I graduated during the very beginning of COVID, and that set the tone for my journey to higher education. Lockdown brought on many mental health concerns, and I was also struggling with an addiction at the time. I started school online that fall, and quickly withdrew as I was falling apart; mentally and physically. I decided that no matter what was in my way, whether it be me or anything else, I would get through it and get back on track. December of 2020 marked the beginning of my road to recovery. Well... March of 2021. My recovery wasn't linear. I spent all of that year living in a different state, working on myself and acquiring "real world" skills to prepare myself to go back to school. It was difficult to see the peers I knew and graduated with thriving at their respective schools. I looked at my situation as my fault and mine alone, and thought I deserved to feel like this. Looking back, I wish I could tell myself that I wasn't alone, that it wasn't my fault, that I was capable of doing hard things. So, hard things I did. Once 2022 rolled around, and I had a year sober, I decided to finally reapply to school. This was a huge deal for me, and I was glad to finally go back both for myself and my parents. They were disappointed, but understanding, when I withdrew and we had all been anticipating what my next step would be. All these trials and tribulations were paying off. I'm not going to go into the boredom of the college application process, but it was a little disheartening to be denied from schools or not be able to afford to go to them. I ended up making the somewhat difficult decision of moving to Creighton University in Nebraska. I had never been this from my parents and support system before, and I was terrified, but ready to make this big step. I'm so glad I did. Looking back on my very first semester as a real college student, I'm proud of myself. Again, this all started just about two years ago. Two years ago, I was in a rehabilitation facility with no grasp of what my future was going to look like, or if there even was a future for me. Today, I am happy to be alive. I'm grateful that I lived on my own, met the people I met, sponsored other women, prioritized myself, and reconnected with my family. I'm grateful that I've gone through the darkest days of my life—how else would I see how beautiful the lightest days are?