Life After Death by Jordan

Life After Death by Jordan - January 2026 Scholarship Essay

On September 13, 2024, at 8:15 a.m., my life changed. My cheerleader and my prayer warrior passed away. On October 19, 2024, around 12 a.m., a cousin whom I looked up to as an uncle passed away. The very next day, October 20, 2024, at 6:30 p.m., my uncle passed away. Three deaths, two months, and one heart crushed into pieces. It felt like life was getting harder and harder with every step. People always say, "It gets better every day!" I wondered if my "better" was ever coming. Picking up the pieces of a shattered heart isn't always easy, but I believed that if I continued pretending that everything was okay, one day it would eventually be okay. It took a realization from a close friend of mine, who I believe I could call a brother, who lost his mother, to let me in on his pain.
Nobody said death would be easy, but the people who surround you make it easier. Digging deep inside of myself, I opened wounds that I felt would be better off closed, and I molded myself into a different person. I learned how not to forget them but remember them. This tragedy, while I thought it would break me, influenced me to not be bitter about life but to be appreciative of this thing we call life. Through this, I unlocked the power of brotherhood. To learn how to lean on others when going through yourself, and be there to pick up others who could be going through the same thing as you.