ABOUT ME
I don't really know how to start this, but I guess my name is a good place. My name is Kyndal Renee Stakes. My name didn't derive from anything special. In fact, I believe it's the name of a soap opera star. All I know is that my dad did the spelling, originally with 2 L's, but my mom dropped one L without telling him. I was born in Norfolk, VA at the Childrens Hospital of Kings Daughters due to the complications of my mother's previous labor. My older sister passed away 10 days after she was born. I do have another sister, half sister to be exact, who was very prominent in my life when I was little, but now, not so much. I have grown up being the only kid in the house.
My parents divorced when I was 2, so I lived a life of going between houses. It wasn't until I was older that this routine changed. My mom was a stay at home mom all my life. I absolutely loved this, always having someone there at all times. My stepdad has been in my life since I was 4. I can't remember a time when he wasn't there. I cherish all 3 of my parental figures in that they each helped make me who I am today and have helped me grow into a strong and independent woman. My family may be small, but I value them above all else.
Though I have lived in the same area all my life, I went to 3 different elementary schools due to rezoning and family issues. It wasn't until middle school that I settled down and stayed with the same group of people until the end of high school. I have always liked school. Nerdy right? What can I say, academics are important to me. I remember my 5th grade teacher wrote me a letter, telling me he had never seen someone more dedicated. I have kept that hard working attitude, and it has paid off because I am at the prestigous Virginia Tech :) To give an example of how much grades mean to me, I cried when I failed my first college quiz.
One downfall that counteracts all the hard work is that I am a BIG procrastinator. I have struggled with it all my life, and it's a pain in the butt always stressing at the last minute. I have come to adopt the quote, "I work good under pressure" because it helps validate my bad habit. My mom tried to punish me once for waiting until the last minute to do a science project, but once I brought home an A+ on it, she never mentioned it again. In the past couple of years, I have noticed that procrastination has begun to overcome other areas of my life. To be honest, I think it's in reaction to my mother always being over prepared and having to plan stuff 2 months in advanced.
If you havn't already noticed, I am a happy person. I like to smile and laugh alot. Positivity and optimism just runs through my veins. I'm not quite sure when it started, or why, but I would recommend everyone try it. It makes all those hard struggles and obstacles in life better. I have heard people describe it as "The joy of the Lord is your strength" and I hold that to be true. I wouldn't say religion is a big part of my life, but more a relationship with God. I have been going to the same church since I was 2, and I accepted Jesus into my heart when I was 7. Of course, at that age, I didn't quite understand everything, but over the years, my relationship with God, and my understanding of who He is has continued to grow. Knowing that I have someone always looking out for me, knowing what's best even when I can't see, and loving me unconditionally has given me the greatest peace.
I do more with my life than just study and go to church. I enjoy running, going to the beach, watching movies, sleeping, being outdoors, etc. but my passion is baking. I love shows like Cupcake Wars and Cake Boss. Baking cupcakes and cookies is my way of being creative. I had this little fantasy of opening my own cupcakery one day called Kyndal's Kupcakes. I enjoy baking for other people and bringing a smile to their face. I am also passionate about kids. Kids brighten my day! Their innocence and care-free nature reminds me to not get so caught up in the world, but to have fun. They also say the cutest things! So I love to bake and I love kids. Add to the fact that I enjoy doing dishes and ironing, I sound like a homemaker, a mother, and a wife. I have been called the mom of the group plenty of times, but I'm okay with that because I'm excited for that part of my life.
Diversity is very important to me. I take pride in the fact that my high school was the most diverse high school in Virginia Beach. Being surrounded by so many different cultures is normal for me and something that has shaped who I am. It has given me a more worldly view of certain issues, and broaded my knowledge about traditions other than my own. I am often known as the white one in a group. My best friends are black, greek, asian, hispanic, and middle eastern. One conflict I had before applying to Virginia Tech was that I had this perception that it wasn't very diverse, and that bothered me. Thankfully though, I'm discovering that there are many different ethnicities here, though not in the quantity that I was used to.
My parents divorced when I was 2, so I lived a life of going between houses. It wasn't until I was older that this routine changed. My mom was a stay at home mom all my life. I absolutely loved this, always having someone there at all times. My stepdad has been in my life since I was 4. I can't remember a time when he wasn't there. I cherish all 3 of my parental figures in that they each helped make me who I am today and have helped me grow into a strong and independent woman. My family may be small, but I value them above all else.
Though I have lived in the same area all my life, I went to 3 different elementary schools due to rezoning and family issues. It wasn't until middle school that I settled down and stayed with the same group of people until the end of high school. I have always liked school. Nerdy right? What can I say, academics are important to me. I remember my 5th grade teacher wrote me a letter, telling me he had never seen someone more dedicated. I have kept that hard working attitude, and it has paid off because I am at the prestigous Virginia Tech :) To give an example of how much grades mean to me, I cried when I failed my first college quiz.
One downfall that counteracts all the hard work is that I am a BIG procrastinator. I have struggled with it all my life, and it's a pain in the butt always stressing at the last minute. I have come to adopt the quote, "I work good under pressure" because it helps validate my bad habit. My mom tried to punish me once for waiting until the last minute to do a science project, but once I brought home an A+ on it, she never mentioned it again. In the past couple of years, I have noticed that procrastination has begun to overcome other areas of my life. To be honest, I think it's in reaction to my mother always being over prepared and having to plan stuff 2 months in advanced.
If you havn't already noticed, I am a happy person. I like to smile and laugh alot. Positivity and optimism just runs through my veins. I'm not quite sure when it started, or why, but I would recommend everyone try it. It makes all those hard struggles and obstacles in life better. I have heard people describe it as "The joy of the Lord is your strength" and I hold that to be true. I wouldn't say religion is a big part of my life, but more a relationship with God. I have been going to the same church since I was 2, and I accepted Jesus into my heart when I was 7. Of course, at that age, I didn't quite understand everything, but over the years, my relationship with God, and my understanding of who He is has continued to grow. Knowing that I have someone always looking out for me, knowing what's best even when I can't see, and loving me unconditionally has given me the greatest peace.
I do more with my life than just study and go to church. I enjoy running, going to the beach, watching movies, sleeping, being outdoors, etc. but my passion is baking. I love shows like Cupcake Wars and Cake Boss. Baking cupcakes and cookies is my way of being creative. I had this little fantasy of opening my own cupcakery one day called Kyndal's Kupcakes. I enjoy baking for other people and bringing a smile to their face. I am also passionate about kids. Kids brighten my day! Their innocence and care-free nature reminds me to not get so caught up in the world, but to have fun. They also say the cutest things! So I love to bake and I love kids. Add to the fact that I enjoy doing dishes and ironing, I sound like a homemaker, a mother, and a wife. I have been called the mom of the group plenty of times, but I'm okay with that because I'm excited for that part of my life.
Diversity is very important to me. I take pride in the fact that my high school was the most diverse high school in Virginia Beach. Being surrounded by so many different cultures is normal for me and something that has shaped who I am. It has given me a more worldly view of certain issues, and broaded my knowledge about traditions other than my own. I am often known as the white one in a group. My best friends are black, greek, asian, hispanic, and middle eastern. One conflict I had before applying to Virginia Tech was that I had this perception that it wasn't very diverse, and that bothered me. Thankfully though, I'm discovering that there are many different ethnicities here, though not in the quantity that I was used to.