Even though I’m nearing my last year of college, I am still just as thankful for the teachers I had throughout my 4 years in High School. Those 4 years can be some of the hardest for someone with anxiety and depression, like myself. I had no desire to learn, I didn’t care about my grades, I didn’t even think I would live to see graduation day. While I received help from professionals to balance out my feelings of anxiety and depression, there was no way that they could improve my success in school. Thankfully that’s where these three teachers came into my life and changed it significantly. I don’t think I would be the woman I am today without all of their love and support.

From middle school to my first two years of high school, I played in the band and participated in color-guard alongside the marching band. I enjoyed it but I still felt something was missing, I was bored. I became friends with some people who were in the school choir and I began to hang out in the choir room with them during lunch hours. I wasn’t one of her students at the time, but the director of the girls choir took me in as one of her own. Because of her, I joined the choir and met some of the most supportive girls in the school. Going to choir everyday was something I looked forward to. I even became girls choir President my senior year (even though she had left the school by that time). She gave me so much encouragement and support. She got me involved in something I never thought I would do during my high school career. Thanks to her, my remaining years in high school were full of music.

I had always loved photography, so my junior year of high school I decided to add it to my schedule as an extra elective. Something I thought would be fun and easy, wouldn’t stress me out and might just serve as free time during the day. After a few weeks in the class, my photography teacher became one of my favorites. She challenged me to try new things with photography, she gave me a lot of praise for my hard work. With my anxiety and depression, I had never felt that anything I did was worth praise, but she taught me that I was capable of receiving it. She allowed me a quiet place to come and work, or even just sit in when I was having a rough day. She was so understanding and because of her I have continued my hobby throughout my time in college, still giving me praise for the work I do now. Thank you for showing me that I can do something worth appreciating!

And finally, this relationship was unexpected, but by far one of my favorites. My last semester of high school I was required to take a government class. I had no interest in government and politics and all that so even before class had started, I had mentally checked out. I just wanted to be done with high school and this was one of the last required classes to do. But, right off the bat I loved this teacher. She had so much energy (probably because she was only 6 years older than me) and she related well with all the students. She said things exactly how they were and didn’t sugarcoat anything. She gave me a new perspective. She provided me a safe place to go on my bad days. She could tell when my anxiety was high because she’d provide me a small container of bubbles to blow and calm myself down. After I graduated, our relationship continued. I went back to the high school to visit her and even as I write this I am texting her. She became a constant in my life and I am thankful that she took on a role of not only being an educator, but a friend. Thank you for giving me another person to put my trust in during my hard times.

Thank you all for seeing something in me that I never did. Thank you for giving me a chance. Thank you for making me the woman I am today.