2026 – Brooklyn Miller – Union High School HS

Finding Confidence: My Journey Through Adversity

Throughout my life I have faced many challenges but each hardship that I have faced has taught me how to become confident in myself, how to show strength and resilience in the face of adversity and how to believe in myself.

I was bullied in elementary school and began self-harming when I was in fourth grade. The hurtful words, angry taunts, and isolation from my peers made me feel forgotten and unsure of myself. Junior high school was not any better than elementary school. By eighth grade, I had been placed with a math teacher who seemed to delight in humiliating his students and it began to feel like I was a favorite target. He publicly scolded students when they could not grasp a concept and actively encouraged other students to do the same. Anxiety and depression became a constant companion, and I began to contemplate suicide.

In the middle of ninth grade my parents realized how much I was struggling and made the decision to pull me out of public school and homeschool me. This support became the lifeline that helped me shed my anxiety and depression and allowed me to heal from the years of bullying at the hands of both my peers and authority figures. They enrolled me in a program called Saddle Up Hope, which provides equine therapy and coping skills to young women in crisis, and encouraged me to trust myself.

My life really began to change when I joined Civil Air Patrol. I was surrounded by people who genuinely cared about me, and I slowly began to gain confidence in my own abilities. Through the years of CAP, I have routinely taken on new responsibilities and roles, eventually becoming a flight sergeant, a role which has taught me leadership and respect. I finally began to feel capable and proud of myself.

My return to public school in eleventh grade was challenging. My old fears and anxieties began to surface again, and I was sure that I would revert to who I had been. With continued support from my family, friends, and mentors, I was determined to succeed. I have done better than I could have ever hoped for. I joined the wrestling team and National Honor Society and developed even more confidence in myself. Despite missing two years of high school, I have persevered and am now on track to graduate in May 2026.

Every hardship shaped me into the person that I am today. I have found hope in the dark and discovered that my worth does not come from the people who mock or taunt me. I am excited that I will be attending the University of Utah in the fall where I will be majoring in World Cultures and Languages. My journey is far from over and I cannot wait to see what the future holds for me.