Resilience
This past week while we faced extreme weather and state-wide failures of our basic services, I watched many friends and family survive under chaotic conditions. The best word to describe the past week is resilience. Millions of Texans were living without electricity, access to water, adequate shelter, and food insecurity for days on end. While this crisis in Texas is temporary, it is important to note that many people around the world live in these difficult conditions every day. I am grateful for the comfortable and safe life that we are normally afforded. I need to say that this crisis was preventable and that it was exacerbated by negligence, corruption, and short-sighted political leadership. Despite the disappointment in our elected officials, I was bolstered by the generous spirit of the people of Texas! I saw so many people donating extra supplies, offering water to neighbors, opening their doors to those who were freezing, and checking in on friends and family to make sure they were safe.
This past week has reminded me of the chaos, human suffering, and resilience that I witnessed during Hurricane Katrina while at college in New Orleans. In my sophomore year I was moving back into my dorm along with my brother in his freshman year when we heard that there would be an evacuation later that day due to the incoming hurricane. I thought we would be back in a week, but we weren’t able to go back for months. While we watched from home, one of the deadliest storms in American history hit New Orleans and caused catastrophic flooding, death, and destruction; it was heartbreaking.
The weeks that followed the hurricane, students were told to scramble and find another college to take them in for the semester. I registered at a nearby college but the logistics of commuting to school across the city everyday and the dynamics of living at home again were very difficult. It was an emotional and difficult semester but compared to the hardships of so many others I had perspective on what really mattered.
When we were finally able to return to campus in the Spring semester it was a bittersweet experience. New Orleans felt like a shell of the vibrant, eccentric, rich city that it once was. Many friends had moved away permanently. There were signs of the disaster everywhere you looked. Homes were still tagged with the number of dead found inside, half the skyline was still covered in blue tarps, and many homes were gutted. That semester I struggled with anxiety and my grades declined. Thinking back on it now, I think I carried guilt and sadness after the hurricane and it took me time to recover, just like the city.
But the city of New Orleans is resilient. This week I saw that same resilience in Texas. We came together in a crisis. I am thankful for my experience at school in New Orleans, not despite the hurricane but because of it. One blessing that came out of this situation was that I met my husband indirectly because of the hurricane. Because school was shut down for a semester it threw off his schedule to study abroad, so instead of studying abroad in his junior year he had to do so in his senior year. Due to that small change, we ended up studying abroad at the same time. We met while studying in Argentina and married 5 years later. Without the hurricane we may never have met. You never know what positive blessings can come out of adversity. I am proud of the generosity and resilience that I have seen over the last week and I encourage y’all to take a moment and reflect on your strength.
Sophie Roth
Hi I am Sophie Roth
Bach is a concierge college counseling service. Going to college is an investment of time and money, as with any other important investment it is wise to meet with experts to guide your decisions. Students who make informed, thoughtful, and intentional choices when selecting colleges will enjoy more success. Students who take ownership of the process for themselves will feel accomplished and empowered that they have made the right choice and will arrive on campus with confidence.
