Ryan S.

Photography by Ashley Kung

 If you're reading this, keep going.

There was a time when paying rent felt like a mountain I couldn’t climb. Living paycheck to paycheck, every day was a reminder of how close I was to losing everything. My days were filled with long hours on a construction site - sometimes working 80-hour weeks, with 16-hour days under the relentless summer sun. It felt like my feet were stuck in the mud, unable to move forward.

Growing up in a blue-collar family, I believed that if I didn’t get a sports scholarship, I’d work a trade like everyone around me. But working this job made me realize the toll it would take on my body and my spirit. The work was exhausting, and the thought of doing it for life felt like a shadow I couldn’t escape. Then, I lost my high school mentor - a guiding light in my life. The loss hit me hard, pulling me deeper into a place where the future felt too heavy to carry.

I know what it’s like to feel at a standstill, facing walls you never expected to encounter. In those moments, I found myself asking one question: “How do I keep moving forward?” My answer was simple, though not easy - I took things one day at a time, one step at a time.

Not every day was a breakthrough. Many days were just about survival. I learned that resilience isn’t always bold or remarkable; sometimes, it’s in the quiet choices - to get up, to keep going, to let time work its subtle magic. Slowly, I transformed pain into strength. I faced moments when all I could do was keep breathing, keep trying, and keep moving - no matter how small the effort felt. Progress didn’t need to be fast or flawless - it just needed to be steady, a commitment to showing up, even when everything in me screamed to give up.

I didn’t walk this path alone. I found encouragement in the stories of others, in unexpected kindness, and in the simple choice to believe that these storms too would pass. Each story I heard and every word of support reminded me that my strength lay in my willingness to keep moving forward, step-by-step, through the hardest days. This resilience transformed my life - from a kid working a blue-collar job to a soon-to-be physician, an achievement few from my background ever reach.

So if there’s one thing I want you to take away from this, it’s that resilience is within reach, no matter how dark things feel. You are stronger than you know. Even in your darkest moments, you are building something inside you that will one day shine through. Trust that each step you take is leading you toward a brighter place.

Ryan S., University of Florida

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