Bethany Hamilton by David S.

 

Surfing is an important sport to many people in Hawaii. But very rarely, it can cause serious injury and/or death! One of the people that survived a very tragic event back in 2003 and her name is Bethany Hamilton. She was born back in February 8^th, 1990 and got her arm ripped off by a shark when she was 13. She overcame her trauma and went back to professional surfing after a couple of months.

To start off, she started competitive surfing at the age of 8. Also, at the age of 9, she ended up getting her first sponsorship. She was capable of beating older and more experienced surfers. She had won two competitions, one in her age group, and another which was the open division of Hawaii’s Local Motion/Ezekiel Surf Into Summer Event. She then placed second place in the Open Women’s Division of the N.S.S.A. in San Clemente, California. Bethany had been to multiple competitions and won most of them.

            The moment that changed her life occurred back on Halloween morning on 2003. She went surfing with her best friend, Alana Blanchard, and Alana’s father and brother. When they were just laying on their boards, a 14 foot tiger shark bit Bethany’s arm almost up to her shoulder. "I was holding onto my board, with my thumb, because I probably didn't want to get pulled under. It was like pulling me back and forth, not like pulling me underwater. Just like, you know how you eat a piece of steak? It was kind of like that” (biography.com). Alana’s father reacted quickly and took off his shirt to put pressure on the gigantic wound to lower the blood loss rate. He also led everyone to shore. He put Bethany in the back of his pickup truck with Alana’s brother and took her to Wilcox Memorial Hospital, where her dad was about to have knee surgery. She had multiple surgeries and lost approximately 60% of her blood.

        After multiple months, she was stabilized and released from the hospital. Her story ended up spreading across the United States and she vowed to return to surfing as soon as possible. When she did return to surfing, she had to practice a lot to get a hang of surfing with one arm. After she learned how to surf again, her future was perfect. She ended up winning the N.S.S.A. National Championships on 2005. She also competed in the T&C Surf Women’s Pipeline event. She had also made multiple books and a movie (Soul Surfer). Bethany’s life has been good after her shark attack back on 2003. In 2012, she met a person called Adam Dirks and they got married on 2013. And also on the years 2015, 2018, and 2021, Bethany gave birth to her children. Her children are Tobias (June 1^st, 2015), Wesly (March 2018), and Micah (February 2021) (celebsgraphy.com).

            In conclusion, Bethany Hamilton is very talented, especially with one arm! She was able to beat people that were more experienced surfers and had her first sponsorship before the age of 10. But her career had abruptly stopped after her shark attack on 2003 (when she was 13). She has been able to beat adversity and is now living a completely normal life with a husband and 3 kids. She is not a normal person; she is a survivor of adversity.

Helen Keller by Jennifer G.

Everyone has faced adversity at one point in their life. Many people overcome those big challenges while many didn’t. A lot of us use those hard challenges to move forward and become stronger. One person was Hellen Keller since she over came discrimination due to her loss of sight and hearing at a young age. She is being recognized for being the strong woman she was.

To begin with, when Hellen Keller lost both her sight and hearing when she was just 19 months old. According to https://www.biography.com/activist/helen-keller in 1882, she contracted an illness-called “brain fever” detected by the family doctor. Keller’s mother noticed that she showed no reaction to the dinner bell when it was rung or a hand being waved in front of her. As Keller grew, she developed a limited method of communication. By the time Keller was 7 she knew over 60 different signs she and her companion invented. Keller was very wild and unruly. Many relatives thought she should’ve been institutionalized. But she fought through.

Secondly, Keller wanted to be heard so she began speech classes at Horace Mann School for the deaf. In https://metropolitangirls.com/helen-keller-biography/ she would practice talking for 25 years so that others understood her. She worked hard on her communication skills. Around that time, she was determined to attend college. She attended the Cambridge school for young ladies. As her story became known, Keller met famous and influential people, one being writer Mark Twain. He introduced her to his friend, and they were so impressed by her personality and strength that they let her in Radcliffe college. She successfully graduated, something that not everyone expected back when she was young, wild, and uneducable. 

In addition, Hellen Keller became a well-known author. Between 1909 and 1921, she wrote several articles about socialism. Her series of essays on socialism, entitled “Out of the Dark” described her views on socialism and world affairs. Keller became a celebrity and lecturer by sharing her experiences. She helped ring the America Civil Liberties Union. Keller participated in many campaigns to raise awareness, money and support for the blind and deaf. Hellen Keller brought inspiration to others. She showed people the path, that if she could succeed, so can they.

To end these thoughts, Hellen Keller overcame many adversities, like losing both her sight and hearing. She didn’t let that stop her from becoming the woman she is. She was strong and smart. Keller was a very brave woman who didn’t give up easily. Hellen Keller peacefully died at the age of 87 on June 1, 1968.

Jim Carrey by Jefferson L.

 

Jim Carrey has faced many challenges in his life, like most people. He struggled with dyslexia, being poor, depression, an identity crisis, and struggled with finding acting gigs. From his simple beginnings in Toronto, to his fame in Hollywood, this is the story of Jim Carrey and him overcoming adversity.

To begin with, Carrey was born on January 17, 1962, in Toronto, Canada. When he was 8 years old, he discovered a talent for making impressions. Carrey struggled in school because he had dyslexia which really hindered his progress in school. Carrey attended Aldershot High School, but sadly shortly after, his family had gone poor and was living in his car. But this didn’t stop him, since his father found work in a nearby tire factory and Carrey started working there too. Whilst working as a janitor and a guard, he was doing stand up comedy on the side. More recently, Carrey has struggled with his identity and has claimed that he has no identity and became a character in a movie he was playing in for 4 months, according to https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/2017/10/06/jim-carrey-declares-has-no-identity-latest-surreal-interview/ . Carrey also struggles with depression, he confirmed this in an interview that can be read here https://genesight.com/blog/patient/art-and-depression-jim-carreys-i-needed-color/.

To continue, in 1992 Carrey wrote himself a check for 10 million dollars to try and motivate himself. In 1995 he got a 10 million dollar check for his role in “Dumb and Dumber,” but his main claim to fame was a lead role in “Ace Ventura: Pet Detective,” which according to Wikipedia went on to make 72 million in the U.S and Canada. He reappeared in its sequel, which grossed 351 million worldwide. After that, he got a Golden Globe award for best actor. Soon he’d star in some mediocre films, but that soon changed in the 2000’s.

To keep going, in 2000, Carrey played the Grinch in “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” in which he received praise for his portrayal of the Grinch. The movie went on to become the second highest grossing Christmas movie ever according to Wikipedia. In 2003, he starred in Bruce Almighty, an international comedy hit. In 2020, he played Dr Robotnik in the Sonic the Hedgehog movie and was praised for his portrayal of the character. He is set to be recast for the movie’s sequel which came as a shock due to his dislike for movie sequels.

To wrap things up, Jim Carrey is a good sample of overcoming adversity and challenges that come up in life and coming up from the bottom. From being homeless and working in a factory to becoming one of the most famous actors right now, even though he’s been struggling with depression and still is, Carrey is a good example of coming up from the bottom and getting to the top.

Hellen Keller by Tyrone W.

 

To begin with Helen Keller had a difficult early life. Helen Keller was an American author who lost her sight and hearing due to an illness at the age of nineteen months. She didn’t know how to communicate. She had a lot of trouble trying to communicate to her parents. So, her parents got her a teacher who had some disabilities herself so Helen could learn from her. Throughout all the time Helen Keller’s family was not able to understand or think of what she was saying. So, Helen had a tough life in her youth but as Helen got older her matureness did as well, so she was able to understand more than she did in her youth. Helen Keller made a lot of progress throughout her life. But she still overcame all the challenges throughout her days.

According to The Story of Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan Macy, Helen was 12 when she met her first teacher and long-life companion Anne Sullivan, who taught her language, including reading and writing. Also, Helen’s teacher had some disabilities herself, so they had a good bond and Anne Sullivan was able to teach Keller how to communicate with others because of the disabilities she had in her youth as well. This shows that Helen Keller didn’t really have a great past. Helen couldn’t even speak, write, spell, or read, but her teacher Anne Sullivan taught her all of those things, not only was she her teacher she was also her good friend, who stood by Helen unto death. Helen had made progress since the first time she had seen Anne Sullivan, because when Helen was younger, she wasn’t mature.

Helen was blind and deaf so she really couldn’t contact other people according to American Foundation for the Blind. Also, her father didn’t really want Helen because of the fact that she was deaf and blind. Helen made it to college, and she did this without being able to see or hear, which is very impressive. She was also able to become an author of many books all while in the process of being blind and deaf. These accomplishments were very honorable because of the fact that it was done by a lady with those type of disabilities. So, the fact that she accomplished these goals are very awe-inspiring. Helen had many accomplishments and probably many goals.

Then, according to The Story of Helen Keller. Helen had a speech problem because she never heard any language. She was able to talk but her talking wasn’t very great. Although, throughout the years of being together, her family and teacher Anne Sullivan grew to understand what Helen was saying and was able to communicate back with her. They learnt how to translate the words. Though Helen’s family has been with her for years, they still didn’t know what was going on inside her head, but they were able to understand the words that were coming out of her mouth. Helen’s family must have been very understanding and very patient because they had to take time to listen, learn, and understand what she was saying. But throughout all that her family still loved and cared for her.

All in all, Helen was able to communicate to others and she learnt a lot from her youth onward. She became more mature and smarter, as well she learnt how to read books through codes so she could feel the letter on the palm of her hands. Helen Keller was a great author, and a great reader. Helen was deaf and blind, but she still was able to overcome all of the problems in her life.

Walt Disney by Henry M.

 

Have you ever seen a Disney movie or been to one of their theme parks? You probably think that the person who started it had a successful life but in reality, he faced a lot of challenges. Walt Disney faced many adversities in his life and some were about getting a job. At a young age he didn’t have much time for school and faced many difficulties. I will write about Walt Disney overcoming adversity.

Walt Disney was born in 1901 and raised in Missouri. A text called “Walt Disney-Overcoming Adversity” said that when he was young, he would sell his sketches to neighbors and at high school he would draw comics for the school paper. At the age of 16 he dropped out of school to join the army but was rejected for being underage. In 1923, he made “Alice’s Wonderland” which was successful. After that he made “The Alice Comedies.” In 1928 he learned he didn’t own the rights to his most successful character “Oswald the Lucky Rabbit.” This had to be devastating for him. He quit making “The Alice Comedies” and got on a train back to Hollywood.

Walt Disney also had jobs when he was young. In “Walt Disney Failures,” biography.com, it says that when Disney was 16 he lied about his age to become an ambulance driver during World War 1. When the war ended, he and his elder brother named Roy launched their own cartoon business, Laugh-O-Gram Studios, in 1920, but the company went bankrupt a couple of years later. This means a loss of money and a lack of success. Walt Disney made Mickey Mouse in 1928 and after that he made many animated movies. Years later, he made a theme park but at the start it wasn’t working that well. Rides would malfunction and Disney kept fixing them. After much hard work and bumps down the road, the theme park was a huge success.

Finally, I will talk about his family and how he faced adversity. In “The Circular-The Success Story of Walt Disney” it states that Walt Disney had three brothers and a younger sister, Disney and his brothers worked as paper boys and didn’t have much time for school. In one of his jobs, they told him that he had no good ideas and lacked imagination, but this didn’t discourage Disney from becoming a movie maker. Six years later he decided to create a animated movie, he ran out of funding and “borrowed 1.5million for unprecedented budget.” Many people said that nobody is going to sit through an animated movie, but he ignored it and focused on his work. Disney spent three years in the creation of the movie. “It was a huge success, it became the most successful motion picture film of the year”. The movie was called “Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs.”

To end this long summary of his life, Walt Disney faced an enormous amount of adversity and despite that he never gave up. Disney started off with a rough start, he couldn’t attend school, and failed many times making cartoons. Disney kept working and in the end he made many memorable movies and many theme parks.

Eminem by Justin Ch.

The people you look up to have faced many challenges in their lives. Facing adversity is a part of everyday life. Some people may give up at the sight of adversity but there are some who overcome adversity and become better because of it. One person who did this is Eminem, who faced challenges in his early life, while raising his kid, and in his rap career.

To start off, Eminem had a harsh early life. According to Britannica.com, ”During his childhood, Eminem and his mother Debbie shuttled between Detroit and Missouri, rarely staying in one house for more than a year or two and living primarily with family members.” Even in his teenage years he had it rough. According to Wikipedia.org, “Eminem and his mother lived for much of his youth in a working-class, primarily black, Detroit neighborhood. He and Debbie had one of the three white households on their block and Eminem was beaten several times by black youths.” This shows that even though he was beaten several times and how he rarely stayed in one house for long, he could still overcome these challenges and focus on what the steps to becoming a great rapper.

To continue, Eminem had a hard time rising his daughter and dealing with drug abuse. As stated in Wikipedia.org, “His former boss described him as becoming a model employee, as he worked 60 hours a week for six months after Hailie's birth. He was fired shortly before Christmas and later said, ‘It was, like, five days before Christmas, which is Hailie's birthday. I had, like, forty dollars to get her something.’” After the release of Infinite, his personal problems, financial struggles, and substance abuse led him to attempting suicide. This shows that even though he struggled with raising his daughter and drug abuse, he powered through. He stopped doing drugs and raised his daughter the best he could.

Additionally, Eminem also had trouble in his rap career. As stated by Wikipedia.org, ”In 1999, Eminem's mother sued him for $10 million, claiming he was slandering her on The Slim Shady LP.” Litigation ended in 2001, which resulted in an award of $1,600 for her damages. Then on June 3, 2000, Eminem was arrested during a fight with Douglas Dail at a car-audio store in Royal Ork   Michigan, when he pulled out an unloaded gun and pointed it not at people, but towards the ground. The next day, in Warren, Michigan, he was arrested again for fighting John Guerra in the parking lot of a cafe when he saw him kissing his wife. Eminem acted out the Guerra assault in "The Kiss (Skit)" on The Eminem Show. He pleaded guilty to possession of a concealed weapon and assault, receiving two years' probation, so he had issues with the law. However, Guerra's assault charge was dropped as part of a plea agreement between attorneys and the court. This shows that even though he faced challenges with crime he could still get through it and succeed in his rap career.

In conclusion, Eminem, overcame challenges in his early life, while raising his kid, and in his rap career. He did drug but got over them. He raised his daughter the best he could. He even had lawsuits thrown against him but he overcame it all. He’s a successful and well-known rap artist.

Stephen Hawking by Kenneth S.

Everyone has someone they admire, but did you know most of them had a difficult challenge to overcome to reach fame? Facing challenges is normal, but Stephen Hawking had one of the worst challenges because his ALS disease (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis). He was awarded 15 big awards, he discovered the black holes, and he was the smartest man alive at his time.

To start this topic off, in Stephen Hawking’s young age he studied theoretical physics at the University of Cambridge. Then one day he started having trouble walking, so his doctor said he had a very bad disease and would only live for 2 years according to acessibe.com, “Ten Stories Of People Who Overcame There Disabilities.” This disease was ALS, which had him in a wheelchair and on a speaking device. Yet, he lived for 50 more years and in his life after this he earned more than 15 major awards. Stephen Hawking had a challenging life, but pushed through.

The second reason making him a successful person who faced adversity is that even with his disease he was able to do one of the biggest discoveries. This discovery is black holes (biography.com), an event in astronomy. “In 1974, Hawking’s research turned him into a celebrity within the scientific world when he showed black holes.” If you love doing something, don’t let a challenge stop you. Stephen Hawking just proved this. Even in a wheelchair, not being able to move a muscle, he found one huge discovery because his disability didn’t stop him.

The final reason is that he was as smart or smarter than Albert Einstein. What would you expect from a guy with such a huge amount of adversity? Well, you wouldn’t expect him to be the smartest man in history would you? In enhancingbrain.com, Stephen Hawking never revealed his IQ, but it was believed to have been 160. “Only 0.0003% of people can score that high.” Even after everything he when through, he beat 99.997% of people.

Overall, Stephen Hawking had a bad life but that didn’t let them stop him. He won 15 awards in the scientific field. He may be the smartest person in the world, and he made the discovery of black holes even with ALS. And it all happened after this disease entered his life.

Katherine Johnson by Arianna F.

Look at the person or people you admire, and you will realize they faced adversity at least once in their life. People face adversity every day, as it’s a normal part of life. Depending on the person’s mindset they will choose what to do with this adversity—some will face their adversity and others will ignore it and go on with their lives. One example of a person who faced adversity is Katherine Johnson. She overcame adversity at her job, and in her daily life as an African American woman.

To begin, Katherine Johnson had an interesting early life. She was born with a love for math. In the CommonLit, “Who is Katherine Johnson?,” it states that when at a West Virginia college, she became immersed in the math program. She also loved to count things when she was little. Johnson counted everything; from the number of steps she took everywhere to the number of plates she washed while doing the dishes. Katherine Johnson was very eager to go to school. She could remember watching her older siblings go to school, and she wished she could go with them. In this interesting beginning, she succeeded with hard work.

Additionally, Katherine Johnson overcame many obstacles during her life. One of many obstacles was that according to “Biography.com,” she succeeded even though her husband died. It clearly says that her husband died in 1956 of a brain tumor. This is a type of cancer, which can be vicious and it’s hard for family members to deal with loved ones with this illness. Another obstacle is that she faced adversity at NASA. In the earlier years society was both sexist and racist, and she faced both those problems at NASA. Further showing about this is that she was first a human computer, and it wasn’t an important job, because most of the “computers” were women. Later on, she was given a more important job in the Langley Flight Division. She overcame many obstacles and succeeded proudly.

Lastly, she was a very hard worker and did many things for NASA. She worked with NASA solving math problems. She did this when she was first a human computer. Johnson also worked with a team to figure out when and where a rocket needed to be launched to be on the right path. Her calculations were important to NASA’s success. Finally, she also joined the space team, helped calculate flight paths (or trajectory paths). By doing this she helped send Alan Shepard to the moon in 1961. Johnson accomplished all this by doing hard work.

To end these thoughts, there were many things in Johnson’s life that made her succeed. In her early life she loved math, she loved to count things, and was also very eager to go to school. She did face racism and sexism at her job, but she didn’t let that stop her. She was always working hard and inspiring other women. She was a hard worker, and a woman who overcame obstacles.

Katherine Johnson by Lezariah J.

 

Many people faced very hard challenges in life. Some people overcome those challenges, and some don’t. Many of us use those challenges and get better at something they didn’t do right before. One person’s name is Katherine Johnson, and she overcame segregation, discrimination, and sexism. She is known for being a human computer.

To begin with, when Johnson was young, she loved to count things. Katherine Johnson graduated from college and began to work for NASA. There, she had to deal with sexism. According to “Sho is Katherine Johnson?” Katherine wanted to work for NASA but as an African- American woman people at first prevented her from doing so. This shows that the men at NASA weren’t being fair because she was a female. Also, it was very unusual for women of any race to have degrees in mathematics, and women were not allowed to attend meetings with the male engineers and scientists. Katherine was always smart and strong and didn’t let sexism hold her back! She eventually attended these meetings.

Not only did she go through that, but also she had to deal with segregation. In the story “Who is Katherine Johnson” by NASA, different races were separated in many places and activities. Each race had different water fountains and restrooms. When Katherine graduated from college, the U.S was still segregated. The U.S was probably segregated when she went to college. In the source  https://www.forbes.com/sites/jumokedada/2020/03/25/5-lessons-on-resilience-from-the-legacy-of-nasa-pioneer-katherine-johnson/ Katherine was confident in her abilities. “She was able to skip many grades which led her from graduating high school at 14 years old.” That is a big accomplishment for her time.

In addition, she also went through discrimination. In “Who is Katherine Johnson,” African- Americans were rarely able to have jobs in mathematics and science. Johnson overcame racial and gender discrimination. She also gave back. The NASA article, Johnson was a trailblazer in STEM. She was calculating the paths for spaceships to travel. ”Johnson successfully helped put an American around in orbit around Earth.” Her calculations helped put astronauts on the moon. She retired from NASA in 1986.

To end these thoughts, Katherine overcame several adversities, like sexism, discrimination, and segregation. She didn’t let any of that stop her from being who she is today. She was a strong and smart woman and didn’t let race or gender hold her back from her opportunities. She passed away at 101 years old.

Katherine Johnson by Justin Ca.

Think of someone whom you admire greatly, and they have probably faced adversity. Facing adversity is normal, as almost everyone has had it. Facing adversity makes you strong, it gives you self-confidence, and teaches self-control. Facing adversity makes you overcome difficulties and inspire other people. Katherine Johnson is an example of facing adversity; she was an African American woman who was top of her field in math.

First of all, Katherine Johnson had a hard early life. According to biography.com, Katherine  Johnson’s mother was a teacher and her father was a lumberman, farmer, handyman, and worked at a hotel. Katherine Johnson grew up with difficulties that might not have led to success. She counted everything when she was little to the number of steps she took to the number of dishes she washed. Katherine Johnson was born loving math. Johnson had to work hard since Greenbrier County didn’t allow public schooling for African American students past grade eight. She graduated high school at 14 years old due to her intelligence and hard work. Katherine Johnson still was successful despite facing so many challenges.

Katherine Johnson wasn’t treated right when she first got to NASA. For example, in “Who is Katherine Johnson,” it states that women were not allowed to attend meetings with the male engineers and scientists. NASA was being unfair towards the women that worked for them. Eventually Katherine Johnson was recognized for her leadership skills, and the men increasingly relied on her to have the answers they needed for their missions. She was smart and courageous. Johnson worked with the NASA team to figure where and when the rocket needed to be launched to put it on the right path to safely land on the lunar surface. Katherine Johnson was one of the reasons we got to the moon. This story has informed me about how Katherine Johnson faced adversity.

Next, Johnson showed that anything is possible even against all the odds. She retired from NASA in 1986. She had accomplished so many things with them. After her retirement she enjoyed traveling, playing bridge, and spending time with her family and friends. In 2016 Katherine Johnson received honorary doctorates in science from universities like West Virginia and Virginia State. She is still known to this day for her many accomplishments. Katherine Johnson passed away at the age of 101. Her life’s story was interesting and inspiring.

In conclusion, Katherine Johnson had a hard early life. She was born with a passion for math. Johnson proved that anyone can do anything if they put their mind to it. She was one of the reasons the United States was the first and only country on the moon. Katherine Johnson was a brave and inspiring person.

Benjamin Franklin by Katherine Q.

 

There are millions of outstanding people in this world who’ve overcame obstacles in their life. Many people have overcome adversity, but only their mindset and choices will affect if this is a positive or negative outcome. Those who stay strong during these difficulties are successful. One person who never gave up was Benjamin Franklin; he overcame problems during his early life, education, and solitary life. 

To begin with, Benjamin Franklin had a rough childhood. In learningliftoff.com we can read he was son of a soap and candle maker. This basically means he grew up with very low chances of been successful. Another obstacle he faced was that his brother was a cruel task maker. To explain this idea, his older brother and him ran a print shop, but his brother wouldn’t let him publish any of his work and would beat him up. This same website also tells us he suffered from hunger. Trying to escape his brother, Benjamin ended up in Philadelphia, where he had nothing to eat. Regardless of his difficulties during his early life, he became a successful man. 

Additionally, he faced adversity in his education. The website prezi.com tells us he was not very smart. Furthermore, he had poor education, which normally doesn’t foster success. According to this same website, he didn’t have a proper education. He only attended school for two years and was forced to leave after that. So, he didn’t have the guidance and knowledge other kids had. Also, he had no idea about what he needed to succeed in life. Since he had a poor education, he had no clue on how to make a name for himself. Benjamin had a rough education, but he achieved his dreams and even more. 

Lastly, he overcame obstacles during his solitary life. According to bartleby.com, he had no money to pay the people of the boat, for his voyage when he arrived in Philadelphia. Furthermore, with hopes of becoming a new self-made man, he traveled to Philadelphia but had no money. He rowed the boat to Philadelphia and the people from the boat refused his payment, so he had no way to pay them. Also, he couldn’t find a long stable job. He always faced problems at every new job he joined. In this same source, we can read his work got criticized. In other words, his book always attracted negative critics. Despite everything he went through, he never gave up. 

To conclude, Benjamin Franklin was a brave man who overcame adversity. He had a difficult childhood, a rough education, and also overcame obstacles during his solitary life. He went through so much, so many difficulties and still found his way to success. He was a founding father and a polymath, inventor, scientist, printer, politician, freemason, and diplomat. He was an outstanding man who never gave up and defeated adversity. 

Albert Einstein by Andres P.

Have you ever met anyone who faced adversity? Everyone has or will face it at some point. Whatever you do to overcome adversity will help you or will bring you down throughout your life. But, the best thing to do is to be brave and never give up. One person that faced adversity was Albert Einstein. He started facing adversity at a very young age, and he used his failures to have a successful life. 

To begin with, Albert Einstein’s early years were very advanced compared to other kids for his time. As per notablebiographies.com, it says that “Einstein was born on March 14, 1879 in ULM, Germany…he grew up and obtained early education in Munich, Germany.” Obtaining an early education back then was very hard; he was very smart to have made it when not many could. Also, “he was a poor student and some teachers thought he was mentally handicapped and he was unable to speak clearly at age 9”. Most people by age 9 already know how to speak fluently and have conversations with others without a problem, and it was tough for Einstein,” yet he managed to discover one thing that is now know in math as geometry.” This helped him shine and be seen for something positive in the world. Even though he managed to do this, he still had early struggles in his life. 

Next, Albert Einstein started having trouble early in his life. According to Linkedin.com, the writer of this source says that, “as a student Albert did not show remarkable results. Most of his grades were passing and he was near the top of his class, but mainly because of math and science.” These were pretty hard subjects back then due to them still trying to discover new things to make what we have today with all the inventions they did. “He wanted to continue his life as strong as a professor’s assistant but none of the professors would accept him for his rebellious behavior.” This was very hard for him because he was just starting his life as a grown up and he wasn’t getting any good jobs for his behavior. It also says that “Albert later in life was restricted to get married for the next 2 years but he married Elsa Löwenthal just 3 ½ months later. By this time Albert had earned the reputation of an eccentric non-traditional educator, and his teaching career was declined.” This was even tougher for him because this was his second time getting his job declined. Even though he had many failures, he didn’t give up and had a lot of successful times. 

Lastly, Albert Einstein had failures just like we all have and also had successful moments just like we all have or will at some point. As per LinkedIn.com it says that “The year of 1905 was called the miracle year. The reason for this was that he wrote 4 papers printed in a scientific journal…that contributed significantly to the groundwork of modern physics and completely changed the view on space time, mass, and energy.” This was one of the successful moments he had after he had many failures as a young boy and as a grown up. Albert Einstein got the job as a professor in GCFU and also became an Austrian citizen. This gave him what he was working for his whole life to try to be a professor; all his struggles when he was young was worth it and he knew that’s why he never gave up. And finally it says that in, “1940 Einstein became the official citizen of the USA and he became one of the founders and board governors of Hebrew University of Jerusalem established on July 24,1918.” All of this success then brought him to all of us remembering him . He surpassed adversity by not letting his struggles bring him down through his life. 

To end this, Albert Einstein faced adversity. He started struggling early in life not being able to do numerous things. These things include his job failures and his family struggles. And after all the hard work and failures, he finally had his time and was able to overcome everything and realized all the hard work and not giving up was worth it. He was remembered for all the success he had. 

J.K. Rowling by Sofia V.

When you see celebrities, you think that they haven’t faced adversity in their life, but celebrities did face adversity at some points of their life. Adversity can happen to anyone. Facing adversity can make people make the best choices and try to have a better life. And one of the people who faced adversity is the author of the famous Harry Potter books, J.K. Rowling. Rowling had depression, faced rejection, and lost her mother.

To start with, J.K Rowling had to face depression. According to observer.com’s “J.K Rowling: How to Deal with Failure” by Zat Rana, J.K. Rowling was poor with her newborn baby after divorcing her husband. Meaning that J.K Rowling had to raise her baby all by herself with no money. She also considered herself a failure. And lastly, she tried to commit suicide. This comes to show the many moments of adversity she went through at this time, with more to come into her life. This was actually the beginning of her success since she had to pull herself out of these circumstances. 

Next, Rowling faced rejection. In “J.K Rowling’s Magical Success Despite Adversity” by Todd Stuart Kaplan, her Harry Potter book  was rejected twelve times. This indicates that many publishers refused to publish her book. Next, she was rejected at jobs. She needed the money to support her daughter, but she was rejected by numerous workplace bosses. And then, after all of the rejection she faced, her Harry Potter book was published and made 480 million dollars. She went through bad times to then face the good. She went from having no money to plenty of wealth.

Lastly, she had to deal with her mother’s loss. To start with, according to biography.com, her mom had passed away. This made J.K Rowling really upset because she was dealing with her newborn baby, and there was no one to help her. Next when Rowling was making her Harry Potter book, she makes Harry’s mom die. This is because she had to deal with the death of her mother the best she could, including using writing as therapy and a form of expression. And lastly, when she published her book, she became rich. This means that no matter what are you going through, you can face adversity.

In concluding, Rowling faced adversity when she first stared her career. She had depression, she didn’t have money for her newborn baby, she considered herself a failure, and she even tried to kill herself. She also had to face rejection as her book was denied 12 times, and she was rejected at jobs as well. But then someone took her book, published her book, and this created millions of dollars. And she lost her mother, and she dealt with the grief by having Harry’s mom die too. Rowling faced numerous adverse times and became a well-loved and wealthy author after all the difficulties.

Helen Keller by Chelsey C.

      What do you think of someone you admire? Do you realize that they have grit because of early years full of strife. Facing adversity is a normal part of life. People minds sets and choices affect what they do with this adversity. There are those who take their adversity and use it as an impetus for a better life, leaping over those obstacles triumphantly. One such person is Helen Keller, who overcame adversity during her younger year, during her illness, and also with her education.

       To begin with, Helen Keller had a hard early life. According to Britannica.com, “Keller was afflicted at the age of 19 months with an illness [possibly scarlet fever] that left her blind and deaf.” She couldn’t hear or see, which must have been a difficult thing. Also “she was examined by Alexander Graham Bell at the age of 6.” She had to be examined because they had to see if she was blind and deaf. Furthermore “as a result he sent to her a 20 year old teacher, Anna Sullivan { Macy } from the Perkins institution for the blind in Boston.” Keller needed a teacher to help her with everything because she had no skills yet being blind and deaf. Despite her harsh beginning, she pushed herself into success with people’s assistance.

         Next, the illness that Helen Keller had was severe. Based on biography.com, it states that “she contracted an illness — called ‘brain fever’ by the family doctor — that produced a high body temperature.” The illness Helen Keller had made her super weak and affected her greatly. “Keller had also become very wild and unruly, she would kick and scream when angry, and giggle uncontrollably when happy.” This shows that the illness affected her actions. By the time Keller was 7, she and her teacher had invented more than 60 signs to communicate with each other. She needed to learn sign language because she couldn’t speak with other people. The illness Helen Keller had led her to learn differently.

         Lastly, the education of Helen Keller was one of struggles. In Wikipedia.org it is stated that “Keller and Sullivan moved to New York to attend the the Wright Humason school for the deaf and to learn from Sara Fuller at that school.” She had to go to a deaf school to learn sign language so she could speak with people. Also, “In 1904, at the age of 24, Keller graduated as a member of Phi Beta Kappa from Radcliffe, becoming the first deaf-blind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree.” That’s amazing because she got an education despite her condition As well, Helen Keller was “Determined to communicate with others as conventionally as possible, Keller learned to speak and spent much of her life giving speeches and lectures on aspects of her life.” Helen Keller learned how to speak even though she was blind and deaf. Nothing stopped Helen Keller from doing what she wanted. 

         To sum It up, there were several aspects of Helen Keller’s life that made her a success after a rough beginning. Her early life was marked with sickness, needing help with everything and, needing a teacher for that help. She got very sick with an illness that affected her and how she acted, as well as she had to learn how to sign. For education, she had to attend a different school for deaf people and graduated as the first blind and deaf person. Helen Keller was a remarkable person, and overall a remarkable woman who overcame her unique obstacles.

Thomas Edison by Michael S.

Did you know that if Thomas Edison adversities got better of him, we may not have the inventions that we may have today and still be in the dark? It is true, many people around the world have various kinds of adversities. Adversity could be powerful to people following a dream. Others use adversity as a challenge and to make themselves stronger. Such a person is Thomas Edison. Some adversity he had include hearing loss, multiple times failing to do an invention, and people did not believe he would do anything.

To begin with, Thomas Edison had hearing loss. In paragraph six of the passage, “The Deafness of Edison,” written by Robert Traynor it is stated, “Edison lost almost all of his hearing.” This source says Edison started to get hearing problems young and growing up he started to lose all his hearing, creating an extreme problem. According to www.gallaudet.edu , in paragraph five it says, “Thomas Edison was deaf in one ear and hard of hearing in the other, but he thought of his deafness as a blessing in many ways.” In short words, he did not think negatively and started thinking about using his disability in clever ways. The source www.Loc.gov states in paragraph two, “Around the age of 12, Edison lost almost of his hearing of scarlet fever or, as he believed, as the result of an incident which he was grabbed by the ears and lifted onto a moving train.” and in the same paragraph it says, “This didn’t discourage him and he treated it as an asset to allow him concentrate on his experiment and research.” In other words, he got hearing loss because of scarlet fever or what he explained, although he used this to prosper in his career and what he focused on. Edison had a hearing problem, but he used it as a gift, leading him to a bright future.

Additionally, he failed multiple times to make an invention. In paragraph one, in the passage named, “Edison: Adversity and Vision Changed the World” written by Todd Stuart Kaplan he stated, “Many of his designs failed to catch on.” This referred to the fact that he did not start some inventions because of their design. In the text “Failing for Success Thomas Edison” posted on www.IntellectualVentures.com , shows that in paragraph two, “In fact, it sometimes took thousands of attempts-literally- to perfect his experiment." This indicates Edison’s inventions were challenging and took days and multiples attempts just to perfect one of his experiments. In paragraph four of the passage “The Greatest Inventor ‘Thomas Alva Edison’ Vision on Failures” created by Ramkumar N, Thomas Alva tried “two thousand” different materials in search of a filament for the lightbulb” and in the same paragraph seven in the same text it says, “As an inventor, Edison made 1000 unsuccessful attempts at inventing the lightbulb.” In brief words, the lightbulb was a complicated invention which required multiple attempts and materials. Edison was a strong and confident guy; he tried his best and never gave up easily even if the invention was difficult to achieve.

Finally, people did not believe he would do anything. In paragraph six of the text “The Deafness of Edison” written by Robert Traynor it is stated “Young Edison’s mind wandered so much he was noted to be a terrible mathematician, unable to focus and had difficulty with word and speech…his teacher Mr. Crawford called him “addled” and said something is wrong with his brain and he would never be able to learn and think.” This showed Edison’s teacher did not expect anything from him and thought he would never be able to learn and think. In the text “But They Did Not Give Up” posted on www.uky.edu, in paragraph seven, Thomas Edison’s teachers said he was “too stupid to learn anything “and in the same paragraph and text it’s written, “He was fired from his first two jobs for being non-productive." This shows many teachers of Edison were sure he would not become someone important and admirable; it also shows his bosses thought he would not achieve something important because of his lack of productivity. This shows us many people did not think Edison would achieve something enormous and be someone important—these were harsh words. Edison did not let insults get the best of him; he kept trying and thought positively and being confident in himself. 

To end these thoughts, Edison was a unique man. Even if he had disabilities that affected him, he still managed to overcome them using clever ideas and solutions. In his early life he suffered from hearing loss, multiples time failing when doing an invention, and people didn’t believe him. Edison in his childhood started to lose his hearing, getting worse over time. Many of his inventions needed plenty of hours of work and numerous times he failed to finish them. People thought he would not be capable of doing anything, with his teachers telling him cruel words and his bosses did not trust him. Edison did not let this control him. He always looked forward, never gave up easily, and thought positively, making him an outstanding and determined person.

Malala Yousafzai by Oriana O.

         When you look at your idol, you can think about what adversities they may have gone through. Adversities are a global experience. Everyone had to make difficult choices in a part of their life. But, you are the only person who decides if you use them for or against you. An example of someone who used adversities to their favor is Malala Yousafzai, who fought for woman’s rights to education in a difficult time.

     To begin, Malala’s education desire thrived despite living in a sexist environment. In “The Nobel Prize—Malala Yousafzai Biography”, it is stated that Malala was passionate about knowledge since a young age. This shows that since her childhood, she wanted to have an education. According to “The Famous People,” Malala was born in a family of progressive thinkers and educators. This proves why she had a strong desire for her intelligence, and her rights. Also, in “The Famous People,” it is said that she was very mature and intelligent for her age, and Malala wrote about the Taliban. Basically, this shows her beginning in her fight for women’s education after the Taliban banned girls from going to school. Malala’s growing aspiration of knowledge will not stop expanding that easily, even after the Taliban’s declaration.

    To continue, Malala’s fought for education after the Taliban’s statement. In “The Nobel Prize—Malala Yousafzai,” the Taliban banned girls from going to school, which led to Malala’s claim “How dare the Taliban take away my basic right to education.” This shows the way Malala started the fight for her rights. Also, it is stated in the same source that she created a blog anonymously to write about being forced to stay at home by the Taliban and her desire to go to school. This proves her bravery to stand up to the unfairness happening around her. The author also wrote that she started to gain recognition and was getting louder, even when the Taliban was after her. This statement shows she was determined to succeed in her goal, even putting her life in danger during the process. Even after many obstacles, she pushed hard until the door of success was open for her, and for every girl.

     Lastly, Malala gained recognitions and awards for her victory. In “The Famous People,” the author stated that Malala is the youngest person to be awarded the “Nobel Prize” in 2014. This shows how she got the recognition she deserved after her sacrifices. Also, it is stated that the European Parliament honored her with the “Sakharov Prize for her freedom of thought” in 2013. This proves that she is receiving many awards for her work. In “The Famous People,” it is also written that Malala received the “Clinton Global Citizen Award” from “The Clinton Foundation” in 2013. Basically, Malala is receiving awards years after her successful fight for women’s rights. All of this shows that Malala’s victory had an impact in her country and all around the globe.

   To end these thoughts, despite her hard life, Malala was able to fight back and become one of the most triumphant women in the world. Her life was full of sexism and misogyny. She was degraded numerous times because of her gender. But Malala never gave up. She used the force of her voice and intelligence, and argued about her and other girls’ rights. She is an idol to all the young girls who are willing to become prosperous women in the future.