Boxing, overall, no matter how worried it made my mom, has been one of the biggest positive influences on my life.

Poetry and oral storytelling have been a cherished influence on my for my entire life. My mom and Grandmother (her mom) were professional storytellers, my Grandfather a composer and musician, and since she and my grandparents raised me, I grew up speaking and thinking in songs and Aesop's fables, poetry and stories the language spoken at home.

Because of this, I tend to look at the world very differently than the people around me. The influence of moral lessons from the stories I learned, diverse cultures learned through traditional tales, and vocabulary given by endless reading and listening helped to both enrich my life and give me the words and ideas to describe and interpret it in so many ways many people could not, and I am endlessly grateful for it.

I watched The Craft (1996) for the first time after I'd started to take interest in paganism and other witchcraft-related practices. I found out my best friend also loved it, through it found out my sister and her both practiced in unique ways, and realized I was the one late to the party. Though The Craft is a fictional movie, they took much inspiration from actual, practiced witchcraft, and they had pagan specialists on set to make the movie solid representation of the practice and related beliefs, with of course the flourish that is show business added on. The movie became a huge influence on me, it being a well-done representation of a personal blooming interest, as well as a way I could find and connect with my close friends in a way we never had before. (also, I might add, the start of my gothic/alternative fashion love, as well as giving me inspiration and helping me start to feel more confident wearing more alternative clothes in public.)

_{"What I am calling for,” Nussbaum writes, is “a society of citizens who admit that they are needy and vulnerable.”}

I was astonished when I discovered Martha Nussbaum, partly because I couldn't believe I'd never heard of her, and partly because her writing represents in so many ways how I've felt and what I've believed for years. She's published works on Tragedy, Vulnerability, feminism, religious tolerance, and so much more, all majorly coming back to an idea of openness, kindness, and critical thought of one's actions to empathy and trust.

Also see: The New Yorker's article on her! It's very good. Titled: "The Philosopher of Feelings"

Wether it's her acting in a movie or writing, or directing it, Gewta Gerwig time and time again gives some of the most raw, accurate representations of women in cinema.

Greta's films, while it be Frances Ha, Little Women, or Lady Bird, (The most influential to me, among many others) Greta Gerwig has given the world, specifically young adult girls, truly special media to both look up to and relate to.

Her work has given me calm in times of panic and pain, given me comfort in the world and what's to come, and the knowledge that my experiences do not isolate me, in fact, they connect me to so many women around the world.

When actress Nicola Coughlan was asked about the experience and quality of working on a film with Greta, all she could say was, "It's Greta Gerwig. Need we say more?" and I couldn't agree more.

Brittany Broski, otherwise known as the Supreme Leader of Broski Nation, is a treasure.

Intelligent, down to earth, and with a comedic spark sure to draw people in, Brittany knows how to lead a nation. Every Tuesday, while either getting ready or eating breakfast (depending on how much of a rush I'm in) I tune in to The Broski Report. A rich podcast full of cultural takes, serious societal discussions, and deep dives on history, art, and literature, I'm always perfectly unprepared for every week's episode.

Her influence on me is undoubtedly significant. I've learned about so much from her podcast, things I never would have thought to do research on, opinions that both match and challenge my own, and colourful and unique language and expression that has bled into my daily life, all thanks to Brittany and her content.

Recommended Viewing, found on her channel "The Broski Report": My thoughts on Death and and Ireland Trip Review

(My favourite episode)

Abby, has been in my life since I moved to Squamish in 4th grade, and although we didn't get close until 9th, I regard her as my oldest friendship to date. My best friend, (and surrogate sister, at this point) she has a major influence on me in multiple aspects of my life.

An aspect she greatly influences me in is Music! I'd always gravitated to alternative and rock music, but only listened to what my mom did, as well as the pop music I found in the spaces I interacted with online.

I had never actively searched for new music before, and Abby heavily inspired me to do so. Watching how she navigated music apps and found/listened to music has had a major influence on how I do today, and the fact that we have similar music taste is fun as well. :)

She also had a well established music repertoire very young, and would frequently re-introduce me to music I'd listened to with my uncle or dad, that I hadn't heard in years, which meant I was inspired to dig through old record and cd collections, revisiting bands and albums, and being able to connect again with a lot of other people.

Abby also has had a major influence in me being more comfortable to be myself. Her genuine nature and confidence is absolutely courageous, as well as her talent of making safe spaces for people to be themselves in. Historically, I've always felt I need to suppress myself and my interests in friendships, but spending time and growing close with Abby has had the opposite effect, and I'm so grateful that her greatest influence on me has been to never let anything else influence you to a point where you abandon yourself.

My younger sister Evelyn is one of, if not the most influential people in my life. She’s genius with interpersonal skill and interaction, and I find myself constantly trying to mirror her tactics when making new friends, or whilst being around people I want to make a strong first impression on.

Whenever she starts to use new slang or a expressions, it will almost always have a trickle-down effect into my and all our friend's vocabularies, and it's happened enough times that I know I’ll start to parrot whichever new colloquialisms and terms she’s using, unless I make a true effort to stop it.

While I’m sure a large part of her influence is how much time I spend around her, (which is more than anyone else in my life) I think it also comes from me looking up to her in so many ways, her natural, seemingly effortless cool, radiance, and wit. She’s a wordsmith with a subtle yet impressive intellect for interaction, relationships, tastes (across the board, from fashion and makeup to art and design), and humor.

I also find that, although it does have an algorithm that is influenced by trends it's historically been a website in which the photos you see are much more influenced by your preferences as an individual. In an era where we consume so much media it's helped me keep in touch with my interests/taste against the constant white noise of pushed products. (It has SO many ads now though, so this may be less true now.)