Megan Carter, more commonly known as Meeg Cartier

Hello, friends! My name is Megan Carter and I am from the beautiful Pacific Northwest in the little but growing town of Vancouver, Washington. I am a St. Patrick's Day baby and I, to this very day, credit that for many instances of luck in my life that have lead me to meet incredible people and experience incredible things.  

I love Santa Barbara for numerous reasons, but mostly because I crave sunshine and the endless activity it offers outside. A huge part of my life has been spent being active; I tried my hand in many different sports as a child, but primarily played soccer and basketball competitively growing up. However, when I was thirteen I attended a tennis camp and ultimately found my passion. I have now been playing competitive tennis for seven years and have competed at the collegiate level for UCSB. I also very much enjoy running, swimming, skating, biking, playing pickup sports, frolicking on the beach, adventuring, hiking, and my personal favorite: anything that qualifies as spontaneity. 

More recently, I have found a passion for traveling. I have an extremely intense desire to see all parts of the world, especially those with great hiking and especially those with amazingly tropical atmospheres. I like to think I have a pretty keen eye for photography, but would also love to learn so much more about that art so I am able to take awesome photos of my future travels.

My greatest passion lies with humanity. Beyond simply being in the presence of other people being, I love listening to them, conversing, and finding out what it is I can learn from them. I very much believe in the goodness of people and I highly value an open heart and mind. I have met so many wonderful individuals in my lifetime and I credit them largely for giving me belief in the universe. That's why my dream career is a life coach. I am a big believer in holism and the notion that emphasis on all parts of the whole, ideally with none being neglected, is what constitutes a full life and a full heart. If something is important to someone else, chances are it's important to me. 

I am a diehard music fan and have been for as long as I can remember. Rarely is there an instance I am not listening to music. I certainly listen to almost all genres and I am consistently stunned at its raw emotional impact. Music is truly a gift to the world and something that has given so much light to my life.

I am most proud of being a daughter. I share a very close relationship with my parents. In totality, they are my everything, and there is simply not a day that goes by that I don't see, feel, or hear traces of their  fun-loving and extremely supportive guidance. There is something so beautiful about sacrifice -- what blood will do for blood. My parents believed in me enough to sacrifice their whole lives essentially, so that I could be a first generation college student. I simply cannot think of a brighter, more selfless love. They are heroes in my eyes.

Writing is something I have always enjoyed immensely and lately I have really taken a liking to inspirational quotes and videos. Though writing in so many ways has always impacted me, my fondness for the craft has only grown in recent years as I have tried different types and grown as a writer and scholar. I hope to continue that growth within the context of, and beyond, this classroom with all of you. 

Because truthfully, absolutely nothing makes me happier than living and learning in an encouraging environment, seeing my peers succeed and develop and grow and plan and chase their passions like there's no tomorrow. That is the kind of beauty and strength that transcends life's greatest adversity and makes this one happy place to coexist and thrive in. 

I wish you all a very happy winter quarter. :)

--Megan