My perception of identity has changed through the making of this project. As I embark in this period of transition as a 21-year-old, I realize that I am no longer a girl. Feeling the departure from childhood, I can’t help but wonder, “Where is home?”

I feel connected to Ohio, where I’m from. When in Boston, I feel a loss of identity and have to find myself over and over again. Who am I? What am I? I am made of everything. I am made of the experiences I have had, the people I have met, and the places I have been.

This project began as a journal entry to my younger self: “I just want to give you a hug. I want to see you smile and laugh. But that’s what I see in the mirror, isn’t it? I just don’t recognize it. You are me? I am you. I’m different, of course. I’m older. ‘Soiled’ by the world, as some would say. But I have you in me. I can be who I want to be because I come from you.”