Life’s a journey, not a destination. When asked, “What are you most proud of?”, I realized pride changes as we grow.

So I looked back, age by age. What made me proud as a kid? A teen? An adult?

This isn’t just a list of wins. It’s a map of becoming. 

This is my story. Short, but not simple. Just like life.

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Childhood (0-12):Grades shone bright on my report cards. But it was honesty that truly made me stand tall. Even when the truth stung, even when it cost me. Sometimes, being good hurt.

Early Teens (13-17): Growing up too fast as I watched my parent fade away.

Late Teens (18-19:That scholarship was my lifeline, my escape. I clutched it tight, rode it out of my small world. As I soared, I left pieces of myself behind.

Early Adulthood (20-24):Small-town girl in a big city maze. College beckoned, full of promise and peril. In the hostel, hungry and poor, I fought for my future.

Mid-20s to Early 30s (26-35):I left my country, my home. Brave? Foolish? Both, perhaps. Excitement and terror, two sides of the same coin.

Mid-30s  (36-40):US graduate degree in hand, I climbed higher. But the air gets thin at the top. More knowledge brought more questions, more sleepless nights wondering if I’d made the right choices.

Early 40s:The open road called, and I answered. Leadership beckoned, and I stepped up. 

Present Day:Here I stand, finally me. Accepting who I am. It’s taken a lifetime to get here. So much lost along the way. But would I change a thing?

I wrote my first book. Words on paper, a piece of my soul out in the world. It’s terrifying. It’s freeing.

I am the sum of all these parts. The honest child, the ambitious student, the brave immigrant, the lifelong learner, the leader, the free spirit.

And now, finally, just me. Scars, doubts, dreams and all.

What’s next? I don’t know. But for the first time, that’s okay. I’m ready to face it. As myself.