Dawn Lauryn:  

I moved almost every year of my childhood, sometimes more than once a year, up until my junior year of High School. I had several different identities/last names; attended many different schools; and would love to know what people are up to that I've met all around the country while growing up, especially some of my college friends that I've lost contact with. Likewise, connecting with old teachers, professors, employers, etc. would be nice, although not having 2 of my last names listed here will make it highly improbable that the people I'd like most to touch base with will ever be able to find/identify me and due to the number I've places I've lived and people I've met, it's much more difficult for me to remember the names of others than the other way around (Classmates really should improve their product to accommodate for this). When I wasn't preoccupied with partying, and even at times when I was, I was an honor student. Ah, but then there were times when it all seemed so pointless (most poor kids don't go to college), & having no real adult supervision in my life (other than parent provided basic necessities, I pretty much raised myself) allowed me to get away with quite a bit, so while I was still able to graduate with honors, my class ranking wasn't remotely close to where it should have been. The amazing thing was how I managed to achieve that at all since: 1. I wasn't even trying, & 2. my hands down favorite subject in high school was my independent study of applied chemistry & sociology: combining EtOH (being the social lubricant that it is) with any social situation I could get away with (including drinking right in the high school classroom) as an aid to overcome my severe shyness (moving a lot was a truly wonderful experience, but it was extremely hard on a very shy, insecure, introverted kid). If you're a fan of Big Bang Theory, think Raj, only I was that way with EVERYONE, not just people of the opposite sex., but get a couple of drinks in me & that all melted away, so I drank a lot. I actually did have pretty decent Chemistry & Sociology classes in high school & became an aid in Chemistry, as I loved the class so much & I got to grade homework, tests, etc. (I was really into playing teacher & tutoring from grade school through college, which actually helped me earn my way through college, along with UF paying me to attend because summa cum laude transfers make THEM look good). I managed to do well in Jr. High, which is even more amazing considering my social lubricant at that time was something else that affected me far more profoundly (green & leafy) and made both riding a bike and finding my way to school the biggest achievements of my Jr. High days. If we ever spoke when I was a kid, there's a pretty good chance I was under the influence of something (refer to the aforementioned Raj analogy). Always having to play catch up from moving all the time coupled with being so shy was not a good combination, yet I got to live in some of the best cities in the US, so I wouldn't trade it away if I could. I'm actually really sad for others who have never had the opportunity to live in different cities. I've met people who have never even been outside of the town they live in, which I can't even fathom. > μ + 3σ I won't provide the number, but it's in the top 0.1% which is nothing to sneeze at, especially for a person who grew up in poverty (although there were periodic upper-middle-class moments) when the tests are socio-economically biased (oh yes they are, not that writing an unbiased test would be simple). Even at the time I was tested (college), I didn't think much about it and am only able to remember the number as it differed from my total cholesterol by 1 point. I've always struggled with my health and was much more focused on that at the time & had my cholesterol checked (I don't even remember how I was able to manage that, as I had very little access to healthcare until I was 31 when I finally got insurance for the first time in my life through my employer). Had I any idea of my potential when I was younger, maybe I would have applied myself more, but then again, maybe not. It wouldn't have changed my socio-economic situation growing up, and I honestly thought the only way...Expand for more