Well, I’m back! I know it’s been a while since I really blogged for YALDAH (probably since before I got married, and we’re coming up on our second anniversary!), but I’m excited to introduce you to my new blog: Leah’s Life. I’m here to share a bit of my life with you, talk about dreams and ambition, Jewish life, and being a mom with a busy schedule. I’m also happy to answer any questions from YOU, so shoot me an email at leah@yaldah.com and maybe I’ll answer your question in a future blog post.
So what does my life look like now? I just turned 22, and I live with my husband, Michael, and my ten-month-old daughter, Chaya, in Albany, NY where we moved last summer. My time is divided between being a mom, working from home as a freelance graphic designer, managing and editing YALDAH, teaching graphic design at a local high school, being program director for the Jewish Girls Retreat and studying entrepreneurship at UMass Amherst online (only one semester until I graduate!) Luckily, my husband also works from home so we’re able to take turns entertaining Chaya, plus he does all the cooking and taking care of the house.
As many of you know, nine years ago, when I was thirteen, I dreamed of a magazine for Jewish girls. I had always been ambitious and loved taking on new projects, whether it was writing a novel, starting a book club, creating a documentary or running a fundraiser for our local library. I also spent a large part of my childhood entering all kinds of contests, and actually won quite a few of them.
So I dove into magazine publishing, learning as I went along, and of course making lost of mistakes (the best way to learn). Even though I dream big, the magazine took off beyond my wildest dreams. Eventually it was sold in Barnes & Noble, we expanded to publishing books, and even won $100,000 from Wells Fargo.
I hope I can help you discover your dreams and figure out the steps to take to reach your goals. Remember, you’re never too young to change the world!
I love the name of your graphics design company, Mrs. Caras! And the site is beautiful too.
UMass has online courses? I should look into that for the future. Naaleh College has courses in graphics design, and I’ll admit hearing about your story has inspired me to consider pursuing that direction.
Wow, Chaya has grown! She’s sooo adorable. May she bring you and your family much nachas. :)