Day 1: Who Am I?

                First and foremost, my name is Katlin Elizabeth Strzelecki and I hail from the mitten (Which is Michigan for those of you who do not know what that is). My surroundings are quite opposite of those in Chicago. The home I’m from is a constant rumbling of chaos and love, consisting of me, my incredible mother who doubles as my best friend, my two younger brothers who are the most amazing human-beings to have come into my life and the only men I’ll ever need, and my dog(aka my child), Bella. For having only one parent, my life, to me, is completely normal. Being away though is the most selfish and heart-wrenching thing I've ever had to do thus far in my life. To be away from my brothers and mom has meant that I can't drop them off at school, go to their sports games, attend field trips or give them a hug good night. By being here at Columbia though, I know that I'm going to be able to make them proud. And truly, that's all I want to do.

               As long as I can remember, all I have ever wanted to do was create. Whether that means to write, draw, paint, write music or take photos, I've always needed to take all of what was going on inside of me and funnel it out into some kind of outlet. For me, that outlet is the one thing that has always kept me sane and sufficient. Through high school, I had a tough time because I was always the weird girl who never went to school or didn't do my work. It wasn't that I didn't understand, it was that I couldn't find a purpose to do what they were telling me. It was always so analytical and structured, nothing was a challenge and at the same time that was a challenge in itself. My senior year I finally just got out of public school and went online. Strangely enough, I graduated with almost all A's from my online high school.
               
                 For the past year and a half though, I stayed home to help my mom with my brothers. It was the most rewarding year of my life because I was finally making a difference in something and I really felt accomplished for being able to not only help shape my brothers lives, but to help my mom. I finally decided that I couldn't stay in the town I'm from anymore, that I had to get out now or I was afraid I never would. Being here, to study photography, is all I've ever wanted since I was 8 years old. And to be honest, I owe everything to my mom. She's the greatest inspiration in my life. Without her I wouldn't be in this incredible city, taking the first steps to live the life I've always wanted to life.

             



         


           So the prompt today raises the question, "who am I?". To answer it simply and perfectly honestly is to say this:
               
          I am Katlin. I'm my mothers daughter and my brothers big sister. Photography is my life's passion and Chicago is my life's destination. Harry Potter and Doctor Who are my obsession. I'm a Buddhist and a tattoo fiend. And I'm still in the process of becoming the best human being I can possibly be.