Vega, 1

Aliah Veg

Jody Hankis Snyder/ Alexa Holl

Senior Capstone

March 30, 2022

A Beautiful Mess

On October 16, 2003, a little girl named Aliah was born to Rebecca and Hector Vega in a

family with four other children. One thing about me is I love people and helping them. It's

interesting to see others' perspectives, understandings, and ideas; It helps me understand myself

and others. I love helping people because I know what it’s like not to feel okay or confident.

Which is what I struggled a lot with growing up. I didn’t have much growing up or even now,

but it has shaped me to be the person I am today, and I am proud of who I am.

Growing up, I was a strange kid. I always felt like people didn’t understand me, and

sometimes I still feel this way today. Because I never felt understood, I never liked talking to

people, especially in school. I preferred to be alone because that is where I felt most competent

and comfortable. Until my senior year, I have always been the same, my hair down, struck with

fear, too scared to change any minor detail about myself or even express who I am. My mind

tricked itself into believing that everyone was criticizing me and judging me. This had a massive

impact on my self-esteem and confidence. My solace was a delusion that prevented me from

seeing the world for what it was. Then I realized that nobody cares about what I'm doing because

they are focused on their self-image, and in the end, don't we all want to look good? But I

became obsessed with this idea, and it consumed my headspace. I didn't know how to be myself.

Because of this, I didn’t have any friends up until my sophomore year. I also didn’t change

anything about myself because I was not fond of the attention it brought. Then, I met my best
 Vega, 2

friend, Rusell. She is the opposite of me, an extrovert, she seeks interactions with people. She

brought attention to me, which made me uncomfortable, but it allowed for growth. She showed

me how to get out of my shell and do things that made me uncomfortable. It was the first time I

peeked out the curtain to see another world that wasn't what I had known in my mind. It was

kind of like a culture shock. I have never looked at life and ideas in any other way than what I

have known. She showed me her perspective and how to be myself, and I am so grateful to her.

In addition, pushing myself to try new things is hard. It took me two years to sign up for

Kent Career Technical Center, a program that focuses on career readiness. There are many

programs that one can choose from, but I chose Networking & Cybersecurity. Deciding which

program I wanted to take was challenging because I love learning. I wanted to learn about them

all. But, what separates the other programs from the one I chose is my interest in how tech

companies take advantage of their users and their overall negative impact on society's mental

health. This interest also stems from seeing the damaging effects that social media has had on

me, my family, and my friends. I have observed from the people around me that they struggle to

be in the present moment because they are constantly consuming media. It’s like an addiction.

Researchers have searched the reason why social media is used so much, “When the outcome is

unpredictable, the behavior is more likely to repeat…Think of a slot machine: if game players

knew they never were going to get money by playing the game, then they never would play. The

idea of a potential future reward keeps the machines in use” (McLean). Social media has the

same effect as casinos and gambling, making it just as dangerous, affecting many aspects of our

lives. I think tech companies should make the platform less addicting and/or educate consumers

about the effects of long term usage. Learning about this interest is my passion, and technology

is something I want to pursue after high school.

 Vega, 3

After high school, I plan to attend college at Grand Valley State University, majoring in

cybersecurity. I am someone who wants to get early experience working in the field, so I will

probably get an internship for the summer to save up for college. I was admitted into a program

that is going to help pay for college, “Our new program is simple: We pledge that admitted

students who meet the shortlist of other criteria below will be automatically awarded full

undergraduate tuition and course fees, renewable for up to four years” (Grand Valley State

University). If it weren’t for this program, I would not be able to pay for college. I am looking

forward to my college experience. While studying, I want to work on myself as much as

possible, have good habits, a healthy lifestyle, create new friends, and live up the experience

because I have lived most of my life sheltered by my comfort.

I have had so many good and bad experiences growing up, and throughout high school.

These experiences have allowed me to get a better understanding of people and myself; it has

allowed me to grow in ways I didn’t think were possible. In general, it has shaped me into the

person I am today. I am very thankful for the people who have helped me along the way, and I

hope to do the same for others. I can't wait for the opportunities that are waiting for me after high

school.
 Vega, 4

Works Cited

McLean HarvardMedical School “Here’s How Social Media Affects Your Mental Health |

McLean Hospital.” McLean HarvardMedical School, 21 Jan. 2022,

www.mcleanhospital.org/essential/it-or-not-social-medias-affecting-your-mental-health.

Valley, G. (2022). Grand Valley State University. Grand Valley Pledge - Grand Valley State

University. Retrieved April 9, 2022, from https://www.gvsu.edu/gvpledge/