“One thing I would tell my younger self is that it’s okay to not always be in control of things. It’s always hard to have to be a spectator in your own life, and even as a child I’ve felt the need to be in charge of everything. Over the years I’ve learned to accept defeat and try to push through with what I’m given while telling myself that it’s okay to simply be a spectator. I’ve learned to accept that the things out of my control aren’t something to be ashamed about, and are actually very substantial to my growth as a person. One of my main examples of this was something common that many people go through; my parents’ separation. Although it did hurt to have to simply watch things unravel between them and I had to live through it without having any real control over the situation. It has taught me that I don’t have to be in control of everything, that the best thing I could do was take what I have learned and use it better myself as a person.”