I had the best childhood a kid could possibly have. I grew up with a loving family, great friends, and a desire for perfection in everything I did. I strived to do well in school. From competitive cheerleading, to soccer, to archery, I was always playing a sport. I had everything I could ever want. All of that changed a few weeks after my 12th birthday. While I was trying to master a stunt at cheerleading practice, I suffered a traumatic brain injury. I went from being a happy, active, straight-A student, to a legally blind, wheelchair user in constant pain, within a few short months. The next few years would be the darkest times of my life. I was making very little progress in my recovery despite all of the doctors that I saw and the therapies that I tried. I struggled with adjusting to this new life I was living. I soon lost all of my friends, who were moving on, and lost all hope for myself. Due to getting very little help from my school and my non-existent social life, my family and I decided I needed a fresh start. We found out about The Lehigh Valley Charter High School For The Arts and with little hope of acceptance, I decided to audition anyway. Art had always been a passion of mine, and it was one of the few parts of my life that didn't change after my injury. By some miracle, I got in. I started making progress in many aspects almost immediately. The teachers there never saw me as a burden, instead they saw just me, and my true potential. They helped me adapt to my new life. The students there never saw me as that girl in the wheelchair, they saw who I truly was and soon I had more friends than I could've ever imagined. I consider myself lucky. I got an opportunity to see life in a way most people don't. I understand how beautiful and important life is because I almost didn't have one. I intend on spending the rest of my life doing everything I can to help anyone who feels the way I felt. I never want anyone to go through that pain. I recently got accepted into Marywood University's Art Therapy program where I will learn how to combine my love for art and helping people into a career. I want to tell people my story, and let them find hope in it. I want to help anyone I can on their journey to happiness.

I had the best childhood a kid could possibly have. I grew up with a loving family, great friends, and a desire for perfection in everything I did. I strived to do well in school. From competitive cheerleading, to soccer, to archery, I was always playing a sport. I had everything I could ever want. All of that changed a few weeks after my 12th birthday. While I was trying to master a stunt at cheerleading practice, I suffered a traumatic brain injury. I went from being a happy, active, straight-A student, to a legally blind, wheelchair user in constant pain, within a few short months. The next few years would be the darkest times of my life. I was making very little progress in my recovery despite all of the doctors that I saw and the therapies that I tried. I struggled with adjusting to this new life I was living. I soon lost all of my friends, who were moving on, and lost all hope for myself. Due to getting very little help from my school and my non-existent social life, my family and I decided I needed a fresh start. We found out about The Lehigh Valley Charter High School For The Arts and with little hope of acceptance, I decided to audition anyway. Art had always been a passion of mine, and it was one of the few parts of my life that didn't change after my injury. By some miracle, I got in! I started making progress in many aspects almost immediately. The teachers there never saw me as a burden, instead they saw just me, and my true potential. They helped me adapt to my new life. The students there never saw me as that girl in the wheelchair, they saw who I truly was and soon I had more friends than I could've ever imagined. I consider myself lucky. I got an opportunity to see life in a way most people don't. I understand how beautiful and important life is because I almost didn't have one. I intend on spending the rest of my life doing everything I can to help anyone who feels the way I felt. I never want anyone to go through that pain. I recently got accepted into Marywood University's Art Therapy program where I will learn how to combine my love for art and helping people into a career. I want to tell people my story, and let them find hope in it. I want to help anyone I can on their journey to happiness.

It’s 2015 and I’m a happy, athletic, straight A student, with great friends, big dreams and I’m just starting middle school. I’m at practice on a Tuesday night and bam! Life would never be the same. A traumatic brain injury at age 12! After months of declining physical and mental health at age 13, I’m a legally blind, wheelchair user in constant pain. Middle school was unsuccessful to say the least. Struggling socially and academically, I knew that if I was going to succeed I would need a new start. I heard about an Art school, which seemed perfect to me. With little hope of acceptance, I auditioned at The Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts. Miraculously, I was accepted and my life changed once again, but this time for the better. I began improving in many aspects. The teachers there did everything possible to help me learn and accommodate my needs. Everyone at this school saw me for who I was, not just "that kid in the wheelchair". It’s 2022 and I’m now a senior and once again a straight A student. Like another dream come true, I have been accepted to Marywood University. If you told me during my recovery that not only would I graduate but also be accepted into college I wouldn’t have believed you. I consider myself lucky. I was given an opportunity to see life in a way others don't. I know the importance of life because I almost didn't have one. I know that even when something seems impossible, it rarely is. With the right support and determination, dreams don't have to be dreams. I plan on spending the rest of my life persevering through any challenges that come my way and helping others do the same.

“It's just a small concussion, you'll be fine in a few days," the ER doctor assured me after I’d been kicked in the temple during cheerleading. But I wasn’t going to be fine, and it wasn't a small concussion. It was a Traumatic Brain Injury. I lost most of my vision, my cognitive skills, I was in constant pain and I was lost the ability to move my legs. I was forced to watch my life get taken away from me. My parents watched me lose myself completely. I watched my parents lose their daughter. Life doesn’t stop. It became radically different than I ever expected but instead of giving up, I began trying to navigate the new world in front of me. Art was one of the few things that I could still do, so I made art as often as possible. It was helping me process what was happening to me and my emotions. I learned about Charter Arts, an arts-driven high school in Bethlehem, PA. Immediately I knew that I must apply. I dedicated one year to getting accepted to the school, and I succeeded! At Charter Arts I've been lucky to have many opportunities that shaped me into who I am. I realized that art can be used to help others as well as ourselves. When I meet people who feel the way I felt, I can help them find happiness. Life taught me that things can change in a second, and that I have to go after what I want. This is me going after what I want. Although my journey hasn’t been typical, I am passionate about helping people in creative ways and know that college will bring me one step closer on my journey to pursuing my goals as an Art Therapist.

When I was in 6th grade, I suffered a traumatic brain injury which completely turned my life upside down. While I was out of school trying to recover from various complications caused by the TBI, my “friends” were all moving on with their lives. I don't blame them, they were just kids, But so was I. Soon, I was all alone. I can honestly say that I did not know the importance of true friendship until I was without it. About a year after my accident, I was lucky enough to meet a beautiful soul named Paige. She changed my life for the better. She helped me see myself through her eyes and she showed me just how good life could be. For a while she was all I had, but that didn't matter. One real friend was better than 100 fake friends. With the love and support Paige gave me, I was able to gain the confidence necessary to get back into the world and make more friendships that I hope will last for the rest of my life. Friendship is loving someone at their worst and helping them find their best. Friendship is everything.