Anything is possible if a person is determined enough to work for it. Opportunities very rarely just fall into someone’s lap without proving they earned it. That proof is only visible in hard work and effort they put in.

A great example of this is Faith Bennett, a sophomore at AHS. She has persevered through illness time and time again to reach her goals and get to where she is today. Faith is the oldest of five children, meaning that she has grown up as a role model for her siblings.

“I’m pretty, I would say, ambitious. And usually I’ll be able to reach my goals if I have my mindset on it. So I feel like showing them I can reach my goals will help them think they can do the same thing,” Bennett said.

It’s important to focus on goals that put you out of your comfort zone and focus on more than just academics. Goals in one’s personal life are just as important. Goals help build motivation and can inspire peers in more ways than one. Bennett has a lot of goals that help her keep pushing forward and balance her schedule out enough to leave time for the things she enjoys. 

“I would say this year, getting better at tennis. I want to win at least five matches, and I’ve won like three. So I’m getting close. I’m getting close,” Bennett said. “Having above a 3.5 GPA. And honestly, probably getting into a good college, too.” 

During the beginning of the school year, Bennett fell ill with pneumonia, and was out of school for nearly a month. After that, she struggled off and on with various health issues that made it difficult for her to come to school every day, causing her to struggle with absences. To try and combat this and strengthen her immune system, Bennett began her second year on the tennis team.

“Lately my health has been better. I also think tennis contributes to that, because it fixes my sleep schedule,” Bennett said. “And also my mental health has been better lately too. And whenever my mental health is good, my physical health is good.”

Staying caught up after missing nearly a month of school can be very overwhelming. With Advanced Placement classes, lab sciences, and choir, the work can and will begin to pile up. After facing the onslaught of illnesses, Bennett came up with a system to get that work done, even when she was unable to come to school.

“I’m the type of person where I get bored within like 0.3 seconds of not doing anything. So I constantly have to be doing something. So when I’m lying in bed for that long, like obviously I’m going to be doing my homework.”

Something that can be very helpful to students who struggle with poor immune systems and illness are understanding teachers. Of course, this understanding does not come without communication. Keeping teachers up to date and asking questions to remain caught up is very important.

“…If you’re nice to [teachers] and explain the situation well, like they’re not going to like get mad if you fall a little bit behind,” Bennett said. “And if you are constantly proving that you are efficient and can get your stuff in on time, I feel like that should prove to them that just because you had a minor inconvenience doesn’t mean that you’re dumb.“