Blessings
“To be alive is such a blessing. Everyday we wake up and take a breath of air, even though everyday might not be the best.”
As we are closing the chapter of November and entering the month of the holidays, I asked the Comp Sci community one simple question: “What are you grateful for?” It’s not an easy question to answer, as simple as it might seem. We need to dig deep into who we are and why we act the way we do, and the reason why we each choose to get up every morning and live another day. To be alive is such a blessing. Everyday we wake up and take a breath of air, even though everyday might not be the best. Celebrate your blessings and your failures for they shape who you are as a person. This is your life, your story, the power is in your hands.
Our world is so full of anger, hate, prejudice, and negativity as a collective. We tend to overlook the blessing that comes our way. Everyday we rush through life never taking enough time to enjoy all that life has to offer. Take a breath and slow down, go through life day by day for in the end that's all we have. Adore those blessings, be appreciative of them, cherish your blessings.
With that being said, I present to you some voices in our community.
I'm grateful to be alive because I think we take that for granted. We see so many people losing their lives everyday and we never take the second to appreciate that life that we have. Like we shouldn't complain about the littlest things because there are people out there who can't even have a glass of water or cannot live in stable conditions because they are at war. It's just the little things like that you have to be grateful for.
- Evelyn Kedelina
I am grateful for myself. It may sound selfish or egoistical which isn't my aim, but I truly thank myself. I have dealt with a lot of hardships the last couple months and it has caused me to push myself and improve on certain aspects. After my grandmother passed recently, I realized how much a big impact can change one. It has taught me to be grateful for many things. But she always taught me to be grateful for myself, for my accomplishments. I am grateful for being able to realize improvements needed and how to benefit from change. Again, I am grateful for the things I have learned and challenged. So I am grateful for myself.
- Kaycee Rodriguez
I'm grateful for being alive and the opportunity for a good education.
- Demi Ayedun
I am grateful for myself because I will always have me.
- Miguel Pinales
What I'm grateful for is life. It's as simple as that but not at the same time. Life is so beautiful to experience daily. I'm grateful for the sorrows that come with life because they shape you into a better person. I am grateful for all the amazing people that are in and no longer part of my life because it was amazing while it lasted. I am grateful for my pets still living. I am grateful for my mother's leg getting better and I'm grateful that I still keep it pushing when I've been through things that were meant to kick me down.
- Esmeralda Orengo
Every day, I look around and see the reason I am committed to living the life I live, whether it is the people I surround myself with or the staff that contribute to my day to day life. These individuals have all played a vital role in my life without even realizing it. I am grateful to these individuals for assisting me in coming a long way; growing up, my life was not at all easy. I got to the point where I did not want to be here anymore, but the people close to me at CSH helped me dig myself out of that hole, and every day I find new reasons to live another day. The people in my life have had a profound impact on my life, bringing me out of my shell, and is the reason I am who I am today.
- Anonymous
Life, breath, being able to spend money, not worry so much, and having people who care for me.
- TaeVaughn Gayle
I'm grateful for my life... if I wasn't born, I wouldn't be able to be grateful for things so that makes it the most precious thing to me. Life in general is amazing to me, the life of my mother, father, sisters, friends, and my boyfriend, not to mention nature, trees, and flowers. Everything has life, therefore, everyone should be grateful for everything and not take them for granted.
- Jazlynn Denis-Mack
I am grateful for my grandma because all these years she helped me grow to be the person I am today and I wouldn't be myself if it wasn't for her.
- Aaron Williams
I am grateful for my cats, my sister, my family, my friends, me, money, knowledge, food.
- Fathima Ballee
I am grateful for my family and the home I live in. This includes myself, my pretty face, my body, my room, my mom, my aunt, my grandmas, and etc.
- Lauren David
I am grateful for my grandmother more than anything because she has been my mother, my father, and my grandmother all in one. She has played every role since I was a little kid and she took care of me all the time. She taught me how to cook, how to read, and how to write. She was always protective over me and bothers me about school too which sometimes gets annoying but I know it's because she cares about me and loves me. She stepped up and raised me when my parents didn't want to and when she didn't have to, and she did that for my sister Lay, my sister Nyah, my brother Shy, and even my little brother Mikey. And for that, I'll always be grateful.
- Jeremiah Padial
I am grateful for my siblings for taking care of me over the years. If it wasn’t for them I wouldn’t have a lot of the things I currently have.
- Anonymous
I am grateful for my friends, food, and God. I would not be alive without the three.
- Djenabou Diallo
I am grateful for my parents raising me, believing in my success, and being very supportive of me. I am also grateful for my friends Jair, Fredy, Julian, Gabriel, and Tristan for being such good friends because they stood up for me when I had tough times, and they make me feel good about myself and they are my best friends so far.
- Mohammed Islam
I am grateful for the fact that I have people in my life who care for my well-being. I am grateful for my work and the joy I receive from working with students. I am grateful for Ms. Germain, for being such an inspiration and grounded in who she is and wants to become.
- Ylaiza Perez
I'm grateful for all of my friends who I consider my family and Ms. Mickey because they really bring out the best in me when I'm feeling down. They know how to cheer me up and they're always there when I need them.
- Anonymous
I am grateful for my friends, family, and having a roof over my head.
- Samantha Ramirez
I am grateful for my mother. She has risked her life for me. Working hard her whole life just to support me and my family. All I want to do in life is to give back what she has given me. But not only that, much more.
- Sam Garcia
I'm grateful for my friends, families, and all the support surrounded within me. My family will always have my back no matter what cause they are my blood and I'm so grateful for them. My friends, my day ones… I will always be grateful for them because they uplift me and are always there to give me advice. These are the kind of support I have and I will always be grateful for them.
- Humu Fofana
I'm grateful for all the support I get from my friends and family when it comes to sports, school, relationship issues, and more, and overall I wish them all the best when their time comes to talk about things like that.
- Anonymous
I am grateful for many things. And two in particular are love and family. There are so many people in the world who do not get to experience the warm and cozy feelings of being loved, loving, and having family who support and nourish you. When I was younger I always thought I didn't need anybody and at times still do. But the feeling I get being surrounded by love and family is unmatched.
- Ms. Alder
What I am most grateful for is my health and the vitality of my family. The more I advance in age, the more I see how unpredictable life is and how maintaining my health and a positive outlook allows for more positive experiences in the world.
- Kimmarie Elle
I’m grateful for genuine relationships, grateful for my family. Grateful for my health and abilities. I’m grateful for my life, my job, and the community I serve. So many things to be grateful for, but those are just some to name a few. “Everybody dies, but not everybody lives!” 🙏🏽
- Anonymous
I am grateful for my sympathy. Without my sympathy, I would not be who I am. Being able to fully sympathize with people is a hard skill to learn, and not everyone is capable of that. Although I am a person who has faced constant and recurring struggles, I managed to pull through becoming someone I hate. I learned how to sympathize with others, because I know what it's like when you can't get the advice or help you need. I know how it feels when everyone casts your problems aside, or undermines your struggles to make it seem like your feelings aren't valid. I strive to help people everyday, whether it be picking up a dropped pencil or aiding them with something they're struggling with. I will always be there for people, regardless if they've treated me like crap before. I am grateful for my ability to be there for others, when nobody else is willing to be.
- Lis Cruz
I am grateful for the things I have in life, that I am privileged to have even though thousands of others don't. Other people in the world are suffering and dying every day, while I have a comfortable home and life. I am thankful for that.
- Anonymous
I'm grateful for basketball because basketball is my therapy. Playing basketball with the Comp Sci High basketball team has made me realize things I've never had before. Basketball is not only about the ball. You can't just pick up a ball and expect to be good. You have to put in the work outside of basketball and in school. In order to play basketball games with the school you must be eligible. Basketball motivates me to workout and work on myself and my grades. If I can't get good grades I can't play basketball and I'm very passionate about basketball because I love the sport so I can't afford bad grades.
- Anonymous
What am I grateful for? That's a great question. I could say the generic answer and say my friends and family, and be done with it, but that's just boring. Instead, I'll say that I'm grateful for getting a second chance. I thought various times about ending it all after middle school, especially because of what happened to me in 5th grade. But after coming to this school, everything changed for me. I actually had friends for the first time in my life. I had people that cared about me as a person, and they didn't only value me for my knowledge in certain subjects. They cared about what I had to say. So, I guess what I'm trying to say is, I'm grateful for everything this school has done for me. I'm grateful for the people in this school, for caring about me when it seemed no one else would. Also, food, I'm grateful for food.
- Christopher Rojas
The people you surround yourself with can either make or break your world. Hold on to those who make you want to be the best version of yourself, the ones who care for you, the ones who make living worth it. Appreciate your family, friends, and those who cherish you. Allow them to know how much they mean to you.
Give it up for the voices of our community. To be grateful is to appreciate the beautiful and the not so beautiful things in life, to find value in life. Oprah Winfrey once said “Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.”
Thank you to everyone who took the chance to have their voices heard.