Education itself is a journey that often has its ups and downs. Sometimes it can feel like a weight and it is causing you to sink. However, with support from loved ones it can help reduce the weight and make your goals more obtainable. For me, the person who has been my biggest supporter in reaching my educational goals is my stepmom. Her unrelenting love and belief in me that I can accomplish what I set my mind to has played a pivotal role in my life. I have gone through many hardships in my life and without my stepmom I do not even think college would have been in the cards for me. I lost my only sibling when I was 9 and my mother when I was 10. So it was my dad and I trudging through life together. He was a single father trying to make the best out of a terrible situation but it was hard. Even at age 11 when college was so far away I thought that I would not be able to get an education and I had accepted it. When my dad got remarried a few years later to my now stepmom she opened a door for me that I did not know existed. She taught me grit and that if I wanted something that I had to be the one to seek it out. She emphasized the importance of learning and not only for grades but for personal growth as well. Even though I fought her every step of the way she never gave up on me. There have been several times when I have just wanted to throw in the towel and say "I'm done" and sometimes I still feel that way, she has never let me give up because she knows that I can and will accomplish great things in life. My stepmom is my hero and I thank my dad that he found someone that believed in me just as much as he did. She spent countless hours working on homework, projects, essays, and more with me to help encourage and engage me with school. All that she has ever wanted for me was to do my best and preserve through. I eventually graduated high school with a high GPA which surprised me. I excelled at school and even got several offers to different colleges within my state and even out of state. If I had to describe her in one word it would be "encouraging". Her encouragement has been the stepping stone throughout my entire educational career. She has woven a path for me so that I am able to reach my aspirations and my dreams. She has helped shape me into the woman I am today and for that I am forever grateful for her.

Ever since my freshman year of high school, I knew Theater is the direction I wanted to go in life. When I considered doing theater as a major I knew I was going to get looked at and asked questions like "What are you going to do with that"? And to be honest I did not have an answer to that question for the longest time. When COVID hit I was in my second semester of sophomore year of high school and during that time I was taking a technical theater class. In taking the course I found out that I had a passion for this line of theater. I realized that I am great at working with my hands and it grew from there. I learned how to build and construct sets and in my senior year, I had the opportunity to help build and construct sets for my school's plays and musicals. This is when I was truly put to the test to see if this was something I was passionate about. I was tasked with coming up with a set plan and deciding what materials I wanted to use and how I was going to get it done. I had about a month to plan and get everything built which was stressful as it was my first time being head of the process. I had a lot of help along the way and my friends and teacher were so supportive of me and which helped strengthen my passion for theater. When I told my parents that I wanted to major in theater they were extremely hesitant at first because there are not many jobs out in the world for theater majors. It is a tough field to get into and they wanted to make sure I knew what I was getting me into. It felt like everyone was trying to get me to change my major and find something else to do but I knew there was nothing else I had a passion for. I felt like I could truly be myself whenever I was in my element of the theater world. It took a while for my parents to be on board but eventually got there when they saw how happy I was and how hard I would work to make my dream a reality. I started college as a theater major recently and it has been an experience, to say the least. I have learned so much from my peers and my professor. I started meeting with a designer who designs and builds the sets for the university plays and he has taught me life skills that not only apply to the technical side of theater but also out in the real world. Theater has taught me so many skills and it is the one place I feel like myself. Without it, I do not know where I would be. I can be an expressive as I want and no one is there to judge me. Theater is my life and I can not wait to see where it takes me next.

At the mere age of 17 I have experienced many heartbreaks, disappointments, and failures that adults well past my age can only start to understand. By the time I was 9 I had lost my brother and I started to cope with the effects of losing my best friend, my rock, the person who was always there for me. We were still picking up the pieces from my brother but we never got to finish. Before I realized it, I was sitting in the hospital chair clutching the pitiful teddy bear given to me by the nurse saying goodbye to my mom. So by the time I was 10 I experienced not one but two deaths. I soon fell into a depression in which I felt like I was suffocating and I could not get out of it. As time progressed I gained a stepmom who helped me get out of that toxic mind space. Life for me has been challenging but I was able to overcome those with my amazing friends and family. Once I finally stopped trying to do things on my own and started asking for help life became easier. Part of me is thankful for the changes that happened during my childhood because it shaped me into the woman I am today. Without the setbacks I faced I would have never expanded my comfort zone and be open to anything the world has to offer. Life does not stay the same and I love my life.