Hello Steemit! Here's My Introduction

Hello Steemians!

Over the past few months, I have been hearing about Steemit endlessly from some close friends and figure it’s time I join in the fun. Thanks @jrue, @yumyumseth and @aweber!

My name is Blake and this is me.

Photo Credit: @yumyumseth

I am 26 and live near downtown Columbus, OH. I graduated from The Ohio State University 2 years ago with a Bachelor’s in Social Work. I currently work in quality assurance for social workers at a nonprofit that provides housing for low-income seniors. The idea behind our program is to help seniors age in place and keep them as independent as possible for as long as possible. I have really enjoyed developing and improving this program that greatly impacts disadvantaged seniors across the United States.

For the first half of my life, I grew up in a city of about 1 million people in the country of Turkey. I was definitely in the minority as my family of 5 made up about a quarter of the North American population in the city. I love that I got to spend my childhood living overseas and travelling around Europe and the Middle East. This experience shaped my perspective and worldview to better understand people who are different than I am.

My oldest brother and me at a Roman amphitheater.

When I was 13, my family had to unexpectedly move to the US after threats against us (more on that in a future post). We moved to Northern Indiana and lived there for 6 years until I graduated from high school. The difference between urban Turkey and rural Indiana could not be more drastic and we could only take the cornfields for so long.

Two days after graduation, we moved to Columbus, OH and love being in a city close to restaurants, arts, and a diverse population. Over two years ago, my parents and I were almost killed in a car accident which has changed so many aspects of my life. Working through this has been one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, but has also grown me in numerous ways.

Columbus on a recent sunny, winter day

I am hoping to use Steemit to share some of my stories, experiences, and perspectives. I may start dabbling in photography, but who knows where that will go. I’m excited about joining the Steemit community and making connections with some of you. I have some ideas for future posts, but if there is anything specific that you want to hear about, please let me know!

Oh, yeah! Here's my verification picture.