Joie Littleton (She/Her), Cinema Studies and Public Relations, 2023

Eugene, OR on June 2022

Artist Statement:I would say my expereince in telling my story was cathartic. I don't usually talk about myself openly and because of that I feel like I don't give myself the space and the time to think about my story. I'm still finding out who I am but the more I reflect on my experiences the more comfortable I become. In the past, I felt pressured into knowing exactly where I want to be, but as I've gotten older I've realized that it's okay to have ups and downs.

I hope others can relate to my experience. I can honestly say this is the first time, in a long time, that I was asked to reflect back on my life, so it took me a while to give voice to my inner self. I hope this hits for all the shy people out there to know you are not alone. Please take it for what it's worth.

University life can get stressful, especially being in a place with so many people. I think it's necessary for student voices to be heard because these years are known be the most impactful for college students. If we don't feel like our voices are heard then it can stunt our ability to grow, learn, and build community with each other.

Joie Littleton:My name is Joie Littleton.

I go by She/Her/Hers.

I'm a junior.

And the question is: What advice

would you give your past self?

I would say to my past self that it's okay

to not know everything. I mean you're always going to be learning

in life and it's just a given fact.

So it's important to just go with the flow

and not overthink things because when you do

that, you start to miss the little things in

life and everything that actually that matters.

I would also say that because I'm a pretty

quiet person, I would tell my younger self, who

would constantly criticize themselves about being super shy and

quiet, that there is power in just listening and

observing and there's definitely more of an appreciation for

listening before you speak, especially when it's not your

place to speak before really thinking and listening to

what someone else has to say.