Valerie, age 9 - Chick-a-go Scholarship recipient:
“What I have gotten [from my experience] is that you have control over how people treat you. I am creating the possibility of being nice to my parents. [My goal] is to be able to look at my life in a different perspective. I have seen that you have the choice [in life] to be sad or happy.”
The Chick-a-go Foundation Story
Small things can set us off — tiny incidents that matter to no one else but loom large in our minds. We latch onto them, magnify them, and they become indelible, forming who we become. Even though these events may have occurred long ago, we get messages, learn lessons, and make decisions that impact our feelings, thinking, and behavior. When we make these formative decisions, we are not always aware that we alter the course of our lives.
Looking back on my early life, I can clearly see how I allowed external events to shape and define me. With each life challenge, I made a decision about myself, building a perception that led to my self-destructive behavior. One of these early pivotal moments occurred for me in the third grade as my class took turns reading aloud. I began reading enthusiastically, but faltered at the point in the book where it said, “Chicago is known as the Windy City.” Plowing onward, I read, “Chick-a-go is known as…” The entire room erupted in laughter, and my face became red hot. I plopped down in complete humiliation.
At that moment I made a critical decision: I never wanted to feel that way again! Therefore, I would never again speak in class without knowing the answer. My embarrassment was overwhelming. Even if I was sure I knew the answer, I would remain silent anyway. This behavior followed me throughout my life. There were other events that happened where I made decisions about myself and the world: my parents’ divorce and the subsequent moves back and forth between households, my aunt’s sudden death, my mother’s alcoholism. Later, to “handle” the pressures of life, I developed an eating disorder and other addictions until finally entering treatment in 1989.
After many years of solid recovery, I had the shocking realization that I was still “playing it safe.” I was terrified to fail in front of my peers – that long ago “Chick-a-go” incident still interfered with my life.
Had I not seen (and transformed) where I still held myself back in life, I would not be where I am. Today, I am thrilled to say I am someone who is living my dreams and experiencing my power.
For more information about the Chick-a-Go Foundation, please email us at chickagofoundation@gmail.com
