I am really growing into myself

I am from Kirkland, WA. I do have five siblings who are significantly older than me, however I am from a blended family. This has been difficult at times but I place a lot of value in family. Throughout much of my life, I have been interested and involved in theater and performing arts. I have found that being in theater gave me something to be passionate about, and through it, I have learned how to be myself. In theater you have to be both confident and vulnerable, and for many of my formative years, this was an issue. In high school, I developed depression, following several people in my family. I never felt that talking about my feelings was welcome, as my boyfriend who was my first intense love left me because he did not know how to handle me. It was only me being who I believe I am, empathetic. This only made my depression worse and it was truly difficult to deal with. All of these things made me really excited for college. I viewed it as a fresh start and a clean slate. No one would know me and I could redefine myself and find people and friends who I value being around. My life has been far improved since I came to SPU. I feel that I am really growing into myself and coming out of my shell. I have found a major that excites me, and I feel that I am more confident and comfortable with my actions and myself. One of the best parts would have to be my boyfriend. We met in writing class and have only been together for nine and a half months, but I already have a feeling that we are going to get married and live life together. He has been one of the best parts of my support system and my life.