Where Am I?

Where Am I?

Where I’m from
I am from dirt roads,
From callused feet and summertime.
From my grass stained jeans and tendency to roam free.
From my love of late nights and campfires shared,
And dance floors made from plywood in the middle of the street.
I’m from cherry trees and kool-aid stands,
From the costumes I wore when we played pretend.
From the smell of cinnamon and the clamper of feet, and the hourly chime of church bells.
I’m from bad times, and good times, and those peaceful times where nothing has to be said at all.
I’m from mid-day naps and conversations that last long into the night,
From harmonious laughter and cold coffee.

    Where I am now has changed a bit from where I came from. I’m a thousand places at once, and these places could change at any moment. Where I am is more than my literal location: it is my place in the world, the stage I’m at in my life, and where I am emotionally. These things aren’t always easy to gauge, but I suppose that’s what self discovery is all about.

    Where am I? I could take this question from a literal standpoint. As of now, I’m in an office chair, at a desk, in my home, in Phillips, Nebraska. Sometimes I’m in Aurora, where I go to school and work. Other times I’m in Grand Island, where the rest of my family lives. You may find this information pointless and unnecessary, but where I am literally is something that strongly shapes the other parts of where I am.

    How about, where am I in my life? I’m at a stage I feel is crucial to the rest of my journey. Where I am now in this sense is going to greatly affect the answer I have to the question “where am I?” in the future. I am less than a month away from graduating high school and about six months away from my college career. I’m at a beginning and an end at the same time. On one hand I’m beginning life on my own, college, something completely new. On the other, I’m ending 13 years of education at Aurora Public Schools and moving away from my hometown of Phillips.

    At this point in my life I am at a fork in the road. One fork leads to another fork, and that one to another, and another. The choices I make now are the ones that will shape my whole life, and the path I choose will do the same. I am at a time that I will look back on in the future and either praise myself for, or regret.

    In addition to describing where I am as a stage in life, I could also answer the question with where I am in my emotional and intellectual growth. If I had to, I would guess that most high schoolers wouldn’t say that they feel they are completely prepared be out on their own. I, however, do feel that in my 18 years I have grown enough intellectually and emotionally to begin a life of my own. I may not know everything, but I have not only the academic, but the emotional intelligence to survive without the support I’ve received in my home throughout my life.

    A question like “Where am I?” seems easy enough to answer at first, but after some thought I’ve found maybe I don’t know exactly where I am, or even where I’m on my way to (which is probably equally, if not more, important). If anything, though, it’s gotten the wheels in my mind turning and given me some insight into the possibilities of where I could be very, very soon.

Where am I?

I am a thousand places at once,
a passenger on an airplane that never lands.
I am at home, and I am on the way out.
I am standing in the entryway taking one last reminiscent look at the scene behind me.
I am at a beginning and an end, at the base of the highest mountain,
at the edge of the deepest trench.
I am at a fork in the road. If I keep walking I will encounter another, and another,
and another.
I am in love, and in hopefulness, and happiness.

My School

My State

My Home

My Community



Who Am I?

I am “Messy Jessi,” “Really, Jessi?,” and “Jessica Lynn Vorhees!”
I am poetic, and Pisces, and improbably powerful.
I am the Hoover Dam, or the Statue of Liberty,
but also an old teacup, balanced over the edge of the table.
I’m the writer, the romantic, the optimist, the control-freak,
the inventor, the thinker, and the coffee-lover.
I am your best friend, harshest critic, and biggest supporter.
I’m the philosopher,the questioner, the one tugging at your shirt sleeves for answers.
I am careful and I am determined.
I am Me, and Me is unique.

Describing who you are is never easy. It seems to me that every day I learn something new about myself. But still there are concrete parts of myself I have developed throughout the years that I believe will forever remain central to who I am. These range from simple personality traits, to my morals and beliefs, to the people I’ve chosen to include in my life.

My personality isn’t always exactly simple to understand. Some may even call it complicated. I’m full of contradictions, but somehow it all makes sense. A handful of words I’d use to describe myself are caring, sarcastic, thoughtful, creative, independent, determined, worrisome, and hopeful. In this list I would also include the word careful. Anyone close to me would agree that sometimes I’m a little over prepared and maybe go so far as to say I’m slightly obsessive-compulsive. Though some may criticize, this over-preparedness is my safety net, my security blanket, and my sense of control. It’s something about my personality I’ve learned to accept and even see as a strength at times.

The carefulness I exercise in my life is closely related to the determination I have to achieve the sometimes difficult goals I set for myself. I think of myself as a passionate person and I’m very dedicated to making every dream I have for success come true. I would call this one of the most important parts of who I am because it’s what decides my future and the path I ultimately take to get there. One of the goals I am passionate about achieving in the future is redefining others’ perspectives. Changing the way people see certain situations for the better would be extremely rewarding. I want to do this in my career as a counselor or social worker and make a difference by redefining how people think, judge, and make choices in their lives.

Over the years I have also developed morals and beliefs that I hold strong to. One of the most major of these is honesty. This, by far, is the most important thing I look for in the people I let into my life. I have always been an honest person and I cannot understand any reason not to be. “Mind” and “intelligence” are also things I put value in. I never pass up the chance to learn something new. I like pushing myself to think about complex things, like philosophy and human behavior, and to solve problems in new and creative ways. Mostly, though, I ponder why things are the way they are. One of the most important lessons I’ve learned over the years is that positivity pays off. Every day I try to implement this and move forward no matter what the day decides to hand to me. I will admit this isn’t always easy, but positivity is something I work very hard to achieve.

   All of these things combined make up who I am and who I hope to be in the near future. Though I may change over time, these central parts of me will always remain the same. I am proud of who I have grown to be (so far) and look to the future with faith in the idea that I will develop into a better person, continuing on as unique as ever.

MY DEEP MAP

MY FAMILY TRADITION ARTIFACT