MY PARENTS WALKED AWAY FROM ME AT THE HOSPITAL WHEN I WAS 13 — MY MOTHER WENT PALE WHEN THE DEAN CALLED MY NAME

know it.”

By sixteen, I had caught up completely with my classmates.

By seventeen, I had moved ahead of them, taking college-level courses.

Rachel’s house became a place filled with textbooks, study guides, and the smell of fresh coffee as we worked side by side—her reviewing nursing journals while I tackled AP coursework.

But life wasn’t only about academics.continue reading …