JUSTIN FOGO HAS DEALT WITH A LOSS OF A FAMILY MEMBER THIS SEMESTER, BUT IS LOOKING TO THE BRIGHT SIDE OF THINGS BY BETTERING HIMSELF AND MOVING FORWARD.

This year has certainly been a struggle, to say the least. Some individuals may find this semester to be more arduous than others might find it, one of those being Justin Fogo. Fogo, a friendly face on campus, has faced some particularly heavy hardships this semester. While maintaining grades and striving to improve upon himself, Fogo has endured the loss of his father.

Fogo enjoys many pastimes, such as spending time with his friends, playing video games, and watching YouTube. In some ways, Justin hasn’t changed. He’s been able to keep doing what he loves and is supporting others through this time as well, “I have still been able to do the things I enjoy with restrictions of course. I've been trying my best to keep in touch with others so I could help if they need it.”

However, Fogo finds himself reflecting on events outside of school. “This semester hasn't changed me all that much, but I think that other events outside school have affected me more than I realized,” Fogo said. This burdensome event has been the loss of his father.

Through all the motions, Fogo has not given up and is making the effort to not let all the negative emotions get to him. “Right after it happened, I'd say that I felt shocked and in denial. Recently, I've been feeling really numb. It's like my personality and motivation aren't as strong as before. I'm trying not to let that get to me, but it's difficult to say the least”.

In response to these emotions, Justin Fogo has sought help and support from his mom and a school counselor. He finds that his efforts in opening up have been successful and beneficial, “They say that bottling up your emotions is bad for you. I haven't been doing that, so talking whenever I need to has been easy. However, it's like my counselor says, the process is gonna come in waves of pain, so it may take a while before I'm truly better”.

Throughout it all, Fogo still has found time for himself to grow as a person and find some light within the dark. “I had a sort of realization that the way I was dealing with stress was unhealthy, so I decided I would change my mindset and routine to help cope with these stresses,” he said.

Fogo has made changes by staying more active and working out. He has also taken time for himself to recharge when need be. He explained that taking time for himself has reduced his stress. “Sometimes I've done this when I had an assignment that needed to be turned in soon, but I found that putting it aside to work on when my mind is renewed the next morning is much better than stressing over it the night before”.

Fogo has hopes that things will soon turn back to normal, and has a goal to continue his journey of individual growth. By the time things return to the way they once were, he hopes he will have changed for the better.

Fogo, the enduring, overcoming, survivor of a challenging sophomore year shares one bit of advice to his fellow peers: “Try to have a positive mindset because looking on the brighter side of things can take you a long way!