“My freshman year [was my hardest] because that was the first year of high school and it was when COVID-19 hit. It definitely [shook] things up, and it’s also the year that my dad’s illness basically took over my life and changed it beyond belief. My dad was immunocompromised, so I had to constantly focus on [questioning whether I was sick and if it were contagious]. It was a lot for anybody to handle, let alone a teenager. During that time, I didn’t have my drivers license, [so] I couldn’t escape it. I [was really] spending a lot of time outside playing golf and focusing on college even though I was that young. My main motivation is showing that I can be good at something but still do better. Leave it better than you found it. That’s sort of been [my motto ever since] my dad passed away because it changed my perspective. Death doesn’t seem so far; It seems so close. You want to make the most [out] of what you want to do in your life.” – Kylie Secrest, 12