By: Josée Cadaba

I visited my high school a year after I graduated to see one of the most memorable teachers during my time there. Now, as adults, we were able to have a conversation that wasn’t constrained by status and age – now, we were equals. I wasn’t much of a leader then, nor did I think I would ever be. I always saw myself as support; a side character that trailed behind the protagonist to encourage their witty lines.

I didn’t take the lead with my life when I graduated. I had chosen a program out of the interest of others; to support the family. My wants came after – if anything, it always came in last, and I was okay with that. Wanting to choose an institution that was hours away should have made me realize that what I was trying to get away was the thought of responsibility. But there was no running if I was the one who made the decision, external forces or not. I didn’t listen, I just studied.

But there I was, bawling to my former Writer’s Craft teacher about how unhappy I was. After handing me some tissues and patiently waiting for my sobs to die down, he told me a story:

When I was on a plane with my family, the flight attendant was going through the safety procedures – you know how they always do before they take off. When it came to the section with the oxygen masks, I found it odd that they said to place the mask on yourself before helping the little ones. So, I asked, “Well, these are my kids! How could I not help them first?” to which the flight attendant replied, “Well, how are you gonna help your kids if you can’t help yourself?”

And that forever stuck with me. 

So, I helped myself out; dropped out of the program for one that I loved, and everything seemed to fall in place. Now, I stand before the Shdreridan community as a leader, and I am happy to serve.

I perceived being a leader as someone who was strong, independent, and resilient. To me, a leader was someone who can carry the burdens of others without breaking a sweat, and that just was not the case. For someone looking in, what they see is limited by the placement of the window. There are blind spots, points of weakness in leaders that others don’t realize exist. 

People are people before they are leaders. Underneath this title is an individual with needs, dreams, and desires, and they must nurture these aspects of themselves to be the best person they can be for themselves and others. To my leaders out there, you need to take care of yourselves. It is not selfish to set time aside to recharge and be in your best state of body and mind. Be happy to spread happiness to others.

In a time of incredible change, we are all experiencing this monumental shift together. With a global pandemic, the transition into online schooling and so much more, members of the Sheridan community have become chameleons to welcoming change into their daily routines.

But not every situation starts and ends so easily. There are hardships, challenges and struggles that we experience to come out successfully on the other side. In this blog series, students, Sheridan Alumni, and members of our Sheridan community will share their stories of resilience and how they were able to overcome these obstacles.

The obstacles will vary from physical, emotional and mental, and our hope is that there will be something for everyone to read and grow from.

We are proud to call this series #SherYourStory.

 If you wish to be a part of it, you can submit your stories either publicly or anonymously here.