The most challenging experience I have had during my high school years was the fall of my sophomore year. It was the first semester back in a somewhat normal school setting after the COVID pandemic. I had maintained good grades through distance learning, but I struggled with it. Coming back to school caused a great deal of stress for me because of social anxiety. July going into that year, I suffered a knee injury dancing and was put through months of physical therapy. In the beginning of October, I found out I had to have surgery. Dance was my whole life, and it was being ripped away from me. At the same time, my great grandpa, who was a huge part of my life was not doing good health wise. He passed away on a Thursday evening and I was scheduled to have my knee surgery the following Wednesday. I missed school for the visitation on Monday, the funeral on Tuesday, knee surgery on Wednesday, and was out for eight more days for recovery. This was the first time that my grades dropped. I did not know what to do. I spent hours and hours working with teachers and therapists both mentally and physically to get me back to where I was before the events. I struggled to get caught back up on life.

The steps I took were spanned across a three-month span. The first step was working with a mentor at the school. She helped me catch up on school and teach me studying techniques that I still use. After that, I focused on schoolwork and test prep, I was caught up and finally getting back ahead. After my academics were back on track, my physical health was next. I went to physical therapy daily to learn how to walk again. It was a slow process, but I put in the work and was able to do it. After about three months, I was able to dance again and was starting to feel like myself again. Around Christmas time, my grief hit me. My great grandpas wish was to see one of his great grandkids graduate and I will be the first to. It took a great toll on me knowing that he would not be there to support me and see me succeed. I worked with a therapist, a grief counselor, and my church pastor to help me get through without him. He is someone I think about daily but now I live to make him proud and continue his legacy.