Profile: Kayla Heinrichson

Posing in front of the sunset.
by Carissa Bohen

Kayla Heinrichson is a 14-year-old girl from Tri Cities, Washington. She was born in New Jersey but moved to Washington when she was six months old. She grew up there. All of her friends were there, her home was there, her dog was there, her whole life was there.

So when she found out she was moving to Portland she wasn’t happy about leaving it all behind.

“I was really sad and I didn’t want to move,” said Heinrichson.

Heinrichson moved in the summer of 2017 and it wasn’t very easy. Just moving from your house can be hard but moving to an entirely different state is very difficult, especially when you’re leaving the place you love.

When Heinrichson moved to Portland she did not like it.

“I felt alone, it was summer and I didn’t know anyone. I didn’t have anyone to talk to.”

When school started her opinions changed. She started to make friends and feel less lonely. Even though Heinrichson was feeling more comfortable in Portland she still felt very homesick. She missed her dog and her friends.

But as time moved on, Heinrichson started to love Portland.

“I really like the culture and the people here,” said Heinrichson.

When I asked her if she could turn back time and stop the move from happening, she said no.

“I feel like I’m a better person here, like if i was still living in Tri I wouldn’t get very far in life. I think that I’m getting a better education here and I don’t know what my life would be like if I never moved here.”

Heinrichson doesn’t know much about what the future holds, but she does know that she’ll end up finding her way.