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Discovering My Differences

For more than 10 generations, my family has lived in the state of Georgia. Why am I, an artistic 18-year-old from Atlanta, the first person in my family to venture out and experience the world? I believe that is the reason I am taking this gap year: to discover what makes me feel so different from my family. I love my family, but growing up gay in Georgia often puts me at odds with certain social, political, and religious ideas held by my home state. I also hope to show the world that I am a person, a fellow citizen, and that who I’m attracted to is only a small part of who I am and hope to be.

In December, amidst a frenzy of college applications and holiday performances at my performing arts high school, I saw an ad on Facebook that caught my eye. It featured the words ‘Global Citizen,” the subject of a scholarship essay I’d just completed. I clicked the link and emotion surged through my body. At that moment I knew I must take a Global Citizen Year.

Jacklyn Joy Byrd

About Jacklyn Joy Byrd


At the time of her Global Citizen Year, Jacky's passion was the arts. They dance, write, act, puppeteer, and read. She can usually be found reading or volunteering at the Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta, Georgia as a Museum Docent.

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