Who is Emily Carion you ask? This is where the answer gets a little complicated, personally, I think all of your experiences, thoughts, emotions, etc. go into who you are. Each decision you make in your life can take you a different direction and our perceptions are constantly being altered or influenced by them. This answer can be quite simple, if you choose to stay on the surface.

If you’re wondering who surface level Emily is, that’s easy. I currently attend Grand Valley State University where I am pursuing an Advertising and Public Relations degree to complete my Bachelor of Science. I love the idea of being able to incorporate my creativeness into my job one day, and with advertising being an upcoming and growing market, I think this is the right place to be. I am 21 years old, and well, still figuring myself out. I come from a smaller town on the east side of Michigan called Oxford. This is the type of town where you know pretty much everyone in your graduating class, and you find a small group of people who you spend your time with. At home it’s just my parents and I and our dog Sammy. We live on a small lake which I wouldn’t trade growing up on for the world, there’s something about living on a lake that makes life more enjoyable. I am a big advocate for routine, I feel more organized and I minimize my stress this way. Everyone’s stress relief is different but for me, I found working out. I make sure to consistently work out as it helps me clear my head every day and keeps me healthy. As for what I enjoy in life, anything artistic has always grabbed my attention. Things such as photography, painting, interior design. I try and express myself through art when I can. I also enjoy traveling, I always dreamed of seeing the world, and I hope I get to one day.

In today’s world, we tend to focus on the surface level aspects of each people we meet. Only few people in this life really get to know us deep down. Personally, i think that’s where people really need to start opening up to so we can create more bonds with the people around us. Each one of our experiences modifies us, even if they’re so small that we're unaware of it. The majority of people I met know me on a surface-level basis, however, there’s always more than meets the eye. For instance, a lot of people who know me wouldn’t know that I have been dealing with a health disorder for the past six years of my life. I went through countless doctors with no findings, multiple procedures and surgeries, and just recently did I get diagnosed with Endometriosis. This is actually a widespread disorder among females, but it is very rarely talked about due to the personal nature of the symptoms we have to deal with. Although I have had my struggles with this disorder, I don’t think I would be the person I am today without it. I have built patience and a deeper understanding that we really do not know what people are going through unless they tell us, and even than we most likely do not get the whole truth. Without this disorder, I wouldn’t be the strong woman I am today.

Academically, I have always been what you can consider a good student. In high school, the curriculum just came easy to me, I didn’t have to put forth a lot of effort to thoroughly understand the material I was learning. In college, that somewhat changed. I felt like I definitely had to learn how to put more work into learning the concepts I was being taught as a lot of the work is now on your own, you’re no longer in classes for 8 hours every day. This allowed me to learn myself in this sense, what strategies work the best for me to comprehend the material. I tend to be hard on myself when it comes to grades, I know what I am capable of. I dedicate a lot of my time to make sure I am completing my assignments on time and thoroughly understanding what I am learning. My tendency to organize really comes into play here, if I wasn’t able to keep track of due dates efficiently, I would be more of a mess. College is a huge growth period in my opinion, and in more ways than one.

Professionally, I have worked in the food service industry since I was 16. Working in restaurants has actually widened my perspective as an individual and definitely increased my respect for those that work in any service field. Customer service is a learning curve, not everyone you come across is going to be as nice as you are. You really learn how to communicate with people no matter their mood and well, to not ever take things personally. I have gotten a few customers who were not afraid to speak their mind, but you have to learn how to handle the situation. Serving has actually taught me many life lessons I never knew it would. I can communicate with almost anyone, when I used to be pretty shy and wouldn’t make much conversation with strangers growing up. You learn how to be a part of a team and do your part in helping the system operate more efficiently. Your multi-tasking ability really increases as I was constantly answering phone calls, putting in orders, and thinking ahead. After working the service industry for five years, you have a new appreciation for every service representative you come across.

The future me is a whole different conversation. I am not exactly sure where I want to end up quite yet, but I have a collection of small visions for myself. My whole life I have known I want to see the world. Whether that’s traveling the world, for a job or for leisure, or moving to new cities and indulging myself in a new way of life in each place I go. I want to meet new people and create new relationships. I want to love my job and feel like I want to go in every day, I’ve seen people first-hand who are unhappy at their job and to me, that is no way to live. Most importantly, I want to be happy in life. I want to do the things that feed my soul so I can be certain that I lived my life to the fullest when it comes to an end.

So that’s just a little bit about me.