Personal Narrative
A place I have felt heard is in my psychology classroom during my senior year in high school. I felt heard because most of my peers in that class did not spend their class time productively, and they chose to instead, socialize and mess around. However, I, along with a few other students, chose to spend our time by doing the assigned work and studying for the final test. The reason I felt heard is because whenever the teacher would ask a question, or we had presentations, it would always be me or one of the other students that volunteered to answer. The students who never completed the work would always look like a deer in headlights whenever they were asked a question. I was also really close with my psychology teacher, which made me feel more confident when speaking in front of the class or asking questions. I never felt like I would get judged by her or my peers in that class because not only did my peers have to listen when I spoke, but it was beneficial for them to listen to me because that was one of their only sources of information. My teacher was very kindhearted and would have never made me feel bad for answering incorrectly. This is what made me feel like I was in a safe place and that I was basically immune from negativity.
A place I felt spoken to was a church retreat in Atlanta that I attended last year with other teens from my church. I felt spoken to because I became closer to God during this retreat and learned a lot more about my religion than I ever had before. All of the mentors and speakers at this conference were intelligent and very vocal with their own thoughts on the topics discussed.
A place where “it’s complicated” is my home. My family consists of 6 people, so it gets a little crazy at times. All of my siblings’ personalities clash and this creates a very complicated relationship between all of us.
An event that has changed my life is my grandfather’s funeral. My grandfather passed away when I was around 4 years old. I couldn’t be too sad about it in the moment because I barely knew him since he had been in a nursing home my entire life. However, as I grew older I became more sad about his passing since I never got to know him very well. I did not really understand the concept of death at this young age. I also learned later that he had passed away from Alzheimer’s at a pretty young age. Since this event, my family, as well as myself, have taken part in Alzheimer’s awareness events and fundraisers. I believe that my grandfather’s passing has really raised my own awareness about mental illness and I have definitely become more sensitive about the topic. My mother has 4 other siblings who are all huge advocates of Alzheimer’s awareness. Even though I was very young at the time he died, I could see the sadness in all of my family members’ faces, and that image has stuck with me through all these years. Even now, just thinking about one of my family members or even friends dying is extremely sad to think about, even though one day, it will come. The only thing I can do right now is enjoy each and every one of their presence in my life and not take any of my time left on this planet for granted. Death is a very sad thing to think about and I would like to think that everyone is immortal, but unfortunately everyone has a limited amount of time in this life and they have to live it to the fullest. My grandfather’s story will forever hold a special place in my heart and has taught me more lessons and respect than I can even describe. My whole family viewed him as a hero and he definitely will never be forgotten by anyone whose life he touched. From all the stories that I have heard about him, he sounds like an amazing guy who would sacrifice anything for his family and those around him. He served in the Korean War and continued to work after that to support my grandma and their children. It almost seems like there is nothing he wouldn’t do for those he loved. I have nothing but the utmost respect for him and his legacy.