I come from an extremely tight-knit family. Have you ever seen a show called Parenthood? Yeah, it’s kind of like that. And I love it! Growing up, we always had dinner together, went to each other’s activities, and celebrated every milestone with genuine support and encouragement. We still do, although dinner has turned into one night a week now that we are grown and out of the house.

Though always close, I grew up feeling different. Like as much as I wanted to fit into the family, I just didn’t — or so it seemed. When the women in my family wanted to shop and accessorize their outfits, I wanted to sit and have deep conversations. While my family members talked about the recent football or basketball stats of their favorite teams, I barely knew what team played what sport. While my parents and siblings laid out on the beach for each family vacation, I wanted to either learn more about the locals or travel somewhere different each year. I could go on...