Turning Struggle Into Strength I walked into the large, sunlit classroom on the first day of school with the expectation that geometry would be the worst class of my life. The teacher stood at the entry way greeting each student as they walked in. As soon as I said hello to the teacher, I recognized him. He is the guy that shows up to every show the school puts on. No matter how big or small, he was there. Something that stood out to me was that not only did I see him in the audience, but he stayed for a bit after the shows to congratulate everyone on a job well done. I always wondered when I would have this teacher, this was the year. I have never liked math, in fact, I’ve always despised it. Math class always made me feel dumb and I never seem to fully understand the concept before we move on. I have an incredible work ethic. I don’t give up on anything. I decided I needed some motivation, a goal to work for. I would strive to pass every unit test. That was my goal for the year. A few weeks prior to the first unit test, I started studying every night. For concepts I didn’t understand, I watched YouTube videos, for extra practice, I re-did worksheets, I did everything I could think of to prepare. Then came the day. I walked into class ready to take the test I studied so hard for. The paper was placed in front of me but instead of large numbers and odd shapes, I see words. Everyone in the class started looking around, staring at each other. I didn’t stare back. I picked up my pencil and wrote for the remainder of the bell. I turn it in with confidence. All my studying from the night before paid off. I knew that I had gotten a perfect 100 on that test. I have no problem explaining how to solve a math problem just the actual solving part. An entire week passes of me checking my grade every chance I get to see if this would be the moment my B would turn into an A. One of my friends from another bell had said that he had excluded the tests because everyone failed them. I had spent so much time and effort preparing for the test just for it to be thrown away. That's when I decided that I should do something about it. I stopped the teacher in the hallway. I asked him if he planned on entering our test grades and when he said no, I asked if he could look over my test and give me my grade that I had worked so hard for. I explained that I studied for weeks in advance and I felt that I did very well. Nervous that he was going to laugh at me, takes a breath and tells me that he remembers looking at my test and being impressed. He thanked me for putting so much time and effort into class and that he would gladly enter it into the system. While geometry was in no way easy, the teacher helped me realize something about myself. While I may not be great with numbers, I'm great at explaining and teaching others. Just because I wasn’t born to be a rocket scientist or a mathematician doesn’t mean that I'm dumb in any way. I just have a different skill set. Now it was my time to discover how to use my newly discovered skill.

Shaped, Not Defined I was never known for anything besides the girl with the rare disease. Every “friend” introduced me to their parents as the one who is allergic to everything. Every teacher would look past the education, past the playful child and see the poor girl suffering from Eosinophils Esophagitis. Even family members didn’t see me as my parents' child, but as a fragile, delicate object they needed to protect. Some of my earliest memories from elementary school aren’t playing kickball, or being put in timeout for bringing slime to school, they are of others treating me differently, cautiously. At school, I always felt uncomfortable and out of place. The lunch time routine consisted of my teacher cleaning off a spot for me to sit, the lunch ladies looking out for the girl whose photo hung from the ceiling, and sitting in isolation. My classmates would pretend to be my best buddies just because they wanted their moment of fame, to be seen hanging out with the special kid. School wasn’t the only place I was uncomfortable. It was everywhere. I had to watch what I touched in every grocery store, deal with the questions at birthday parties, and use caution in the kitchen of my own house. My disease affected my entire family, restricting places we could go and what to eat for each and every meal. As I started getting older, I realized what I thought was a normal childhood, was really just survival mode. Understanding how my life was and how it would be forever, was difficult to process. I would spend hours crying about how I could never kiss a boy, never pack my kids' school lunches, and never be able to explore the seven seas. November 2024, I experienced an anaphylactic reaction after grabbing a bite to eat with a friend. We stopped at Chipotle between rehearsals and after 30 minutes my body felt off. It took me a while to realize what was happening. Scared for my life, I thought about why I should fight. I needed to survive for my future, but also to show bravery and strength to the scared little girl I once was. After a childhood of experiencing life-threatening battles, a dozen endoscopies, gallons of formula swallowed, and after facing 15 years of diversion, I realized that there’s no running from this. Over time, I have learned to accept who I am. This disease does not constrict me or define me. It has shaped me. The obstacles I’ve overcome, the battles I’ve fought, all have contributed to the person I am today. I am a strong, mature, and independent woman ready to face the world. I am ready to leave my mark. I am the girl with the allergies, but I’m also Morgan, and I have dreams to chase. Living my life this way inspired me to get a career in the medical field. While at first I didn’t know where in the field, I have discovered that my goal is to be able to help young kids and make them feel comfortable in their own skin. My life stories have led me to decide that I will have a career in medical imaging. My dream career is to be a sonographer at a hospital such as Children's. This way I get the opportunity to help children with their health issues as well as help them and their parents through challenging times. This career will heal my inner child and challenge me to be the best version of myself.

Shaped, Not Defined I was never known for anything besides the girl with the rare disease. Every “friend” introduced me to their parents as the one who is allergic to everything. Every teacher would look past the education, past the playful child and see the poor girl suffering from Eosinophils Esophagitis. Even family members didn’t see me as my parents' child, but as a fragile, delicate object they needed to protect. Some of my earliest memories from elementary school aren’t playing kickball, or being put in timeout for bringing slime to school, they are of others treating me differently, cautiously. At school, I always felt uncomfortable and out of place. The lunch time routine consisted of my teacher cleaning off a spot for me to sit, the lunch ladies looking out for the girl whose photo hung from the ceiling, and sitting in isolation. My classmates would pretend to be my best buddies just because they wanted their moment of fame, to be seen hanging out with the special kid. School wasn’t the only place I was uncomfortable. It was everywhere. I had to watch what I touched in every grocery store, deal with the questions at birthday parties, and use caution in the kitchen of my own house. My disease affected my entire family, restricting places we could go and what to eat for each and every meal. As I started getting older, I realized what I thought was a normal childhood, was really just survival mode. Understanding how my life was and how it would be forever, was difficult to process. I would spend hours crying about how I could never kiss a boy, never pack my kids' school lunches, and never be able to explore the seven seas. November 2024, I experienced an anaphylactic reaction after grabbing a bite to eat with a friend. We stopped at Chipotle between rehearsals and after 30 minutes my body felt off. It took me a while to realize what was happening. Scared for my life, I thought about why I should fight. I needed to survive for my future, but also to show bravery and strength to the scared little girl I once was. After a childhood of experiencing life-threatening battles, a dozen endoscopies, gallons of formula swallowed, and after facing 15 years of diversion, I realized that there’s no running from this. Over time, I have learned to accept who I am. This disease does not constrict me or define me. It has shaped me. The obstacles I’ve overcome, the battles I’ve fought, all have contributed to the person I am today. I am a strong, mature, and independent woman ready to face the world. I am ready to leave my mark. I am the girl with the allergies, but I’m also Morgan, and I have dreams to chase. Living my life this way inspired me to get a career in the medical field. While at first I didn’t know where in the field, I have discovered that my goal is to be able to help young kids and make them feel comfortable in their own skin. My life stories have led me to decide that I will have a career in medical imaging. My dream career is to be a sonographer at a hospital such as Children's. This way I get the opportunity to help children with their health issues as well as help them and their parents through challenging times. This career will heal my inner child. I hope to be the medical professional that I was missing in my childhood.

Shaped, Not Defined I was never known for anything besides the girl with the rare disease. Every “friend” introduced me to their parents as the one who is allergic to everything. Every teacher would look past the education, past the playful child and see the poor girl suffering from Eosinophils Esophagitis. Even family members didn’t see me as my parents' child, but as a fragile, delicate object they needed to protect. Some of my earliest memories from elementary school aren’t playing kickball, or being put in timeout for bringing slime to school, they are of others treating me differently, cautiously. At school, I always felt uncomfortable and out of place. The lunch time routine consisted of my teacher cleaning off a spot for me to sit, the lunch ladies looking out for the girl whose photo hung from the ceiling, and sitting in isolation. My classmates would pretend to be my best buddies just because they wanted their moment of fame, to be seen hanging out with the special kid. School wasn’t the only place I was uncomfortable. It was everywhere. I had to watch what I touched in every grocery store, deal with the questions at birthday parties, and use caution in the kitchen of my own house. My disease affected my entire family, restricting places we could go and what to eat for each and every meal. As I started getting older, I realized what I thought was a normal childhood, was really just survival mode. Understanding how my life was and how it would be forever, was difficult to process. I would spend hours crying about how I could never kiss a boy, never pack my kids' school lunches, and never be able to explore the seven seas. November 2024, I experienced an anaphylactic reaction after grabbing a bite to eat with a friend. We stopped at Chipotle between rehearsals and after 30 minutes my body felt off. It took me a while to realize what was happening. Scared for my life, I thought about why I should fight. I needed to survive for my future, but also to show bravery and strength to the scared little girl I once was. After a childhood of experiencing life-threatening battles, a dozen endoscopies, gallons of formula swallowed, and after facing 15 years of diversion, I realized that there’s no running from this. Over time, I have learned to accept who I am. This disease does not constrict me or define me. It has shaped me. The obstacles I’ve overcome, the battles I’ve fought, all have contributed to the person I am today. I am a strong, mature, and independent woman ready to face the world. I am ready to leave my mark. I am the girl with the allergies, but I’m also Morgan, and I have dreams to chase. Living my life this way inspired me to get a career in the medical field. While at first I didn’t know where in the field, I have discovered that my goal is to be able to help young kids and make them feel comfortable in their own skin. My life stories have led me to decide that I will have a career in medical imaging. My dream career is to be a sonographer at a hospital such as Children's. This way I get the opportunity to help children with their health issues as well as help them and their parents through challenging times. This career will heal my inner child. I hope to be the medical professional that I was missing in my childhood.

Shaped, Not Defined I was never known for being academically smart, the ballerina, or the child prodigy. I was never even known by my own name. My name became the girl with the allergies. Every “friend” introduced me to their parents as the one who is allergic to everything. Every teacher would look past the education, past the playful child and see the poor girl suffering from a life threatening disease. Even family members didn’t see me as my parents' child, but as a fragile, delicate object they needed to protect. Everywhere I went made me uncomfortable. I had to watch what I touch in every grocery store, walk on eggshells in the school cafeteria, deal with all the questions at birthday parties, and use caution in the kitchen of my own house. My disease affected my entire family, restricting what we could do. We could never eat out, from fancy restaurants to fast food, it was all off limits. My parents couldn't cook many meals because they couldn't be near me. As I started getting older, I realized what I thought was a normal childhood, was really just a battle. I was forced to learn to fight it, to survive it. Understanding how my life was and how it would be forever, was difficult to process. I would get lost thinking about how I could never kiss a boy because his lips touching mine are too risky, never pack my kids school lunches, never go out to a bar in college, and never be able to live away from my city because I don’t know what other grocery stores have for me is all really overwhelming and scary. Especially because mistakes happen and if I make a mistake, my life is on the line. November 2024, my view on life changed drastically. One night I must have touched or ate something wrong. While a lot of it is a blur I remember my head light, my body weak, thinking I must fight it, I must survive it. I had made a mistake and now I had to face the consequences. Walking out of the hospital that day made me realize that mistakes happen but even so, I can be careful and create myself a successful life. This disease will not restrict me, it will not constrict me, and it will not define me. But, it has shaped me. The obstacles I’ve overcome, the battles I’ve fought, all contributed to the person I am today. I am the girl with the allergies, but I’m also Morgan. Living my life this way inspired me to get a career in the medical field. While at first I didn’t know where in the field, I have discovered that my goal is to be able to help young kids and make them feel comfortable in their own skin. My life stories have led me to decide that I will have a career in medical imaging. My dream career is to be a sonographer at a hospital such as Children's. This way I get the opportunity to help children with their health issues as well as help them emotionally. This career will heal my inner child and I hope to be the medical professional that I was missing in my childhood.

Shaped, Not Defined I was never known for being academically smart, the ballerina, or the child prodigy. I was never even known by my own name. My name became the girl with the allergies. Every “friend” introduced me to their parents as the one who is allergic to everything. Every teacher would look past the education, past the playful child and see the poor girl suffering from a life threatening disease. Even family members didn’t see me as my parents' child, but as a fragile, delicate object they needed to protect. Everywhere I went made me uncomfortable. I had to watch what I touch in every grocery store, walk on eggshells in the school cafeteria, deal with all the questions at birthday parties, and use caution in the kitchen of my own house. My disease affected my entire family, restricting what we could do. We could never eat out, from fancy restaurants to fast food, it was all off limits. My parents couldn't cook many meals because they couldn't be near me. As I started getting older, I realized what I thought was a normal childhood, was really just a battle. I was forced to learn to fight it, to survive it. Understanding how my life was and how it would be forever, was difficult to process. I would get lost thinking about how I could never kiss a boy because his lips touching mine are too risky, never pack my kids school lunches, never go out to a bar in college, and never be able to live away from my city because I don’t know what other grocery stores have for me is all really overwhelming and scary. Especially because mistakes happen and if I make a mistake, my life is on the line. November 2024, my view on life changed drastically. One night I must have touched or ate something wrong. While a lot of it is a blur I remember my head light, my body weak, thinking I must fight it, I must survive it. I had made a mistake and now I had to face the consequences. Walking out of the hospital that day made me realize that mistakes happen but even so, I can be careful and create myself a successful life. This disease will not restrict me, it will not constrict me, and it will not define me. But, it has shaped me. The obstacles I’ve overcome, the battles I’ve fought, all contributed to the person I am today. I am the girl with the allergies, but I’m also Morgan. Living my life this way inspired me to get a career in the medical field. While at first I didn’t know where in the field, I have discovered that my goal is to be able to help young kids and make them feel comfortable in their own skin. My life stories have led me to decide that I will have a career in medical imaging. My dream career is to be a sonographer at a hospital such as Children's. This way I get the opportunity to help children with their health issues as well as help them emotionally. This career will heal my inner child and I hope to be the medical professional that I was missing in my childhood.