Starting A New Journey: Gracie's Grind

 The Grind & I

I've always believed that the most powerful connections are made when we're willing to be vulnerable. So, I'm taking a deep breath and sharing my life, thoughts, and feelings with you. This blog won't always be polished or perfect, but it will be real. And I hope that by sharing my story, you'll feel encouraged to share yours, and together, we can build a community that celebrates authenticity and imperfection.

Hi there! I'm Gracie Nguyen, a 16 year old sophomore at Renaissance High School. My favorite color is pink, and I love anything outdoors, especially hiking, riding bikes, and animals! I have 9 piercings, not that it's important, I just feel the need to throw it out there. I love reading, my current read is "Binding 13" by Chloe Walsh (I'm a big book worm unfortunately).

I am a Speech & Debate kid, along with so many other clubs such as Mock Trial, FCCLA, and Culture Club. I also play rugby, and take part in volunteering for a non-partisan group called Babe Vote. Before I mislead you, I am fairly new to most of these extracurriculars, I plan to become a lot more engaged in my community, and this blog is exactly how I plan to start.

This blog, Gracie's Grind, is my personal space, a place where all my thoughts, ideas, and experiences can land. Here, I’ll be sharing tales of my adventures—big and small—and everything that inspires me along the way. I hope to create a community of people who want better for themselves and others, who also want to get involved and open their small circle but don't know where to start. And those who want to listen to my struggles of high school life.

But to start off this cute little journey of mine, I want to admit something. Middle school was one heck of a ride for me, I was not a good kid, I treated my parents poorly, got crappy grades, and made really bad choices. One that comes to mind, was in 7th grade when my friends and I created a rumor page. We posted silly rumors that we were told on a TikTok page. As you could imagine, no one was thrilled with this. The poor decision led to me losing most my friends, and avoiding a really bad group of girls by hiding in the library. 

After 2 years of busting my butt to leave Lowell Scott, and avoid Centennial, I was accepted into Renaissance. Where I met some of the most amazing people that I know today (shout out to Andrew Paternoster, my inspiration). The community and appreciation I get from the community at Renaissance is not something I thought I was capable of, but somehow, I was lucky enough to receive it.

If there is one thing I've learned coming from a middle school life where I ate some lunches in the bathroom and walked the halls with the biggest RBF known to man, it's that you are solely responsible for each and every consequence of each and every decision you make. So, if you enjoyed this, and if you love me, I hope you'll join me in creating the future of this blog, and I'll see you next time!