“The biggest life lesson I have had to learn is that you can’t please everyone. Really, if you’re trying to live for everyone else you can’t live for yourself. You only have one life. It’s something I have a hard time with because I want to please everybody. I want to make everybody happy, but if I’m doing that all the time, I can’t be at my best.” – Averie Vulcano of Millbrook.

Vulcano is a high school junior who plans to attend college to study art and animation. Her dream is to one day have a career as an animator and start her own series.

Averie Vulcano has learned to stay true to herself and not try to please everyone. (Amber Sutton / People of Alabama)

These are the faces and stories of people from all walks of life who call Alabama home. People of Alabama is a Red Clay Media and Alabama NewsCenter partnership.