It was July 20, 2023 when I heard the words “Stage 4 pancreatic cancer” for the first time. Honestly, I didn’t even know what the full function of a pancreas was and how it affects your body up until this point. My dad had been in the hospital for 2 weeks before he was finally diagnosed. We were told he only had a year left to live and I was absolutely terrified. He started chemotherapy the next week and my life would never be the same. When something like this happens to you, you wish that you were in control of your life. In my experience, I tried to control everything that I could, because I couldn’t control my dad’s health. I started focusing more on school, so that I could excel in my classes which would secure my admission into a good college. I wanted to ensure a prosperous future for myself. Initially, my grades went down after the diagnosis because I was so distraught. I was able to overcome my circumstances, bring my grades back up, and still finish in the top 8% of my graduating class. This, in turn, made me eligible for automatic admission into several of my top choice colleges. This experience will also enable me to process through future challenges because I have learned how to navigate through grief and anxiety. My grandparents on my dad’s side have both passed in the last year, which has been an additional layer of added stress and worry. Their passing has been extremely difficult along with dealing with my dad’s diagnosis. This journey has also helped me grow in my faith in Jesus, because when you are given a diagnosis like this, you have no idea what the future holds. Going through trials tests your faith significantly. This requires a great deal of trust in God and to know that he has a plan for my life. My dad is living proof that prayer is powerful because while my dad still has cancer, his tumor has significantly decreased in size and is currently stable. I know I will thrive in college under any circumstance because I know that God is with me through everything. By attending college, I hope to become and interior designer and own my own business. I believe that interior design is a good way to make a positive impact on my community because it makes people happy. Everyone wants their house to feel like a home and want their home to reflect who they are. Interior design creates comfortable spaces for families to live their lives and make lasting memories.