Career Confidence

5There Is Nothing Wrong with You

I am the youngest in my family. I have an older sister and my mom is an only child. To say we were the center of the universe would be an understatement. We were doted on, spoiled by our grandparents, and every little thing we did was met with exuberance and praise. Got an A on the spelling test? It's time for cake! Came in second place in the softball tournament? Let's have a party to celebrate!

My sister and I would make up little plays and musicals, and at parties, we would “perform” them. Everyone would cheer, and laugh, and tell us how smart and beautiful and talented we were.

I went to Catholic school from first grade to eighth grade. I was with the same group of 20 kids all those years. The teachers were kind; we felt comfortable with each other, bullying was not a thing, and going to church every school morning (and once on the weekends) kept us all on our best behavior.

When I started first grade (there was no kindergarten back then), my first teacher was a nun. Her name was Sister Evangeline. She was about 4-foot-10-inches tall and dressed in the traditional nun habit. She smelled like roses and was the sweetest human being I've ever met.

Every morning, she'd line us all up in the hallway and hug us good morning. And at the end of the school day, she'd do the same and give us a blessing for a safe school bus trip home.

I always felt loved, protected, and insulated from the world around me.

My parents were poor. To afford the Catholic ...