Hello fellow Steemit users!

![Image of Myself](https://i.imgur.com/g5FcswR.jpg)

My name is Maria, I'm a 22 year old college student, studying Operations and Supply Chain Management at Cleveland State University. Yes, I live in Cleveland, Yes, the Republican National Convention is coming up (and ruining my plans), and **YES** I'm still wearing Cleveland Cavaliers NBA Championship gear in public! So, now that the stereotypes are out of the way.....let's talk a little bit about me.

Born and raised in the Cleveland area, I never was out of my shell until I got older. I was born in a Suburb of Cleveland, but then when I was 12, I moved to a tiny town in Ohio where everyone knows each other. A city girl at heart, I never really fit in. In high school I was the "weird girl" or whatever, always writing and reading, not really making an effort to talk to a lot of my peers. I just studied hard to ensure I got into a college where I could move out and be on my own...

...Until it was actually time to go to college and I went to school an hour away. I was able to live on campus, but it felt like I never got to escape. The thought was there in my mind, but I tried to put it behind me and enjoy my college life. Parties, my sorority, superficial friends, and more. I was fairly popular and had a great support group with my sorority sisters. I still was not satisfied, however, and I couldn't escape that feeling any longer.

Right around the same time is when I met my current boyfriend, Matt (steemit.com/@gobbahfett). He was and is my everything. He taught me how to become the person I wanted to be, and helped me as I worked hard to get there. 

I left the college I was at, leaving my sorority, my friends, the awesome parties behind. I did it for a higher quality life. I was so tired of my "friends" not being there for me when I really needed them, and I wanted to focus on getting an education instead of having fun. I was also pretty overweight and started to become unhealthy.

My life changes couldn't have come at a better time. I switched to Cleveland State, finishing above a 3.0 (higher than I ever earned at my old college), lost 75 pounds (and counting!), and quit smoking cigarettes. While all of these changes came to life, my sister-in-law became pregnant and gave birth to my beautiful nephew. I suddenly realized then why I was so inclined to do these things for myself, it was for my well being and to be a good influence on my nephew. My life has purpose again, and I felt amazing!!

![Image of my Nephew](https://i.imgur.com/stdvDZZ.jpg)
_This is Sebastian, my nephew who is now almost 3 months old._

![Image of Weight Loss](https://i.imgur.com/VeSnZRU.jpg)
_This is my most recent progress photo on my weight loss journey, which I definitely will talk about more in a later post._

So that's a bit of my background, I omitted a lot of text here so I didn't bore everyone with my whole life story. I can be quite the complicated individual.

So what do I like to do in my free time? Well, first and foremost, I'm a writer. Writing is one of the first things Matt and I connected with, as he is a writer too. I also LOVE to read. It not only entertains me, but it also helps me learn where I can improve in my own writing. I also love learning, I feel that every day that I do not learn something is a day completely wasted. Humans are given the gift of ability to learn, and that is so incredible to me. 

When I'm not learning, reading, or writing, I'm playing some kind of video game to destress and relax a bit. Right now I'm playing Stardew Valley, an RPG that allows you to raise a farm. I'm also playing Overwatch, Blizzard's first person shooter. So I'm definitely keeping busy in my free time. :)

As of right now, I'm a full-time student that cannot handle working at the same time as when I'm in school. When I'm out of school for breaks, I work as a teller at a local Savings and Loan bank. It's okay, almost so easy it's boring though. I spend my time there thinking about how I can improve myself in order to become really successful.

For now, that's all I'm going to write. I hope you all enjoy my writing and feel free to check back for new content. This is going to be a really fun hobby for me. :)