Aalecia Daviston

I love going outside, the natural breeze, hearing the birds chirp..It’s so pretty. I want to be able to go to the park alone, hearing the sounds of the little rivers and rocks, just sitting there and being by myself. I don’t have that a lot. I’m always on the go, at work, at school, or at home. I just can’t wait to find my sense of individuality and be at peace with myself.

To face my struggles, I try to take things one step at a time, otherwise it’s just a slap in the face. When I’m stressed, I just want to lay down. There’s no time where I can be silent and just go through how I'm feeling. My family, when I’m off, is always telling me to clean or do things around the house. It’s hard to focus on one thing when I always have so much to do. I feel suffocated. Like I’m always on survival mode.

My family still means a lot to me, even through our obligations and arguments. My sister and I live with our mom and take care of her since she is sick. My other sister, who’s moved out, has been a huge inspiration to me. We are each other’s best friends. My boyfriend always accepts me for who I am and tries to cheer me up in the best way possible, even when he can’t understand what I’m going through. I’m so glad he’s in my life, I can’t imagine who I would be without him, or my sisters. They’ve helped me discover who I want to be, and how to accept and love that.

I am still a work in progress, but I’ve come a long way from who I used to be.

Interview by Rivkah Pehowic, spring 2022