Pura Vida In Costa Rica

Pura Vida
It was an escape, a breath of life, and shock that sent waves of electricity through my body and opened my eyes to the world around me. It brought light to the darkness that was incinerating me, reducing me from the inside out until I was nothing but ashes blowing in the wind.
It took bravery to make myself vulnerable and to leave. I had been pushing on the same concrete barrier that was keeping me from pursuing my passions my entire life. The barricade I had been cracking my head against like a raw egg just trying to feel something. I found that I didn't have to stand there. That I didn't have to wait in Broomfield, and that I could find another path. I'm not going to use the analogy of spreading my wings and taking flight, I am
It’s about going through life wild and free. It means you seize the day rather than taking it on as another task that needs to be completed to reach the next step. It means you laugh and love and live deeply. That you soak in the good and rinse away the bad, and that everything is an adventure of it’s own. More importantly though, it’s also about pursuing your passions, and that’s exactly what I’ve been doing my entire life. I took a leap of faith applying for Teen Science Scholars, and working on my Revolar project, and leaving the only place I’ve ever lived. I’m not reckless, I am adventurous. I’m not fearless, I’m
I am messy and afflicted and sensitive. I make mistakes quite frequently, but I'm learning, I'm struggling, I’m growing, and I'm fighting. I am not the pile of paper that totes my adequate test scores and my transcript. I'm a three dimensional human being. And I'm so much more than a clone who is simply programmed to memorize and regurgitate its knowledge on a test. I have expedient and applicable strengths, and I’m taking steps every day to make my weaknesses stronger. I'm a problem solver, a perseverer, a critical thinker, a collaborator, a risk taker. I am a leader. Most importantly, I live pura