Sophia Overturf 

Dr. DeSpain 

CODES 121 

22 September 2023 

The life I’ve lived (so far) and what has impacted that 

I think living in a not very well-known city is one of the things that has greatly impacted me and how I interact with the people I meet now. Especially when I can tell someone from outside the state that I am from IL. They tend to assume you’re from Chicago or Springfield since those are the cities that everyone knows from IL. So, it is common for my family to say that we are from STL since it is more well known, and we do not have to go through the process of explaining where we are from. Growing up in Belleville also shaped how I experience life. From living in this town for so long I have gotten used to just walking our Mainstreet. It is not the biggest or smallest city, I would say it is somewhere in the middle, a nice-sized town with not a whole lot to do but there is always something to find and have fun with. Another thing about being from a city that is in the middle of a couple of other farm towns is always interesting. People from bigger cities or states may not see farm animals or random fields of crops on a regular basis.

(Caption: the fountain you see when you’re entering Belleville) 

Another thing that impacted my life was only living a short distance away from St. Louis, since there is not a lot of big things to do it Belleville. My family would take me over to St. Louis to go to the zoo, the science center, or just explore and find things to do for enjoyment. 

(caption: Saint Louis, Missouri, the place where I spent a lot of my summers growing up)

since there are a ton of exciting and enjoyable things to do only a short distance from the city, I live in. I have had a lot of fun and interesting experiences in this city. From going to 3 concerts and wizard world (which was the STL version of comic con) to going to the culture festival in Forest Park.  

Moving from the places that’s have impacted me. Some people have as well. My mother being one of those amazing people that have impacted me, she has done so much for me, and I do not know how to ever thank her fully. She has always been there for me and given up so much for me to live the life I live. In these 18 years of living on this earth, she has shown up to every game and performance I have put on just to show her support for me and the things I do. When she wants to do something, I go with her, adventures are always exciting when you are with someone who understands you like she does me. My life would probably be a lot different if she wasn’t around, who knows how different a person I would be. But I am glad that she has always been there for me, for every up and down, left, or right. I would probably be lost without her, so I am glad to have her as a mom.

(caption: my mom when we went to the Japanese festival at MOBOT) 

In addition, another person that has greatly impacted my life is my best friend, Robin. From what I have been told, we have been friends for longer than I thought. But from the 7 years that I do remember knowing them, they are like a rock for me. Every time I feel anxious or depressed, we spend time together for a few hours, and it feels like all that goes away. We have always gone on silly little adventures just to have the heck of it. For example, one time we were just driving around jamming to lemon demon, one of the bands we both enjoy together. Then suddenly, we realized we were lost in the middle of nowhere in Collinsville. So, we drove around for a while until we found our way back to the city instead of random cornfields. Even though the original reason for the adventure was just to find a music store to buy some things. Every time is a great time from just playing videogames to just ending up in random places, we have a great time together wherever we end up. I am glad that I have known them for so long and I hope to go on more silly adventures when we both have time off college.

( caption: me and Robin at our senior year trip to state with theater where we got 2nd place) 

Lastly, just my little friend group in general (including Robin). I do not think I would have made it through middle school and high school without them. Calvin and Colin are my other 2 really good friends, that are always part of silly shenanigans wherever we go. Calvin is the chill one out of all of us and knows how to calm us down. He is a really cool guy, and a good person to be around since he has a very relaxed personality. I am happy that he has been there for me and supports anything I and our other friends want to do, except if it’s stupid then he just holds it over our heads. Colin may get himself into some stupid trouble sometimes, but he is smart when he needs to be. I’ve known him since middle school, so we’ve had ups and downs, yet he is always there when I need him (even if that is to wrap him in plastic wrap and duct tape for an art project). We pick each other up when we’re down, I am glad that he is my friend and that we have each other’s back.  We all keep each other in good moods all the time when we get the time to hang out. Most of the time it is watching horror movies for enjoyment, or it is just going up and down the main street to all the different businesses. A running thing between us all that is probably my favorite thing to do is hide a mug with the name “Phil” all over it. We have rules and everything like “you cannot give it back to the person who just gave it to you.” We found this mug back in the summer of 2020 and it has been making its rounds to each of our houses. While writing this essay I think Robin said it was either at their house or Colin’s, I am personally waiting for the day it ends up at Mizzou somehow since that’s where Calvin is going to college. I am happy to have these 3 as my good friends and I would not change them for the world because they make mine so bright and full of excitement. As I don’t know what I’d do without them, and I hope we stay friends for as long as possible. 

(caption: from left to right Colin, Ava, Me Calvin at the very top and Robin, the last time we got to see each other at Calvin’s house before college started) 

Citation 

https://www.belleville.net/ for the Belleville photo 

https://mapcarta.com/St._Louis for the STL photo 

All others were taken by me