Losing my nana was the hardest thing I have ever had to experience, until it wasn't. In September of 2021, I began my sophomore year of college at Bridgewater State University. I had very high hopes for the upcoming year, because my freshman year of college was overtaken by COVID-19, and restrictions were finally beginning to ease. I had new roommates, lived in a new dorm building, and actually had in-person classes. Besides from being away from home, I was thrilled. Throughout the first few weeks of school, my dad would FaceTime me almost every night, just to talk. It was comforting knowing that although I was away from home physically, my family was just a dial away. However, on the night of September 17th I received a phone call from my dad, not a FaceTime. I immediately knew something was wrong. Before picking up the phone, I had convinced myself that my papa, who had not been doing well for months, had passed away. It was expected, but not entirely, yet I braced myself for the worst news of my life. My father told me that my nana had unexpectedly died. She was healthy, and I had seen her a week before moving in, and nothing was wrong with her. I was broken, in disbelief, and immediately grabbed my car keys just to sit in my car and sob for hours. My grades dropped that semester. I went from a 3.8 GPA to a 3.1. I stopped submitting assignments; I would not even open my computer. I was shocked at how a loss could cause my education to plummet. I knew this was something that I would never entirely get over, because grief comes in waves, and is in no way linear. I knew I needed to get back on my feet, as it was what my nana would have wanted. Second semester of my sophomore year, I studied, I submitted my assignments, and I distracted my emotions with schoolwork in order to raise my GPA. As a health science major, there was no way I would allow myself to graduate with a GPA under a 3.5. As I began to gain confidence in myself and separate grief from school, I was able to slightly raise my grades in time for final exams. On May 1st, I received yet another phone call from my father. Not a FaceTime. I picked up the phone to discover that my papa had passed away, months after my nana. My grandparents raised me; when my parents were at work all day for the past 18 years, my grandparents would watch me. They took care of me when I was sick, rewarded me for doing absolutely nothing at all, and cherished my brother and I like we were their most prized possession. I was in the company of my nana and papa far more than I was in my parents. I went from having no understanding of the feeling of grief to having an overwhelming feeling of numbness and emptiness for months on end. My papa passing away was my last straw. I did not want to feel anything anymore. After grieving my papa for four months now, I have learned that family is far more important to me than I have realized. Family has always been my number one priority, but I really did not understand what I had until it was gone. Holidays are not the same. Birthdays are not the same. Certain meals, comfort television shows, certain songs, and scents will never be the same. Losing my family has taught me how quickly important people can leave your life and how grief entirely takes over mentally and physically. To this day, any time I receive a phone call my heart drops, and my parents know to FaceTime me instead of calling my number. Going into my junior year, I hope that I am making my nana and papa proud, and I will never regret hugging somebody too tight or too long, and I will never take a single person for granted ever again, regardless of our connection.

My name is Jolie Pontes, I’m 20 years old, and majoring in Health Sciences with a Pre-Occupational Therapy concentration. I started school at Bridgewater State University two years ago, majoring in undecided. I am part of a family of four, consisting of my parents and younger brother. In 2018, my now 15 year old brother was diagnosed with Beckers Muscular Dystrophy, after having symptoms his entire life. He struggles walking, and has to be pulled out of sports due to cramping too quickly and needing rest. I had never heard of MD before, and it rapidly became a huge part of my life as I’ve walked my brother’s ability to be active slowly decrease over the past couple of years. I decided in 2021 to major in health sciences with an OT route because my brother’s OT has truly had a positive impact on his ability to do daily activities despite struggling with a dystrophy. Neither of my parents went to college, and I knew I wanted to be the first to attend and make a difference in not only my family, but for people suffering with visible and invisible illnesses such as muscular diseases. I’ve also worked at a before and after school care center for four years, in which I’ve worked with several autistic children ranging from ages 6-10. I love being able to put a smile on their faces and make a positive impact in their days, because I understand that it can be extremely difficult to be seen and heard as a young adolescent with a mental disorder that other children and some adults do not understand or attempt to understand. I would love to continue working with special needs individuals, especially children, as my job has influenced me to further my education focusing on a pediatric direction. My hopes for the future are to earn a masters or doctorate degree in occupational therapy, become an OT, and work with children who are disabled, injured, or need general help with being able to gain independence in daily activities.