Some versions of myself feel familiar, nearly identical to my life, while others stretch the limits of imagination.

I am a midwife. I worked for years as a bookseller, promoting author signings and appearances. There is a character partially based on me in Chris Bohjalian’s Midwives. She always arrives with books, flowers… and plenty of opinions.

I’m a comic book heroine. In the universe of Noiduttu created by A.P. Delchi, I am cast as a witch among goddesses, vampires, goths, DJs, and other supernatural beings in the heart of Manhattan’s East Village. I bring music and magic to life and transform those around me, helping to protect an ancient secret the city has held since its inception.

I am a creator. Photography gives me courage. With a camera in my hand, I venture to places I would not normally go —to the edge of a raging waterfall, the mosh pit of a concert, or covering a plane crash in 1990 when I worked at New York Newsday. More quietly, I create origami cranes, one at a time, each a wish for health or hope. I’m currently folding my 22nd set of 1,000 for a friend with cancer.

I am a martial artist and competitive board breaker. My love of taekwondo fills my soul – and every summer I volunteer to help my instructor run his camp. Taekwondo introduced me to power breaking, where I stack up and smash up to 11 boards at a time. I was the United States Breaking Association champion for the most boards broken in 2021. To me, every board represents a broken barrier, a challenge overcome.

My multiverse is endless, but at my core, I am a seeker — of knowledge, stories and connections. In each version of me, both real and fantastical, I search for what makes life meaningful and magical, while trying to foster joy and hope in those around me — one song, one board, one origami crane at a time.

StaciAnne Grove is a community relations coordinator and executive assistant for UVM Health. She has been with us nine years.