I didn’t expect to feel out of place.
When I moved from Los Angeles to Pittsburgh, I told myself it would be an adjustment but nothing I couldn’t handle. I had always been someone who took risks and tried new things. I came from nothing and was raised in the center of Los Angeles, a true melting pot. Rich or poor, it didn’t matter. We all had stories to share, experiences to compare and families that grounded us.
In LA, I was constantly surrounded by energy, culture, diversity and traffic, of course. My life there felt like an extension of who I was: fast-paced, social, always in motion. It gave me a sense of belonging. I felt free to be whoever I wanted to be…