Once I Found Passion, Where It Led Me
For most of my life, I struggled with suicidal ideations and tried to end my life. And he recognized that I was finally prospering, but something was always wrong. So, at my first appointment with Dr. John Zografakis at Summa Health Akron in July 2018, I heard a little voice tell me, “If you go through with this, you’ll have to confront a secret you’ve long repressed.” I challenged it, had my Roux-En-Y Gastric Bypass surgery on July 1st, 2019, and in November, I discovered the repressed secret. I hated how I was born. I am trans.
I started my transition medically in December 2019. My first appointment was on December 27th at Cleveland Clinic with Elizabeth Dimmock, and I formally began HRT on March 5th, 2020, exactly one week before the world shut down. Then it was discovered that I was epileptic on April 24th, 2020, when I had my first seizure. Socially, I began my transition during the 2019-2020 school year and was coming out to people as time went on. I had the first of three gender-affirming surgeries on August 15, 2021, with my legal name change on September 20th, 2021. My second gender-affirming surgery, the primary bottom one, is not scheduled. I am targeting May 2024, just after graduation, and my third surgery, the top surgery, is still to be determined.
I ended up at Kent State starting in the fall of 2022, after being at Eastern Gateway Community College through their Union Plus College Program, offering free college classes and associate degrees to union members and their families. I was at Eastern Gateway from March 2021 through August 2022. I came to Kent State because it was close and offered a program I wanted to enter – Sport Administration. But with the political climate in Ohio towards transgender individuals, I elected to make my final program change to graduate as quickly as possible in April 2023. I have faced discrimination because of my gender and disability status at Kent State, adding to issues with my health.
I am a member of the disabled community, wearing the disability pride flag with pride and representing all six colors on the flag.
- Black – Abuse and victimhood
- Red – Physical (Epilepsy)
- Gold – Neurodivergence (ADHD)
- White – Invisible/Undiagnosed (Epilepsy-Invisible and Possible ASD)
- Blue – Psychiatric (ADHD/Bipolar/Other unknown)
- Green – Sensory (ADHD/Possible ASD)
I was told by one boss in my life when I formally applied for Social Security Disability, “You have a disability, but you’re not disabled.” Yes, right now, I am on SSDI, but I am building a future where I’m not on SSDI. I’m set to graduate in May 2024 with my Bachelor of Integrative Studies Degree – One Minor – Photojournalism after completing 217 undergraduate credit hours.
This chapter of my life, as long and arduous as it was, finally closes on May 12. I am a member of the College Sports Communicators through Kent State University. I am seeking full-time work in Athletic Communications or a graduate assistantship in a “safe state”. Check this link for Erin Reed’s Most up-to-date Anti-Trans Legislative Risk Map.
My Resume & the details of my work history and education will be in the My Brand section, which is under construction.