Advice to My Younger Self: Trust the Strength in Your Struggles by Skyla

Advice to My Younger Self: Trust the Strength in Your Struggles by Skyla - July 2025 Scholarship Essay

If I could sit down with my younger self, I’d be speaking to a kid caught at the crossroads of family sacrifice and personal ambition—a child who watched her father’s soccer dreams in Portugal end with a devastating injury, whose mother became a caretaker and a provider, and who often felt the pressure to ease burdens much bigger than her own shoulders. If I had only one piece of advice to give, it would be this: Trust the strength in your struggles. Everything that makes you feel different, every hardship or setback, is quietly shaping you into the person you’re meant to become. The lessons began at home. My father’s soccer injury—a break so severe it required surgery and metal screws—became more than a medical detail. It was a daily reminder of how quickly life can change and how much strength it takes to rebuild. My mother, who put her own dreams aside to care for him, taught me that love often looks like sacrifice: taking leave from work, making do with less, and always putting family first. Even years later, when my father’s pain flares up and my mother must again step away from her job, I see that resilience in action. As a child, I didn’t always understand why money was tight or why the adults around me worried so much. I saw my sister struggle with OCD, my brother chase his sports dreams, and my father spread himself thin—caring for my grandmother battling Alzheimer’s in Canada, while still trying to make ends meet at home. Sometimes, I felt invisible, carrying the expectation that I would help, achieve, and somehow fix things that were beyond my control. To that version of myself, I’d say: You don’t have to fix everything. The compassion you’re learning from your family’s challenges is already a gift. The hard days, the moments you feel overwhelmed or unseen, are teaching you empathy and grit—qualities far more valuable than you can imagine. I’d also tell her to accept help. My early volunteer work—at wellness fairs, at Hair by Tonya and Lisbon Seafood, and with Mass Power Solutions—opened my eyes to the ripple effects of service. Whether I was cleaning up after haircuts, guiding a neighbor through a blood pressure check, or filing paperwork, I started to realize that small acts matter. It wasn’t just about what I gave, but what I gained: practical skills, confidence, and a sense of belonging. I’d remind my past self that community isn’t built by doing everything alone. And I’d say: Don’t underestimate yourself. I used to agonize over my grades, my community service hours, and whether I was making a real impact. In time, I saw that my commitment—to maintaining a 4.12 GPA, earning salutatorian, and winning awards in Medical Math and Health Insurance & Medical Billing—was about honoring my family’s sacrifices and setting an example for my siblings. Every new responsibility, from working as a Medical Assistant at PrimaCare Pulmonology to bagging groceries at Stop & Shop, was another building block in my character and skills. I’d urge her to trust the process. There were nights I stayed up late, worried about how we’d afford college, whether I could really help my family, or if all the volunteering and hard work would pay off. What I couldn’t see then was how much those experiences were preparing me for my future. Pursuing a skilled trade—especially in healthcare—became my passion. I came to see nursing not just as a job, but as a calling shaped by my family’s story and my own resilience. Most of all, I’d want my younger self to know her struggles are not weaknesses, but sources of strength. Every setback—whether it was missing valedictorian by 0.01 GPA, feeling anxious about my family’s finances, or watching loved ones hurt—would teach me something about compassion, determination, and leadership. The empathy I feel for people in pain, my drive to help others, and the sense of responsibility that leads me to volunteer are all rooted in those challenges. If you trust the strength in your struggles, you’ll discover that you are more resilient, compassionate, and capable than you realize. You’ll learn that you don’t have to do it all alone, that every challenge is an opportunity to connect, to help, and to lead. Volunteering will show you that service is a two-way street: you’ll give, but you’ll also receive lessons, friendships, and a sense of purpose. Your setbacks, fears, and differences will become the foundation for your greatest achievements. You’ll learn that the spirit of giving is about how much you care, not how much you have. And one day, you’ll look back and realize that the path you walked—though never easy—was exactly the one you needed. So if I could give one piece of advice to my past self, it would be to trust the process, embrace your journey, and know that strength grows in the most unexpected places. Your story matters, and every struggle is shaping you into someone who will make a real difference.