Social Upbringing

Family, Discipline, Travel, and Sports

I was born in Alexandria, Virginia in ’97. I am number 4 of 6 kids so I’m used to having a lot of people in the house. My dad comes from a family of 10 kids so I guess you could say having a big family runs in the Carey blood. We used to attend church every Sunday, so religion played a huge roll in my upbringing. My parents are the greatest people I have ever met, and I wouldn’t change them for anything in the world. Nothing beats my mother’s cooking, plus she makes enough to feed everyone in the neighborhood. She’s a firm believer in not letting people go hungry. If you come to our house, you’re pretty much guaranteed a meal.
      My parents have been married for 25 years, and they both have demanding government jobs. Growing up, our aunt would babysit us Monday-Friday until my parents came home from D.C. My Aunt Patty was extremely hard headed and strict. If one of my siblings or myself didn’t finish all of our food on our plates she would make us stand on the table until my parents got home. (Usually 3-4 hours later) I used to think she was obnoxiously cruel but as I got older, I realized the discipline has really molded me into the person I am today.

My family LOVES to travel! So I've been to a bunch of places- Cancun, Hawaii, California, Australia, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, and basically every state on the east coast! Traveling is the best thing in the world, especially when I'm vacationing with my family. I plan to travel until I physically cannot walk anymore. When I was 16 years old, I explored Australia and New Zealand without my family. I was thrown into a group of 20 strangers, who I eventually became pretty close with! My entire family says that my experience in Australia made me more bright and independent. I think that traveling across the globe really influenced my passion for travel!

My siblings and I were athletes. I played soccer, softball, and basketball throughout my entire childhood. Majority of the time, I was on a team with my little sister. My favorite sport is basketball, so I spent most of my time on weekends at AAU tournaments. I think playing so many sports has complimented my willingness to work with a team.

I like to consider my siblings as teammates, because we are all so close and we seem to do everything together. Throughout my entire 19 years of life, I’ve learned that blood is thicker than water. I will be there for my family no matter what happens. The relationship I have established with every member of my family is something that I’m proud of. I’m truly blessed to be a part of such a great family.