Catherine
“I think many women don’t realize or forget how special they truly are sometimes, but this is your constant reminder that you are a badass! Don’t you ever forget it.”
Catherine is an empathetic, spiritual soul who is deeply in touch with her emotions. Through rollercoaster experiences in her college and early career, she fought through difficult and exhausting circumstances to eventually get her footing. Her positive mindset, hardworking attitude, and ability to lean into her faith helped to carry her through these challenging tides, making the journey of uncertainty worth the fulfillment that awaited her on the other side. Meet Catherine. This is her story.
K: Please introduce yourself!
C: Hey y'all, my name is Catherine. I say "y'all" because I'm a southern gal, so that is a common word in my dictionary. I graduated college in 2017 with a B.A. in Communications and currently work at a travel public relations agency in Charleston, SC. If you want an elevator pitch and want to hear only about my career, go see my LinkedIn page. But that's not what this project is about, right? So let's try this again. Hey y'all, I'm Catherine. A 26-year-old, outspoken, kind-hearted, confident, motivating, loving, emotional, faithful, woman who is still trying to figure out this whole thing called life.
K: Describe yourself in your own words
C: I'm silly, strong, loyal, confident, motivating, faithful, empowered, happy, respectful, and doing my best every single day. Even on my sad days, I try to focus on the positives about each day, even if it's as simple as treating myself to a Starbucks coffee or sitting in the sun for 30 minutes. I try to practice gratitude as much as I can.
K: What is your favorite thing about yourself?
C: My favorite thing about myself is my compassion and positivity. Don't get me wrong, there are days/times where I don't feel so positive, believe me. I don't think everything is all unicorns and puppies, but I do try to rely on my faith to bring me through my negative and hard times. Life is confusing and complicated but to me, I trust that God has put me on this Earth for a reason.
K: Tell us a story. Have you had an experience that has defined you or made you stronger?
C: Oh, where do I begin?
Freshman year of college, I was studying graphic design. Throughout my first semester, things went downhill. I quickly realized how artistically challenged I really was as a majority of my classes were basic drawing courses. I know what you're thinking, "How can a drawing class be so hard?" Well, for me, it was. I failed one class and barely passed 2 others, which tanked my GPA and my mental health. At the end of my first semester, I decided to change my major to "undeclared," and take many classes that were GPA boosters the rest of the school year. I only hoped and prayed I would not flunk out of college.
I worked extremely hard, day and night, and come to find out, I received a GPA of 1.999 at the end of my freshman year. I needed a 2.0 to come back. I was put on academic probation and fought the college to appeal that decision. They actually accepted my appeal and I came back to school in the fall! When that happened, I declared my major as Communications because I always knew I loved to write. By the end of my first semester of sophomore year, I launched an extremely successful student organization, which ended up winning numerous awards and brought me to an incredible internship, which helped jumpstart my career. Not only that, but I ended up making lifelong friends and learned so much about myself.
Once I graduated, I almost immediately got a job. I was so excited. I was 22 years old, got a job in an industry that I got a degree in, lived in a beautiful city, doing work that was "glamorous" and impressive. Sounds like a dream, right? Well, it was. But behind closed doors, I was miserable. Where I worked wasn't all glitz and glamour as it sounded. Where I worked was lifeless, mentally draining, emotionally damaging, and heartbreaking. Without getting into too much detail, I would come home from work every single day and bawl my eyes out. Sometimes I would even do that during my lunch breaks. It was a dark time in my life and some days I never felt motivated. It took me over a year to find my next job, and when I finally did, it felt like a weight was lifted off of my shoulder. I never thought I'd find a light at the end of the tunnel, but I did and it still amazes me to this day. Now I work at a company that values me and uplifts me every single day.
Looking back now, I would do everything all over again. I know that sentence sounds crazy, right? But, it made me stronger. I wouldn't be the woman I am today if I hadn't gone through those experiences.
K: What is one piece of advice you would give to your younger self?
C: I would look at that sad scared girl and say, "Alright queen, don't worry about a single thing, okay? I know it's hard now, but trust me, you will be happy, you will find love, and you will find peace. Keep focusing on you and everything will fall into place just as it should. You are powerful and you got this."
K: What does being a woman mean to you?
C: Being a woman is the most beautiful thing in the entire world. We're strong, we're resilient, we're smart, we're patient, we're fighters, and we're simply remarkable. I think many women don't realize or forget how special they truly are sometimes, but this is your constant reminder that you are a badass! Don't you ever forget it.
K: Who is one woman that inspires you? What would you say to her if she were here now?
C: My mother. She is my rock and my best friend. She has told me my entire life (and still tells me to this day) that I can do anything I put my mind to. She has always encouraged me, motivated me, comforted me, and inspired me to be my best self and I only hope to instill that on my daughter one of these days. As one of my favorite quotes states, "Here's to strong women. May we know them, may we be them, may we raise them."
Check out Catherine on Instagram! @cathclowe