Professional geographer, budding developer, and writer
Hello, everyone! I started writing on Medium in October 2020. Funny enough, I thought about starting in 2018 but decided against it. At the time, I didn’t think people would like my writing or even care what I had to say. However, I’ve had a change of heart and decided to give it a try. I’m really excited to start on this journey!
I’m a first-generation American. My parents immigrated to the United States from the Caribbean and met in New York. My father, unfortunately, passed away last year.
I’m a former online tutor with an educational background in geology…
Understanding how your writing provides value to your readers is a crucial step to a successful content creation journey
No one likes to waste their time. Not you, and especially not your readers. So why not save everyone’s time by figuring out before you write or publish a story if it’s worth it for your audience?
I always heard other writers say to “give your readers value.” For a while, I didn’t really know what they meant by that. But now I use a few simple questions to make sure that my stories are providing value to my readers. …
REENTRY
Familiarity doesn’t make going back any easier
I find it easier to deal with people when they don’t know me. There’s a certain level of trust that is afforded to people when they first meet each other. I feel more comfortable interacting with others under those circumstances. Mostly because I tend to be misunderstood. There’s no history; meeting new people allows for both parties to have a clean slate.
When I left my first job, I was told by my boss, in so many words, not to expect to come back. It wasn’t that we had a huge falling out. I think she was just upset that…
DEATH
But we never seem to have the time to prepare for the inevitable
I was heading to my next class when I heard a frantic girl say into her phone, “Is dad going to be okay?” After a moment I saw her start to cry. Others around her tried to comfort her. It seemed that her father had passed away.
We’re never quite ready for death, whether we know someone is about to pass away or not. It’s one of the hardest things that we will have to endure several times throughout our lives. I’ve experienced three significant deaths while in college. The first being the death of my grandfather.
My Grandfather
My grandfather was…
SPACE
Is it the feeling of belonging?
In geographic thought, there’s a concept that questions what is a place and what is a space. A space is considered anywhere and everywhere, but a place has an emotional meaning to it. The best saying that encompasses this concept is “make a house feel like a home.” A house is a space, a home is a place. That’s why we feel more comfortable in some places than others.
Maybe it’s just my social anxiety or maybe it’s something else. Either way, I’ve always dreaded returning back to a place with people I’ve left behind. I don’t feel like I…
WORK
How I learned that patience is the key to success
“Did you hear back yet from the summer research apprenticeship?”, Paul asked me. I was a little annoyed by that question for two reasons. The first being that I was in the middle of a conversation with someone else. He couldn’t even bother to wait politely for an appropriate moment to ask me, which leads me to my second reason for being annoyed. He must have gotten it.
I worked really hard to apply for that research apprenticeship. I discovered it online, got recommendations from my professors, and wrote my personal statement. Then I mentioned it to Paul off-hand one…
THOUGHTS
Have you noticed these changes too?
For the last 5 years or so, I’ve noticed that trees are having a hard time shedding their leaves in the winter. Well into November, many trees will still have their leaves. This was unheard of even 10 years ago. The leaves will eventually fall because of a very windy storm. But not because they’ve fallen on their own.
I remember asking a friend about it a few years ago. I asked her if she thought it was strange that the leaves were still attached to the trees although they were dead. She told me that it was just “a…
THOUGHTS
Watch out for this new rental scam — I thought I was middle class, but I guess not
A few years ago my mother told me that she would be living with me when she retired. This kinda freaked me out. I was stressed out about money because I was currently furloughed from my job. So her telling me at that time really wasn’t the best timing.
My family was always pretty poor growing up, so my intention was always to take care of my mom financially once she retired. But I really thought I would have to deal with that when I was a bit older, like in my mid-30s. …
You’ve likely overlooked a simplistic, extra opportunity to market yourself
Every once in a while, I take a look at my bio on various social media and try to see if I should update them. On Medium, I like to do this by looking at the about page on other author’s profiles. Reading the bios of prolific writers helps give me a few ideas for my own. But it’s also because I’m a little nosey and like to see if they are an editor for publications and if they are a “top writer in” any topics.
But doing this made me notice something. Some authors have a different bio on…
Revealing the 6 things you need to know to help create your own content creation success story (for FREE)
I’m an overthinker, therefore I’m an over-planner. I never jump into anything without extensively researching about it first. That was especially true when I decided to become a content creator for various platforms. Suffice it to say, I’ve heard a lot of advice over the years, while I was indecisive about which niche to pick and what to call my brand.
But there’s one thing I eventually come across quite consistently in my research — content creator’s promoting their courses. I have nothing against earning money from teaching a trade you have experience in. And I’m not saying that courses…
