My motto in life is “you only live once”. I know it may sound very cliche, but I live by this saying. Growing up, I never realized how much this short phrase would impact my life in the future. Nonetheless, I am so grateful it has.

Throughout 2020, my family and I suffered through much pain associated with the tremendous loss of two dear family members. Just months apart, we lost both my cousin Timmy and my uncle Jimi very suddenly. My uncle Jimi died on New Year’s Eve, which started 2020 off with heartbreak and sadness. Eleven months after his death, in November, my cousin Timmy died. The shock of his death was almost unbearable, forcing my family and I back into the same spiral of heartache and depression we experienced throughout the mourning of my uncle.

Although we had separated in recent years as a result of the decisions he made, Timmy and I were close when I was younger. After moving back home to be with the family again, I was excited to rekindle our once sibling-like relationship. Leading up to his death, Timmy was at a good place in his life with his family supporting him through it all. He had a stable job and even blessed our family with his beautiful daughter, Elizabeth Grace. When he departed this world at such a young age, it truly opened my eyes to how short life can be. His death made me want to begin living to the fullest and influenced the decisions I have made.

During this time, I also was faced with the difficult task of choosing my path for college. I thought I knew what I wanted to do but had many second thoughts. However, I knew exactly what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. After the tragic death of my cousin Timmy, I knew that I wanted to follow a very strong passion of mine: film. Although making it in the film industry is extremely difficult, I knew that I wanted to spend the rest of my life trying. I know that the road is hard but I am determined to follow my dreams, and I do it all for the ones who are living with the angels.