Who I Am

Who I am

Carleen Brandenburg

My name is Carleen Brandenburg. However, I go by Carlee Margaret. In my writings I'm Carlee Em. On June 22, 1994 in St George, Utah, I was born to a wonderful mother and father. I would end up being the younger sister to an amazing woman, yet an older sister to a unique brother. When I was 1 1/2 years, I moved to Iowa, where I would spend most of my life so far. I experienced a mixture of good and bad events in my life. My theory of all the hurt I've dealt with is that it makes me into a stronger person. In fact, that's what I think of hurt for anyone. Hurt makes us stronger, even if we don't feel like it.

Currently I'm going to Sitting Bull College. I was originally going to do General Studies, but earlier this term (Spring 2014), I decided to do a major switch, to Information Technology. Throughout this year, I've had a variety of different experiences. I've become better with my grades, formed an Anime Club with my friend Hunter, learned about Lakota and Dakota culture, and went on a conference called AIHEC (American Indian Higher Education Consortium). When I compare college to high school, with all the experiences and everything, I personally think that college is way better than high school. 

I have a lot of favorite things. My favorite things to do are watching movies, singing, learning languages, learning instruments, dancing, art, reading, crafts, computers, and quotes. I also love hanging out with my friends and my family. My favorite music is K-pop (Korean Pop), metal, and pop music. My favorite shows are Doctor Who, anime, House M.D., and Sherlock. I consider myself to be a nerd. I have this huge theory that nerds are ultimately the coolest people you'll meet.

The languages I've learned any bit throughout any part of my life are Spanish and Japanese. When I was in high school I took Spanish class for a couple years. I've haven't practiced Spanish since my Junior year of high school (which was about three or four years ago). Since my Senior year of high school I've been learning Japanese. My motivation is my cousin Naomi, who was born and raised in Japan. She's married to my cousin Steven, so that's how she became my cousin. She has helped me so much with learning Japanese. As an example of what I learned in Japanese I'll give you this sentence:

わたし　は　ﾆﾎﾝｺﾞ すき　だよ。

Watashi wa Nihongo suki dayo.

I like Japan.

I have a few conditions. I have ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorder, and when I was young I was diagnosed with depression. Living with these conditions can be difficult sometimes, but I figured how to empower myself anyway. In fact, I think all the conditions I was diagnosed with has made me into a fighter and a believer of being the best you that you can be. When I was in high school, I don't think any of my classmates really knew about all I went through, so I was deemed as the weird kid.

So who am I? I'm a 19 year old. I'm a college freshman. I'm a daughter and a sister. I'm a nerd. I'm one of 68 who have autism. I'm amazing. I'm the person who will defy labels. I'm a free spirit. I'm a person who doesn't let people tell her no. So who are you?

My Favorite Place (College Prep Writing) 10-3-2013

My Favorite Place

Carleen Brandenburg

When I’m in Ames, Iowa, I’m at my favorite place to be. Ames is nice because it can be both lively and relaxing. I can go to the parks all over the city, go walk on the trails, go shopping at the mall, as well as watch movies at the theatres. Whenever I go out and about, I see diverse groups of people. Sometimes, I’ll go out to eat at the various restaurants like Asian, Mexican, American, Bar-B-Que, fast food, and even pizza. In Ames, there are a lot of entry-level and professional job opportunities that would provide a better life style. My favorite part of Ames is my relatives that live off of Lincoln Way; I enjoy visiting them. These are the many reasons why I like Ames, Iowa.

Important Relationships in My Life (Classification and Division Essay) 4/10/2014

Important Relationships in My Life

Carleen Brandenburg

Everybody has a few important relationships in their life that make them who they are. Sometimes their children and friends are their relationships that help them be who they are and sometimes it’s their family. A relationship that people have could even be their enemies, even if it’s not a good thing that the enemy of a person is what’s important for them. For me, I think of my friends, family, and significant other as my important relationship. My family, friends, and significant other are the people who have helped me become who I am today.

Family is important to me for a few reasons. My family has always been there for me no matter what I did. Because they were always there for me, I feel as though I can trust them with most everything I say. I’m glad to be as close to my family through various family bonding activities. The activities that helped me bond to my family were eating dinner and other meals together, having game nights on some Sundays, and going on vacations with them. Jane Howard once said “Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family. Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one.”

Just like family being important to me, I also feel as though my friends have helped me become a well-rounded person.  Friends are just like my family to me, because they helped me through so much.  My friends influenced who I’ve become and influenced my personality as well. They have helped become the best person I could be, even if what they have told me made me sad sometimes. Since they have helped me become a good person, I can trust them with my secrets, since I know they won’t betray my trust.

Having a significant other is just like a friend but I can connect with him on a deeper level. My significant other is the one person I can tell absolutely anything to and not have to worry about it. He is the person that makes me feel completely special and good about myself. My significant other is the person that I can love so much. Intimacy is important in this relationship, especially if it’s emotional intimacy.

Although everyone has different relationships that make them who they are, my family, friends, and significant other have helped me become who I am today. I’m always so thankful for these people in my life and I always will be.

References

More on Disney Baby. (n.d.). Disney Baby. Retrieved April 10, 2014, from http://www.disneybaby.com/blog/10-of-the-best-quotes-about-family/#slide4

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