Stormie Simmons

Hey, I am Stormie Simmons. I was born in Gainesville, Georgia on April 28, 1996. I was raised by a single mom with 5 kids, who at times worked up to three different jobs to make sure that we had everything that we needed. My mom is the strongest person I know and because of her I am where I am at today.

I am probably the most awkward person in my whole family. My mom and the rest of my siblings can talk to almost anyone they meet. I have trouble doing that. I have three really close friends that I would not trade for the world and I am fine with having a really close group of friends.

Growing up, I was also taught that if I wanted something I had to work hard to get it. This was instilled in me since I was little. I used this mentality inside and outside of school. I was working by the time I was 14. By having this mentality in school, it helped me graduate top 15 of my class of close to 400 students.

I graduated in 2014 from Hiram High School in Hiram, Georgia. But before I graduated, I got accepted to the best college in the SEC (in my opinion.) I had originally planned on going to The University of West Georgia because of a family member being ill that I wanted to be close to in case anything happened. In March of 2014, two things happened that would change my life forever. I lost one of the most amazing women in my life. Her house was my safe place. A few weeks after she passed away, I got my acceptance letter from UGA. A school that I had wanted to attend since I was in the second grade. I knew this was my Mawmaw's way of telling me that this is where I belong and that she would be with me every step of the way.

This transition to college, by no means has been easy. It has been one of the most difficult things I have ever faced. So much has changed, I found a boyfriend who has helped make this transition a lot easier. Him and his family have taken me in as if I were one of them and for that I am forever grateful. I have been forced to change the way I study. In high school, I never had to study. Everything came so easy to me. I am still not fully adjusted to studying at this level, but I am improving. It's been difficult making friends but I am also getting better at that.

I hope to one day be an elementary school teacher and be able to have an impact on children and show them that they can do anything that they put their mind to.