By Kailee Malecki

 On a crisp December sunrise a young woman woke up to get ready for her morning classes. She looked in the mirror and noticed her face was puffy and felt swollen, she knew she was catching a cold, or some sort of sleep deprivation sickness. She knew she had finals today. She took a deep breath in hopes of getting good grades on her midterms this year. Although this girl had so many setbacks she was determined to feel the achievement of getting a higher GPA than former years. Today was going to be a rough day to stay focused while feeling Ill and to manage the pressure that she was under. She threw on a brand new sweatshirt and was out the door for a pick me up coffee. Arriving at her favorite shop downtown for a weekly dose she was greeted by the familiar faces of the owners and the sweet smell of coffee beans and vanilla. She had picked out her favorite drink and sat down with a friend to chat until it was time for class. Time went by fast and she was racing out the door in no time. She had been a little too quick and not careful enough, nicked her coffee cup with her car keys and there went coffee droplets on her brand new white sweatshirt. She hadn’t noticed until she’d gotten to class and looked down in disappointment at the brown stain. Took a couple deep breaths and then a sigh. After trying to move on and hide the markings on her sweater she had decided to check some final grades. She had noticed most of her classes were borderline grades, about one or two points off from being a letter higher, she took immediate action and decided to talk to her teachers about a few small things that could improve her grade. Some were more stubborn than others. The girl began begging her English teacher for a few extra points, even offering lunch as bribery the next day. The teacher was not budging. Starting to fill with frustration, the literacy teacher offered a small extra credit assignment and the girls eyes brightened, knowing she would finish it that night and get the grade she knew she deserved. Her hard work was coming to an end for the semester and she was full of energy and pride. As she knew she had worked her absolute hardest this semester through all of the hardships. She was making her family proud and more importantly herself. Although some things may seem small and a not so big deal, it can have a totally different effect on another person