I’m so happy you’re here! Lets get to know each other — I am currently a junior at The University of Alabama and I am originally from Hattiesburg, Mississippi. I grew up there with my mom, dad, and big sister Rachael. I had so many great friends in Mississippi and our family dynamic is something I will always be forever grateful for. I grew up a competitive dancer HATED ballet so I switched to all star cheer! Absolutely loved it. My sister and I are 6 years apart so when I was in middle school, she was at The University of Alabama for college. We are huge Alabama fans so we were in Tuscaloosa every single weekend for some Alabama football (and to see rach of course!). At the end of 8th grade we decided to move to Tuscaloosa. Starting freshman year of high school in a completely different state is intimidating. I was nervous and scared but definitely super excited at the same time. I immediately met so many amazing friends who welcomed me in with open arms. The transition was so smooth and I look back and wonder how I got so lucky.

High school was awesome, I was still cheering and would drive to Birmingham 2 to 3 times per week for practice. I was extremely involved, not ever stressed about anything bigger than homework or practice. Living the high school dream!

A little bit about my family before we move on… We are a very close knit family. Watching my mom and my dad as I grew up taught me what true love looks like. Genuinely true love. My big sister is like my second mom. She can act more like my mom than my mom can at times. She is super protective and I love it! Whatever Rachael did I wanted to do, I was like her little shadow. My dad and mom have a bigger age gap between them, so growing up I had an ‘older’ dad than most of my friends. My dad was quite the athlete back in the day! He played football at Alabama and played for the Baltimore Colts. He went on to coach football for several years after.

I am enjoying all that life has to offer at this time in my life. I was pretty good at all-star cheer, I had a cute boyfriend, I was class president, all of the materialistic things life offers, I thought I had and was set. Little did I know my world was about to get turned upside down. December 9, 2020, my dad passed away. It was the hardest, most confusing, frustrating, foggy day of my life. My sister was in Dallas at the time, and me and my mom were home when it happened. It was hard. After this, my whole perspective of life shifted. I had to mature at a very young age. My outlook on life was completely different. I was just then learning how to grieve and process my emotions.

Fast forwarding to college, I have learned so much more than I would have ever guessed from this experience. Yes, loss sucks. Yes, loss is awful. But in a way, I am grateful for all of the things I have learned and these things have shaped me into a completely different person. Four years later, I have the best support system a girl could ever ask for. I am still lost in my twenties with zero clue of where I will be after college, but embracing the uncertainty. This page is somewhere I am going to be vulnerable and honest as I go through my journey of life! Maybe my uncertainty can bring someone else a little peace about theirs too.

xo, shelby!