Finalist 4: Katie HoheVote Now

What have you learned about yourself or your family since the beginning of the pandemic?

For my family, these past few months have been anything but normal. On top of a global pandemic, my mother has been navigating through a divorce from my father. The combination of these two life-altering events has resulted in three months of turbulence, tears, frustration, anger, and some significant lifestyle changes. However, through the difficulties of tackling online school, moving houses twice, and supporting my mother, there are two special people who have been there for me, my younger brothers. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and my parents’ divorce, I have learned the importance of my relationships with my siblings, as they are the two longest ones I will ever have. 

I am incredibly grateful to have two siblings with whom I am close in age, as I am 18 years old, my younger brother William is 17, and my other younger brother Patrick is 16, making me the oldest of the trio. Since the three of us are so close in age, we have been able to experience every stage of our lives together. So far, we have survived the toy sharing of elementary school, the awkwardness of middle school, and the emotionally tumultuous first years of high school. Over the years, my bond with my brothers has gotten stronger as we have matured. Being the oldest and the first to experience new things, I looked forward to giving them advice, such as how to survive their first day of the first year of high school or how to ask someone to a school dance. In turn, they supported me by buying me ice cream when a boy broke my heart and constantly encouraging me when I felt anxious before my first year of college. Throughout high school, I slowly began to view my brothers as not only my siblings but my best friends. Having lived with me my entire life, they knew me better than anyone else, and they were always there for me in good times and bad. 

In the past few months, I have developed a renewed sense of appreciation for my brothers. With school being moved online, a statewide quarantine in place, and a rapidly changing home life, it was necessary to look out for one another. When we were not studying or doing a home workout, my brothers and I spent all our free time together. When one or all of us was feeling angry or sad about our current family situation or all the cancellations due to COVID-19, the three of us would go for a walk or a drive to clear our heads and vent to each other. The support that I have received from my brothers since the start of the divorce is immense, and I am forever thankful for the extra time I was able to spend with them due to the pandemic. The famous American author S.E. Hinton once said, “if you have two friends in your lifetime, you’re lucky,” and I consider myself to be the luckiest because I have and will always have two best friends in my lifetime. 

In conclusion, the current and unprecedented global pandemic has helped me realize how fortunate I am to have such supportive and loyal people in my life. With the added emotional stress of a divorce, I am especially appreciative of my siblings. Like most things in life, you get out of a relationship what you put into it. My relationships with my brothers are the longest ones I will have in my life, even longer than those with my parents or my extended family. I can say with confidence that I will consistently work at and treasure my relationships with William and Patrick as we get older. They will be my best friends and biggest supporters from cradle to grave.