BDSM 101 at San Francisco State is made possible by the Experimental College Program. EXCO is the only reason I was able to get this platform and begin growing it. EXCO allows Undergrad SFSU students to teach a 1 unit course on anything their heart desires. I was introduced to the program after taking "Grownup 101" and "The Nonfiction History of Superheroes" where I learned how to file taxes and get my rent deposit back as well as why Superman was invented as a comic character. These courses come with a light load (remember: 1 unit) and helped ease the stress of upper division courses.

BDSM has not always had the best of connotations for me. I was groomed into the lifestyle by someone nearly 10 years older than me. As a tween, I didn't fully grasp the weight of the information that had been bestowed upon me under the guise of "you're so mature for 12!" I engaged in really risky activities for the next 4 years (it is a miracle I didn't fall pregnant or get taken advantage of again) until I realized just how dangerous my lifestyle was.

I opted to abstain from BDSM until I was of legal age, at which point I would begin an "Unlearning Journey". I spent a year learning things the right way and found that blogging about it helped solidify the new information. Eventually I was the owner of a popular newsletter and I was hiring writers to keep up with content demands. We had a great community built and even sold merchandise related to BDSM, but when I got to college I realized it was not feasible to run a huge newsletter business AND pass all my classes.