Hello, my name is Melaina! I am in The School of Arts and Sciences at Rutgers. I hope to gain admission to the Graduate School of Education in my Junior year in order to become an Elementary School Teacher. I also hope that in my time here at Rutgers I am able to study abroad in Australia.
My Grandma 1950
I would like travel as much as possible in my life in order to experience different places and ways of life. I love dogs, food, and flowers to name a few and I dislike when it is sunny and raining at the same time, rude people, and math.
A Flower Cart in Havana, Cuba from my visit in June of 2016. I love flowers.
I am from a small town called Lincroft that is within Middletown, New Jersey. Middletown is 15 to 20 minutes from the beach so my summer days are spent at the local beaches, working, and hanging out with friends and family. I come from a large family so at times there can be a large crowd of 15 of us all sitting and tanning in the direction of the sun, talking and laughing.
Belmar Beach, New Jersey. My Favorite Summer Time Spot.
My childhood was amazing due to my mother Marie Elaine, she raised my two sisters, Nicole and Danielle and myself all on her own since I was four years-old. Unfortunately, my father is no longer in the picture because he passed away when I was four in an accident. I am lucky to have such a great family to remind me of what he was like and a few memories of him that I hold near to my heart. He loved to play checkers with us, clean, mow his lawn, and play jokes. One time, he squirted ketchup in a napkin and held me with it on my face. As my sister and mom walked in the door I faked the best cry I could. It nearly scared my mom and sister half to death but it made my dad and I crack up. That is one of the few vivid memories I had. I am the middle child which is a unique experience because I have the ability to be the younger annoying inexperienced sister and at the same time the wise older sister. My family and I have an amazing bond that I would not trade for anything.
My Mom and Dad on their wedding day, Wednesday November 4th, 1992.
Growing up I loved animals, but my mom did not, I wanted to be a horse hair-stylist (which is not a thing) and have a million dogs. I ended up braiding and cutting my toy horses hair and filled the void of a dog with many many stuffed animals and my Grandma's dog Bailey.
Bailey, My Grandma's Dog.
The picture below is of the stickers on my lap top. From these Stickers, one can tell a lot about my interests and likes and who I am. I am passionate about Women's Rights, Environmental Issues, Rock n' Roll, The Office and well the rest you can tell.
The Stickers that Cover my Lap Top
A Picture I Took at The Woman's March January 21st, 2017
Being a child in my town was a cliche, the neighborhood kids and I road bikes around the block, played man hunt, and large baseball games. My Junior High experience was nothing but an awkward moment of time where I tried to pull of the whole eye liner look, it was simply tragic. Breaking into high school, I found my passions and beliefs and developed strong morals. One of my fondest memories of High School was art class. My teacher was the absolute best, she was there for you to help with your work and also problems that were going on in your life. I absolutely love making art (even though I am not the best) and viewing others work too. It is the one concept that cannot be right or wrong because you see what you see and it you feel how you feel.
Me and My Work at My High Schools Art Show 2017
While my music tastes range I am a huge fan of Classic Rock. Stevie Nicks and her band Fleetwood Mac are the most amazing group of musicians I have ever heard. My obsession started with the song "Gypsy" introduced to me by my mom. Seeing Stevie Nicks in concert last year was easily one of my top 10 best moments.
Me and My Sisters Record Collection
Well this is me, and I will leave you with the quote my Grandfather left me with in the picture below, it is something I live by.
A Quote About Success by Ralph Waldo Emerson in my Grandfather's Hand Writing
Ahhh! I always wanted to visit Australia too. Although I don't have the time to do a semester abroad. It's so funny that you used to cut your toy horse's hair, because I used to love playing with toy horses. Not so much infatuated with their hair, but purely taking out my brother's action figures thinking my horses ruled the world "LOL". Lastly, your art work looks great to me, so I don't know why you would think you aren't that great of an artist.
My favorite description so far in any of the blog posts is your desire to be a horse-braider. Of course that's what you wanted to be! It's just that I've never heard it put that way. Much of your writing is like this--surprising and funny and vivid. You succeed in doing this most when you are specific, as when you mention one of your earliest memories of your dad with the ketchup practical joke. When you're less specific (as in when describing riding bikes through the neighborhood), the writing pales in comparison. Name the street, name the bikes, describe the setting. You rode a red Schwinn with rusty brakes down Lagoon Drive with your best friend, Wallis Payne. Your job is to paint the picture first in words. You're good at this, so push yourself to do this. In every moment. Secondly, losing your dad at such a young age is often very impactful for personal development. Is this something you want to explore/discover? How much photographic or video evidence do you have of him? Just an idea, but a fairly rich final project could be your attempt to figure out more about him. It's up to you. A balance between your engaging, funny voice and issues that truly do matter to you will be the most rewarding.
Ahhh! I always wanted to visit Australia too. Although I don't have the time to do a semester abroad. It's so funny that you used to cut your toy horse's hair, because I used to love playing with toy horses. Not so much infatuated with their hair, but purely taking out my brother's action figures thinking my horses ruled the world "LOL". Lastly, your art work looks great to me, so I don't know why you would think you aren't that great of an artist.
ReplyDeleteDear Melaina,
ReplyDeleteMy favorite description so far in any of the blog posts is your desire to be a horse-braider. Of course that's what you wanted to be! It's just that I've never heard it put that way. Much of your writing is like this--surprising and funny and vivid. You succeed in doing this most when you are specific, as when you mention one of your earliest memories of your dad with the ketchup practical joke. When you're less specific (as in when describing riding bikes through the neighborhood), the writing pales in comparison. Name the street, name the bikes, describe the setting. You rode a red Schwinn with rusty brakes down Lagoon Drive with your best friend, Wallis Payne. Your job is to paint the picture first in words. You're good at this, so push yourself to do this. In every moment. Secondly, losing your dad at such a young age is often very impactful for personal development. Is this something you want to explore/discover? How much photographic or video evidence do you have of him? Just an idea, but a fairly rich final project could be your attempt to figure out more about him. It's up to you. A balance between your engaging, funny voice and issues that truly do matter to you will be the most rewarding.