Hey! My name is Ariel Dunbar. Most people call me by my first name, but my friends refer to me by my last name. I am currently a senior at Saint Cloud State University and hope to graduate by spring of 2021 at the latest. I was born in Wyoming, Minnesota but was raised in Pine City, Minnesota for the last 19 years by my parents Lisa and Paul Dunbar. I am the second out of three girls. Being a middle child, I grew up being the one that was often getting blamed for things. I never let that get the best of me though. Instead, I pushed forward and became the person that I am today.

In elementary school, I didn’t quite fit in at first. I felt like I was out of place. However, I quickly gained new friends. Some of my friends I gained because I had things in common with them. I gained the rest because I would sit down with them and listen to them tell me about their problems or other things going on in their life. If I could help them in any way, I would do my best to do so.

My first year of high school is when my love for writing began to develop. At first, it was just original short stories or short stories based on tv shows I was watching at the time. As I grew into being a writer, I began writing longer stories that involved more characters and a more complex plot. Occasionally, I would still write short stories, but they were no longer based on tv shows. Instead, my cat (and furry best friend) Horatio became the inspiration.

Now that I am in college, my creative writing has kind of taken a back seat to a more academic style of writing. Despite this, I am never going to give up writing creatively! One day, I hope to be a published writer or journalist. Until then, I look forward to sharing my experiences and my work with all of you!