Boomi tells us some stories from her life that have helped shape who she is today.

A time when I have fought for what I believe in…

One day I was having a conversation with a friend, we were chatting about the elections at the time. He asked me who I would have voted for if I was allowed to vote – I wasn’t 18 yet a the time. I said that I would have voted for the Labour party, because I am a student and they are less likely to increase tuition fees than the Conservative party. I asked him who he voted for and he said he voted for UKIP. As a black women I was shocked and offended, because I see UKIP as a discriminative party. I told him my opinion of UKIP, and he tried to persuade me that they are not racist. We went back and forth on this topic and I stood by my decision of what I believed they were.

This had an impact on me as it was quite unbelievable what he was saying – how he was trying to justify the discriminative agendas of UKIP.

If anything, what I learnt from that situation was that no matter what, if I have an opinion on something, stick by it regardless of what anyone says.

 

A time when I have built good relationships with others…

When I started college I only had one friend that I had since from secondary school.  I was quite shy and nervous at the time and found it difficult to socialise with others, I was even nervous to walk into rooms with loads of people by myself. Until one day, when my friend introduced me to 3 girls from secondary school – it immediately felt like I had known them for years! Now they are the best friendships I’ve ever made, because they are similar to me in thinking and they’re all so outgoing. Even at times when they were causing mischief around college they would make sure I was included as I did not have the same extrovert personality as they did. They pushed me into situations I really wasn’t comfortable with, and they generally helped me survive and not go completely crazy throughout college!

They taught me that it doesn’t matter how long you have been friends with someone, someone who has just become your friend could have a bigger impact on your life than old friends.

 

When I know I had somewhere/someone to turn to…

There was a time when I didn’t know what I wanted to do after college, what type of career I would go into, etc. I had no direction whatsoever, and I felt so lost and confused about why I didn’t had a plan like others my age. At the time I was content with getting a job just for making money until I decided what to do, but my parents didn’t want me to get a job, they wanted me to go to University. I was so frustrated and down so I told my sister about how I was feeling and what I wanted to do. She acted just like my 24/7 agony aunt (she still does!) and helped me look into different career paths. Eventually I found out about a career that I really liked the sound of and my sister advised me to look for work experiences. So I did one and I really liked seeing what the profession was like, and after I knew for sure this was the direction I needed to be heading for. Fast forward to a year later and I was completing my UCAS application to go to Uni and do the course. I am currently in my first year of Uni, and I am so excited for the future.

This situation taught me that no situation is permanent and opening up to others can help clear your mind and helps you make tough decisions.

 

When I have experienced something new…

A while ago I went on holiday to Cyprus, there I went to the beach and saw people doing paragliding. I’ve always wanted to do it, and it was one of the things on my list I wanted to do before I’m 30, so I decided not to waste any time and go for it! At first I was so nervous about going up into the air and I was scared about doing it, but once they attached the safety equipment to me and I went up into the air, it was the best thing I’ve ever experienced in my life. When I was in the air I could see the ocean and the beach – it was all so calm and serene. This experience taught me that, if there’s an opportunity there, take it and be adventurous.

I now have booked to do indoor skydiving in a wind tunnel, and hopefully in a few years I’ll be ready to do outdoor sky-diving!

 

A time when I have been satisfied with who I am…

Before I started college my self-esteem was low and I was not confident due to bad experiences at secondary school, but a friend I made during college enlightened me! My friend always had a carefree attitude and was not affected by insults she got from others. She simply said to me; “God created everyone differently and we all have our own purpose”. This made me realise that I am unique and that despite all the harsh comments from others, no one is perfect, so I shouldn’t let it get to me. I don’t know when this epiphany happened, but one day I just stopped caring about what others thought of me and focused on myself. I was finally happy with who I was and what I stood for.

I wouldn’t want to change myself or my life, as I am so grateful for what I have, but I would like to better myself to help me keep positive and help me stay focused on myself and my goals.