There is a person in every story and a story in every person. For one particular student, her story would look different if it wasn’t for her faith. Starting at a young age, Sophomore, Macie Torres, dealt with the hardships she faced in life. Yet as life continued and things got worse, Torres felt as if everything and everyone was against her. However, it was in the midst of her pain that she found an unexpected peace.

In the end it was her faith that saved her. After going weeks with the depressing feelings constantly surrounding her, she learned to surrender it all.

“I was miserable. Then I went to Church camp that next day and gave my life to the Lord and I realized there’s better things out in the world. Bad things happen but there’s always a way to overcome it and I found that through God. Without that moment, I would not be here today,” Torres stated.

Although she found peace, there were moments that caused her to lose all faith. After one of her family members passed away, Torres was consumed with despair and drove her to question everything around her.

”I had depression but no one ever saw. I was the happy kid in school. My breaking point that just really turned my life around for the worse was a family member passing away in May of 2016. He was hit by a drunk driver. I lost everything. I lost my joy and I lost motivation because I had already lost so many people that year, I felt like whoever was controlling the universe was just hitting me upside my head and saying, ‘Nobody really cares about you,’” said Torres.

Instead of giving up and losing her faith, Torres grew from the pain and found a renewed strength in her faith. She saw every day as a second chance.

“I took this opportunity as a second chance at life. Yes, bad things still happen to me all the time. I’ve gone through heartbreak and I’ve lost more people than I ever have but for me, I know God is still good and life will continue. It will go on. It’s not finished. Right now, my life is just starting and there’s no ending it,” said Torres.

However, maintaining this perspective is difficult when you’re forced to go through it on your own. For Torres, it was the people around her that encouraged her to continue no matter how challenging it was. To have someone to rely on through every struggle allows Torres to move past the hurt and depression she felt.

“I overcame sadness by talking to people. If you don’t express your feelings, you can’t let go of your hurt because you just pushed it aside. Talking to people is great and it helps build relationships with others, which creates accountability partners. You can have an accountability partner who is trying to keep you from going down a path of destruction and you will help them do the same. It does not matter what your friends or family tell you, when you are upset or feeling lost, talk to someone. When I was going through my road of struggle, I talked to other people. I built a relationship with church leaders and students. Don’t let your hurt build, let it air out in a healthy way,” stated Torres.

Her strength and positivity went beyond just effecting her personally. It eventually spread to her family, most notably her twin sister, Mack Torres.

“She is my biggest supporter no matter how hard her life is and no matter what she is going through, she will always be there for me,” said Torres.

Surrounding herself with positive people and accepting the fact that there are others, including her twin, that believe in her and see the changes she has made for herself.

”She goes out with a heart of passion instead of doing it for the performances. She does it out of love and kindness and heart. She’s more positive and more control over what she does. She will work at her goal until it is completed even if it’s passed the due date because she knows it is never too late, that’s the kind of person she is,” said Mack Torres.