16
Rebellion is in my nature.
With a unique name like mine (Zoa) how could I
not be different from everyone around me?
Rebellions
of Zoa
The7
y first rebellion? It was the fated
biology class when we learned
about my nemesis: Protozoa. Oh
my, that stoked the teasing fire
that kids fling at each other. I was never going
to live that one down because, yes, my name
is exactly the word used in protozoa. Zoa is
the Greek word for “life”. Protozoa is the name
given to the smallest, most basic life known on
Earth. More fodder for the kids. In my kid brain,
biology and kids were “mean”.
So I rebelled.
Rebellion #1 ~ Mean People
What would my future self do, knowing I was a
straight A student with safety pins in her ears
and the Violent Femmes on my Walkman? I
examined my teachers searching for guidance:
Chemistry ---> an old white guy wearing
glasses, a lab coat, and a pocket protector
Math ---> a parade of people who meant
well but were uninspiring
Physics ---> a tall woman with long curly
red hair and makeup worn just so speaking
animatedly about her subject and working as
a model during the summer
The choice could not have been more clear if
it was written in the sky.
I was smart. Really smart. Smart enough to know
that I needed to get out of my small town as soon
as physically possible. University applications
went out the fall of my junior year. I was 15. You
would think that I would have had the support
of my school, right? Yet, back in those days, I
received the words “barefoot and pregnant” from
my guidance counselor.