Haley Adamczak
My name is Haley Adamczak and I am from Lawrenceville, New Jersey, one of the truest Jersey girls you’ll ever meet. I grew up going to a small, Catholic school in the suburbs. I attended that school from Kindergarten to 8th grade, graduating with only 36 students in my grade. Reflecting with my two bestest friends, Emily and Cara, the catholic school experience was controversial, dubious, and some of the greatest moments of our life. It was there I realized I didn’t come from the same background as everyone around me and I’ve only recently started to embrace that. I am an only-child and come from Polish immigrant parents. I think my freshman year of high school has truly shaped me to be the woman I am today. After attending the same school with the same people for nine years, it was heartbreaking when my parents told me they would be unable to afford a private high school, aka where all my classmates were going. I had to face public high school. I had always been interested in fashion and would oftentimes pretend to be a fashion designer when I was younger. I decided to take my first ever fashion class my freshman year. It was in that classroom that I decided I was going to pursue a career in the fashion industry, no matter how hard the journey would be. That same year, my family and myself faced great adversity and I started to learn that the success I was envisioning was entirely in my own hands. Although I was the new girl in high school, I decided to take it one step further and try out for the school field hockey team. The first day of preseason felt like the worst day of my life and I didn’t go back that second day. However, I decided to go back that third day and somehow wanted to push myself through the trials and tribulations, and thank goodness I did. When I reflect on my “where I’m from” story, many times people feel bad for me and tell me they’re sorry for me and what I experienced. However, it is through this adversity I faced at a young age that I realized it was going to take a lot more than my Jersey attitude to be successful and so far, it has been complicated, strenuous, and extremely exhilarating.