Vanessa Raffaele

Tomorrow I leave. My first contract is over, another adventure has come to an end and while I am sad it's over, I'm also excited to move on.

A few weeks ago, I turned 24. Anyone who knows me, knows that lately I’ve dreaded my birthday and turning a year older. But why is that?

What if the key to finding our true selves and who we are meant to be, is to take our past, and use it to propel us forward?

In this time I'm learning to appreciate things I've always taken for granted, and to connect with the world and with myself.

I am an immigrant. I may not look like one, and I may not sound like one, but I consider myself as so. I was born in Como, Italy.