My name is Emily Anne Jamieson and I am a first year student at Capilano University.
Currently I am taking the “Education and Employment” Program, with hopes of going to Childcare, or working in geriatrics within the next few years; my goal of wanting to help people has never felt closure, and I know for a fact that I could happily work in this field forever. The excitement and happiness I feel when working with others is indescribable.
I am the third of six siblings; Jordan, Carlie, (me) Tessa, Rya and Sebastian.
I’m a daughter, sister, cousin, niece, friend, student, mentor and a perfect stranger.
I was born on Sunday, March 16th, 1997, at Lions Gate Hospital in Vancouver, too the most brilliant and wonderful parents. Parents that spoiled my siblings and me with their love, vacations, family parties and my favorite gift of them all, my younger siblings.
My siblings have filled my life with pure sunshine and laughter, tears of joy and sometimes just tears.
My older siblings have guided me, supported me and inspired me; they’ve helped me to become a kind and gentle, quiet and calmer person, and because of them I have best friends forever.
My younger siblings have allowed me to suffocate them with my love, laughter and compliments that they don’t always understand. They’ve helped me to keep my imagination, freedom and compassion, and they’ve helped me to grow up and turn into a person that I have always wanted to be, even without knowing it.
I’m emotional, soft, gentle and overly trusting; which I sometimes think has led people to underestimate who I am, and what I’m capable of achieving. Despite the fears, I will never stop choosing to look at people with hope and faith – even when they prove that they don’t deserve second chances, I will always forgive them and choose to love them all over again.
I think sometimes people don’t understand that were always in the middle of our lives, so I’ve had a few midlife crisis’ and I’m only 21.
I think sometimes we have to go through long, rough, sleepless nights in order to have a brighter, fuller, stronger future.
When my parents got divorced it made me doubt if love was still real, but watching my dad fall in love again proved to me that love was still pure and good; watching my mum embrace her independence showed me that the only person we truly need in our lives is ourselves.
When I fell in love in high school, it ended up becoming a five-year nightmare that ended so abruptly and with so much pain, that I had to learn to be okay with not being okay. I was in such a terrible place, that dreams turned to nightmares, and hope started to feel like an impossible reality, something I never felt deserving or capable of achieving. I was broken in ways that I never thought a person could feel, and I underwent months of depression and anxiety.
Luckily, I had another chance with falling in love, and suddenly my life became a fairy-tale that I never could have ever thought, dreamt or imagined being possible, somewhere in that dream though I had to learn to rely solei on myself. I had to take back control of who I am, and who I want to be, and that meant growing a backbone, and taking chances that scared me, but have helped me daily.
Despite all of the falling outs, and sobbing over people that didn’t deserve what I could offer, I wouldn’t change or prevent myself from loving the people that I’ve loved or fighting battles that other people could have never fought. Each day is getting wilder, harder, funnier, fuller, and more adventurous. Each day I see more love in this world, then pain, life is like an eraser and as I get older, I see less hurt and distraction and more faith and joy. I see magic and music, and I feel so blessed.
I’ve been through moments in my life that have felt unfair, scary and harsh but I’m thankful for all of the experiences I’ve had, because it’s made me more independent, and cautious when it comes to letting people in my life. I have learned to be more kind, helpful and brave, and to keep the people I care most about, protected and loved.
I’ve learned to be a stronger, more resilience person, re-finding God and shedding all of the flaws and scars that have reshaped me and encouraged me to be a more compassionate and empathic person.
I’m tall, unless I’m next to my brother or dad, which has helped me to see greater views, reach for more stars and still rely on the people I love the most in my life.
I’m awkward, and goofy, and I cry if I laugh hard enough, which I think happens because under my façade of smiles and happiness, I’m just trying not to fail, or to show how scared I am of being hurt. I think I laugh so loud because the validation is something I’m so shocked by. I think it’s the only time I truly, genuinely feel good inside, and allow myself to feel euphoria.
I’m loud unless I’m sleeping and quiet when I listen to music, and all throughout my life, music has been the most special thing to me; it has been the glue that held and fixed me when I felt completely alone and lost. I’ve sang ever since I can remember, I almost stopped completely when I felt my voice wasn’t loud enough, but I don’t give up, so it made me work harder to fully be proud of what I was born to do.
I love music, coloring, and making people smile, and for all of the times that I have let people down, I know that I have also inspired and helped people using my voice, and my empathy. Plus since I want to work with kids, I feel extra special and lucky to have a high tolerance to children’s music.
I just want to help everyone! To feel loved, special, validated and I want to be the kindest person that people know. People haven’t always had faith in how much I deal with, or in the situations I’ve been through.
I think having a learning disability has affected me in both a positive and a very negative way. Positive in the sense that every time I achieve something important, the pride and excitement that my family feels, makes me feel over-whelmed with love, but whenever I haven’t understood something or for the times that I struggled in school or at old jobs, people seem to isolate me, trying to force me to be something I can’t be. And I feel like I’ve turned into a disappointment or like I am the only person who has struggled. In school I was always singled out, moved into smaller rooms and constantly talked down too.
Teachers judged me, I was bullied, and traumatized by students talking down to be, and shutting me out. I went through my childhood very desperate for attention and companionship. Until Grade 8, I had no true friends, and my home was imploding and crumbling under my feet.
I’ve always looked up to teachers, and adults in general for guidance and support and my teacher in Grade 8 and 9 changed my life, forever. He guided me, was understanding and used his compassion and youth to inspire me to be a better person. And now his daughter and son are the two people in this world that make me feel like there’s still moments to look forward too.
My high school English teacher, and my drama teacher also helped me to fully believe in myself again. They taught me to use my words, to write my thoughts and dreams and to be kind despite how hard it could be.
By high-school my life had changed from scattered dreams to friendships that I’ll always have, and memories that I look back on, whenever I struggle and feel lost.
As I’ve gotten older I have truly come to find true happiness, loyal people that I respect and excitement that grows daily.
I want to be the reason that someone feels safe and looked after, in all of the times that I have tried and failed to help people, I believe that somewhere in this world, I will meet someone and change their life for the better.
I’m the person that would do anything for anyone, just because I love people, there is no limit to the amount of love and support that I will offer and I want people to take that seriously.
I know for a fact that I’m the furthest from perfect, but for the parts of me that are good, and trying, what I want to achieve, is dream of being a “healer” and a “helper” and in every single way possible, I will use my voice, my empathy and my courage to look after people, now, in the future and always.
I have been on this earth for 7850 days, 11304000 minutes and 678240000 seconds.
Each day gets wilder, harder, funnier, fuller, and more adventurous and I always use love, grace and my heart no matter what. I hope with everything inside of me, that I can be a friend, a role-model, a hero and someone you love.
I’m a Pisces which means I’m extremely compassionate, artistic, gentle and musical. But most of all I’m Emily, and she’s trying, despite all the fears that I have had, and will have, I promise to remain loyal and good, and as pure as possible.