By Eboni Montgomery, Crowley (Texas) High School
What if you changed your whole culture within a couple years? Imagine living with a certain religion your whole life then changing your beliefs because it didn’t fit you or what you wanted to represent yourself as. Keely Betenson, 17, and her family experienced this while living in her small town Bartlesville.
She grew up with nine siblings and being the middle child she cooked and cleaned for them. She made a green chili soup that she is proud of and sometimes she comes up with her own recipes and puts her own type of twist on the meal.
“My mom was a single mom for most of my life and that was hard for me,” Keely said.
By having nine siblings, she said she found more empathy by caring for others and being more aware of other people’s feelings and situations.
Keely and her family changed religion this past year. She used to be a member of Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, also known as Mormons, and it was very strict for her as she couldn’t wear certain things and couldn’t drink caffeine.
“My dad was Mormon and my mom had to convert also and that was hard for my family to adjust to,” Keely said. “I was really sheltered.”
She was judged in the culture of the church and outside of it. Outside the church, she was judged for her religious upbringing. She said she felt she couldn’t be who she was because what was normal to her is not normal to other people.
Inside the church, she was taught that her body was a temple. She said that she felt judged for having her ears and nose pierced.
Now that she and her family have left the church, she has been adjusting well and is happy with her decision.
“It’s been easy to adjust to…, thankfully,” Keely said.
Keely is able to find joy in her hobbies like cooking, cleaning and her love for broadcasting journalism. She is vastly involved in her broadcasting class at Bartlesville High School school. She works behind and in front of the camera, but she mostly likes being behind the camera because she wants to tell other people and get their voice out there, which is why she wants to be a videographer.
“I had signed up for it by accident when I found out I actually really did like it and I had a passion for it,” Keelysaid.
Besides broadcast journalism she is passionate about telling other people’s stories and helping others with anything they need.
“I find my passion by making up stories while in class and (ended)up loving it,” Keely said.
