Introduction

One of my senior portraits.

Hello! My name is Emma Southern, and this is my first post to Steemit. I’ve heard that it’s customary to begin with an introductory post, so that is where I am going to start.

As I said, my name is Emma. I am 18 years old and am currently a senior in high school. I am a high-achieving student, taking school very seriously. I am currently taking six Advanced Placement classes: Music Theory, BC Calculus, American Government and Politics, Spanish, Psychology, and English Literature and Composition. However, I also greatly value recreational pursuits and a balanced lifestyle. At school, I participate in a wide array of extracurricular activities.

Me playing softball when I was nine.

I have played softball and field hockey since I was young (six and eight, respectively), and I played both for all four years of high school. I was also a captain for each my senior year. I am a catcher for softball and a mid-fielder for field hockey. I ended with four varsity letters (counting this year’s softball season which was unfortunately cut off short due to the pandemic).

Me in my school's production of Seussical.

I also have a creative side. I have always loved to sing, so I have taken choir for the past three years. I have also been a cast member of my high school’s musical every year. I was very lucky to have been able to perform this year before school was shut down. I also have an appreciation for language arts. This year, I am taking a creative writing course. I am also in the creative writing club, and I have been a part of my school newspaper, literary magazine, and morning news.

Lettering of “What A Wonderful World.”

In another aspect of my creative side, I am taking studio art this year. I have always enjoyed various crafting projects and artistic forms. I like giving hand-made gifts, and I have tried my hand at lettering.

But my involvement doesn’t end there. I am also an officer of Student Council, Gender-Sexuality Alliance, and Student Empowerment Team; a varsity member of Academic Team; a core member of my Class Cabinet; and a member of philosophy club, Spanish club, a peer mentorship group, and a number of service-based groups. I am also in a number of honor societies: National Honor Society, Latin Honor Society, Spanish Honor Society, National Art Honor Society, International Thespian Society, and Tri-M Music Honor Society (for which I am an officer). Outside of school, I have also volunteered with a cat adoption group.

With all of these activities, it still amazes me that I have a social life and can balance my workload. Although, I suppose now that balance has to be readjusted. I don’t think I’ve found a new balance yet, but I’m working on it.

An old picture of one of my bookshelves.

In addition to everything else I’ve mentioned, I love to read! I recently learned (from Jeopardy) the Japanese word Tsundoku which means buying more books than can be read. I would definitely say that applies to me. I own tons of books, many of which I have not yet read. And, despite having so many books that I’ve never read, I have reread some of the books twice (or more times). Notable is Harry Potter. I love Harry Potter (I am a Ravenclaw). But that seems like something to elaborate on another time.

Two of my cats: Casey and Django.

Other fun facts about me: I have three cats. I was adopted from China when I was eight months old. I love musical theater. My favorite band is The Beatles. I enjoy doing logic and jigsaw puzzles. I really like superheroes (more than just the blockbuster movies—though I do like those, too). I like goldfish crackers and pizza and Arnold Palmer (the drink). I am a Phillies fan.

Me and my boyfriend.

Now that I’ve properly and thoroughly introduced myself, I would also like to share why I joined Steemit. The current situation has certainly been a disappointment, and I would say that I am struggling to mentally and emotionally deal with this unexpected turn. In order to cope and deal with my quarantine life, I decided to write more. I have always enjoyed writing (as I previously mentioned). I keep a diary/journal, I write poetry, and I have dabbled in other creative writing forms. I was going to (and still intend to) make a blog as a form of expression for my increased production of writing, but my boyfriend (@cmp2020) encouraged me to join the Steem community (as he has been trying to do for some time now). I agreed to make an account. And I am excited to start posting! As soon as I logged into my account, I made sure to read the entire Terms of Agreement and Privacy Policy. Then I went straight to the Frequently Asked Questions page and read through it all. Now I’m ready to actually post! I hope to continue to write and post here as well as get to know this platform.