My great-grandmother, Stella, and my grandmother Sharon Vahue both passed away close to each other, and this greatly impacted my education. I stopped attending and paying attention in my classes, and almost failed many of them, however my dad (who lost his grandmother and his mom) stepped in to help me, and spent 2 days helping me with assignments and emailing my teachers to get my grades up. I realized that even when you are going through a lot in your personal life, you cannot let it impact your responsibilities, and that is not what your loved ones would have wanted to see. I discovered that in order to persevere, I needed to focus in on my studies and work hard, as well as take care of my mental health. During this time I also struggled with alcoholism, and getting my life on track also required getting sober (which was a very long and hard journey). My mother also stopped drinking during this time, and we recently celebrated 2 years sober on July 15 (my birthday). Though focusing on mental health is important, neglecting life and it’s responsibilities only makes your mental health more difficult to deal with, and getting back on your feet even harder when you decide to make that choice. Jewish holidays such as Purim and Passover involve drinking, and even allow it for those past 13 in my family and congregation, and staying sober during these occasions was made a lot easier by my mom, who stayed sober as well and made sure that there was always sparkling grape juice available for us to drink. Over time, a lot of these religious functions that we attended together became easier for us, and now we have reached the point where alcohol at different events no longer makes us uncomfortable, and we are able to celebrate our Jewish holidays and our heritage much more easily and peacefully. Losing members of your family has the potential to bring you to a very dark place, but getting out of it and focusing on what is important in your life is possible and achievable. I am in my third year at Western Michigan University pursuing a finance degree, have obtained a 3.7 GPA, and stayed sober and committed to my Jewish faith. I have faith not only in God, but in myself, and that I will continue to persevere on the path I have chosen.