4 Brave Stories From Our Frontline Heroes About Familial Strength And 1 Brave Story From Me About The Time My Middle School French Teacher Locked Me In A Supply Closet Because She Thought I Was Making Fun Of Her

Though the coronavirus pandemic has wreaked havoc on so many people, we can still celebrate some of the everyday miracles that have happened as a result of communities coming together to take care of one another. So many individuals from my community have shown so much strength in the face of tragedy, hardship, and some seriously unfair circumstances. Here are four brave stories from our frontline heroes about familial strength and one brave story from me about the time my middle school French teacher locked me in a supply closet because she thought I was making fun of her. 

1. Sarah, 33, heard that her neighbors were doctors and had been working 72 hour shifts in the emergency room, taking care of covid patients who were in critical condition. Though she is immunocompromised, she rallied her neighbors together to cook a surprise meal for the family and welcome them home from the hospital with a home-cooked feast. Thanks Sarah! 
2. Fatima, 8, heard that her teacher’s mother fell sick and she and her classmates put together a beautiful “Get Well Soon” Zoom talent show for her teacher’s mother to watch as she stayed isolated. Wow Fatima, we love the way you think!
3. Jonathan, 44, recently got laid off from his job due to the pandemic. Rather than be upset, he got to work immediately, sewing masks and singlehandedly ensuring that local hospitals did not have a PPE shortage. Jonathan, you rock! 
4. Miguel, 19, noticed that one of his roommates was experiencing food insecurity, and hadn’t been eating properly since the pandemic started. Inspired by this experience, he started a mutual aid group at his university and they have since redistributed money to provide for others in the community experiencing hardship. Miguel, we are so inspired by your big thinking! 
5. So I was in middle school, right? And it was just like, a normal day, and I go to French class, completely ready to learn about this beautiful language. And I go to sit in my assigned seat, which is right by the teacher, Madame Nash. And I start talking to my best friend Fajar, who’s sitting right next to me, and we’re talking about French, because we just were so ready to learn that day. And we were talking about how much French we already spoke before the class and I was telling her about how I already had taken a French class before this one, but that my French teacher was from France and that I noticed that she pronounced words slightly differently than we did in this class, which was taught by a French Canadian teacher. The next day, I’m volunteering in the library during lunch for my book shelving shift, and Madame Nash suddenly walked in. She asked if we could talk, and then she told me she heard me talking badly about her accent yesterday and that she was going to teach me a lesson! She locked me in the supply closet in the back of the library for twenty minutes and I didn’t even cry a little bit! She let me out at the end of lunch and told me not to tell anyone. I’m really proud of myself for not letting a difficult situation faze me, and I know experiences like that are what make me strong.

So there you have it! When people stay true to themselves, anything is possible! Stay tuned for next time to hear about more experiences where five different people were all equally brave and strong.