Mahalia Barnes, Staff Writer
My name is Mahalia A Barnes and I'm 17 years old with a passion for writing and sharing my thoughts and ideas with people. I’m a very open person, ready to absorb knowledge and also give out. I was born on small island called Jamaica in a parish called St Catherine. I’m playful, happy, intelligent and curious. I chose these words to describe my personality because I'm always happy and feel the need to cheer others up. Intelligent why? Because people always tell me how intelligent I am when they talk to me. Curious, well I'm a very open-minded person, open to trying new things. I also ask a lot of questions. My talent is singing. I love to sing but only as a hobby. Due to this talent, I have a passion for music. I feed off of others' feelings through songs. I love songs with meaning because I feel as if I can feel what that person is going through whether good or bad. I had very wise people influenced my life at a very young age. I was taught to live life to the fullest, be kind and love hard. Growing up I suffered from an identity crisis: I just didn't fit in. I would mimic other people's personality so they would like me, causing me to realize I didn't know who I was.... Flash back to 4 years ago I was forced to learn self-love and acceptance and went on a journey on finding myself and I did. Fast forward to today; I have accomplished self-acceptance, self-love, the consciousness of my mind, my spirituality, and self-identity. But the journey doesn't end here. I'm on a journey to figuring out my purpose.