“When I was 4, my dad’s mom had just died. And in my whole life leading up to this time, I had never seen my dad cry, he had always been happy and smiling, always. And that night, I was looking for my dad, and through the cracked door of his bedroom, I could see him. All I could hear was him crying, like really crying. And it was just the saddest thing. But he still wiped his tears away and came and played with me, but I’ve always remembered that image of him breaking down after his mom died. But every time I think about that, I remind myself that you don’t have to be strong all the time, and it’s always okay to cry, because it helps, you know? It’s part of life, and it’s okay to break down those walls. Because I always looked up to my dad and saw him as the strongest person ever, but even he falls sometimes, and that’s okay. I never did tell him that I saw him crying that day, but that memory is something I still remember to this day.” -Aiga Petelo, Junior