Reflecting on My 20s: A Decade of Early Career, Resilience, and Discovery

Today is the last day of my 20s.

Tomorrow, September 12, I turn 30.

As I prepare to enter a new decade of my life, I have been reflecting on my 20s—the experiences, challenges, accomplishments, lessons, disappointments, and dreams that shaped the woman I am today. My 20s were far from perfect, but they were filled with growth, courage, independence, and determination. When I look back, I realize just how much I have accomplished.

Nine years ago, I turned 21. I became a legal drinker and gambler, but more importantly, I began making major decisions about the direction I wanted my life to take. Around that same time, I made the difficult decision to leave college and teach myself the skills I needed to pursue my career aspirations. I knew that the traditional path was not necessarily the right path for me. I wanted to create my own path.

At the age of 24, I officially began my career journey and became self-employed. I initially launched my namesake inclusive womenswear line, inspired by my lifelong passion for fashion and my desire to promote inclusion. I had the opportunity to put fashion on a stage through two successful fashion shows in high school in my hometown of Cincinnati.

Entrepreneurship has taught me many valuable lessons. Running a business is difficult under any circumstances, and being an entrepreneur with cerebral palsy and using AAC has brought additional challenges. Sometimes it has been incredibly difficult to stay in business, and I am currently taking a break from my womenswear line because of difficult circumstances. Even though my fashion line is on pause, I have not given up on the dream. I hope to relaunch it someday.

I will always remember my parents encouraging me to start small and dream big. Those words have stayed with me throughout my journey.

My womenswear line is not the only business I have built. I also have a graphic design business and a graphic T-shirt shop on Etsy. Creativity has always been an important part of who I am, and I have found ways to turn my passions for fashion, design, technology, and communication into meaningful work.

During my 20s, I also discovered the power of writing and digital content creation. Last year, I started blogging. I write my own blog and create my own social media content focusing on my life with cerebral palsy and my journey to success; I am using my experiences to educate, inspire, and challenge stereotypes about disability.

Technology has also played a huge role in my life. I started using AI tools like ChartGPT about two years ago, and AI has become an important part of my daily life. It helps me gain greater understanding and confidence in writing and communicating. As someone who uses AAC, technology has opened doors for me and has helped me express my ideas, creativity, and perspectives.

Today, as I close out my 20s, I can proudly call myself a self-taught remote professional, fashion expert, writer, designer, entrepreneur, and disability advocate.

I have spent several years advocating for adaptive fashion and promoting inclusion in the fashion industry and beyond. I believe that disabled people deserve access to clothing and products that meet their needs, preferences, personalities, and individual styles.

This past year has been especially meaningful professionally. I wrote four featured articles—one for CommunicationFIRST and three for United Cerebral Palsy. I was also featured in FashionAbility magazine, which was published in June 2026.

Since September 2025, I have worked as a remote blog intern for CorMission. From March through August 2026, I also served as a workgroup member for the National AAC Peer Support Network project. Although my formal workgroup role ended, I will always be part of the National AAC Peer Support Network project. I continue staying connected with them and pursue future paid opportunities.

More recently, I began connecting with Adaptiv, a searchable platform that brings adaptive fashion and everyday products together in one place. I discovered Adaptiv two months ago after its founder read my United Cerebral Palsy article about adaptive fashion. I began writing monthly blog posts for Adaptiv as a volunteer. I am hopeful that as the company grows over the next several months to a year, this relationship could potentially lead to a paid remote opportunity.

I also began the Ascend Fellowship Program three months ago and will complete it in mid-November. Through the fellowship, I have met wonderful people with cerebral palsy and AAC experience, as well as many other disabled people. Building connections with people who understand different aspects of disability has been an important part of my growth.

My career journey has not been easy.

I spent three years job hunting before finally landing my first remote job in September 2025. During those three years, I experienced rejection after rejection. Employers decided not to move forward with my applications, and those experiences made me sad, frustrated, and angry. Sometimes I wondered when my opportunity would finally come.

But I kept going.

I remained optimistic and self-disciplined. I continued developing my skills, creating opportunities for myself, networking, writing, designing, advocating, and searching for meaningful remote employment.

Then, in September 2025, I finally achieved my goal.

I got my first remote job.

Six months later, I started a second job.

After years of rejection, I had finally proven to myself that persistence could pay off. I am incredibly grateful to have multiple remote jobs, and I continue to actively seek additional remote opportunities that align with my skills, passions, and career goals.

Remote work has been especially meaningful to me because it provides the access, flexibility, and independence I need to thrive professionally. It allows me to build a career around my strengths rather than allowing barriers to define what I can accomplish. Remote work has not only helped me pursue my professional goals—it has also given me greater independence while allowing me to continue advocating for others in the disability community.

When I look back at my 20s, I realize that I accomplished so much as an early-career professional.

I taught myself.

I built self-employment initiatives.

I pursued fashion.

I became a designer.

I became a writer.

I became a blogger.

I created digital content.

I learned to use AI.

I advocated for disability inclusion.

I wrote for major disability organizations.

I participated in a national AAC project.

I built professional relationships.

I earned remote employment.

And, most importantly, I never gave up.

My journey has been built through self-discipline, a lifelong passion for digital technology, creativity, and exceptional skills in areas such as fashion and graphic design. I have created a career that reflects who I am and what I love.

My 20s taught me that success does not always happen according to someone else’s timeline. Sometimes you have to create your own path. Sometimes you have to teach yourself. Sometimes you have to hear “no” many times before you finally hear “yes.” Sometimes a dream has to be paused before it can be pursued again,

And sometimes, the biggest accomplishment is simply refusing to give up.

I am profoundly grateful for everything my 20s taught me. I am grateful for the opportunities I received, the people I met, the relationships I built, and even the challenges that made me stronger. I am proud of the woman I have become.

I am proud of my hard work.

I am proud of my accomplishments.

I am proud of my independence.

I am proud of my creativity.

I am proud of my career journey.

And I am proud that I continued believing in myself even when things were difficult.

Tonight, I say goodbye to my 20s with gratitude.

Tomorrow, I welcome my 30s with hope.

I don’t know exactly what this next decade will bring, but I am excited to find out. I hope to continue growing my remote career, expanding my professional presence, pursuing meaningful opportunities, strengthening my advocacy work, and continuing to turn my passions into purpose.

My 20s were about discovering who I am and proving to myself what I can accomplish.

My 30s will be about building upon everything I have created.

Here I am, standing at the beginning of a brand-new decade—with dreams still in my heart, creativity in my mind, determination in my spirit, and so much more ahead of me.

Goodbye, 20s.

Hello, 30.

 

I am ready for my next chapter.

Love,

Marisa 💕