Situations To Motivations

     Through her senior year, Sophia Miles has gone through challenges. Her extracurricular activities and work to earn her associates degree have put extra stress on her daily life, but staying true to herself and putting on a smile is what Miles said allowed her to keep going through those hard times.

     “I have major anxiety, so I struggle with my mental health a lot,” Miles said. “And I don’t think a lot of people know that about me. It took me a long time to get to where I am now so that I could get my associates. I’ve also had a lot of medical problems that led me not being able to go to school for the first two months.”  

     Not letting the challenges stop her, Miles said she took the hard times and decided to thrive. She said she realized if the anxiety and health issues were going to continue, she had to push through them to reach her goals of not just graduating but also having fun her senior year. With time, she was able to recognize those challenges as what made her unique and helped her get where she is today. 

         “What I’ve been through and what I have done this far has definitely made me who I am today,” Miles said. “When I face struggles, it gets a little stressful, but I try to look at the positive and look at how good my life is compared to others. I really don’t know how they do it.“ 

     One way Miles likes to calm the struggles in her life is through artistic expression. Though she never took art classes, that didn’t stop her from using art as a form of getting away from the chaos.    

      “My walls are covered with all the drawings I have,” Miles said. “I remember how I started out with plain old notebook paper, and now I paint and stuff.”

           Miles said she always thinks of the positive in every situation and takes challenges in her life and sees them in a new way. Miles said she planned to continue  her high school experience and make the most out of it.