. I played many sports, such as soccer, swimming and gymnastics. I was even on a bowling league for a little while but volleyball in middle school and tennis in high school were the biggest sports for me. My mom was a Professor while I was growing up so she drove to be very academic. In high school I was in many clubs, and honor classes as well as really into government studies. Being a twin is a large part of who I am. Growing up as a twin is amazing but hard. I always had her with me but we were always brought compared. Once at Mount Holyoke, I began to become more of my own person. I started studying politics and made some amazing friends. I have one semester left here and I have truly enjoyed all my time at Mount Holyoke.
I grew up in a small, picturesque town in Western Massachusetts called Shelburne Falls. It has a river running through it, which, during Hurricane Irene, almost swallowed the town whole. I remember the river that day, it was brown and swollen and angry. I was 10. I was interviewed about it by the local news, but, much to my chagrin, never made it onto TV.
I consider Shelburne Falls to be my hometown, but because I moved and changed schools a lot during my youth, I never really felt connected to one place or community. The summer before eighth grade I moved to Ohio. My grandmother became ill and the responsibility of taking care of her fell to my single mother. My memories of Ohio are mostly blurry, which is probably a good thing. It was a hard time for everyone.
After my grandmother passed away, we moved back to Massachusetts – this time to Northampton, which, to me, felt like a big city. During high school I fell in love with theater, specifically acting, which pushed me out of my shell more than I could have ever imagined. In addition to acting I have always loved art, and ended up majoring in it at MHC. I have always found comfort in expressing my creativity. Creating forces me to be in the here and now, which is something I cherish.
I am a Francis Perkins older student. Story of my life: Grew up in a small town and when the rain would fall down I just stared out my window. wanted to belong here but something felt so wrong here so I prayed I will get away (Kelly Clarkson song captures some of life). I moved had 2 children and survived. Survived the unimaginable started my education path to gain my freedom in my 30’s. I am bilingual-love nature- nature is my medicine- been interested in healing myself, questioning why I am here and psychological thirsty for knowledge to find more about myself in a more fun way.
I was born on a bathroom floor at midnight. That was not how my birth was planned, so I had a surprise entrance into the world. For the first 8 years of my life, I lived in the same house I was born in, in a small town called Amity, Oregon. I played outside most of those days, with my brother, imagining various stories and characters. The summer before I turned 9, my family moved to Salem, Oregon. I met my best friend Maddie on the first day of third grade. We lived walking distance from each other, and spent many days of my childhood together. Middle school was an uneventful period of my life, except for a couple month sickness with mono in the seventh grade, where I didn’t finish the grade. But I always worked hard in school with professor parents, so I caught up quick. In high school, I played the flute in marching band so I knew older friends to enjoy teenage life early. But then I got sick of it, and was ready to move on, far, far away. In 2022, I graduated High School, and moved across the country to go to college in Massachusetts.
I was born in Miami, Florida. My grandparents came from Cuba in the 1950s and started a new life in the United States. My parents met at the airport in 1994 and have been married since 1996. I have an older sister and a younger brother. My parents consistently ensured a comfortable life for my siblings and me, and I recognize how lucky I am to have their unwavering support and love. I feel fortunate to have found the love of my life at such a young age. He plays a significant role in my life, bringing me an abundance of love and happiness beyond what I could have envisioned for myself when imagining my ideal partner. As for my aspirations, I have always had a passion for dentistry for as long as I can remember.
I was born in Miami, Florida. My grandparents came from Cuba in the 1950s and started a new life in the United States. My parents met at the airport in 1994 and have been married since 1996. I have an older sister and a younger brother. My parents consistently ensured a comfortable life for my siblings and me, and I recognize how lucky I am to have their unwavering support and love. I went to a small all-girl public school which ultimately led me to the decision to choose Mount Holyoke, but I always contemplate how different my life would be if I had chosen to stay home like many had said. I feel fortunate to have found the love of my life at such a young age. He plays a significant role in my life, bringing me an abundance of love and happiness beyond what I could have envisioned for myself when imagining my ideal partner. As for my aspirations, I have always had a passion for dentistry for as long as I can remember. I hope one day I can achieve my goal of bringing happiness to others by enhancing their beautiful smiles.
Memory Loss Punctuated by Several Interesting Events
My life up to this point, have been like a scrap book. Some memories surrounded by a gilded frame, others, crumpled photos with creases and tears, peoples faces crossed out with markers. I’m three years old and all I want to be in life is a ballerina. I refuse to wear anything besides a leotard and tights and it drives my mother crazy. I’m seven, sitting in the back of a friends car while her mother drives me home from school. The friend excitedly tells me about plans for the weekend with other girls from school. She informs me I am not invited. I had been so excited to carpool. I’m ten, anxious to the point where I have to be taken out of school for my health. No one talks to me anymore when we go to pick up my sister. I’m twelve, I have a small pack of weird homeschooled kids who like me, and I like them. We run through woods together, and feel free. I’m thirteen and we’ve moved and I have nothing again. I’m still thirteen and I start to ride horses. I fall in love and cling to it, it carries me right towards my first abuser. I’m sixteen and I finally got away but my mental health crumbles around me, I don’t ride horses anymore. I’m seventeen and I find a new sport but I push myself too far and my mind collapses. I’m in the hospital. I’m eighteen and in the hospital again, my family is terrified. I’m nineteen and have almost died. It was a medication and it wasn’t my fault. I wake up with the last two years of my life gone but the doctors say that’s the best case scenario. Amnesia makes me the main character I suppose. I’m twenty and I meet the love of my life in a community college latin class. I get a B in the class, I could have gotten an A but I was distracted. I’m twenty-three and I’m at Mount Holyoke. I find my people. I love them, they love me. My life is no longer a scrapbook.
I am from a small town close to MHC, in Florence, MA. I could tell you little about my life before high school, but what I do remember is always running, playing sports, laughing, and creating stories with my twin sister. I went to a variety of schools in my life for different reasons, many of them I liked. The high school I ended up at was a largely conservative place filled with people who had known each other for their whole lives. Through sheer determination, I graduated and made it out into college. However, this was still an imperfect fit and I transferred to Mount Holyoke. Now, at MHC I have finally found a place where I feel like I belong.
I was born in a small town in the North of Germany 23 years ago. As a child, I always listened to my mother’s bedtime stories with joy. After having learned how to read, I started to immerse myself in the world of books and I absorbed every single word. When I turned 14, I did horribly in my English class at school and my parents decided to send me to a summer school in England. This experience certainly paved the way for my becoming an English major. After that year, I excelled in my English class. After graduating from High school, I booked a one-way ticket to Canada and ended up staying one and a half years. It’s where I discovered my passion for traveling, met some of my closest friends, and rediscovered my interest in the English language. When Covid hit I moved into my van and decided to learn how to appreciate nature, far away from people hoarding toilet paper and pasta. Summer quickly turned into fall and I simply could not live in my van anymore. I moved to Lisbon and stayed there for another six months before returning to Germany. I applied for an American Studies program at a university suddenly everything fell into place. I went from an 18-year-old with no plan but a desire to see the world to a college student being granted a scholarship to study in the US. I am here and I am ready for what’s to come.
I was born in Miami, Florida. The second oldest out of four. My mother came to America first, it was just me and her for almost a year until my father and sister could come to the States. I grew up nice and shy but also stubborn, opinionated, and hyperaware. Growing up in a place where I could usually count on one hand the amount of Black people who were present really formed who I was for a good majority of my childhood. No matter how “normal” my situation was to me, because I was born there, I always felt weird about the certain actions of my peers and teachers, but I never had the words or knowledge to fully express what I felt the issue was. It was very difficult for me. This realization was made only after many years of disconnection and a sense of “otherness” without intention, I hope, from my classmates.
My family is quite religious and I would be the one to question the rules and structure. I always wanted to know why while pretending I knew everything already. These qualities led to clashing with family, teachers, and friends. Reflecting my middle school days. Growing out of being completely unwavering was hard to learn because I thought I was compromising myself, when I was not.
I went to two different highschools my first two years. I was uncomfortable and not as happy as I could be, so I transferred. For the next two years I was in a highschool located inside of a college. This program academically challenged me while connecting me with such amazing people who changed me into the person I am today. I graduated with an AA degree, Highschool diploma, and scholarship. Currently I am still learning more about my career path while at Mount Holyoke and expanding my experiences.
Colorado has been my home for my entire life. Now when you think of Colorado, you might think of Denver or Boulder, the big city centers of Colorado, but I am not from the city. I am from rural Colorado, also known as Grand Junction. I live 23 miles from the Utah border, meaning I am quite literally in the desert and in the middle of nowhere. I went to a public charter school, kindergarten through 12th grade. That was actual hell because it was a primarily white Christian Republican high school and I am a liberal atheist. Every single day I was told I was “going to hell” or I was given a bible to “save me.” What a time in my life.
When I was younger I struggled to stay above water with school. I was always an athlete, since I was like 2 I was skiing, and then I joined team sports such as basketball and lacrosse in the 4th grade. The sports came easy to me, the schooling did not. However, something in me in high school kind of just clicked academically and I started to succeed.
Now, I sit here at Mount Holyoke college figuring out what I want to do with the rest of my life. I love it here in Massachusetts though. It’s beautiful and much more city-like and diverse, completely different from my town in Colorado. While at times I miss home a lot, it’s nice to have a life away from home, a life that I have completely to myself. I play lacrosse here and am studying English and Psychology, hoping to go into sports psychology but you never know, something may change along the way.
“You are just like your name only, cute and sweet!” , said the invigilator of the toughest exam in the country, that most parents in India, my homeland, don’t allow their daughters to appear in.
“You are indeed a ‘Radhika’!” , she added.
“My dad named me”, I said with a proud smile. Of course I was proud. My dad had always treated me in life, with more value and entitlement than I had ever thought I deserved. He never expected me to not go for difficult, big and magnificent goals, instead always wanted me to make my own strong identity in the world, and most importantly, in a much patriarchal society as of India.
Born on the funniest day of the year, my name should have been a joke or funny in general, but to a father who was eagerly waiting for a daughter in his arms, her name was an assignment that he had to score a 100 on!
Hence, comes ‘Radhika’, the name of the most beautiful and magnificent Hindu Goddess, the brown princess of Vrindawan, and the sweetheart of Krishna, his dearest Hindu God!
Not only did my father name his daughter after a Goddess, but has till date, respected, valued, loved and honored her like his pride.
P.S : I was born on April 1st!