How Adversity Changed My Life

My research reviled how life-changing events can play a significant role in how we lead people. This week’s research was an in-depth view of the movie “The Doctor”, (Ziskin and Haines, 1991). This movie depicted a highly skilled surgeon named Jack McKee, played by actor William Hurt who was completely devoted to his practice, (Ziskin and Haines, 1991).

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go” Joshua 1:9. Adversity is what comes to mind when reading this verse. The Book of Joshua teaches us to accept the good things God provides for us; things like adversity, suffering, and perseverance. I chose this verse because God chose for me to go through something so horrifying at the age of seventeen. It is natural to ask God “why me” in a time of hardship that never think about the purpose he has for us. How can adversity and suffering be a good thing? Because learning to overcome something is what builds your character. It turns you into the person God created you to be; and you find ways

From my adversity and hardship I unveiled who I am and what I am capable of. I ventured outside my comfort zone; challenging myself to start new conversations everyday and foraging friendships faster than a tempest. I also started to express my curiosity and discovered the metamorphosing world in which I live by throwing myself into the wilderness with Outdoor Ed. Most importantly, I embraced others and helped them be happy, to stop them from feeling alienated like I did. l saw that I held the power and I hoped that I could help others see the same.

Since my younger years I have been compelled to differentiate between enduring and overcoming. From my parent’s divorce, our financial instability and my multiple social dislocations, I had to learn to adapt to ever-changing environments and circumstances. Before my grandfather died he shared with me one of his favorite quotes and one that I will never forget, which says that, “the key to life is found by

Turmoil and survival. I am a child of genocide survivors. My parents have shared with me stories of what they saw as children running towards the Thai border from Cambodia as they were fleeing from the Khmer Rouge. They left their homes and came to America for a better life. Their stories gave me courage to survive my own turmoil. They always told me to focus in school and do well so I can be successful. However, school was not the easiest thing for me. I’ve always struggled and there were multiple times where I just wanted to give up. I was bullied in 8th grade which caused me to go into a depression. This caused me to give up on life in general. What kept me going were my parents’ stories. While my parents had their journey dealing with their experiences, I have had to deal with experiences in my own way as well. As a result of my self-realization, I began to my journey of rediscovery. I was determined to take back my life. Along the way of my educational journey, I learned that I am just like my parents who never gave up. Throughout my high school experience so far, I discovered what it means to persevere as a student with bad teachers.

From the time I was born until the age of twelve, my family struggled with the basic necessities of life. My father worked endless hours in a factory, and yet somehow came home with a smile on his face. As a young kid, I never knew we were struggling. The thought had never occurred to me. As I got older I started to realize that my single father was working his life away to care and provide for his two little girls. He completely put aside his well-being because as long as his girls were cared for, nothing else mattered. Life was never easy, but as a young adult today, I have come to accept that my background has been a prerequisite for greatness, for it is our backgrounds that define who we are. The way we are raised, the way we are taught to believe, and the way we are taught to act, make us who we are today.

Throughout our lifetime we go through a variety of challenging changes that may affect our future, Joseph O'Connor, a Lee high school graduate, and I are just a few of many examples. In his article, “A View from Mount Ritter”, O’Connor shares a horrific life changing experience on a two-week expedition in northeastern California. O'Connor a regular stubborn teenager, gets trapped in a frightening storm on the second week with another expeditioner. As soon as the storm starts to calm they starts to search for the driest place to set camp, realizing it was the worst night of his life O’Conner decides to turn his life around by turning his poor academic grades around and deciding to go to college. O'Connor's purpose is to inform and educate his readers to realize how precious life is and how it should not be taken for granted. He supports his purpose with a personal experience, concluding with “No man knows till he has suffered from the night how sweet and how dear to his heart and eye morning can be”. Based on O'Connor's experience and my own, the quotation reveals a truth, a truth that people must endure a struggle in order to appreciate one's life.

As the years come along one after another people have come in and out of my life, but at the end of the day it all comes down to what I did?, what will I do?, and what can I do? Sometimes you will ask yourself if what you do is even valuable and sometimes it might seem like it doesn’t, but truly deep down it is and will always be. Throughout this journey, I have faced many obstacles and will still need to face many more as the years come. However, one thing I won’t regret is making

As a child dealing with domestic abuse, this is the first time I faced adversity. Later, being abandon by our father, made it difficult for my mother falling on hard times financially, along with raising three children as a single parent. I was the first to graduate from high school out of my immediate family, at this time I was content

"We should live to give to others, rather than, live to receive from others,” are the words that my wise seventh grade English teacher repeated in class, while nudging at my chair to sit up and pay attention. Not knowing these simple words would impact and change my perception on life in many ways. First, I have learned to be dedicated and to never give up. Second, I have learned to have determination to walk through the wilderness, with uncertainty and to rely on God. Third, I have learned to have perseverance to push through the unfortunate events that have occurred during my academic career. I appreciate the reader of my essay, for giving my application a chance, to provide a binocular view of my individuality. Welcome to a brief story of

A multitude of events have affected my life, but not all of them have been accomplishments, some have been hardships that have changed my character greatly. When I was fourteen, just a few days after Christmas, my father collapsed at work and was rushed to the hospital. There, doctors discovered that he had a brain tumor which had been pressing on his brain stem, ultimately leading to his seizure. Over the past few years, he has gone through a cycle of treatment and remission, all the while experiencing a steep decline in mental health. With everything my parents were going through, I found myself being forced into adulthood much faster than I ever anticipated, before I even had a driver’s license. Instead of worrying about midterms, I found

One example of adversity that has impacted my life is when my mom was diagnosed with Lupus in 2015. Lupus is an inflammatory disease that is caused when the immune system attacks itself. My mom also has rheumatoid arthritis and chronic migraines. There are a lot of times where she can’t get out of bed because she’s so sick. However, she always makes it to all of my activities. She truly is one of the strongest and most loving people I know.

When reflecting on my life’s journey thus far, I am able to recall numerous instances which have provided me with opportunities to make decisions that have played a pivotal role in fostering a strong set of personal values in which I strive to abide by today. While many of these values were born out of struggle and poor life choices, it is easy for me to say that there are few regrets. These decisions, some good and some bad, have allowed me to evolve into the man I am today. I am truly grateful to have experienced a life that has afforded me the opportunities to cultivate many strong beliefs and ideologies in my personal, academic, and social life. Through deeper reflection, I have come to realize that these experiences combined with my

It was one life-changing experience I was seven years old when I became grateful for the things that I had. I remember packing for this big trip my parents were planning for a year now. I precisely recall my mother telling me to go through my closet and pick clothes I did not use to give away, I didn't know why, but I didn't ask, I just did it. As the day got closer I remember my parents had accumulated a great amount of things to give away. I quite didn't understand why they were gathering so many things and for what reason.

Everyone has that one experience that makes them look at life with a new set of eyes. My life changing experience happened a little earlier than most. It was the summer before first grade. We had gotten an exceptional amount of rain in the past months even though it was summer. I did not notice, though, because summer was every six year old's favorite holiday, next to Christmas and their birthday. My summer was supposed to be like any other but it quickly took a turn. For the best or for the worst? That is debatable.