I was recently nominated to represent my college in a state wide award. I have chance at a $500 prize and being a keynote speaker at the award banquet.
This is my statement...
ACT Statement
October 3, 2017
Kaylin Clarke: Transforming Lives Award
Like everyone entering college for the first time, I hoped to leave with the knowledge and confidence I'd need to succeed after graduation. What I discovered at South Seattle College, however, was more than just an education and a support system: I found myself.
I am a student in South's welding program, and what initially attracted me to welding was its ability to fuse together something entirely new from pieces that at one point felt disjointed. As someone who has lived the majority of my life identifying as a man, it echoes my journey. It's the idea that our identities aren't permanent; that they are a meld of our experiences, and have the ability to be melted down and rebuilt at any point in our lives.
As a freshman in high school in Spokane, WA, I was known for being a star athlete. My sporting days - and military career plans - came to a screeching halt, however, when I was diagnosed with Myasthenia Gravis, an autoimmune disease that, in simplest terms, blocks messages sent from the brain to the muscles. At 17, I could hardly move and resorted to sitting at home.
It wasn't until later in my twenties that I started to realize I was transgender, and wasn't truly being myself. Being naive to the LGBTQ+ community, I felt ashamed for having questioned my identity. I started self-medicating with alcohol and slowly started destroying my life. It took receiving a DUI to sort of wake me up from my daze, and it's by the grace of God I am still here today to share this story with you.
Last year, just before my birthday, my mother reached out to me with a news article that talked about the high demand for welding positions, and highlighted South's welding program. It was this article that sparked something in me. I started researching earning potential, availability in the intensive program and funding sources for college, and took a leap of faith knowing that only my tuition was covered by programs like the Basic Food, Employment & Training (BFET) program and Opportunity Grants.
As mid-quarter began, I started to feel my anxiety rising. While I was successful in class, I was still very unhappy. Then I came across a sign announcing a "Trans 101" seminar. All those repressed thoughts came flooding back. November 17, 2016, is a day that I will always remember; I came to the realization that I was transgender. I was extremely nervous and somewhat scared, especially being enrolled in a technical program that is primarily male dominated.
I soon reached out to Sol Damaris Mendez, the program manager for South's Department of Equity, Diversity & Inclusion. She was so understanding. I was terrified, but she just sat with me and listened to my story. She let me take my time; and when I was done I felt so free having admitted to someone who I really was.
Next I reached out to my welding instructor, Doug Rupik, trying to be polite and respectful to other people's views, I offered to switch class times. He responded with overwhelming support.
As I started my second quarter, I felt more and more uncomfortable about things like using the men's restroom. Then, the most amazing email came through from South. The email outlined South's stance on equality and inclusivity on campus. Even in light of the political drama concerning which bathrooms trans individuals could use. This was probably the best piece of news that I could have received; it allowed me to be my true self as I began my third quarter.
It has been the college's acceptance of who I am as an individual, that I matter, and that I have something to offer my community that has allowed me to persevere through my transition and financial struggles. Now I'm doing something I never thought I would, seeking out a bachelor's degree. In fall 2017, I applied for and was accepted into South's Bachelor of Applied Science program in Sustainable Building Science Technology.
Don't let fear hold you back from your dreams. Whether that is obtaining a college degree for the first time in your life or admitting to yourself and others that you have been living your life as a lie. Dream fearlessly, dream big and seek out the people that are going to support that dream...then prepare yourself for the best fight of your life. It is all worth it in the end.
If you made it this far thank you for reading.
Loves [emoji182][emoji179][emoji182]
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