MEET BIANCA
Where does MY Optimism come from?
When I was 16, I almost passed away because I was living with Crohn’s Disease and was very unaware. I went through a period of time of mood swings and bad eating habits that I thought was normal as a hormonal teenager. The year I turned 16, I had to have a life-saving surgery that removed six inches of my small intestine, along with my appendix. The situation was more severe than my family or I realized, but God indeed is a God of miracles. Though I was going through all of that, though I was in a lot of pain, my family said I always kept a smile on my face. To this day I still don’t think I processed how ill I truly was, but it did not matter because my faith in God kept me focused on Him, and He brought me and family through that trying time. Because of that, I know I can face anything, no matter what challenge is presented to me. Psalms 46:5 is the scripture that my mom wrote on my arm before I went into surgery and forbade the surgeons from wiping it off my arm. It reads, “God is within her, she shall not fail. God shall help her, and that right early.”
I may get stressed, I may cry, I may get angry, but I always know to take a step back and remain optimistic even if the odds appear stacked against me. My family and friends are always praying for me. Though my grandmother is no longer with us, I know the prayers she prayed over my family and I still carry us through to this day. Being surrounded by so much love, support and encouragement, even if they are absent, helps fuel my optimism day after day. I truly know that everything is going to be all right.
How did I get into content creation?
My career has definitely taken a lot of twists and turns, and it probably still is not done twisting and turning, haha! When I was younger, I desired to be a veterinarian, however I am highly allergic to cats and dogs so I had to leave that dream in the drafts. I’ve always been a creative and technologically inclined individual, being inspired by the things my parents, siblings and other family members have done.
My grandfather on my dad’s side was a chemist, my dad also worked heavily with my grandfather back in the day in his trade. My dad currently helps with building finishes and designs as his main job. In his free time he’s done and continues to do many things from video editing to professional photography and more. My mother dances, sings, sews, plays the piano and more. She always had us watching crafting and food network shows growing up. To this day, I always find her making something, and my dad building something. I truly believe this is where my tinkering habit came from. On top of this, they are both huge nerds, and this contributed to my love for gaming, anime, technology and more.
Around the age of 13, I was heavily involved in a robotics club, and this is where my technology interests truly blossomed. At 15, I started working at Coca-Cola Bottling Company Consolidated in Charlotte, NC as a paid summer intern in their Information Systems & Security department. I majored in Information Systems & Supply Chain Management with a minor in Spanish while at UNCG, having graduated in 2017. I currently work for Red Hat, Inc., based out of Raleigh, NC which is an open source Linux software company, as an engineer. Through the years, I also have been and continue to be a dancer and instrumentalist. At one point I was heavily focused on becoming a cinematographer (I still have not given up on this!), and have even produced a couple of projects.
In present time, I am focused on an artistic and technological career. Currently I am pursuing the Project Management Professional certification as I desire to pivot my IT career into IT Project Management. Having over 10 years of experience in the field has been the biggest blessing and to my greatest advantage that I am super grateful for. On the artistic side, I would love to become a costume designer and special effects artist. I currently am a cosplayer, studying these things, and ventured into this hobby around 2019. I’ve competed in several competitions, and although I have not yet won, I’m determined to keep trying. Aside from this, I am learning to 3D model in Blender and just this year I built my first 2 ft. tall articulated cosplay prop. To help pay for my hobbies, I sell various items on my Ko-Fi, and soon I will have a dedicated online shop for apparel and more.