Single Story 

By: Kaylee Allen

My single story is that I'm that confident, loud, annoying, peppy person who's always smiling and making sure everyone is okay. That British, dumb girl who's terrible at English and spelling. Who always does something wrong.  Also, one of the first things people know about me is my lisp, and thinks on she can't speak correctly she must be not that smart. 

I am more then my single story, sometimes I am confident but that is only when I'm not stressing about band, school or life. I am confident, actually kind of smart, and I am a total nerd. I love geeking out about new knowledge, band, comics, and more. I love learning new things. I might be bad at spelling but I got a late start to talking which also effected my speech impediment. 

My Single Story 

Jennifer Cortez 

People tend to think that I’m just another shy, normal American girl with a normal American home. They approach me the same way they would approach another American. They stereotypically think that I’m one of those “annoying, rebellious white girls” just because I have light skin. The impression that people get from me defines what others think about me. People are oftentimes surprised when they meet me and find out that I’m not what I appear to be on the outside.

(Left: Mexican tamales; Right: Salvadorian pupusas)

I am more than what people think I am. I'm an American because I was born here, but I don't have U.S. roots. Both my parents are Mexican, and my stepfather is Salvadorian. Being multicultural is what differentiates me from others. I love being fluent in Spanish because it opens up more opportunities for me. I love my family's traditions because it gives me something to look forward to. But, because almost everyone favors United States traditions, I always shut out my Hispanic side. I would never bring Mexican food to school, and I would always be embarrassed when another Latino wanted to speak Spanish because I thought others would hear me. Now, I am ashamed that I was ever ashamed of my roots. I will not let my single story dominate me; I will embrace my differences because they are what define me.

Recently I have been tasked with answering the question of how do people view you and why is it
wrong? However, the way a stranger views me is, they don’t. I blend in about as much as any hormonal
high schooler can. I’m quiet and most people don’t know who I am. I’m the girl who sits near the back
who laughs a little too loudly every now and then with her friends. I’ve been playing on the sports teams
for my school for years so people who’ve shared a team with me know I’m hard working and I’ll always
put in my best effort. In more recent years I’ve been becoming more outgoing and social to the people
I don’t know. I’ve been trying new things, going new places and meeting my people, and people’s
opinions of me have changed drastically from even a year or two ago. If I had to summarize how I think
I am viewed by someone who doesn’t know me, I’d use the word, average.

But I am not quiet. I am not always bubbly and happy. I have strong opinions and I will speak up
for them. I’m loud and outgoing and I always have something to say about everything, I try my best to be kind and build up everyone I meet, and I tend to wear my heart on my sleeve. I laugh

at everything and I try to do something for my friends to show them I love them every now and
then. I’m over sensitive and dramatic, I overreact to every small detail, I get overwhelmed quickly
and I’m easily broken. However, I also work hard and I have so much love for the people around
me. I am passionate about the things I do, but I tend to hold myself back more than anyone else.
I love to draw and it takes my mind off of things more than anything else. Although I’m still unsure
of my future, I’m thinking about following in my grandmother's footsteps and applying to
Georgetown when I get older. There’s so much more of life I haven't experienced yet and I can’t
wait to see who I become and what I end up doing.

My Single Story- Abigail Forrest

Me, a brown haired, brown eyed, average white girl. “That tall girl”, “that girl who plays soccer”, or “the girl who’s dating that hot guy”, labels can affect how others see you. People see me as just another teenage girl who only wants to shop and listen to loud rap music to try to fit in with the crowd. Just another good girl who goes home finishes all her homework, gets a home cooked vegan meal, and kisses her parents goodnight and thanks them for getting her a new car. An entitled, spoiled, white girl. There is so much more to a person than the stereotypes given to people. I’m assumed to have had no pain or sadness in my life. “There’s no way she’s experienced anything bad, she’s just a white girl.”

Me, a strong, happy, and smart individual. I have more than just the story seen by each person who unknowingly passes me in their day to day life. My family is less functional, than the least functional family. Together, separate in the same house, togetherish, divorce, living with grandma, two seperate houses, sadness, together, one house, and happiness (sometimes). That is a story of my parents. Sober, relapse, rehab, sober, happy, sad, relapse, rehab, sober, and grateful. That is a story of my dad. Happy, confused, scared, sad, worried, confused again, happy, and now stronger. That is a story of me. I’ve seen a lot and learned a lot about life in 15 years from my experiences. There are many stories that have made me who I am today. There are simple stories and ones that have changed the way I see life. I don’t drink underage, I don’t smoke, I don’t participate in risky behavior, and I don’t only care about myself. I’m a teenage girl, but I am not the average teenage girl with only one story.

Single Story Carson

I feel like the majority of people see me as a short person that focuses on his grades and has no sense of humor. I understand why others think this of me because I do get good grades, and also focus on my schoolwork although I like to have fun and laugh with some of my close friends. I feel like people see me this way because they don’t really know me, and I don’t act the same around people I’m not close with. If some of these people got to know me I believe they wouldn’t recognize that person that they believed I was, but see a whole different side of me. Most people judge me based on what happens inside of school although after school hours I feel like I am a polar opposite of the characteristics people see me as. I also believe people see me as antisocial but, I have to get to know a person before I engage in a conversion with them.

I believe I am more than my single story because the more I get to know someone and the more comfortable I become around them I tend to show my true character traits. While others judge me based upon my activity in a school setting I like to think of myself as a different person when out of school. I always go to movies and activities with my friends on the weekends, and they know what I’m really like because they are so close with me out of school. If the people who think I’m antisocial, only study and focus on grades get to know me I believe their outlook on my personality would change a whole lot. They would most likely see me as outgoing, energetic, friendly, and athletic. I think the biggest misconception people make about me is that I am antisocial. I show that I’m the opposite of this when I get to know someone. How much I speak to someone depends on how much I hang around them and also how comfortable I am around them. If they got to know me I would probably talk to them a lot more inside and outside of school hours. In short, I believe I am more than my single story because, I am social when I get to know someone, and I like to go out and do things with friends rather than studying for tests or quizzes in my free time.

My Single Story

My Single Story

To others, I may seem like a quiet kid that keeps to himself. I may look like I’m always sick, and in return, am someone that’s very inactive. Someone that sits in their room all day and sleeps. Someone that plays video games all day. Since I miss so much school, you might assume that I don’t get very good grades or that I don’t keep up with my work. While that may be what I seem like, I’m actually much different.

While I may be quiet at first, once I get to know people, I will socialize with them a lot and converse with them a lot. While I am often sick, I am still very active. I am either playing or training for baseball nearly year round. While I do love playing video games, I would rather be outside playing games with my friends or family. I have missed a lot of time in school, but I always make sure I keep up with my work. I always do the best I can in school and as a result I get almost all A’s in class. There is much more behind the surface with me and when you get to know me, you can see how much different I am than how I may have seen before you knew me

Single Story-Daniel

I think people see me as a tall kid who plays basketball, and who never talks. If I saw myself I would probably think the same thing too. Things like that are easy to assume and most of the time not right. I am tall which is obvious but I do not play basketball. That always surprises people because I am 6 foot 1 and basketball players are tall. People think I don’t talk much which is true but that is just when I don’t know you. If people actually took time to get to know others before stereotyping them, things would be different.

People have always told me I was tall and there is really no argument about that. People always assume I play basketball because I am tall but in reality I play soccer. Tall people can play soccer too but basketball is what people assume I play. People also think I never talk and maybe that I’m antisocial even. That is not true once I get to know someone. If somebody is a friend of mine or a family member I talk a whole lot more than with someone I don’t know. I just have to warm up to someone before I talk freely. These are all things that tell one story of me. The side that people see when they don’t know me. After they get to know me though they see that there is really another side to

Paisley Kupka Single Story

Paisley Kupka

My Single story

In public, I tend to be pretty quiet. I’m an introvert. I don’t like to converse with people who aren’t my close friends. Most people don’t know a lot about my personal life other than a few basic things. People tend to compare me to my older sister, she was very well known in high school. She was a goalie for soccer, she had a lot of friends, and she did a lot of clubs. I just look like her. We’re both tall blondes who have similar faces and wear the same clothes. I am just the younger, slightly less social, sister. Sometimes you may see me with a few of my friends like Rosemarie, Matthew, and Tiffany. I’m also on the varsity cheer team. People see me on the sidelines at football games and doing my competition routine at pep rallys. People know who I am because they see me around a lot, they just don’t talk to me a lot unless we have connection through a friend. I care a lot about academics and school, and I do school related activities. My height stands out to people so many people recognize me even if they don’t know who I am. Overall, I think I people recognize who I am, but don’t see much depth of character.

There is a lot more to me than just my school life. I will start with my family. I live with both of my parents, one of my two siblings, and my dog Baxter. My siblings both went to Millbrook. Indigo is eighteen and graduated this year, and Gideon is twenty one and graduated three years ago. My sister left for college on friday; she’s pretty nice but I didn’t see her a whole lot because she was out of the house often. She also takes my clothes a lot. My older brother Gideon is really funny. This past summer we went to a Weezer concert together. He has a band called Destructo Disk, and he is on spotify now. He’s really tall and he has long, dark hair. He likes to listen to records, and he can play a lot of instruments. I have a good group of friends. Almost all of us are in this big group chat that spams a lot sometimes, but it’s fun to be on. I’m usually pretty quiet, but when I’m with my close friends I’m very talkative and have a fun and kinda weird personality. I have a lot of hobbies and extracurriculars. I’m on the varsity cheer team and I dance almost all of the time. I’m in FCCLA, I’m running for vice president, and I’m starting an art club at our school soon if Mr. Mankins approves of it. I love music; I can play many instruments including the piano, the ukulele, the acoustic guitar, the electric guitar, and the bass guitar. Some things I do with my friends on a regular basis are riding bikes, taking pictures and polaroids, watching movies and TV, and sometimes playing video games. My friends are really important to me and I tell them about everything, especially my best friend Rosemarie. I’m most passionate about dancing. I’ve been dancing for twelve years and I love it. Even if I ever have a bad day I know that when I go to dance class I will feel great. Dance is not only about athleticism, but it is an art form and a way to express yourself through movement. That is why I love it so much. I take multiple ballet, modern, contemporary, and jazz classes. I’m also in an ensemble where we do a lot of performances at different places with different genres and guest choreographers. Usually I dance at shenandoah University. One of my best friends I even made through dance. She’s a sophomore at NYU now and we still stay in touch. I think if people get to know me I can have a very exciting personality.

When my friends describe me to people, something they probably mention is that I have red hair. “Oh you know, Ben Rayburn, the kid with the red hair?”. Or they have heard that I am a good swimmer.  People think I am outgoing, usually always talking in school or at practice, or hanging out with people downtown. They use the words “Nice”, “Funny”, or “Chill”. And while some aspects of these are exactly how I am, many of them have a different side.  

Yes, I do have red hair. It's not a normal color, and it is distinctive, but it is a big part of me and my personality, so I don't really mind being referred to as “The kid with red hair”. Swimming is also something that comes up when talking about me. I swim a lot, for a year round team and then for Millbrooks team in the winter. I’m definitely not the best swimmer, but I can definitely move (not bragging), so being referred to as a good swimmer also doesn't make me upset. The one main huge thing people notice is how much I talk to people, and I may come off outgoing, but I couldn't be further from that. The only reason I’m really talkative to my friends and teammates is because I know them. If you put me in a place where I knew nobody, it would take me a long time to start to make conversation.

My Single Story, Of a Sorts

Sonya: Short, ginger hair, millions of freckles, pretends to know everything
about everything, about everyone. Selfish. Childish. And maybe funny.” - Curls

A mean and yet shy girl that quietly reads books. She keeps to herself. Confetti face. Outgoing at moments, then a complete shut in at others. Lost. Silly. Crazy. Reserved.

It’s true. All of it: Ginger. Freckled. Selfish. Childish. Funny. Shy. Outgoing. Shut in. Lost.
Silly. Crazy. Reserved. Foolish. I mean, HELLO! I’m human, what do you expect? You can’t
be squared away by one word, one story, one opinion. I’m a ginger, it’s in my blood, and
I’m proud of it. Yes, I’m selfish, I admit it. But it’s okay to be selfish sometimes. I have fun
being a little childish and making jokes. I’m shy around new people, but I’m working on it. I
can be outgoing around friends. And sometimes I have no idea what I’m doing, or what’s
going on. It’s nice to be silly or crazy every once in a while. I know when I should be reserved.
Foolish is my middle names, ;-p. This is me, not all of me, but I can’t wait to meet the rest. One
word. One story. One opinion. One lie. One truth.

🎊🎊🎊🎊🎊🎊🎊🎊🎊🎊🎊🎊🎊🎊🎊🎊🎊🎊🎊🎊🎊🎊🎊🎊🎊🎊🎊🎊🎊🎊🎊🎊

Katie Baker's Single Story

         When most people see me they think I’m shy, not poor but not rich either,

and that we would probably never really get to know each other. Some thought

I was bossy, and didn’t like them. The reason for this is that I don’t talk to many

people so they don’t know what I think. They see the clothes I wear, the faces I

make, and they think they know me. They think they know who I am and what I

think. The truth is, you never really know what someone is thinking. When

people see me around my friends or people they see me as loud, and cracking

jokes. When I’m not around my friends they see me as quiet, and reserved.

When I’m in school they see me as smart, quiet, and not quite as interactive.

When I’m in band  they see me as unsociable or separated to that specific friend

group. When I’m in soccer they see me as involved and interactive.

         The truth is that I’m smart, perceptive, sarcastic, and ambitious. I act

differently around different people. I love band and soccer. I love hanging out

with my friends. Both my parents are teachers, which means we don’t have a

lot of money, but we have enough to live comfortably. I try to make friends with

a lot of people and be nice to everyone, but I’m only human. I may seem

unfriendly at school sometimes, but that’s not because I don’t like people, that’s

because I’m tired or stressed. People have many sides to them, they are rounded.

They can act happy and energetic one day, and sad and tired the next. I understand

how first impressions are important, but they are usually wrong.

Single Story

When people see me they usually judge me for how I look. Brown eyes, brown hair, and tan skinned
girl who loves coffee right? I’m that white girl right? They sometimes judge me from my last name
and when they see me they say “Oh that’s Alec’s little sister!”. They believe what their friends have
told them about me, and they believe what they want to. Most people who see me who do not know me
think that I may be stuck up and others see me as kind. They think that because I know a good amount
of people that I’m known by some people. A lot of people see me as someone who is perfect and truly
I'm not.

I do have brown hair, brown eyes and tanned skin and I love coffee but that is not me. I am not defined
by my hair color nor what I like to drink. I am more than how I look, and I’m definitely more than my last
name and I’m not just Alec’s sister. I am my own identity. I am a humble girl who loves helping others
before herself. I work hard and I am not snobby in any way. I also have a big personality and people
who are close to me know that I have a super goofy and fun personality.

Single story

What People Think of Me

Olivia, she is shy and reserved, possibly emo. She is smart but keeps to herself more often than not. She is more comfortable around people that share similar interests but most classes she is not very comfortable.

The Real me

The real Olivia is open and fun around her friends, but also has social anxiety. She is reserved in most situations when she doesn’t know anyone. She loved to sing and read. She loves to write and believes that music and writing is the best way for her to express her feelings. She doesn’t talk to many people and has few friends, but the friends that she does have, she keeps them close. She loves anime and reading. She is also smarter than what people think.