Red bricks and green grass, my first home sits waiting for me in the small town of Macomb, Michigan.My brothers had barely started playing with their new gifts to find out they had a new present coming just two days after Christmas.My presumptive family of four sits eagerly to find out the gender of their newest 5th member.To the dismay of my two older brothers who wanted another bro in the house, a little girl named Alyssa popped out.Baby blue skies and brisk weather born into memory, my parents bundle me up head to toe to go out to meet the family.However, one of the only things I can remember vividly about that time is the unexpected news that came when I was at the age of five...we were moving and the world I have come to call home was never going to be home again...It was bittersweet.On one hand, I already couldn’t imagine leaving the friends and relatives, but we were excited about the new opportunities that awaited us in Orange County, California.Leaving was hard but, it didn’t take long for our neighbors to welcome us and they had children close to my age, so it was easy to make friends.I grew to love California until a major fire broke out in the hills down the street from us.We were evacuated immediately, our car packed with our most memorable things.Luckily the fire was soon contained, however, it was a little too close to comfort.We packed up our things and moved off the hill settling not too far away in the valley of our town.Luckily, I loved the new house we moved into and felt like we were there to stay.By this time I was about six and in the groove with the school.For instance, one of my favorite birthday parties happened in this house.My dad and two brothers built a runway stage in our living room on my seventh birthday.All my friends and I got in our favorite dress-up outfits and walked down our homemade runway as all of our parents were the paparazzi.Not long after when I was about nine, my dad lost his job with the company that had us move to California.We had to condense down into a condo, and that’s when my life was impacted the most.My parents always fought and it was hard to listen to most of the time, but it went on for about 2 years before they got a divorce.My mom moved and staying with her, I switched to a new school and going back to ground zero.I didn’t see my dad much, lost numerous friends, and was letting go of everything that mattered most to me.I spent countless days after school at my best friends house when my mom couldn’t pick me up because of work.I struggled to find a home with every move.Venturing into high school was a terrifying experience for me.Luckily, I used what I had been doing my whole life and made a home in that community as well.I thought deeply about myself and my life journey so far and realized what I need above all else was to keep moving, to find a new home somewhere absolutely new.Where I could bring my personality, my love of movies and tv, and help it carry me to find a new home with an array of new faces.Ultimately, for the first time in my life, I have a real say in where I want to call home, and nevertheless, I couldn’t be more excited to pursue a new educational endeavor somewhere entirely new to me and beyond.

Red bricks and green grass, my first home sits waiting for me in the small town of Macomb, Michigan.My brothers had barely started playing with their new gifts to find out they had a new present coming just two days after Christmas.My presumptive family of four sits eagerly to find out the gender of their newest 5th member.To the dismay of my two older brothers who wanted another bro in the house, a little girl named Alyssa popped out.Baby blue skies and brisk weather born into memory, my parents bundle me up head to toe to go out to meet the family.However, one of the only things I can remember vividly about that time is the unexpected news that came when I was at the age of five...we were moving and the world I have come to call home was never going to be home again...It was bittersweet.On one hand, I already couldn’t imagine leaving the friends and relatives, but we were excited about the new opportunities that awaited us in Orange County, California.Leaving was hard but, it didn’t take long for our neighbors to welcome us and they had children close to my age, so it was easy to make friends.I grew to love California until a major fire broke out in the hills down the street from us.We were evacuated immediately, our car packed with our most memorable things.Luckily the fire was soon contained, however, it was a little too close to comfort.We packed up our things and moved off the hill settling not too far away in the valley of our town.Luckily, I loved the new house we moved into and felt like we were there to stay.By this time I was about six and in the groove with the school.For instance, one of my favorite birthday parties happened in this house.My dad and two brothers built a runway stage in our living room on my seventh birthday.All my friends and I got in our favorite dress-up outfits and walked down our homemade runway as all of our parents were the paparazzi.Not long after when I was about nine, my dad lost his job with the company that had us move to California.We had to condense down into a condo, and that’s when my life was impacted the most.My parents always fought and it was hard to listen to most of the time, but it went on for about 2 years before they got a divorce.My mom moved and staying with her, I switched to a new school and going back to ground zero.I didn’t see my dad much, lost numerous friends, and was letting go of everything that mattered most to me.I spent countless days after school at my best friends house when my mom couldn’t pick me up because of work.I struggled to find a home with every move.Venturing into high school was a terrifying experience for me.Luckily, I used what I had been doing my whole life and made a home in that community as well.I thought deeply about myself and my life journey so far and realized what I need above all else was to keep moving, to find a new home somewhere absolutely new.Where I could bring my personality, my love of movies and tv, and help it carry me to find a new home with an array of new faces.Ultimately, for the first time in my life, I have a real say in where I want to call home, and nevertheless, I couldn’t be more excited to pursue a new educational endeavor somewhere entirely new to me and beyond.

Red bricks and green grass, my first home sits waiting for me in the small town of Macomb, Michigan.My brothers had barely started playing with their new gifts to find out they had a new present coming just two days after Christmas.My presumptive family of four sits eagerly to find out the gender of their newest 5th member.To the dismay of my two older brothers who wanted another bro in the house, a little girl named Alyssa popped out.Baby blue skies and brisk weather born into memory, my parents bundle me up head to toe to go out to meet the family.However, one of the only things I can remember vividly about that time is the unexpected news that came when I was at the age of five...we were moving and the world I have come to call home was never going to be home again...It was bittersweet.On one hand, I already couldn’t imagine leaving the friends and relatives, but we were excited about the new opportunities that awaited us in Orange County, California.Leaving was hard but, it didn’t take long for our neighbors to welcome us and they had children close to my age, so it was easy to make friends.I grew to love California until a major fire broke out in the hills down the street from us.We were evacuated immediately, our car packed with our most memorable things.Luckily the fire was soon contained, however, it was a little too close to comfort.We packed up our things and moved off the hill settling not too far away in the valley of our town.Luckily, I loved the new house we moved into and felt like we were there to stay.By this time I was about six and in the groove with the school.For instance, one of my favorite birthday parties happened in this house.My dad and two brothers built a runway stage in our living room on my seventh birthday.All my friends and I got in our favorite dress-up outfits and walked down our homemade runway as all of our parents were the paparazzi.Not long after when I was about nine, my dad lost his job with the company that had us move to California.We had to condense down into a condo, and that’s when my life was impacted the most.My parents always fought and it was hard to listen to most of the time, but it went on for about 2 years before they got a divorce.My mom moved and staying with her, I switched to a new school and going back to ground zero.I didn’t see my dad much, lost numerous friends, and was letting go of everything that mattered most to me.I spent countless days after school at my best friends house when my mom couldn’t pick me up because of work.I struggled to find a home with every move.Venturing into high school was a terrifying experience for me.Luckily, I used what I had been doing my whole life and made a home in that community as well.I thought deeply about myself and my life journey so far and realized what I need above all else was to keep moving, to find a new home somewhere absolutely new.Where I could bring my personality, my love of movies and tv, and help it carry me to find a new home with an array of new faces.Ultimately, for the first time in my life, I have a real say in where I want to call home, and nevertheless, I couldn’t be more excited to pursue a new educational endeavor somewhere entirely new to me and beyond.

Red bricks and green grass, my first home sits waiting for me in the small town of Macomb, Michigan.My brothers had barely started playing with their new gifts to find out they had a new present coming just two days after Christmas.My presumptive family of four sits eagerly to find out the gender of their newest 5th member.To the dismay of my two older brothers who wanted another bro in the house, a little girl named Alyssa popped out.Baby blue skies and brisk weather born into memory, my parents bundle me up head to toe to go out to meet the family.However, one of the only things I can remember vividly about that time is the unexpected news that came when I was at the age of five...we were moving and the world I have come to call home was never going to be home again...It was bittersweet.On one hand, I already couldn’t imagine leaving the friends and relatives, but we were excited about the new opportunities that awaited us in Orange County, California.Leaving was hard but, it didn’t take long for our neighbors to welcome us and they had children close to my age, so it was easy to make friends.I grew to love California until a major fire broke out in the hills down the street from us.We were evacuated immediately, our car packed with our most memorable things.Luckily the fire was soon contained, however, it was a little too close to comfort.We packed up our things and moved off the hill settling not too far away in the valley of our town.Luckily, I loved the new house we moved into and felt like we were there to stay.By this time I was about six and in the groove with the school.For instance, one of my favorite birthday parties happened in this house.My dad and two brothers built a runway stage in our living room on my seventh birthday.All my friends and I got in our favorite dress-up outfits and walked down our homemade runway as all of our parents were the paparazzi.Not long after when I was about nine, my dad lost his job with the company that had us move to California.We had to condense down into a condo, and that’s when my life was impacted the most.My parents always fought and it was hard to listen to most of the time, but it went on for about 2 years before they got a divorce.My mom moved and staying with her, I switched to a new school and going back to ground zero.I didn’t see my dad much, lost numerous friends, and was letting go of everything that mattered most to me.I spent countless days after school at my best friends house when my mom couldn’t pick me up because of work.I struggled to find a home with every move.Venturing into high school was a terrifying experience for me.Luckily, I used what I had been doing my whole life and made a home in that community as well.I thought deeply about myself and my life journey so far and realized what I need above all else was to keep moving, to find a new home somewhere absolutely new.Where I could bring my personality, my love of movies and tv, and help it carry me to find a new home with an array of new faces.Ultimately, for the first time in my life, I have a real say in where I want to call home, and nevertheless, I couldn’t be more excited to pursue a new educational endeavor somewhere entirely new to me and beyond.

Red bricks and green grass, my first home sits waiting for me in the small town of Macomb, Michigan.My brothers had barely started playing with their new gifts to find out they had a new present coming just two days after Christmas.My presumptive family of four sits eagerly to find out the gender of their newest 5th member.To the dismay of my two older brothers who wanted another bro in the house, a little girl named Alyssa popped out.Baby blue skies and brisk weather born into memory, my parents bundle me up head to toe to go out to meet the family.However, one of the only things I can remember vividly about that time is the unexpected news that came when I was at the age of five...we were moving and the world I have come to call home was never going to be home again...It was bittersweet.On one hand, I already couldn’t imagine leaving the friends and relatives, but we were excited about the new opportunities that awaited us in Orange County, California.Leaving was hard but, it didn’t take long for our neighbors to welcome us and they had children close to my age, so it was easy to make friends.I grew to love California until a major fire broke out in the hills down the street from us.We were evacuated immediately, our car packed with our most memorable things.Luckily the fire was soon contained, however, it was a little too close to comfort.We packed up our things and moved off the hill settling not too far away in the valley of our town.Luckily, I loved the new house we moved into and felt like we were there to stay.By this time I was about six and in the groove with the school.For instance, one of my favorite birthday parties happened in this house.My dad and two brothers built a runway stage in our living room on my seventh birthday.All my friends and I got in our favorite dress-up outfits and walked down our homemade runway as all of our parents were the paparazzi.Not long after when I was about nine, my dad lost his job with the company that had us move to California.We had to condense down into a condo, and that’s when my life was impacted the most.My parents always fought and it was hard to listen to most of the time, but it went on for about 2 years before they got a divorce.My mom moved and staying with her, I switched to a new school and going back to ground zero.I didn’t see my dad much, lost numerous friends, and was letting go of everything that mattered most to me.I spent countless days after school at my best friends house when my mom couldn’t pick me up because of work.I struggled to find a home with every move.Venturing into high school was a terrifying experience for me.Luckily, I used what I had been doing my whole life and made a home in that community as well.I thought deeply about myself and my life journey so far and realized what I need above all else was to keep moving, to find a new home somewhere absolutely new.Where I could bring my personality, my love of movies and tv, and help it carry me to find a new home with an array of new faces.Ultimately, for the first time in my life, I have a real say in where I want to call home, and nevertheless, I couldn’t be more excited to pursue a new educational endeavor somewhere entirely new to me and beyond.

By Alyssa Gorny Finding Home Red bricks and green grass, my first home sits waiting for me in the small town of Macomb, Michigan. My brothers had barely started playing with their new gifts to find out they had a new present coming just two days after Christmas. My presumptive family of four sits eagerly to find out the gender of their newest 5th member. To the dismay of my two older brothers who wanted another bro in the house, a little girl named Alyssa popped out. Baby blue skies and brisk weather born into memory, my parents bundle me up head to toe to go out to meet the family who upon hearing the news quickly changed the nursery walls from blue to pink. I kept hold of the two stuffed animals they picked out for me to this day, a hippo and an elephant. Most of these stories in this home are from the memories of friends and family members who have told them to me. However, one of the only things I can remember vividly about that time is the unexpected news that came when I was at the age of five... we were moving and the world I have come to call home was never going to be home again... It was bittersweet. On one hand, I already couldn’t imagine leaving the friends and relatives I have come to love, but on the other hand, we were excited about the new opportunities that awaited us in Orange County, California. Although leaving was difficult, I knew it wasn’t goodbye forever and I love going back to visit having done so almost every summer for the past 14 years. My biggest concern was making new friends, but it didn’t take long for our neighbors to welcome us to the neighborhood and they all had children close to my age, so it was easy to make friends. It didn’t take long for this new world to feel more and more like home. I grew to love California until a major fire broke out in the hills down the street from us. We were evacuated immediately, our car packed with our most memorable things, terrified of the idea that our new home was at the risk of burning down entirely. Luckily the fire was soon contained, however, it was a little too close to comfort. We packed up our things and moved off the hill settling not too far away in the valley of our town. It was unfortunate leaving my newfound friends, however, our moms made sure we could still hang out whenever we wanted. Luckily, I loved the new house we moved into and felt like we were there to stay. By this time I was about six and in the groove with the school. Our new house eventually harbored some of my most loved memories. For instance, one of my favorite birthday parties happened in this house. My dad and two brothers built a runway stage in our living room on my seventh birthday. All my friends and I got in our favorite dress-up outfits and walked down our homemade runway as all of our parents were the paparazzi. Not long after when I was about nine, my dad lost his job with the company that had us move to California. He was back and forth with many different jobs but nothing stuck. We had to condense down into a condo, and that’s when my life was impacted the most. My parents always fought and it was hard to listen to most of the time, but it went on for about 2 years before they ultimately got a divorce. My mom moved and staying with her, I switched to a new school and knew only a few kids from sports from years before. I didn’t see my dad much, lost numerous friends, and was letting go of everything that mattered most to me. Meeting my best friend in sixth grade was the highlight of middle school. We connected right away and I spent countless days after school at her house when my mom couldn’t pick me up because of work. My mom moved a lot after but was still able to raise my brothers and me just on a lower budget. I struggled to find a home with every move, but with the support of my brothers, my friends, and, of course, my mom, I always found it even when it seemed like all was lost. Venturing into high school was a terrifying experience for me, walking around the campus with kids that looked like college students, and wandering around in circles trying to find classrooms. Luckily, I used what I had been doing my whole life and made a home in that community as well. Though as days went on I found myself questioning my future especially in these crazy times. I knew I wanted to go to college, but I wasn’t sure which path to take. I thought deeply about myself and my life journey so far and realized what I need above all else was to keep moving, to find a new home somewhere absolutely new. Where I could bring my personality, my love of movies and tv, my passion for makeup, and help it carry me to find a new home with an array of new faces, never forget to visit those I had shared a feeling of home with in the past. Ultimately, for the first time in my life, I have a real say in where I want to call home, and nevertheless, I couldn’t be more excited to pursue a new educational endeavor somewhere entirely new to me and beyond.

By Alyssa Gorny Finding Home Red bricks and green grass, my first home sits waiting for me in the small town of Macomb, Michigan. My brothers had barely started playing with their new gifts to find out they had a new present coming just two days after Christmas. My presumptive family of four sits eagerly to find out the gender of their newest 5th member. To the dismay of my two older brothers who wanted another bro in the house, a little girl named Alyssa popped out. Baby blue skies and brisk weather born into memory, my parents bundle me up head to toe to go out to meet the family who upon hearing the news quickly changed the nursery walls from blue to pink. I kept hold of the two stuffed animals they picked out for me to this day, a hippo and an elephant. Most of these stories in this home are from the memories of friends and family members who have told them to me. However, one of the only things I can remember vividly about that time is the unexpected news that came when I was at the age of five... we were moving and the world I have come to call home was never going to be home again... It was bittersweet. On one hand, I already couldn’t imagine leaving the friends and relatives I have come to love, but on the other hand, we were excited about the new opportunities that awaited us in Orange County, California. Although leaving was difficult, I knew it wasn’t goodbye forever and I love going back to visit having done so almost every summer for the past 14 years. My biggest concern was making new friends, but it didn’t take long for our neighbors to welcome us to the neighborhood and they all had children close to my age, so it was easy to make friends. It didn’t take long for this new world to feel more and more like home. I grew to love California until a major fire broke out in the hills down the street from us. We were evacuated immediately, our car packed with our most memorable things, terrified of the idea that our new home was at the risk of burning down entirely. Luckily the fire was soon contained, however, it was a little too close to comfort. We packed up our things and moved off the hill settling not too far away in the valley of our town. It was unfortunate leaving my newfound friends, however, our moms made sure we could still hang out whenever we wanted. Luckily, I loved the new house we moved into and felt like we were there to stay. By this time I was about six and in the groove with the school. Our new house eventually harbored some of my most loved memories. For instance, one of my favorite birthday parties happened in this house. My dad and two brothers built a runway stage in our living room on my seventh birthday. All my friends and I got in our favorite dress-up outfits and walked down our homemade runway as all of our parents were the paparazzi. Not long after when I was about nine, my dad lost his job with the company that had us move to California. He was back and forth with many different jobs but nothing stuck. We had to condense down into a condo, and that’s when my life was impacted the most. My parents always fought and it was hard to listen to most of the time, but it went on for about 2 years before they ultimately got a divorce. My mom moved and staying with her, I switched to a new school and knew only a few kids from sports from years before. I didn’t see my dad much, lost numerous friends, and was letting go of everything that mattered most to me. Meeting my best friend in sixth grade was the highlight of middle school. We connected right away and I spent countless days after school at her house when my mom couldn’t pick me up because of work. My mom moved a lot after but was still able to raise my brothers and me just on a lower budget. I struggled to find a home with every move, but with the support of my brothers, my friends, and, of course, my mom, I always found it even when it seemed like all was lost. Venturing into high school was a terrifying experience for me, walking around the campus with kids that looked like college students, and wandering around in circles trying to find classrooms. Luckily, I used what I had been doing my whole life and made a home in that community as well. Though as days went on I found myself questioning my future especially in these crazy times. I knew I wanted to go to college, but I wasn’t sure which path to take. I thought deeply about myself and my life journey so far and realized what I need above all else was to keep moving, to find a new home somewhere absolutely new. Where I could bring my personality, my love of movies and tv, my passion for makeup, and help it carry me to find a new home with an array of new faces, never forget to visit those I had shared a feeling of home with in the past. Ultimately, for the first time in my life, I have a real say in where I want to call home, and nevertheless, I couldn’t be more excited to pursue a new educational endeavor somewhere entirely new to me and beyond.

By Alyssa Gorny Finding Home Red bricks and green grass, my first home sits waiting for me in the small town of Macomb, Michigan. My brothers had barely started playing with their new gifts to find out they had a new present coming just two days after Christmas. My presumptive family of four sits eagerly to find out the gender of their newest 5th member. To the dismay of my two older brothers who wanted another bro in the house, a little girl named Alyssa popped out. Baby blue skies and brisk weather born into memory, my parents bundle me up head to toe to go out to meet the family who upon hearing the news quickly changed the nursery walls from blue to pink. I kept hold of the two stuffed animals they picked out for me to this day, a hippo and an elephant. Most of these stories in this home are from the memories of friends and family members who have told them to me. However, one of the only things I can remember vividly about that time is the unexpected news that came when I was at the age of five... we were moving and the world I have come to call home was never going to be home again... It was bittersweet. On one hand, I already couldn’t imagine leaving the friends and relatives I have come to love, but on the other hand, we were excited about the new opportunities that awaited us in Orange County, California. Although leaving was difficult, I knew it wasn’t goodbye forever and I love going back to visit having done so almost every summer for the past 14 years. My biggest concern was making new friends, but it didn’t take long for our neighbors to welcome us to the neighborhood and they all had children close to my age, so it was easy to make friends. It didn’t take long for this new world to feel more and more like home. I grew to love California until a major fire broke out in the hills down the street from us. We were evacuated immediately, our car packed with our most memorable things, terrified of the idea that our new home was at the risk of burning down entirely. Luckily the fire was soon contained, however, it was a little too close to comfort. We packed up our things and moved off the hill settling not too far away in the valley of our town. It was unfortunate leaving my newfound friends, however, our moms made sure we could still hang out whenever we wanted. Luckily, I loved the new house we moved into and felt like we were there to stay. By this time I was about six and in the groove with the school. Our new house eventually harbored some of my most loved memories. For instance, one of my favorite birthday parties happened in this house. My dad and two brothers built a runway stage in our living room on my seventh birthday. All my friends and I got in our favorite dress-up outfits and walked down our homemade runway as all of our parents were the paparazzi. Not long after when I was about nine, my dad lost his job with the company that had us move to California. He was back and forth with many different jobs but nothing stuck. We had to condense down into a condo, and that’s when my life was impacted the most. My parents always fought and it was hard to listen to most of the time, but it went on for about 2 years before they ultimately got a divorce. My mom moved and staying with her, I switched to a new school and knew only a few kids from sports from years before. I didn’t see my dad much, lost numerous friends, and was letting go of everything that mattered most to me. Meeting my best friend in sixth grade was the highlight of middle school. We connected right away and I spent countless days after school at her house when my mom couldn’t pick me up because of work. My mom moved a lot after but was still able to raise my brothers and me just on a lower budget. I struggled to find a home with every move, but with the support of my brothers, my friends, and, of course, my mom, I always found it even when it seemed like all was lost. Venturing into high school was a terrifying experience for me, walking around the campus with kids that looked like college students, and wandering around in circles trying to find classrooms. Luckily, I used what I had been doing my whole life and made a home in that community as well. Though as days went on I found myself questioning my future especially in these crazy times. I knew I wanted to go to college, but I wasn’t sure which path to take. I thought deeply about myself and my life journey so far and realized what I need above all else was to keep moving, to find a new home somewhere absolutely new. Where I could bring my personality, my love of movies and tv, my passion for makeup, and help it carry me to find a new home with an array of new faces, never forget to visit those I had shared a feeling of home with in the past. Ultimately, for the first time in my life, I have a real say in where I want to call home, and nevertheless, I couldn’t be more excited to pursue a new educational endeavor somewhere entirely new to me and beyond.