Maria Mendell (self-portrait 2009)
I am a journalism student. I am looking for a story to tell…I will start with my story:
A girl traveling without a map.
My name is Maria Mendell. Sometimes I wonder how I got here and where I am going.
To understand how I arrived where I am you have to understand where I have been.
Home is as good of a place to start as anywhere. I was born in Jamestown, New York, a city whose only claim to fame is being the hometown of comic legend, Lucille Ball. I grew up outside of Jamestown, or as I like to say a right turn and 15 miles past nowhere. At a young age I knew the world was bigger than my backyard and couldn’t wait to see more of it. At 18, I left the sleepy little hamlet I knew to let the adventure begin.
Each of us has a past. It has helped shape us into who we are today. Some struggle to overcome these influences while others embrace them. I find myself in the middle of this seesaw. Proud of the person I have become, in awe of the person I have the potential to be.
Family and Friends
I, like most have the family I was born in to, and, the family I have created along the way. These are the people whom I rush to share my victories with and where I seek comforts after my defeats.
Where I’ve been
I have called many places home. I have been both a guest and host. Truthfully, each place I have lived has profoundly influenced me. Although I may no longer be in these locations I still carry a piece of these places with me.
Education
As for my education I considered it a perpetual “work in progress”. Some of it can be considered formal, but a great deal has been informal. Wherever, I receive my education I consider it priceless. Frankly, it is my hope that I never stop learning!!
I have been in school nearly my entire life. After graduation from high school I went to Navy Boot Camp. From there I attended Naval School of Health Sciences in Great Lakes and became a Hospital Corpsman.
I began my college studies at the University of Maryland European Division in Naples, Italy. I took several classes there but transferred from Naval Hospital Naples before I could earn my degree.
When I decided to leave the Navy in 2000, I went back to New York. I was accepted to the Art History Program at State University of New York at Stony Brook. After several trips to the University I decided not to attend. Instead, I enrolled in Jamestown Community Collage, near my family. After a semester there I had to return to work full-time.
Finally, in 2004, I earned my Associates Degree in Science from Erie Community College, with honors. Although it took me many years to achieve this, I am proud that I finally accomplished this goal.
I went back to school in 2007. It was my love of photography that led to take a Photoshop class. Before I knew it I was studying Graphic and Web Design at Mira Costa Community College. I soon realized that you can build beautifully pages but if you don’t say anything it really doesn’t matter.
I transferred to National University in Jan. 2009. I changed my major to Journalism, in hopes that I would learn how to be a better storyteller.
I look forward to new adventures and the oppertunity to tell stories.
