5 Resilience Student Quotes
Resilience and Gratitude were central explorations with Pravah and through the Music for Harmony festival. When asked to reflect on their own resilience, they responded:
“Following up the irregular year of 2020-2021, it has proven to be extremely difficult to stay resilient during the stressful times of the pandemic. However, there have been a variety of benefits that has helped shape my goals in order to give me strength and dedication moving forward. An example of this would be zoom classes. It has taken a toll on all of us, especially those who are in tough major classes, like myself. I enjoy having the flexibility of online classes, but it does not make up for the lack of communication and learning. Being able to teach yourself independently has been my biggest hardship yet. Although it is hard to cope with, it gives me more motivation and dedication to doing better in school than I have before. In a sense, it significantly helps me get ready for ‘the real world’ prior to graduating college. I have obtained many skills from the very start, such as self-awareness, mindfulness, self-care. and most importantly, purpose. I have drawn most of my inspiration from those who really have it worse than me. Many Americans are still unemployed, barely living from paycheck to paycheck. This motivates me to do even better in my work and college career since this is the time and place to excel in order to live a successful and meaningful life. I am blessed to be a part of this community and to work side by side with all my professors and classmates, but Pravah as a whole has really shaped my mindset and given me the knowledge to grow and mature through events that they are going through just like all of us. “
“This past year has been hard on all of us, some, unfortunately, have had it worse than others, but somehow we have all been able to turn the hardships 2020 brought to us and turned it into the resilience we needed to end the year. For me that meant focusing on classes, though they were and are still all online, they still count for my degree so it meant I could not give up and had to have the determination to make the best of the situation. I often saw myself turning to my family for support and strength when I thought I could not get through it all. They were there for me and have always taught me that to get to where I want in life I, unfortunately, will have to go through hardships, but what is important is what I learn as well as how the hardships have inspired me to change. 2020 has shown me that in order to be resilient and have strength, you need help from others, whether that meant more zoom calls or spending more time with my family, I have learned that I cannot solely depend on myself to get through hardships, nor do I have to because I am fortunate to have a support system that can help me.”
“Let’s be honest, this past year came with multiple unprecedented challenges none of us expected to face. What’s helped me stay resilient in the midst of all the chaos, even during times when I felt overwhelmed by negativity and darkness, was working to change my mindset and focus on the small positives and blessings! Trust me, it hasn’t been easy, my family took some hard hits from this pandemic and it hasn’t been kind to my mental health. Turning to my family members, friends, and even some of my professors for support helped me make it through. The hope and inspiration they gave me were uplifting and helped me make stay determined on days when I felt down, overwhelmed, or stressed. I feel I have become stronger than I was a year ago, considering all the obstacles I have faced and learned to overcome with a positive mindset! “
“Honestly speaking, this year has been an exhilarating experience. Although the pandemic showers varying degrees of negativity on each of us, I have learned to accept things as they have come to be. Doing this has allowed me to be resilient. …….. Anyway, creating this festival with the class, has taught me to be resilient when working in a group. It has also taught me to appreciate others’ contributions because, in terms of time, little can literally go a long way. I enjoyed working with people in this class and was humbled by Pravah’s love and generosity. “
“I have been successful at being resilient over the past year by being adaptable. This might seem kind of conflicting with the definition of ‘resilience’, which is the ability to withstand difficult situations. However, to me, resilience is more about not letting those difficult situations become overwhelming. In this sense, being adaptable and open to changes is a part of resilience. In my case, I never expected to experience college classes online or to be living with my 5 siblings again. However, I have remained resilient by being open and getting used to these changes. I think that many people have had similar kinds of changes, and being adaptable and open towards them makes life a bit easier in these times.”
“My strength and determination came from my family and friends who helped me realign my goals and become excited about the future. I’ve had time to rest, reflect, and reset while hearing stories of what other people are going through, which has taught me valuable lessons and ultimately made me grow as an individual. Being able to share those stories and develop new relationships with Pravah to highlight social issues people are going through further helped me gain empathy and see the resilience in every person.”