In Brazil, large families tend to be very close and death can cause ripples that last a lifetime. When my family first moved down to Florida we went to go visit some family that we were very close to. They could constantly visit when we were up in Massachusetts and our bond was so strong. We went to visit one week and I remember we were all riding on jet skis with my mom's uncle, Jose. He was the closest thing I had to a Grandfather since mine was still in Brazil. He would always invite us to come to visit, send messages asking about our day and how we were doing. He was a staple in my life and a comforting presence. The day we got the phone call from my cousin saying he had passed, it was like my world stopped. When receiving that call, at first it almost seemed fake. I had just spoken to him a few days ago and everything was fine. We were completely blindsided. He, his wife and youngest daughter were on a road trip back from Tennessee when he had a heart attack while driving. When my cousin Leticia described the event to us over the phone it was heartbreaking and surreal. this was during the beginning of my sophomore year in high school, in the middle of new Covid rules and just coming off of online school. So much was just all happening at once. At the news of his death, I and my family packed up some stuff and went to stay with them to observe Shiva and to make preparations to bury him since nothing was left in place beforehand. Everything was happening around me in a whirlwind, but I could see how much this was affecting my mother and my father. They were devastated and it was taking a mental toll on them. I knew I had to step up and take care of my parents, help with my sibling, help the rest of my family, and make sure I still focused on school. I knew I had to put my best foot forward and focus on what was important. After everything was said and done and we were back home, you could still sense how our loss was affecting us. I had lost a bit of school and instruction time while dealing with this death and was overwhelmed just thinking about how I was going to make up and complete the work I missed while gone. I remember when I was younger and sitting with him and hearing about his story. He never got passed the 8th grade and had to work on his parent's farm when he was younger. He had it very rough growing up. He told me that his choice in immigrating to America was so that his kids wouldn't have to go through what he did so that they could go to school and build a future. Something I heard not just from him but from multiple family members is that education is a gift and that it can take you anywhere. It is something that I've kept in my head, constantly replaying it. It's what helped me power through my work. Lots of super late night studying for my advanced classes, bouncing between helping family and focusing on my school work. All of it paid off, I graduated with a 3.9 GPA, got accepted into all the schools I applied to, and am now on my way to being an amazing lawyer.