Peppy, atmospheric, and introspective. "Happy Girlhood Essay" explores the tension between self-acceptance and the constant pressure to become something more. Exploring themes of guilt, limitations, failure, and the lingering voices that insist we are not enough, we ultimately turn toward freedom and self-discovery. Like a bird learning to fly through preliminary failure, we embrace the process of becoming—finding yourself through every draft, and rising above self criticism. I will rise! // all rights reserved (c) 2026 Amanda June Hagarty, James Hagarty, Heather Rachaelmore