Success Comes with Experience, Not Age
By: T. LoPresti
Growing up, Rossani Garmendia was raised to be well equipped to handle independence. From a young age, Garmendia’s mother made sure she and her siblings knew how to take care of themselves. Always understanding the importance of learning basic life skills, Garmendia never realized how soon these skills would be put to the test.
When Garmendia was 19, her parents separated. Not knowing what was going to happen with the house she grew up in, she had a choice to make. Not wanting to move to Missouri with her mother and still unsure about what her father was deciding to do, she went to her mom for advice. With her three older siblings already out of the house and her younger brother deciding to stay with dad, her mother suggested that maybe she could move out on her own. This suggestion brought back a thought Garmendia once had before starting college that she considered impossible.
“I did always have a goal,” said Garmendia. “To move out of my parents’ home before I graduated.”
With two years of college under her belt and approximately two years left, that distant goal didn’t seem so impossible anymore due to these unforeseen circumstances. Being raised with the life skills needed to take care of herself and having a steady job since the age of 15, Garmendia was ready and able to chase that goal. With her mind set, she began looking on all apartment platforms, along with telling everyone she knew to keep their eyes and ears open for any apartments for rent.
Not so long after her search began, things started to move in Garmendia’s favor. Her coworker just so happened to be moving out of their apartment the same time she was looking. The landlord of this apartment was none other than the boss Garmendia had been working under for four years.
“The crazy part about it is,” said Garmendia. “It was like God’s plan. Like everything was meant to happen.”
With trust already established between the two and Garmendia’s boss knowing her work ethic and accountability, he offered her his newly vacant apartment. The location, price, and timing were unbeatable.
Equipped with the confidence and skills her mother raised her with and trusting herself, she packed her things and moved into a new apartment, alone. No roommate to share any household responsibilities with. Although she was used to being surrounded by family, taking care of herself and others had always been one of Garmendia’s strongest traits. So living alone and being in charge came as second nature.
“I can say without a doubt,” said Garmendia. “That I 100% believed in myself to be able to live on my own.”
Photo 1 Caption – Rossani Garmendia, now 22, started her solo living adventure at the young age of 19.
Photo 2 Caption – Living alone has its perks, but also comes with the challenges of taking care of all the household chores and expenses by yourself.
Photo 3 Caption – Just because Garmendia lives alone, doesn’t mean she has to do everything alone. Hanging out, and sometimes napping, with best friend Mya are some of her favorite pastimes.
Photo 4 Caption – Fall decor and soothing music help relax Garmendia after long work and school filled days.
