Sonder: Youth Mental Health Stories of Struggle & Strength | Page 20

THE CLOSET CONT.
In the year 2015, I traded in my closet for a farmhouse in Illinois with my father. I
remember walking the halls of that new school with 200 students. I had to adapt
and figure out how I could do just as much with 10% of my previous resources.
Even with my best efforts, being a new student, I lost the student council election.
That was a setback, but nothing I couldn’t handle. I decided to move my focus from
school to church. I organized a clothing drive and planning potluck dinners to unite
the community.
After my sophomore year, my family moved halfway across the country to Nederland,
Colorado. I entered the high school for my junior year, hanging a sign that said “Garrett
for STUCO” and I became treasurer. I would run home everyday and sit in my closet
making homecoming decorations and making sure everything we wanted to attempt
was properly funded and organized. At the end of my junior year, I ran for executive
student council and became the vice president. My senior year started off with
planning a community barbeque and a hollywood themed homecoming. I may have
found an escape locked in a closet, but what I truly walked away with was passion. ●
18  Abuse, Addiction, & Loss