“My greatest accomplishment this year was learning new things. I’m taking an ASL class because I am deaf, and I’m also trying to be fluent in a language that I’m a part of. It has been something that has helped me, and I definitely want to be an influence on [others]. [Some difficulties I had along the way were] my grades. In high school, things are very different from middle school, so it’s tough to keep up with my grades. Because of the masks, I couldn’t understand my teacher and what they were saying. At the beginning of the school year, I had doubts that I’d graduate because I’m deaf, but I feel pretty good looking back on how far I’ve come. If you’re struggling, don’t give up. Just take one step at a time and see where it takes you.” — Elle Keely, 9