Humans of Utica (#1-40)

"My struggle right now is getting through the rest of the school year knowing that we’re so close to finishing. I feel like my own actual path to life is finally opening up, but I'm nervous since I’m going to have to make big decisions on my own. Don’t let senioritis drag you drag you down at the end of the year."

“When I lost my grandparents, it was the first time I lost someone very close to me. I became depressed and began to isolate myself. At one point I felt like I had lost all hope. But then I met my boyfriend, Tyler. When he told me that he would always be there for me, I knew everything was going to get better. I am so much happier now.”

“I live with my mom and brother, but my dad lives in Georgia for work. Being apart from him is a big struggle for me. It’s all about the memories we make together right now.”

“I’m hungry right now. Always pack snacks, because you never know when the time will call for it."

“There are many struggles that we face in life but the one that stood out for me is watching my parents suffer every time they come home from work. Seeing them suffer physically is really hard knowing that they’re still young for these issues. My one advice is that I encourage everyone to know or at least search about Jesus. I'm sure you will find peace and will follow him forever. Second, val...

"Love yourself. I don't mean be overly prideful, I mean love yourself and the skin you're in. Waking up in the morning and thinking about the good and not the negative makes your day a lot better, because you can't expect someone to love you when you can't love yourself."

“After we moved, my dog Nacho was given to a shelter for old dogs, I guess. Apparently he was too tough and scruffy to get a new home; I mean, he did have a chunk bitten out of his ear and a nasty smell to him. Oh yeah, and this isn’t Nacho; I just randomly took this dog from someone’s yard.”

“I bought new hand soap from Bath and Body Works, and the smell was so good I decided I just had to use it in my hair. Although it did smell really good, my hair felt completely disgusting.”

"Always trying to make people happy can be frustrating and can bring your mood down. Always keep your head up.”

“Dealing with people who don’t have common sense is a struggle."

“My friends share most of my beliefs with me but when I try to talk to them about certain situations I feel them looking down on me, almost questioning whether or not I'm a good Christian. I don’t really think there’s a perfect Christian. I live my life morally, how I feel is correct. It works for me; I have my own interpretation of certain things and it’s just something I have to come to ter...

“For once I stepped out of my comfort zone and decided to try out for drum major. Even though I didn’t make it, it was still satisfying to try and do something for myself. It felt different, but in a good way. I was proud of myself. No matter how small it may seem to others, it was a big step for me."

“The happiest moment that comes to mind for me was last season when I made top six for 100 butterfly at divisions. I was so proud of myself, because I proved everyone who told me I couldn't do it wrong. I’ll never forget the way I felt in that moment."

"I screw up every day. So if you do screw up, it’s okay. Just take a bath, listen to music and forget about it.”

“My childhood, when I was younger, was the happiest time of my life. This was before life got hard and difficult. When I was a child, I never had to worry about anything but to just play and have fun with my brother and sister. Unfortunately, my life got hard. My parents got a divorce, but I didn’t know this actually happened. I’ve heard many stories about it happening, but it didn’t seem real ...

“My greatest struggle is my depression and not feeling accepted for who I am. When I went to Ford, I played football where I wasn't accepted for doing what I love. While there, I was bullied a lot from a team that was supposed to care about me. From here, I lost a lot of my happiness, which sent me into a spiraling depression. It has been three and a half years since I was there, and I still strugg...

“Evaluate your friendships and see if you are putting equal amounts of effort into it. If not, then maybe you need to end that friendship.”

“I am going to try my hardest until I die.”

“My biggest struggle in life right now is having to balance two jobs and school. I feel like students should not be working, I feel like school should be cut down by one more hour. I feel this way because school takes away a lot of people's lives and we don't have enough time to bond with our families and to work.”

“I love being nice, since I know what it’s like to be bullied, and what it’s like to be in a crappy mood all day. I don’t want anyone to feel like that ever, especially if I know them personally.”

“Firmly grasp it!"

"I feel like school should be shorter for athletes and people that work."

"Growing up, my parents always acted happy, but as I grew up and got wiser, I started to realize what was really going on. My mother was unhappy with the relationship and never said anything because of us kids. Seeing my parents fight constantly and act separated really took a toll on my siblings and me. I overcame that sadness by getting over it and by becoming my mom’s best friend; we do everything t...

“I moved schools my eighth grade year going into ninth grade, and it was a big adjustment for me. I had to meet all new friends, and it took all the way until summer to form lasting relationships with those friends. I am happy now with my friends, and live my life being happy and never letting anyone bring me down.”  

“I put on a confident face, but I really need people to tell me I’m doing well."

Q:   “What brings you happiness?” A: “Eating.”

“My marketing class can be a real struggle sometimes, but there's a lot of value in the lessons that are taught.”

"I have two more years at this school, and it is going to be hard. My advice for anyone going through the same thing is to get along with your teachers."

“I’m worried that when I graduate college, I won’t be able to find the right job for me. I’m scared I will have a lot of college debt from loans.”

"My stepdad doesn’t spend time with my mom; he’s either drinking or sleeping."

I see myself overcoming my depression, but I need help with the process. It’s gotten better recently because I’ve gone to professionals about it and gotten to talk about it more than I have in previous years.”

“I would describe myself as wise. People are always coming to me for advice and in the end, they’ll follow the advice that I had given them.”

“My parents getting a divorce is probably my biggest struggle I've overcome. It technically happened in sixth grade. It was pretty shocking because I was so young, but I saw it coming. The divorce really happened before I was born, and they were trying to make it work as I grew up, but that didn’t happen. Coming out of this, I realized love comes and goes.”

“Becoming successful is a big part of my future, but I am also looking forward to having a family.”

"After high school, I want to join the Navy, because I’ve been interested in doing that for a while. Then, I want to go to college to become a cosmetologist, because I love doing my makeup and also other people’s makeup. I do the makeup for the plays at school for practice and for fun."

“My knee surgery ruined my sophomore year for basketball. The worst part of it now is that I need another knee surgery."

“I've known one of my friends for a while now, since seventh-ish grade. I was at the mall with a couple of other people at the time and she was there, too. We entered a store that was having a sale: buy something, get something half off. She wanted an item. So being the kind person I try to be, I purchased one for myself and for her. I learned merely three days later from a friend of hers that she ...

“One of my biggest accomplishments is getting the lead in the play Dracula my sophomore year.  It was my very first show at Utica, and it was a big honor to be chosen to take on the lead at such a young age.”

“I’m afraid my life won’t turn out the way I want it to.”

"I love not knowing [what I want to do when I grow up], because although I have a lot of ideas, and I’m pretty certain that it has to do with theater, I like a certain amount of uncertainty. It’s just the anxiety that comes with ‘Where will I be?’"