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One of my closest friends, who just happened to be my high school English teacher and honors advisor, once told me that I am not and wasn’t ever going to be the kid who received a perfect score on their ACT. Honestly, at first it seemed like an insult. I am an intelligent woman, how dare she say this.
However, after much reflection, I realize she is right. I am not the 4.0 GPA, 36 ACT, GSP attendee. I posses a different type of intelligence. Now, I like to think myself somewhat book smart, but this knowledge is not the outstanding type for me. Instead, I believe I am more socially intelligent. Social Intelligence is the ability to successfully build relationships and navigate social environments.
I know that my upbringing had a lot to do with my development of social intelligence. My mother, Alexa, was likely the most socially intelligent person I have ever met. She was empathetic and compassionate. My mother could not only talk to a brick wall, but help it through whatever issues it was facing. Having such an extroverted mother meant the apple could not escape falling far from the tree. Undoubtedly, the apple could have been a mile away from the tree and still been touched by its graces.
Being raised by such a woman, it was inevitable that I would inherit at least a sliver of what she offered. So, here I am. Stuck between a family that encouraged social intelligence and a world that values memorization of textbook knowledge. Trying to balance both is one of the major struggles of my life thus far.