Amanda Carrasco

I’ve been struggling with my blog. It’s very personal but I had made it public with the intent to share my journey and maybe give hope or encouragement to others.

This could cause some issues with the professional world I am looking to enter so as I pondered this situation I changed my privacy settings to closed.

A little while ago I listened to a leader who I greatly respect and has a lot of knowledge in the area of mental health, who publicly said that he takes medication for depression and sees a counsellor every week. He also said he wishes that these things could be talked about openly. It was then that I knew what my decision had to be.

I want to make the world better. I want to be the change I want to see, and that means that even if it costs me a job then I have to be true to who I am and vulnerable about the difficult times on my journey. Recently a close friend said that I was set up to fail. In a lot of ways, I think he is right. I scrolled back and realized that I suffered significant trauma; multiple sexual abuses, rape, the loss of close friends by murder, testifying at the trial, dysfunctional family; all before I hit 17 years of age and it hasn’t been all roses and daisies since. Some people don’t recover from just one of those issues but I had all of them happen before my brain was even fully developed.

I had all the reasons to fail, but I didn’t, and I’m not done. The future is so bright for where I am going and the difference I know I am going to make because all those things that happened to me are drivers for me to make life better for others. I want people to know their value and worth regardless of their circumstances or choices. Every single person on this planet matters. So as I move forward I am publicly declaring my personal manifesto.

Manifesto of Amanda Carrasco

I will be true to who I am and who God has called me to be: embracing all of my strengths and recognizing that I am in process to work on my weaknesses.

I will never call myself “just” anything.

 I am not just a mom, just a teacher, just an entrepreneur,

just a student, or just ANYTHING!

I AM Amanda Carrasco

I will use my voice to amplify and support the voices of the hurting, the oppressed, and suffering so we can all engage the world from a place or worthiness. NAKUONA

I will ask the hard questions to myself and others

I will not back down from something because it is hard, I will take calculated risks.

I will lead from a place of humble gratitude.

I will own my story, ALL of it, but it will not define me because I am the author.

It is a story of struggle and strength, but it is my story.

She overcame and changed the world.