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National Adoption Month has always been close to my heart. It’s a time to celebrate families built by love, faith, and choice, and for me, it’s a reminder of how adoption shaped my life in the most beautiful way. I was adopted at birth, and while my story may look a little different from others, it’s the foundation of who I am. My parents chose me from the very beginning, and that kind of love runs deep. It’s the kind of love that shows you family isn’t just about where you c

Where It Started My depression started quietly in November of my junior year of college. It didn’t come crashing in all at once; it crept in between the long nights, heavy class loads, and the endless pressure I put on myself to hold everything together. By that point, I was juggling school, work, and life, and I didn’t give myself permission to rest. I filled every free minute so I wouldn’t have time to think. What I didn’t realize then was that I was slowly losing myself. D

Sammy and I at State Meet A few weeks ago, I was driving home from watching the sunset at the refuge, just me and Miss Winnie, my little shadow of a dog who goes everywhere with me. It was peaceful. Beautiful. One of those moments you tuck away because it feels like a deep breath for the soul. And then everything changed. I don’t remember much right before the wreck, but I know I hit a tree head-on. I know my car flipped onto its side. And I know I woke up, still in the dri

There are parts of my story that still feel too heavy to hold, even after all these years. Losing people you love never gets easier it just gets... different. I lost my dad at a young age. A loss like that changes you before you even understand what grief is. It shifts your whole world in ways you can’t explain. I didn’t just lose a parent, I lost years of memories we never got to make. I lost hugs I’ll never feel, advice I’ll never get to hear, and moments that should’ve bee

Hey sweet girl, You've had so many dreams throughout your life. You thought by now you’d have it all figured out, maybe even be planning a wedding to the love of your life (which, to think about now, is literally crazy), working your dream job, living in your own apartment, and doing life like you were the star of a movie. (Preferably Sex and the City, of course.) You truly believed that by 23, things would be in place, that you'd be settled, confident, and never have to ask

The Spring Break Crew Spring break in college hits differently every year, but when you’re a 5th-year veteran, it comes with a special kind of chaos. This year, I embarked on a wild (and exhausting) trip to the beach with seven guys and two other girls, and let me tell you, it was a lesson in logistics, survival, and strategic napping. The Booking Fiasco: "We Should Probably Find a Place..." If there’s one thing college students are bad at, it’s planning ahead. We talked abo

Molly and I she is my ride or die If you’ve ever dealt with mean girls in middle school or high school, you know exactly what I’m talking about. The whispering, the fake smiles, the backhanded compliments, the group chats where you just know your name is being thrown around it’s all exhausting. For some reason, girls in middle school and high school thrive on drama. It’s like a sport. They love making subtle little digs at you, leaving you out of plans for no reason, or maki

There’s this unspoken expectation in college that you have to do it all. You’re supposed to keep up with classes, maintain a social life, work enough to afford gas and groceries, hit the gym, go to every game day, get involved in clubs, and somehow still have time to sleep. And while we all try to keep up, at some point, it hits you burnout. Burnout in college isn’t just about being physically exhausted (though, let’s be real, we’re all running on caffeine and five hours of s

Freshman year is a rollercoaster. One minute you’re having the time of your life, the next you’re crying in the dorm bathroom because you failed your first test, texted the wrong guy, or got rejected from the sorority you swore you were meant to be in. I’ve been there. And let me tell you...you will survive. So, if you’re an incoming freshman, here’s a little real talk from someone who’s been through it all (and is now a fifth-year senior still figuring things out). one of ou

Left to Right: Mark, David, John, Daniel, Matthew, Me, Emma, Allie Growing up in a big family is chaotic, loud, and absolutely the best thing that ever happened to me. I come from a blended family where the term “step” has never really meant anything. My brothers came from my dad's ( step-dad but like I said I don't call him that) first marriage, and my younger sister came from another relationship he had before meeting my mom, but to me, they’ve always just been my family. I

Losing a pet is heartbreaking, but losing a pet who has been by your side for 15 years is a different kind of pain. Gia wasn’t just my...

Life has a way of flipping everything upside down when you least expect it. One minute, you’re living life the way you always have, and the next, you’re told that everything is about to change. That’s exactly what happened to me when I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. The Signs Were There, But I Didn’t See Them Looking back, my body had been trying to tell me something was wrong for a long time. I had been passing out a lot, but I brushed it off. I figured I just wasn’t ea

A Friend Group I'll Always Be Grateful For Losing a friend can feel like losing a piece of yourself, especially when you're already facing life's challenges. It’s one of those experiences in your twenties that no one really warns you about, but almost everyone ends up going through it. It’s already hard juggling career changes, health struggles, and figuring out who you are in the world. But when you lose someone you trusted, someone who was supposed to be there for you throu

Navigating the Rollercoaster of Your Early 20s Your early 20s are a whirlwind, a time when life seems to change at lightning speed, often in ways you never expected. It’s exciting, confusing, overwhelming, and honestly, a little terrifying. In just a few years, you start to notice that almost everything about your life is shifting, and your friendships, your interests, your body, and even your mindset. People Change, and So Do Friendships One of the first big changes I notice