Growth Through Loss by Rihanna

Growth Through Loss by Rihanna - January 2026 Scholarship Essay

Death is a complex concept, one minute someone is here with us and the next they’re gone. When loss arrives at our door step it doesn’t knock politely, it barges in and flips our world upside down. Sometimes the hardest losses can push us to grow. Growth through loss. 

Growing up I was described as outgoing with a big personality. I loved to talk and be around people who brought out my true self. I was the kind of person whose presence could bring light to a dark room, the kind of person others naturally gravitated toward. The person who taught me the deepest meaning of identity was my grandma. She raised me to be friendly to others, to always put my best foot forward, and most importantly; not to ever lose my sense of self. Her presence and teachings helped shape my confidence and the way I interacted with the world. She was a guiding figure who reinforced my values on my identity. 

As I entered high school I always kept what my grandma taught me in the back of my mind. I was authentic, friendly and full of life, the same person I was raised to be. In October of 2022 my grandma passed away. This death took a huge toll on my entire family. After her death the loss never truly processed in my head, but I felt a sudden emptiness. I didn’t know that her death would be slowly chipping away at me for the next two years. During this time I noticed small shifts in my personality. Anger slowly crept in without me realizing.

Sophomore year was my breaking point. This year the loss fully hit me and my whole personality shifted. I became someone entirely different than who my grandma raised me to be. Negativity circled around me like a huge dark cloud hanging over my head. I no longer wanted to build connections. As the year continued I started making terrible choices which led me to ruining my reputation. I preferred isolation over interaction and I avoided connections. I started to notice people hated to be around me; I was known as a negative person and at the moment I didn’t care. The reputation that I developed didn’t reflect my true self. In this moment I didn’t just lose my grandma;  I lost the version of myself that she helped nurture. 

Junior year I realized the shift in my personality. My grief had reshaped me into someone I couldn’t recognize. I started asking myself hard questions and facing the uncomfortable truth that I wasn’t living by my grandma’s lessons anymore. Her voice that was once a guide for me, now felt like a distant echo. This realization pushed me to make a difficult choice; to change and rebuild. I fully processed the loss of my grandma and this was a huge step into reconnecting with my identity. Seeing her room empty and not hearing her voice helped me to realize she was fully gone. I spent tireless hours working to rebuild friendships and repairing the connections I had pushed away. Within time I slowly started to regain the lessons I was taught. As I worked on finding my identity again I didn’t only restore my old self, but I grew into a stronger version of myself. I learned that growth meant taking the values she taught me and understanding them in a deeper way, not just going back to who I was before. Regaining myself helped me to become a stronger person. Through the loss of my grandmother I almost lost myself, but by rebuilding who I was, I learned that true growth comes from honoring her lessons and carrying them with me into every new chapter of my life.