Hi,  I am a 17 year old senior who is currently struggling but at the same time succeeding. At some times it feels like I’m all over the place and at other times it feels like I have everything together. I’m like a backpack that has so many unorganized papers in it that it can barely hold itself together but somehow it always does. I know right… confusing. Let me slow down and tell you why my life is like this right now. As most of you know, there is a global pandemic that is affecting just about everyone right now. For me personally, this whole dilemma has been pretty hard, especially when it comes to academics. Throughout my entire highschool career I’ve tried to challenge myself and take on more and more tasks. This year was no different, I decided to take honors and AP classes and finish off my senior year strong. Little did I know I had a rude awakening. In the summer my school emailed me my schedule, it showed the teachers and the type of schedule I had. Immediately I saw the words “hybrid” and this meant I only was able to go into school two days a week. This made me so nervous because I was so used to hands-on learning and I knew this was going to be a big change. The first few weeks were crazy, the middle weeks were fine too, but recently being in school is like a living hell. I barely see my teachers, I have to basically teach myself and on top of everything I have to go to work and I have college applications to complete. My life is pretty hectic if I’m being 100% honest with you. A moment specifically that I can remember like it was yesterday, was just last week… I had a math and an anatomy test on the same day. I tried my best to study for both but I just wasn’t getting it. After both tests I ended having a mini mental breakdown. I was convinced it was the worst day of my life. Seriously. But I had to remind myself that just because I had one bad day doesn't mean that defines how smart or bright I am. Fast forward to right now, If you’re wondering how I’m doing I would say much better. I still have a lot of work to do but honestly getting myself through situations like last week on my own makes me feel so empowering. In my opinion, (whether you believe in God or not) I feel like God wouldn’t give me more than I could handle and I am here today to tell you that whatever you’re going through you will get through it. You have to believe in yourself and manifest positive thoughts. Well at least that's what worked for me… So now if you see me today I’m not like the backpack with all the papers but instead I’m the backpack with the organized binders with a few straggling papers on the side. Organized and somewhat put together