nai: middle school

I would never repeat middle school. In some ways, those three years at Marine Park Junior High School shaped who I am today, but it was hard to get there. From ages eleven to fourteen, I learned how to do basic algebra, how to do my edges, and that there was more to the birds and the bees than just laying eggs. But I also learned what it meant to be a friend, more about my heritage, and how to be myself even if it’s challenging sometimes. I wish I could hug my seventh-grade self — everything I do is for her. Welcome to Nai, my middle school years.