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It’s was a big challenge for me to come to USA . The US Army bring us here in it was a new place for me so everything was challenging in I will try my best in everything.

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I wish I made more time for him

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Trying to get good grades.

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I always get mad at my feelings because I feel like I am too soft or I care too much about other people when they don't care about me at all. I have bad experiences on letting people treat me how they want and me not doing anything about it, even people that treated me so horrible always get away with it because I push my anger or sadness away and love them

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trying to find out my interests and passion.

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He passed away 2 years ago, and I'm still hurt ever since he passed away

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He pass away 2 mouths ago

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Some of my toughest challenges as a person is watching the person who you like and means the world to you just change. Personality could be a huge into it but having deep feelings for someone can be a huge heartbreaker.

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during covid school was so hard I didn't understand anything that was happening I would barley go to class and since I was homme I would accidently fall asleep and miss the whole class I also didn't turn in work cause I had no idea what it was about overall it was really stressful to keep up since work would just keep pilling up.

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One thing that I usually have a challenge with is my self worth and knowing what's best for me, I usually put other feelings before mine and don't seem to realize that I'm more hurt in the end. Having to meet the standards now in this generation is insane because everyone is judging everyone and everything at some point. I'm in my only care for me era

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My 11 year old dog died 2 months ago, we had to put him down because he was stuck in a seizure

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Getting distracted easily

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coming to school

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The places of the world is the only good things I've seen so far in life. People just make it more complicated.

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trying to be confidence with myself

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Losing my cousin

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my dog of 10 years died 3 months ago and we had to put him down because he was diagnosed with tumor and i watched it all happen and it broke me down the way i saw him but a the end he doesn't have to suffer

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someone in my family very dear to me passed away.

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ii failed my sol because i aint get the class -gabe

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I remember him so vividly, the mountain dew he always had with him, his iconic hat, he was so happy and healthy until summer hit. I remember not understanding exactly what was happening. He was in the hospital and he couldn't see us he could only hear us crying and trying to hide the fact we were. I remember everyone of my siblings and I not being able to stay in that room seeing him that way. I remember  crying my eyes out hoping that I could visit him tomorrow in better shape not 🤬 my eyes out and him having to say in the softest tone please don't cry. I think he knew he wasn't gonna make it out of that hospital, because the next day... he died. We had to get ready for his funeral, we rode to where he was being buried, all of  it blurred together except for the moment I saw my dad cry for the first time it  was an overwhelming feeling ; I didn't entirely know what was happening all I knew was I'd never see grandpa again and neither would my dad. I still miss him but it's  been a good long while. But I still can't believe I had to experience that at 8 and  it still hurts and  make me want to cry. Even just writing this down I'm on the verge of tears.

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i think starting a job was a challenge its completely different then just coming home going to sleep or waking uup late and staying up late you have to be responsible and on time its different so i feel like it was pretty hard at first but now its pretty easy and im adapted

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When I was 2 my parents got a divorce, I don't remember it myself but from information I got from my sister and grandmother it wasn't a pretty thing. For a while I was fine I had seen on TV 2 parent family's which made me question my own. For a while I believed I caused the divorce and a part of me still feels that way. I remember my mother finding a new man. He is an alright guy, he's pretty funny and very kind However he and my Mother didn't always see eye to eye. There was yelling screaming which in a Hispanic Household is to be expected but even still it hurt. My family was a mess and I felt responsible for all of it. I remember crying with my sister. After a while my mom left she moved to a place in Manassas while ending it with my I guess stepdad? I started living with my Grandmother and if I'm being honest... Not much had changed. My Mom is a great mom but when I was younger she didn't really raise me all to much, she would always go to parties and things like that, getting drunk and coming home late. I hate to say it but my mother was an alcoholic, she was never violent just emotional. One night i remember was during what I like to call "the very messy time" my mother and "stepfather" were arguing constantly he had come to her door (my mother's' room has a door that leads to the driveway) and began knocking, at that time I was in her room sleeping waiting for her to get home, I heard the knocking and shouting "open the door! please! open the door!" I was terrified. I was only 10 when my mother was soon yelling at me to call the police on a man who I saw as a father. Eventually my mother fell in love with another man and my "stepfather" simply became a family friend who lived with me and my grandmother up until the 8th Grade. One morning while I was getting ready for summer school I hear loud banging on the door. My grandmother opened it and 3 armed police officers came in they were after the Family friend. I won't go into why, all I will say is he had been caught up in a drug dealing scandal and was arrested. So now it was left up to Me and my Grandmother. We had 2 dogs Blaze an aging boxer and Polo a white fluffy small dog in his adolescence. Me and my Grandmother had to take care of them. Blaze was then dead via youthination may he rest in peace. Now my mothers moved backed in to our house and her new husband his daughter. My father got remarried to a new woman and I have a little brother named Victor. My I guess new stepfather has been making my mother happy and renovating the house but I already have a father whos actively a part of my life. I guess life has been going better and I wanna keep this happiness going for as long as I can.

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in middle school before covid him my self confidence declined rapidly to the point everything felt like a dream my sight was hazy, i tried to fit in , i tried to be social, i tried to be like everyone else. i would act different to see if it would help but i lost my self and i didnt know who i was any more. during covid it was great i was able to forget about if i fit in or not, it was like a healing era for my mental health to be stable and understand what i wanted isnt anyone concern. once we came back from online school i was different and i can see the growth that happend. i was different than before i didnt care what anyone thought about me. i still stuggle with anxiety and here and there self esteem issues but im not perfect.

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I'm considered the "gifted kid" and that term I've labeled with has been hell to deal with. I for most of my life I felt like the only thing I could do was let people down because I'm not "smart enough" or creative enough" and etc. I finally reached my breaking point when covid hit. I couldn't focus I was constantly feeling like I was the worst human being on the planet before the shackles broke and I just didn't care any more. I went through a lot more that year but to keep it short being a "gifted kid" is a terrible term that makes kid stress themselves out and make them feel like 🤬 if they don't do something right and there are three ways I know of "gifted kids" can get out of this constant loop of hell. 1. They can realize that it's just a stupid title and get into healthy habits that help them thrive early on. 2. They hear some other gifted kids story and realize they feel the same way and start working towards healthy habits and study/ work hard. 3. You have to crash and burn like I did before you make peace with the fact your not perfect. We are all the way we are gifted or not no one should have that much pressure and stress on them.

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I had to do long work.

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Wake up, go to school, go to work after, sleep, and repeat is my life recently. I have a few friends, just my co-workers, but they barely have the time to go out with me now so I've had to go on existing in this endless loop for years now. It's more difficult to make friends in school than it ever has been before and I lost all my middle school buddies. I just want to move on from High School and get out of here.

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gaining motivation and focusing on myself

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Last year I thought I had everything under control. I was never behind, I was seen as an ideal student. I thought I always did my best. This year it feels like I was just lying to myself. That last year was a fluke, that I can't really do anything. I feel like I'm constantly behind even when my grades say something else. It feels like I'm not all I cracked up to be in my head. And it all feels self inflicted. I can't distinguish the difference between what's my fault and what's out of my control anymore. I think this is the first time I've talked about it like this, without being on the verge of breaking down.

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I live in disassociation every moment of my life. Someone close to me had od and I found them lifeless. And I didn't feel hurt or any pain. We can be next to each other, but I'm simply not there. I don't have feelings anymore. I don't care about anything or anyone except myself. The only thing I care about is graduating.

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Bring my grade up in a matter of a few weeks.

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Bring my grade up in a matter of a few weeks.

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Last year, I took a trip to my native country of Ethiopia for the winter break. During the trip, I was mostly enjoying my time there and overall, I had a lot of fun there. But as I returned home from my vacation, I had to start worrying about schoolwork and a bunch of tests that threatened my grade for most of my classes. Since the quarter was about to end, I really had no time to finish my assignments and things felt hopeless. But when I was in my homeland, I was able to get some advice on how to work from my aunt's friend. She told me to work in the library and to stay after so that I can focus and so that I can get help when I'm struggling in my classes. This advice really came into handy when I came home and so, I did what she told me. I went afterschool every day to work on my missing assignments and I went to the library to study for my tests. as the quarter ended, I was able to come out with 5 A's and 2 B's. That quarter I learned one important lesson and it was to work hard and to use the resources that I have at hand to succeed. For those who are reading this and want to actually improve their grades, do what I did, it really helps.

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I really do try to pay attention but I dont know why i cant. I can be reading a book, fully saying the words but my head is thinking about something else and i start day dreaming. When I catch my self doing that I try to stop my self. its really annoying , ive been dealing with this for years now.

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My dog passed away about 2 years ago and it was one of the hardest things i had to deal with.

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losing my grandma has changed me alot

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losing my grandpa and my aunt and my uncle and my nana i miss them

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 my rough childhood and not having my mom and barely my dad and realizing that my mom doesn't want anything to do with me and thats ok thats her choice 

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 my rough childhood and not having my mom and barely my dad and realizing that my mom doesn't want anything to do with me and thats ok thats her choice 

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being able to grieve with a family member passing

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leaving my country, family, and friends and came to a new one and start to learn a new language and new things also meet new people it was really hard for me to communicate with someone because i didn't know english

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To be active without my friends

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Everyday I feel like my anxiety just keeps me from doing the things that I want to do especially in school such as making new friends, presenting a project in front of the whole class, or asking a teacher for help. Stuff like that really pressures me, and it makes me question why I’m like this.

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move from one country to another

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I focus on to many things at once and start to become stressed

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It's gotten worse and it's affecting my grades

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Being able to communicate flawlessly without also worrying about what others think of me is a difficult challenge to tackle as a person with social anxiety.

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Developing excellent habits was one of the hardest challenges I've ever faced. Since 2020, a lot has happened and the world has become chaotic. Anxiety begins to set in. I had lost my passion for hard work. I had a massive effect this couple years.

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my dog was always my safe spot , she was like a person to me i would talk to her , cry with her & take naps with her to not think about my problems at home. losing her was the most hardest thing i had to go through because a part of me died with her. she always followed me everywhere. Everyday i go home i always think i'll hear her bark or her running to me.

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i think one of the hardest moments of my life was when my best friend passed. it was so draining for me because its something a 12 year old should go through.

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Its hard drifting away from one of my friends

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Its hard drifting away from one of my friends

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my hardest challenge was overcoming my past

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It was hard when i had to leave my friends and I had to move with my dad but I'll always will remember her even if she not there anymore I missed my brother and yeah we have the same mom but not dad so it was hard not seeing each other but we still talk and text everyday though because we miss each other

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I always struggle with breaking my streak and pain from the past. It’s hard waking up everyday and trying to keep pushing because I’ve been doing this for years and it’s like nothing is happening. Obvi I’ve changed but I’m really tired of just constantly forcing myself to have energy and take care of other people when no one takes care of me.

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learning to love myself

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Injuring my knee I couldn't do all the things i love mostly laid around bein useless

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I’m getting tired of how my family just been on my case. I get it you want me to succeed in life and not have to go through the issues they had, but they aren’t helping! All they do is yell at me saying ima get no where in life. All they do is compare me to my older sister. They stay telling me how i’m basically useless and have no life skills. I blame them for that. I had no one there for me growing up. My mom and dad were always busy at work never really made time for me, yet they stay on my case about having no life skills. I try standing up for myself, but nooo they take it as me being disrespectful.

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Wanting to do a lot of hobbies but not having my schedule organized or think I will not be good at them, trying them and thinking to myself will this ever be useful or will i ever have a career out of this in the long term

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my aunt was murdered by someone my family trusted.

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Having to deal with my parents splitting up was hard because no child wants that. I wish they didn't split up but they did. Having to learn to deal with not living with both of them is hard, since it means that I have to also think about who's house I have to go to for the weekend. It's been a challenge but I hope to overcome it

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I have a lot of school work and im not good at time management

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It was the hardest when i lost my grandma because ive never seen so many people grieve and see them so hurt. The last time i had seen her she did a prayer and kissed my head so in a way i felt like she knew it wouldve her last time seeing me.

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Leaving my grandma after my trip to El Salvador 

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Leaving my grandma after my trip to El Salvador 

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I went to el salvador to visit my family, i spent most of my time caring and doing things for my grandma. In her house she doesn’t have anyone besides my aunt and my grandpa that deeply cares for her and loves her unconditionally. I made sure to show her how much she’s loved. The hardest part about being over there was saying goodbye. I miss her everyday, but i know she’s waiting for me to go back.

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When i was 8 years old my mom decided to move out of the country with just me by her side and little 8 year old thought it would like the american dream but i was so wrong about everything im a junior and i have 2 years of school and i want to finish school in order to let my mom know that she didnt make the sacrifice for no reason im super proud of myself to who ive become and hopefully my mom is too

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I think one of the hardest moments of my life was when my uncle passed it was scary because he passed in my house and my parents were not home in the moment it was just me and my sisters so it was scary being the older person in that situation.

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It was hard when I lost my dad because by the time he passed away me and him weren’t on good terms, but more importantly I was only 14 when he passed so moving on was really hard, and to this day it still is a challenge. Another reason it hurts is seeing my mom struggle, and working all day to make sure we have roof on top of our heads. 3 years later I can say it still hurts, but what I realized is to remember the positives and not the negatives. Now I’m in my senior year and I promised my dad that I would graduate and here I am almost halfway done and about to start college.

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Pretend you're writing to an advice columnist. Write a letter asking a question about a challenge you've faced in the past or are currently facing. Ideally this will be one of those things you had -- or are having -- a truly difficult time figuring out.

Be as detailed as you like, and don't worry, you don't have to sign your real name.