My grandma and my brother are my heroes. They have gone through so much in their lives from losing the majority of our family, divorce, academic challenges and more. Even through all those challenges in their lives, they never gave up. They continued to live until life got better. 

My grandma is the best grandma anyone could have and my brother is the first person in my family to go to college. 

For 28 years, my grandma has been a laundry aide. She works so hard even with all her aches and pains. When living with my mother became unsafe, my grandma took me in, even with her old age. Dealing with work is hard but adding raising a teenager to the mix is even harder; she did it though. 

My grandma took in all her grandchildren and raised us even if she did not have to. She  did and that is what I love about her; she is all about family. Without my grandma taking in my brother and me, we would never have gotten where we are today in life. My brother is attending a private college in Oregon on a full scholarship. My brother would have never made it this far in life without my grandma giving him a safe and loving environment to grow in. Witnessing my brother growing into the man he is today with the help of my grandma, I know I can make it in life too. 

LIfe has many ups and downs, some small and some big, but we must not let challenges we face put us down. If we were to let life get us down then we would never get up. If we choose to live through the hardships there will eventually be light at the end of the tunnel. 

From the hardships of my brother and grandma, I have learned that life will not always go the way we want; but we must not give up. Life can only get better when you are at your lowest. With challenges we face, they can only make you stronger for the better.

With a perspective, I’m Anissa Hernandez.

The podcast version of this can be heard here. 

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