“I was one of the “gifted” kids in my K-12 career, but I wasn’t sure of myself in high school. I tried to live up to what I thought OTHERS wanted me to be, instead of who I was deep down inside. I was a shy, awkward, closeted kid in the 2000s, and wasn’t sure of my place in the world. I moved away to attend undergrad, but the gifted label didn’t carry through college. I had wrapped so much of my identity into that label that I had a LOT to unpack when I realized I wasn’t going to get everything right all the time, and that was okay. I made a core group of friends who helped me discover my true self, and I have gained SO much more confidence in myself than I had in high school. Learning to accept my flaws and love myself despite them has been another journey that I’m still on, even to this day.
In the 15 or so years since graduation, I have busted out of my shell and really gotten to know (and enjoy) who I am as a person. I work at a science museum, which means I get to provide the same inspiration for kids now that I got from my teachers and role models when I was a student. I work with children from groups that have been historically underrepresented in STEM fields (including women, Black students, and students of low socioeconomic status) in order to show them that it is possible for anyone to have a future in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. I also train teachers on how to deliver science lessons, so I also impact all of their students indirectly. And, I’m working on a NASA grant to bring an after school program to 4th and 5th grade students in a neighborhood center just outside of downtown Orlando.
Basically: it doesn’t matter what expectations other people have for you. Your future is what YOU make of it. Do you want to work on cars? Fantastic! Be a mechanic.Do you enjoy making clothes? Great! Be a costume designer for a theater. We’re all living in this world, and none of us are getting out alive, so make the most of your time to do something that brings YOU joy and has a positive impact on other people. It feels good to help others.”
Michael Kmietowicz, 2007
Lead Education Specialist at Orlando Science Center
