I am an advocate, I am adaptable, I am resilient, I am more than my diagnosis. Epilepsy came into my life in middle school as an unwanted guest and brought with it loads of baggage. As I unpacked, I found anxiety, slow comprehension, and loss of independence. Epilepsy forced me to carry a backpack of responsibility that was too heavy for my 14-year-old shoulders. I wanted to be independent, to be with my friends more, and to just be normal. In Second Corinthians 4:17 it says, “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” Over time my perspective changed, and I began to embrace the truth found in the verse above. I committed to learning the lessons that the unwanted guest wanted to teach me. I learned that I was not alone in my journey, and as I educated myself about epilepsy, I could better communicate what I needed to others. Advocating for myself empowered me to then advocate for others. I found a growing compassion inside of me, especially for those with disabilities. Throughout the school year I set goals for myself. My goals were to swim faster, to get higher grades, and to adjust to a life that I was no longer ashamed of. The goals were still the same, I just had to find different paths towards them. I tweaked my training methods, changed my study strategies, and accepted my new normal. The most important lesson epilepsy taught me is to walk the route of resilience, so I continued to swim even though my times were not as good as before. I tinkered with medicine doses until I found the right combination that worked for me, and I marched into the classroom for my final exams, even though I had a seizure earlier that day. Throughout all the troubles, I learned that my identity is not merely just a swimmer, or a student, and I am definitively not just a girl with epilepsy. For me, epilepsy is not a disability but is a condition that gives me the ability to encourage, connect and comfort others. I did not and will not allow epilepsy to hold me back but will let it empower me to continue my education and stand up for others. I know people in my community going through similar challenges, and I want to be that calm voice that reassures them that all will be well, and their circumstances are building in them a strength that will last. People with epilepsy can and will achieve greatness in all areas of life and academics. I will use this scholarship to advocate for myself and others with disabilities.