When I was 18 years old, I wrote a reflection for my school newspaper, where, of course, being a journalism nerd, I was the editor-in-chief! The piece was titled “Unique Challenges Await Us,” and I typed it out before the computer age on an old-fashioned typewriter. It recently resurfaced at a class reunion, and though I doubt many of my classmates read it back then, looking at it now, I realize just how prophetic it turned out to be. The challenges and reflections I captured in that moment foreshadowed the path I would take, one I never could have imagined, through Emily’s Hope. What I thought was just an assignment ended up offering a glimpse into the values and purpose that would shape my life.
Ironically, I wrote about how some of us would face struggles with drugs and encouraged my classmates to accept the lonely and unaccepted while growing spiritually and mentally. That struggle became painfully real in my life with someone I loved most. Losing my daughter to fentanyl poisoning forced me to grow in ways I never anticipated. I have learned to embrace all people, regardless of their struggles, and this has helped me grow both spiritually and mentally.
In that reflection, I wrote about the challenges that lay ahead in our lives. Today, I sometimes feel like telling God, “I’ve had enough challenges for one lifetime!” But deep down, I know more will come, because life is a series of trials, big and small. These trials have shaped who I am, and, through it all, I’ve come to appreciate the person I’ve become. Self-acceptance, I’ve found, can be the by-product of facing the hardest things life throws at you. As my 18-year-old self wisely noted, “What really matters is not so much the challenges we face, but how we deal with them.”
I still strive to use the gifts God gave me, and I guess, even in the face of tragedy, I’ve done okay. If I could go back, I’d give my younger self a hug. I’m proud of her and the effort she put into everything. I used to want to know so badly what the future would hold. I thank God now that I didn’t know. Growing up means accepting life’s unpredictability. Part of me wishes I could still be that naive, but with struggle comes wisdom, and that wisdom is something I now offer the world.
I don’t go around quoting Will Rogers anymore—I have a sneaking suspicion that quote came from my mom, the English teacher, who proofread all my articles back then. And yes, I went by Angie back then (still do sometimes), and my last name is spelled differently now, thanks to my first news director who thought it was too difficult for TV. But no matter how much time has passed or how much I’ve changed, the core of who I am still runs through these words. The road I wrote about as a teenager has been more difficult than I ever imagined, but it’s also shaped me into someone always striving to be the “best human I can be.”
Faith, Hope & Courage,
Angela
You can read the entire piece here:
Unique challenges await us
by Angie Koehnecke
Each of us has a challenge to live out. It may be as simple as getting through the day, or as complex as getting an “A” in a tough class. Each class has challenges to meet, and as an individual in a class you face your own personal challenges every day. For some it may be merely making it to school on time, and for others it may be a struggle with drugs, grades, family, or friends. Yet what really matters is not so much the challenges we face, but how we deal with them.
Each class here at Dowling is challenged in an unique way. Freshman, you have the challenge of doing your very best together for the next three years. You may now accept the lonely and unaccepted in your class and you can become familiar and comfortable with Dowling and yourselves. You have the chance to grow spiritually and mentally, the opportunity to make the most out of Dowling, and the challenge to find the gifts and talents you each possess.
Likewise, sophomore class also has many challenges; such as finding out who you really are, what you stand for and believe in, instead of accepting a stereotype that has already been set for you. You also are challenged to grow from the changes that occur every day in your lives.
Juniors, as upper classmen and soon to be seniors you have the challenge to meet the reality of becoming an adult. You are challenged by responsibilities, attitudes, and feelings. How you fulfill your responsibilities, form your attitudes and experience these feelings, will determine what kind of an adult you become.
Seniors, you have faced the many challenges of the last four years. Remember being teased as freshmen, and yet here you are leaders of the school. Recall when we were told our fall project would not succeed and we turned it around into a great success. The list of our accomplishments is long and unlimited. You undoubtedly realize that what you can learn from these experiences is a challenge in itself and to grow from them is a challenge met. But now you will face a whole new set of challenges and each one will take you on a different path, perhaps college, work, and even the lifestyle you choose. Each of these paths lead in the direction to determine what kind of future you would have. Only you can make those important choices.
We as a student body can create our own challenges. Our greatest being to successfully carry on the Dowling tradition. This school has given us the foundation needed to meet the challenges before us in spirit and mind, even after we have left this building. We can reach out to those around us and share the gifts God gave us.
If each of us meets the challenges we continually face we will become the best humans we can be. As Will Roger’s once remarked, “It’s great to be great, but it is greater to be human.”
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