Cristina Poole’s life has taken her down many different paths, each of them becoming quests of their own. Born in China, she was adopted the day before she turned one and has been staying and residing in the same house in Valparaiso ever since.
When the latter part of her teenage years came about, Poole attended Andrean High School in Merrillville, but when the time for college arrived, she didn’t take the route that most people travel down. Instead, she completed things at her own pace, which highlights the beauty of her unique journey.
“I went to Indiana University (IU) Bloomington when I was 18, but then I fell into a depressive state. I spiraled, and I dropped out with six weeks left into the semester of my freshman year. After that, I took two years off where I really focused on the things that I wanted to do and questioned if I even wanted to do school. I worked and saved up my money, too. I soon decided that, ‘Yes, I want my degree,’” she said.
After that time of reflection, Poole hopped back into a life of studies, focusing on obtaining an online degree in communications from her alma mater. Still, certain pieces of the puzzle remained out of place, and she couldn’t seem to connect with what she was doing. Grand things, however, were on the come-up. Soon, Poole enrolled in Colorado State University–Global’s online marketing program.
Though she now thoroughly enjoys what she does, things took time for Poole, and the end of the tunnel wasn’t always visible. Her struggles with her mental health reach all the way back to her middle-school days.
In spite of that fact, Poole has overpowered even the harshest obstacles in her life. Even though she may not have gone down the typical path of a college student, her struggles have created a compelling story and have since proved that all things work together for good.
“I truly don't think I was as ready as I thought I was, but I didn't want to accept that at the time. I remember really struggling with moving out and being on my own, and I just wish I would have taken maybe a year off to really decide what I wanted before I jumped right into something. Going from a small school to a school as big as IU, where there are thousands of people, I just really felt like a tiny little person in this big sea of people. It just wasn’t for me, so that’s why I made the decision I did. Then I went to therapy, and that really helped, too, and then I got my job at Designer Desserts. That gave me a place to go every single day, and a place where I got to talk to people. Getting to leave my house every day and therapy is what really contributed to my feeling better and my eventual decision to go back to school,” she said.
These days, Poole works at Orangetheory Fitness in Valparaiso, and she loves every second of it. There, she’s allowed to collaborate with all kinds of people, which is great considering her favorite pastime is talking to people.
“Getting to talk to the members and meeting so many different people who live around me is just so crazy, and it makes the job so much fun. I know the teachers, the police officers, and the different workers of the community,” she said. “I’ve never felt like I was part of the Valpo community in the way that I am now until I started working where I do. It’s truly magical.”
Working at Orangetheory comes with its perks, too. For example, Poole’s able to work out on her own. Exercising and taking care of her body have helped her to reach a level of confidence she’s never really known before.
“Before the job, I was the kind of person who looked in the mirror, took pictures, and was like, ‘Delete that.’ When I started here, everyone was so welcoming. I used to be the person who couldn't get my butt into the gym for the life of me, but now I work out consistently because it's a thing of the community. It's improved my mental health completely, and it's given me so much confidence — not just in the way I look, but how I feel that I'm doing something that I know is good for me every single day. I think that's priceless,” she said.
Besides always being eager to improve herself, Poole’s constantly telling people everything about herself within the first ten minutes of her getting to know anybody. She saves a lot of her energy for her dog, Minnie, who’s helped her navigate through the darkest nights and given her reasons to love herself to the fullest. Like this commentReply