Learning from Loss and Making a Difference BY EDDY MANZANO

One of the ways that I’m trying to leave a positive footprint on this crazy and active planet is by becoming a senior mentor for not only the freshman at Coventry High School but also for the basketball and lacrosse teams. Another way is that in conjunction with Ms.Cohn, another student and I are trying to create a group in the school to try and help students and their families that are struggling with drug abuse in their everyday lives.

Learning from Loss and Making a Difference

BY EDDY MANZANO

In 2017 alone, more than 70,000 people died from drug overdoses. This may seem like just a statistic to some but for the children of parents that abuse drugs and that have passed away from a drug-related incident, this is their life. Losing someone you love is one of the hardest things that can happen to someone but when it’s a parent it seems like you lost your life along with theirs. Even though you have lost someone important, there’s a point in your life that you have to move on and better yourself and not dwell on the past.

My life has been filled with loss because of drugs; on November 22nd of 2009, I lost my father to a drug overdose. For a while there wasn’t one day that passed by that my mind didn’t think about the fact that I didn’t have a father to teach me how to ride a bike or how to shave, to throw the baseball in the backyard with, or to teach me how to drive. I had a very hard time dealing with this loss, but on my 17th birthday I visited my father’s grave, when I looked over to my left I saw a mother with a young daughter, they were visiting the husband/father’s grave and that day helped  me realize that not everything has to revolve around someone else and that I have to live with intentions to succeed. This was my biggest goal in life, to leave a positive footprint on this world. 

One of the ways that I’m trying to leave a positive footprint on this crazy and active planet is by becoming a senior mentor for not only the freshman at Coventry High School but also for the basketball and lacrosse teams. Another way is that in conjunction with Ms.Cohn, another student and I are trying to create a group in the school to try and help students and their families that are struggling with drug abuse in their everyday lives. We set out to spread knowledge about what drugs and alcohol do to people and what they cause and just be there for the students that are either struggling with drugs themselves or dealing with someone that does drugs. I always wanted to help others in any way possible but never really took the initiative to reach out until this year when I went to Mrs.Macomber and asked if there was anything I could do to help in the school. After asking her and telling her my story she told me that she wanted me to meet Ms.Cohn and we made this hoping to leave an imprint on the school and hopefully other schools too. 

Even after my time at Coventry High School, I want to continue to help and try to make the biggest impact I can. Personally I think the biggest impact will be on my children and hopefully, I can be better than my father and teach my children how to become the best person they can be and to live every day with a good attitude and chase their dreams and help them make the right decisions in their life. I also want to continue to help people in need and do something good for someone every single day.