Amy Cousineau Massey

About

When I was aged 3, I told my mother that I wanted to meet every person in the world. She gently informed me that this was not going to happen and I remember the feeling of distress and bitter disappointment I had that there would be some people in the world that I would never meet. This is one of my earliest memories. By the time I was aged 5, my future plans had evolved. I wanted to be a farmer. When I would announce my ambitions to any 'big grown ups', usually my parents' friends, they would always say, 'but don't you mean that you want to be a farmer's wife?' In response I would cross my arms, stamp my feet and say NO! I want to be a FARMER! Without the vocabulary or fully formed prefrontal cortex I was unable to express myself - but I knew that what they were telling me was wrong. As a naturally curious child I grew up always asking 'why?' - and I've never grown out of that. By the age of 8 my family called me the 'Big Negotiator' because I had discovered that by simply asking why you could get quite a lot of information that would allow you to challenge authority,(in this case my parents), and improve your situation (usually an ice cream for pudding rather than fruit!). The desire to meet everyone in the world, a natural sense of justice, the curiosity to ask why and the ability to challenge authority were gifts that I believe I was more or less born with. It is with these gifts that I seek to make a positive impact in the world.