Chloe is a twelve-year-old girl who is a sixth grader at Clay School. She lives with her Mom and sister Harmony. Chloe is a girl who likes to have fun and is very out going. She finds support through her family and sometimes her teachers. Chloe enjoys school more when she has a teacher that is energetic and happy. Her biggest barrier is her father, who is an alcoholic. Chloe also seeks support from support groups for those who have family members that are alcoholics.
“When I look in the mirror, I see a girl who is trying to find her way and live her life to its fullest,” stated by Chloe. She also talks about how she likes to take risks with her friends. What Chloe likes about herself is her willingness to accept others. What she does not like about herself is that she does not feel she is pretty. Media plays a big role in Chloe’s life and bases her fashion sense from the photos in magazines. From the media, however, Chloe’s self-esteem becomes low because she wishes she could be as pretty as those models in the pictures.
Chloe sees herself in ten years going to college and getting the best job possible, and maybe having a child. She dreams of being a singer and also likes the idea of being a chef. Chloe loves being in middles school where life is crazy, loud, and full of friends. This atmosphere is the best one for her because she likes to be random and funny. Chloe’s best advice to other twelve-year-old girl is that there is, “One life to live, make it worth it.”
This story originally appeared in Facing the Future Through the Voices of Teenage Girls, a publication of The Facing Project that was organized by Ivy Tech Community College and the Office of Mayor Pete Buttigieg in South Bend, Indiana.