In the Face of Adversity by Kaden

In the Face of Adversity by Kaden - May 2022 Scholarship Essay

The pandemic has impacted lives in so many ways. The biggest challenges my family has faced during this pandemic is probably like others. We faced great change around school, work, social life, and friends. Online school for a teenager finishing out their high school years has taken its toll. To be bound to a computer can make you feel isolated, confined, and alone. When this began, I never would have imagined performing my entire junior year online and never dreamt of what it would do to the workforce keeping my parents at home for almost 2 years. There were adjustments that have been made throughout the pandemic and learning to stay flexible has certainly been important. Both myself and my family continue to face these challenges today as the school, workforce, and college requirements continue to evolve. We have all been impacted in various ways, the impacts to my life are around staying successful with my ADHD and figuring out my financial aspect to funding college for my future.
Transitioning to online learning was challenging for me and my family of four who suddenly found themselves together all the time trying to do school and work in one house. I have ADHD so trying to stay focused online, hold myself accountable, and stay on task was a chore. One thing that has helped me manage my ADHD was routines, and if anything, the routines have been a constant change and struggle, creating more challenges for me to manage my academics. The tools that once helped me were no longer working and I had to start over in finding the right way to organize myself. While it was a struggle, I think I have learned that I can take on anything with success if I am just open minded to it. In addition to the academic struggles, the online learning structure also brought changes in the teacher/student relationships, changes in sports participation, eliminated all outside activities of attending sporting events, school dances, and club activities. I struggled through these things, as I am sure most would, they are all important to me as a teenager finishing high school. The lack of interaction with friends has been hard. I missed hanging out with them and doing our usual activities and because of our lack of in person social interaction, some relationships did not survive.
The experience of having ADHD has been a learning one for me over the years. I have worked with doctors to understand what ADHD means for me now and as I get older. It will be something that I will have to manage my entire life, ADHD is the wiring in your brain, and it simply doesn’t “fix” itself. The journey has been difficult, I have gone through the pity parties and frustrations. I have been perceived as selfish as the impulsive nature of ADHD. I have had to accept my diagnosis as this is who I am. Overall, I can only do my best, continue the journey to manage my diagnosis, and use the tools available to me. It will be something I will do forever, and I have accepted that. While ADHD can be a problem, you can still be successful, take advanced classes, and apply for scholarships to get some financial help to fulfill your dreams. There isn’t a one size fits all approach to this disease, every person will need to take time to determine what works for them. Lean into the help that is provided, the doctors trained in the care, and the family that will support you. Reach out to those who have struggled, find a mentor. My goal in sharing this story is to make ADHD more understandable. There are a lot of people with this diagnosis, we need to talk about our journey to help others. I hope I can be an example in overcoming the struggles, being an achiever, and mentoring others through their journey in the future.
As things start to settle into what is the new “normal”, I am learning how to better deal with the challenges of the pandemic, the changes in routines, and the flexibility needed to navigate the new world. I have realized that ADHD will always be part of my life, and pandemic type challenges will push my limits as I progress through my life. It is hard to feel “normal” with the constant adjustments of our life these days, but we are doing our best to come out the other side better than how we entered. It is important to me to help fund the financial burden of college in partnership with my parents, as well as continue to evolve the tools needed to manage my ADHD and learning disabilities. I look forward to the next challenge in life, hoping it is not another pandemic. Stay flexible, stay strong, and like it has been said the entire pandemic, we are all in this together!