Member-only story
About Me — Naomi Latini Wolfe
Small Town Girl to Change Maker: My Winding Path to Empowerment
Goodbye Bullies, Hello Books: Discovering a Love of Learning
I grew up an awkward kid in a tiny Southern town, attending an equally small college preparatory school, towering over classmates by sixth grade thanks to my 5'9" frame. My parents lacked the wealth of other families at my private prep school, making me an easy target for bullies. They mocked my height, my weight (my privileged peers lovingly called me ‘beanpole’), and our humble means daily.
Each summer brought relief as I visited family in the coastal town of Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina. My grandparents, who paid my tuition, lived in a 100+-year-old two-bedroom home with one window AC unit and minimal modern appliances. I loved it there. I relished those sunny days spent channeling my inner sandcastle architect and dreaming of a fresh start.
For my 12th grade year, I wisely enrolled in public school and began taking college courses. With 12th grade doubling as my first year of college, failure was not an option — my high school graduation depended on passing my college classes. Though initially just an escape plan, early academics lit in me a surprising passion for higher education. And, little did I know the coast would eventually become my…
