In the fall of 2017, I began my freshman year of high school--a year of transitions. I made friends, I joined clubs, and in the winter, I found myself as the sole-caretaker of my younger sister and numerous animals when my father was suddenly hospitalized, and when he later passed away. My already poor and alienated living environment grew worse; with no one to pay bills, having to find my own food, and to be taking care of the many animals in my household as well, I was suddenly driven into adulthood and all the responsibilities it carried. My freshman year of transition ultimately taught me the importance of responsibility, fortitude, and perseverance. I experienced many great things in that first year: I formed lasting friendships and I enjoyed many new classes, which truly made learning fun for me. When I needed a break from all the stress in my life, I found a new peace in creating music. As wonderful as these experiences were, I felt entirely alone. The day my father left for the hospital, he suspected a broken hip: we later found a tumor growing in between the shattered bones, the first of many. My father was in a constant fog from all the medications and the rapid chemo sessions he would undergo, which was the most heartbreaking thing to witness. He was barely even conscious to accept the words “I love you,” during the last time I spoke to him. Death came on fast and was fully expected, but my young mind couldn’t process that difficult reality. Losing my only real parent left me with too much to handle. Heat was a necessity but nobody was paying the bill-- there came times where the dogs would sleep in my bed, just to keep us warm on freezing nights. I would eat at school for my only meal of the day, since lunch was free through my financial aid; there was never any promise of dinner. Dad assumed he'd be gone overnight, at the most, and left us with only $20. I used the money sparingly to get my sister hot meals, and I tried to sell my own possessions to gain any money. We spent about 2 months on our own. I still have some hope that my Dad might come home, despite seeing him lowered into the ground. Amidst the utter chaos and hopelessness in my life, I still tried my hardest to pursue my education, along with finding ways to distract myself from all of the despair. The mixed feelings of denial, anger, and depression were major setbacks in my early high school development; however, I garnered the strength to recover my grades for the semester and move on. In that following summer, I took time to rebuild myself, to reflect, and to discover some of my biggest passions: cheerleading and softball. The energy surrounding these sports truly provided a great outlet for my emotions. In the face of everything standing in my way, I fought an uphill battle to learn true, real-world responsibility, all while undergoing the huge transition to high school.The biggest lessons were the traits of perseverance and fortitude; these times will forever be in my past, yet I’ve made the decision to grow from them, rather than letting them haunt me. The skills I learned during high school will forever be with me through anything that life might throw my way. I hope to one day, bring those learned skills to the table in a college setting, continue on the path of perseverance, and to make my Dad proud.

In the fall of 2017, I began my freshman year of high school--a year of transitions. I made friends, I joined clubs, and in the winter, I found myself as the sole-caretaker of my younger sister and numerous animals when my father was suddenly hospitalized, and when he later passed away. My already poor and alienated living environment grew worse; with no one to pay bills, having to find my own food, and to be taking care of the many animals in my household as well, I was suddenly driven into adulthood and all the responsibilities it carried. My freshman year of transition ultimately taught me the importance of responsibility, fortitude, and perseverance. I experienced many great things in that first year: I formed lasting friendships and I enjoyed many new classes, which truly made learning fun for me. When I needed a break from all the stress in my life, I found a new peace in creating music. As wonderful as these experiences were, I felt entirely alone. The day my father left for the hospital, he suspected a broken hip: we later found a tumor growing in between the shattered bones, the first of many. My father was in a constant fog from all the medications and the rapid chemo sessions he would undergo, which was the most heartbreaking thing to witness. He was barely even conscious to accept the words “I love you,” during the last time I spoke to him. Death came on fast and was fully expected, but my young mind couldn’t process that difficult reality. Losing my only real parent left me with too much to handle. Heat was a necessity but nobody was paying the bill-- there came times where the dogs would sleep in my bed, just to keep us warm on freezing nights. I would eat at school for my only meal of the day, since lunch was free through my financial aid; there was never any promise of dinner. Dad assumed he'd be gone overnight, at the most, and left us with only $20. I used the money sparingly to get my sister hot meals, and I tried to sell my own possessions to gain any money. We spent about 2 months on our own. I still have some hope that my Dad might come home, despite seeing him lowered into the ground. Amidst the utter chaos and hopelessness in my life, I still tried my hardest to pursue my education, along with finding ways to distract myself from all of the despair. The mixed feelings of denial, anger, and depression were major setbacks in my early high school development; however, I garnered the strength to recover my grades for the semester and move on. In that following summer, I took time to rebuild myself, to reflect, and to discover some of my biggest passions: cheerleading and softball. The energy surrounding these sports truly provided a great outlet for my emotions. In the face of everything standing in my way, I fought an uphill battle to learn true, real-world responsibility, all while undergoing the huge transition to high school.The biggest lessons were the traits of perseverance and fortitude; these times will forever be in my past, yet I’ve made the decision to grow from them, rather than letting them haunt me. The skills I learned during high school will forever be with me through anything that life might throw my way. I hope to one day, bring those learned skills to the table in a college setting, continue on the path of perseverance, and to make my Dad proud.

In the fall of 2017, I began my freshman year of high school--a year of transitions. I made friends, I joined clubs, and in the winter, I found myself as the sole-caretaker of my younger sister and numerous animals when my father was suddenly hospitalized, and when he later passed away. My already poor and alienated living environment grew worse; with no one to pay bills, having to find my own food, and to be taking care of the many animals in my household as well, I was suddenly driven into adulthood and all the responsibilities it carried. My freshman year of transition ultimately taught me the importance of responsibility, fortitude, and perseverance. I experienced many great things in that first year: I formed lasting friendships and I enjoyed many new classes, which truly made learning fun for me. When I needed a break from all the stress in my life, I found a new peace in creating music. As wonderful as these experiences were, I felt entirely alone. The day my father left for the hospital, he suspected a broken hip: we later found a tumor growing in between the shattered bones, the first of many. My father was in a constant fog from all the medications and the rapid chemo sessions he would undergo, which was the most heartbreaking thing to witness. He was barely even conscious to accept the words “I love you,” during the last time I spoke to him. Death came on fast and was fully expected, but my young mind couldn’t process that difficult reality. Losing my only real parent left me with too much to handle. Heat was a necessity but nobody was paying the bill-- there came times where the dogs would sleep in my bed, just to keep us warm on freezing nights. I would eat at school for my only meal of the day, since lunch was free through my financial aid; there was never any promise of dinner. Dad assumed he'd be gone overnight, at the most, and left us with only $20. I used the money sparingly to get my sister hot meals, and I tried to sell my own possessions to gain any money. We spent about 2 months on our own. I still have some hope that my Dad might come home, despite seeing him lowered into the ground. Amidst the utter chaos and hopelessness in my life, I still tried my hardest to pursue my education, along with finding ways to distract myself from all of the despair. The mixed feelings of denial, anger, and depression were major setbacks in my early high school development; however, I garnered the strength to recover my grades for the semester and move on. In that following summer, I took time to rebuild myself, to reflect, and to discover some of my biggest passions: cheerleading and softball. The energy surrounding these sports truly provided a great outlet for my emotions. In the face of everything standing in my way, I fought an uphill battle to learn true, real-world responsibility, all while undergoing the huge transition to high school.The biggest lessons were the traits of perseverance and fortitude; these times will forever be in my past, yet I’ve made the decision to grow from them, rather than letting them haunt me. The skills I learned during high school will forever be with me through anything that life might throw my way. I hope to one day, bring those learned skills to the table in a college setting, continue on the path of perseverance, and to make my Dad proud.