I grew up quiet.
I know, I know – what a boring and unimportant way to describe myself.
When you grow up quiet, the trait has this tendency to override everything else. When you grow up quiet, that tends to be all people hear.
I’m much less quiet than I was then, but I can’t separate myself from it.
People have questioned my ability to be firm or assertive. People have questioned my ability to ask tough questions. People have questioned my ability, essentially, to do my job and accomplish my goals.
The truth is that I can be quiet, calm and reserved. But you might have noticed that when I introduced myself that way, you learned pretty much nothing else about me. When we don’t know the full story, we tend to make assumptions.
“Quiet” on its own isn’t bad. It’s the assumptions that come along with it that can be negative or misguided.
But I’m not here to tell a sad story about being quiet. The truth is, while being known as quiet and introverted can be frustrating or sometimes limiting, it is nothing like being silenced or ignored.
My name is Paige. I’m full of words. And so is everyone else, regardless of whether they have the freedoms to express them, regardless of whether people listen or understand, and regardless of their background, personality or anything else. Everyone has a story that stretches far beyond the assumptions and surface-level details.
I aim to tell some of those stories: the stories that are hidden or simply overlooked or misunderstood.
I’m a junior at Central Michigan University majoring in journalism with a minor in media design, production and technology. I started this blog for my JRN 340 class and I hope to tell some stories that haven’t been explored much before.
Welcome to Paige Full of Words. On the surface, I might be “quiet,” but I still have stories to tell. I also have a name that is great for writer puns and jokes.
Paige Full of Words 