Throughout our everyday lives, we have good and bad things that come our way. Last semester I learned one thing so valuable, that I will use as I grow up. One of my professors had their own research, which was based on recovery. The way I interpreted her research, was that everyone goes through a recovery stage or cycle. At one point or another, some people hit rock bottom. They feel they can't rise above the issues they are trying to overcome.

Some people put in the effort to push themselves, other's don't have the willpower to. Whatever someone goes through that really throws off their path in a negative way, recovering from that is what makes that person's strength rise above anything.

Throughout taking her classes, she always reminded me that it's okay not to be okay. It's okay to take time for ourselves. Not everything is always what it seems. Although she knew what had happened with my Mom's passing, her advice went beyond just that one tragedy.

Ironically, the semester that my Mom passed away I was already enrolled in a class with a different professor. However, I had to drop two classes to relieve some of the stress on myself. Therefore, I took that class again last semester since it was the same subject. They say that things happen for a reason, and there was a reason that I took this one specific class a semester later. It was meant to be that I have that one professor that truly inspired me and continues to.

I can say that I have one woman this month that influenced me and continues to.

That person was one of my professors. Yes, we learned what we had to for her class and what not, but I took more away from her lessons every week. Not having her as a professor now, has me still taking into account, the things she has taught me. When I'm having a bad day, I think to myself that it's just one day at a time. Recovery can go through a variety of different struggles that people face.

Some days I would have stress take over the look on my face, and she would tell me that stressing out about it does not help the situation. Though her research on recovery wasn't aimed at specific aspects, I interpret what that truly means. I am recovering day to day with what happened, my anxiety, but I have to let myself cry when I need to, talk to people, or do what it takes to recover the best I can.

I am an anxious person. Sometimes I get panic attacks and have been getting them since I was thirteen-years-old. Dealing with my anxiety day-to-day is the process of recovery. I learn how to cope and manage myself while balancing my everyday routine. I did grow out of most of my anxiety and now it's more about being anxious about school and work.

I am not trying to say that the way she looks at recovery is the way that everyone does. I am simply here to say (since it is women's history month), I have that one person that really emotionally opened me up to accept whatever life throws my way. It takes that one person to just make you realize what you didn't realize before.

As I continue with my studies, becoming a teacher, I can say that she is somewhat my mentor. She guides me with not only academics but with real-world experiences. Outside of the classroom, everyone has their own story. People's stories change every day, continue to have different chapters, but we all want that happy ending for ourselves.

I admire her ambition to achieve her career goals and personal goals. I hope to be as strong and open-minded about taking it one day at a time. If her goal in life was to inspire her students, she definitely has me on that list.