Frederick Douglass by Julio A.

People face adversity…. Frederick Douglassis a person who overcame adversity. Things happened to him as a child and he was a slave, but he still found a way through find a way to learn! That is very inspiring. People can over come adversity because Fredrick showed us the way!

 

What was Fredericks early life like? To begin with, he he was born into slavery. He didn’t really have a way to learn when he was a slave because no one would teach him that changed until he was given to a family that educated him. He was also separated from his parents. This means he didn’t get as much parental love, but he would still see them 3-4 times a year. He also learned how to read by himself. This means no one was there to teach him cause it was illegal to teach a slave. His grandmother had also taken care of him, but then she abandoned him when he was 7 years old. He was very lonely after this. At this point this shows that he didn’t get as much love nor education. All this is according to www.inc.com. 

 

How was Fredericks middle life like? To begin with, he escaped slavery at 21 years old. How did he escape you ask? I’ll tell you, he took a train going to Philadelphia. He also wrote his first autobiography on 1845. He wrote this autobiography to prove who he claimed he was, a fugitive slave. He also touched the country’s heart with a speech. This can be found on www.America’s library.com.

 

How was Frederick’s late life like? To begin with, in 1845 Douglass was the only African American to attend Seneca Falls Convention, the first women’s rights community in upstate New York. He was totally a great speaker! In 1876, Douglass gave the keynote speech at the unveiling of the Emancipation Memorial in Washington’s Lincoln Park. He was also D.C.’s recorder of deeds from 1881 to 1886. Sadly, he passed away in 1895 at 77 years old. He passed away due to a heart attack after giving a speech. You can find this in www.no’s.gov.

 

Overall, Douglass overcame adversity and lived a not so easy life. He was a really hard working man. He never gave up and overcame his adversity. If everyone was as hardworking like Douglass, the world would be better.

Kawhi Leonard by Brian J.

 

Kawhi Leonard is a great NBA player whom a lot of NBA fans admire for his versatile game style. He is a very quiet NBA player since he doesn’t have social media. He doesn’t get into drama or big controversies that has ruined a couple of NBA careers. He has a couple of controversies, but they’re not that bad. Read along to know more about him and his moments of adversity. 

To begin with, Kawhi Leonard had a difficult childhood according to fanbuzz.com. He was the son of Mark Leonard who owned a car wash in California. He grew up Compton in an area full of violence and drugs. Yet, that didn’t stop him from chasing his dreams. His dad died when Kawhi was only 16. His father died working at a car wash while he was closing it early to go watch his son’s first basketball game. The father got into an argument and got shot 10 times. After that, Kawhi started his first high school season at Marvin Luther King High School. That season he averaged 22.6 points 3.9 and 3 block according to wwwmaxpreps.com and was named Mr. California. He accomplished all this after growing up in rough circumstances and losing his father at a young age.

Then, Leonard = finished high school, and he went and played two seasons for the San Diego Aztecs and was named second consensus second all American team as a sophomore. His freshman season he averaged 12.7 points and 10 rebounds. He led the team to a 25-9 record and also won the Mountain West Conference according to Wikipedia. Leonard was also named MVP for the Mountain West Conference Title and was named freshmen of the year during his sophomore season. He improved his game and averaged 15 points and 10.4 rebounds. After that winning season, many scouts lost interest because he couldn’t lead his team to NCAA title, so people started calling him a flop. This is one of his moments of adversity since he couldn’t lead his team to a NCAA title. 

Next, after his 2 seasons in college he entered the 2011 NBA draft. Leonard was elected 15 overall and got picked by the Indianapolis Pacers and immediately got traded to the San Antonio Spurs in his rookie season. He was eventually sent to the Olympics. After successes and wins, in 2017 he tore his ACL in a game against the Warriors. Nobody thought he would come back strong to lead the Spurs again to the finals, so he got traded to Toronto while being injured for 2 years. He came back stronger than ever after all the doubt. In 2019 he led the Toronto Raptors to finals, won the finals against the warriors, won his second finals MVP, and won his second championship. After that he went to the Los Angeles Clippers and he is still there now. He overcame an injury to win big, improve in his profession, and become an asset to his teams.

Well, this is his life and his adversities. He overcame a lot of doubt failed multiple times to lead a team and he overcame a horrible injury through all the doubt. He was a very successful NBA basketball career with 2 championships, 2 finals MVPs 1 Defensive Player of the Year, and 1 NBA All-Star.

Jesse Owens by Marvin G.

 

   Have you ever thought about how it would be to face an adversity? Facing adversity is a normal part of life. People choices can often affect the way they react to the adversity. Some take the adversity as a normal thing and use it as a motivation to help them keep going. One person is Jesse Owens who overcame adversity when he was young.

   To start with, Jesse Owens had a rough childhood. According to biography.com, he was a son of a sharecropper and a slave. Basically, he had a rough past. He was also a weak child with pneumonia. He grew up with difficulties but managed to overcome them to accomplish his dream. When he was seven, he had to pick up cotton each day to help his family. This shows that he would do anything to help his family. Despite everything that happened to him he picked up himself and became one of the greatest.  

    To continue, Jesse Owens faced unfair treatment in the Berlin Olympics  in 1936, according to ESPN, Jesse Owens faced a lot of adversity from the German leader Adolf Hitler. Hitler criticized the United States for having athletes of color and not white people. Jesse faced racism because of his skin color.  After being discriminated because of his skin color, Jesse used that as an impetus to succeed and later on won 4 gold medals. Even after winning the 4 gold medals, Adolf Hitler still refused to believe he was the best athlete in the Berlin Olympics. This shows the adversity that Jesse Owens had to face during the Berlin Olympics in 1936.

   Next, when Jesse Owens returned from the Olympics to the U.S., he faced racism too. According to biography.com, when Jesse Owens returned to the U.S. he only got offered a few jobs. Meaning that after winning 4 gold medals in the Olympics, he still was facing discrimination in the U.S. He also faced aggression. Which shows some of the ways people treated him. Even after all of this, he didn’t care what people thought about him and raced cars to make money. He also started a marketing business. Even through everything he went through, he still found a way to have a good life. 

  To conclude, Jesse Owens always found a way to live a better life despite everything he went through during his childhood. When he was young and struggling, he had been diagnosed with pneumonia, and during his time in the Olympics he faced racism. When he got to the U.S., he also faced racism and aggression. This shows that despite all the adversities and obstacles he faced, he always managed to overcome them. 

Katherine Johnson by Angelina G.

  Think about people who you admire and how they inspire you. You look at everything they’ve accomplished, pushing through all obstacles, achieving their goals. The one thing they always face is adversity, being judged for being different than everyone else. Katherine Johnson is someone who faced adversity and over came it. She faced it during her early life, after college, and during working for NASA.

  You’ll be amazed to learn, Katherine as a young child loved to count many little things. She loved to learn especially math, and geometry when she got to high school. The website, nasa.gov, states “Katherine loved to learn… Katherine went through school quickly.” I admire her for loving math, as for me I find it difficult to understand and not a subject I’d focus on for my future. But her love for math and good grades led her to finish college only at the age of eighteen. That is quite an accomplishment for an African American female in that time period of the early 1900s.

  Later on, Katherine began to teach after graduating college. Eventually she had to quit due to her husband getting sick and her having to care for her children. But once she was 34, she heard NASA was hiring African American women to solve math problems. This position was often called “computer,” as it was difficult. When Katherine applied, she got rejected. According to the website, nasa.gov, “Katherine applied for one of the jobs, but the jobs were already taken. Still, she did not give up. She applied the next year, and this year NASA hired her.” Here is an example of adversity, being classified into a group of African American women, when really we’re all humans. You already figured that Katherine was different than all the “computers,” she often asked questions and even began going to meetings only men went to and that led her to become a part of NASA. 

  Afterward, Katherine studied how to use geometry for space travel because the United States wanted to send people to the moon. She figured out paths for a spacecraft to orbit. NASA used her math for the project, and it worked; she successfully helped people get to the moon. And with that Katherine worked for NASA for 30 before she retired. According to an article famous.wiki.com,  “Katherine studied how to use geometry for space travel. She figured out the paths for the spacecraft to orbit (go around) Earth and to land on the Moon. NASA used Katherine's math.” Katherine accomplished so much in so little time, while facing adversity. I truly admire her. 

  It only remains for me to say, how wonderful of a woman Katherine was. She faced adversity and overcame it with no bother. She finished school early and even went ahead with her job at NASA. She left a legacy of female and African American success in the field of math and science.

Helen Keller by Osmin S.

 

A lot of people have been successful or faced adversity. Some people used their adversity to overcome things like Helen Keller. Many people have used their adversity and negative things to overcome them and be successful. One such person is Helen Keller, who overcame adversity in her years. Learning how to talk and understand others was hard for her. She had a teacher who would teach signs and objects and other many things.

To begin with, Helen Keller had a hard life growing up and learning other things. According to some sources she was deaf and blind at 9 months old. She grew up in a difficult place with her family. She was deaf and blind but still managed to move around and learn because of her teacher. Further after starting school, her teacher and family taught her many things. One of these things was learning how to speak. Despite this sad beginning, despite being deaf and blind she still learned and how to talk. She was pretty successful with these problems according to Wikipedia.org and Biography.com. 

Helen had a really hard life because she had to learn how to speak and sign languages.  This was due to having to learn how to live with her being deaf and blind. Helen had to go school, but she had a teacher who would teach her things like walking. They would teach her things like water and feeling other objects. Helen was a really smart person. Besides her sad start to life, she showed that others can do it.

Helen Keller was also an American author.  She was born on June 27, 1880, and passed away on June  1,1968. Helen Keller Was the person with deaf blindness to earn a college degree which nice for her. Helen Keller even won the noble peace price she also had 4 siblings and was really into political stuff (Wikipedia.org and biography.com). Helen Keller managed to later on be able to speak because she a teacher and translated who would help her. Helen Keller turned out to be really successful person besides these sad things.

As you can see, Helen Keller was a really good person. She overcame her problems and turned successful. She showed that you could of a lot of things even her problems seemed insurmountable, but they wouldn’t stop her. She did a lot of things others couldn’t do, which was being really good at political things. Helen Keller was a really successful person who accomplished many things that other can’t do now. She had a good life besides her beginning, but she didn’t let it stop her and she turned her adversities into motives for accomplishment.

Lionel Messi by Osmel D.

 

If you look up to your idol, or maybe someone you admire, it is most definitely sure that they have gone through difficulties or so-called “adversity.” Going through adversity is a normal part of our daily lives—some people are fatherless, some have body issues, but we all have faced adversity one way or the other. One person that faced adversity was Lionel Messi, who showed his talent to fix his life at FC Barcelona.

To start with, according to liquidsearch.com, Lionel Messi faced adversity at a young age. He was born in a small town in Rosario, Argentina Santa de Province. If you don’t know Rosario, it is a very bad place in Argentina. It is not so safe place and is full of crime. At the age of 5, Messi started experiencing growth issues or so called “GHD.” This meant that he could possibly stop his career in football. Although he went through this, later on he proved his legacy at FC Barcelona, and he chased his dream. After reaching Barcelona he decided to try his best and become the world’s best player, although pretty much no one believed in him, he knew inside that later they would worship him.

To continue, in sportcasting.com, it says that at the age of 11, is when his condition started striking the hardest. He was explained that he must stop. Fortunately, he was offered a debut at Barcelona and proved that he was worth his price. In April 2005, he had his debut for the team and didn’t fail to impress. He later on went to carry his teammate’s Ronaldinho’s legacy in the club. He ended up becoming a big part for his club later in the future. After his debut, his worth went up to 56,000,000 euros.

Later in the present day, he is one of the world’s best players in the world. He is the best player with the most goals in a single calendar year with 87 goals. He is a 6-time Ballon Do’r winner, and has the most goals for a single club. He is the player with the best conversion rate in the history of football. His highest price on the market was approximately 180,000,000$. Today he is in borderline retirement and plays in the farmer’s league, or also known as ligue. Although he’s a good player, he is struggling to impress at his new club. Also, the 2021 Ballon Dor might be his last one. With better players rising in the horizon, it will be almost impossible for him to participate again. This is his last chance, with Quatar 2022 World Cup.

To wrap it all up, everyone has faced adversity one way or the other and a lot of people end up beating obstacles. Lionel Messi changed his life for the better and made his dreams come true after facing adversity. You can also beat adversity and get out of obstacles you don’t want to be in. Let’s change the world and solve all of our problems!

Bethany Hamilton by Emelin G.

 

Bethany Hamilton is an American professional surfer who suffered a great loss after a shark attack. And as result of that, the shark took her left arm right off. Authorities did find it in a mouth of a shark with a surfboard and debris. But it’s not the shark attack that made her, it was the fact that after the shark attack, she still returned to professional surfing.

Bethany Hamilton was born February 8, 1990, in Lihue, Kauai, Hawaii. Being raised in a surfing family, along with 2 older brothers, she learned how to handle the waves at an early age. According to the site “biography.com” and “britannica.com,” it says that she started competitive surfing at the age of 8 and by the age of 9 she won her first sponsorship. A member of the Hanalei Surf CO.tea, the home-schooled Hamilton beat beating even more experienced surfers in competition. So in May 2003, Bethany won bother her age group and the open division of Hawaii’s Local Motion/Ezekiel Surf into Summer events. Then shortly after, she finished her second in the open woman’s division of the National Scholastic Surfing Association (NSSA) National Championships at Sen Clemente, California.

Bethany Hamilton went to surf at Tunnels Beach in Ha’ena with her best friend, her best friend’s father, and also her brother. Bethany was laying on her board. Then suddenly she felt a sudden intense pressure in her left arm while it was pulled back and forth a few times before the feeling had passed. Surprisingly she felt no pain, but she noticed that the water started turning red and the her whole left arm was severed nearly to her shoulder. Her friend’s father fashioned a tourniquet for her injured area to bring everyone to shore safely. They rushed Bethany to Wilcox Memorial Hospital. Although she lost 60 percent of her blood due to the attack, she underwent several surgeries, but was then released a few days later.

Bethany Hamilton returned surfing only a month after the attack. She wrote her autobiography in 2004, Soul Surfer: A True Story of Faith, Family, and Fighting to get Back on the Broad. It then became a best seller, and she was honored for her courage. For example, MTV, ESPN, and the United States Sports Academy honored her. Bethany Hamilton went to publish many more books after her autobiography, like Devotions for the Soul Surfer (2006) and Body and Soul: A Girls Guide to a Fit, Fun, and Fabulous Life (2014).

 In conclusion, Bethany Hamilton was a very strong and courageous woman who loved to surf and even after a tragic shark attack that took her left arm, continued to surf. She even wrote famous books that talk more about her mindset. She became famous for her bravery and courage.

Klay Thompson by Raynard M.

Do you know people that you look up to or who you want to be like in the future had faced adversities in their lifetime and overcame them to get where they are right now? Little did you know facing adversity is something many people have gone through and use it as a way to push their lives for the better. One person I know who faced adversities throughout their career and kept pushing to overcome it is Klay Thompson. The reason I say this is he faced many injuries that impacted his life such as his hamstring, leg injury and tearing his ACL, but he overcame all of this and still is one of the best NBA players.

To begin with, Klay faced a leg injury recently. According to a news source called “Forbes,”“Klay gave an update on his rehab from a torn Achilles he suffered in November last year.” He’s expected to return to the court early next year to play high level long ball. This was a major injury in Klay’s career. Many people didn’t expect him to play again, but he overcame adversity and beat the odds by training hard. Because of this he is expected to get on the court again and play.

Another reason is, he strained his ankle during the playoffs. According to the news source called “NBC sports,” “Klay stranded his ankle during the playoff and came back and won the championship. Throughout all of these injuries he overcame them and came back stronger and played better. All of these he took as motivation and came back and played better than he ever has. These are some of the reasons I think he’s a person that overcame bigtime adversity. He literally took everything that messed him and his season up and took it as motivation to play better. 

All his accomplishments are the following. One, he is credited for being one of the best shooters in NBA history. Also, he’s a three-time championship with the warriors. He is a five-time NBA Allstar and a two time All NBA Third Team honoree. He has also been named to the NBA – all defensive second team. He is also a first round pick. Klay has all these many accomplishments.

To wrap this up, Klay Thompson overcame many injuries and didn’t stop trying first; he overcame a recent leg injuring. Also, he strained his ankle. There are many more injuries he had to go through, but even so, he overcame them and came back even stronger. Adversity didn’t stop him.

Harriet Tubman by Juan F.

 

         Imagine facing slavery throughout your whole life. One well-known woman went through that. Well, that woman goes by the name Harriet Tubman, also known as a hero for the underground railroad. She freed the slaves from slavery and helped the the slaves make a living. She brought equality and justice to the slaves. Harriet Tubman will be remembered for what she did.

        To start off, Harriet Tubman didn’t have it easy because slavery was such a huge problem back then. Plus on the website https://www.pbs.org it states that “Tubman was born a slave in Maryland’s country around 1820.” This already shows how hard her early life has been as being born a slave isn’t easy. She also began to work at a very young age according to https://www.pbs.org. It states, “At age five or six she began to work as a house servant.” It isn’t easy to work as a house servant especially as a kid; it isn’t easy to maintain household at such a young age. As she grew up she began to work at the fields because on the website https://www.pbs.org it confirms that, “Seven years later she was sent to work in the fields.” Just imagine working at a hot summer in the fields as a teen. Harriet Tubman’s early life wasn’t easy since she had to work very hard at a young age just to make a living. 

     Next, Aa a slave Harriet Tubman didn’t have good treatment as she had been through beatings and abuse. Plus on the website https://www.history.com it reports that, ”Tubman suffered lifelong pain and illness due to her mistreatment while enslaved.” She has been though lots of beating without even being taken care of or making a full recovery, and this just shows how brutal she was treated. Because on the website https://www.history.com it notifies that, “Tubman was given little medical care or time to recuperate before she was sent back out to work.” Just think about the pain she suffered from while working. This just shows how brutal she got treated as a slave. Not only that, she never recovered from that injury because on https://www.history.com it shows that, “She never recovered from the damage done to her brain and skull, suffering periodic seizures that researchers believed may have been a form of epilepsy.” Harriet Tubman’s treatment as a slave was a very brutal experience. It just isn’t easy to keep moving on as you have to be strong and have to be willing to move on.

    Lastly, as Harriet Tubman freed herself from slavery she had been freeing other slaves. Because the website http://www.americaslibray.gov confirms that, ”After Harriet Tubman escaped from slavery, she returned to slave-holding states many times to help other slaves escape.” This shows that Harriet Tubman wants to help the enslaved escape from such torture. It also shows that she cares about the lives of others. Not only that, she was involved in ending slavery in the United States because https://www.britannica.com reports that,”Harriet Tubman helped ensure the final defeat of slavery in the United States by aiding the Union during the American Civil War.” Not only did she help end slavery, she also freed lots of slaves. According to the website https://www.history.com,” Tubman applied intelligence as she learned as an Underground Railroad conductor to lead the Combahee Ferry Raid that freed more than 700 from slavery.” What a big way to help and end slavery. This shows what Harriet Tubman accomplished as a fugitive slave.

  To sum it all up, Harriet Tubman was an amazing leader. She didn’t let others get in her way of freeing others. She also didn’t fear the upcoming consequences. She took it like a champ and kept moving forward. This is a good example for a leader. Harriet Tubman will be remembered for the justice she brought upon slavery. 

Vincent Van Gogh by Tania R.

Many people today whom you admire had faced adversity. Whether it was racism, sexism, having a disability, etc. Most of them took what was incorrect and stood up for themselves and others showed that through their emotions and actions. Going through adversity is a thing that everyone goes through. People take advances of that difficulty and use it for a greater life; soon leading to triumph. An artist, who is known for painting “Starry Night,” Vincent Van Gogh, faced adversity throughout his life.

To embark with, Vincent was born on March 30, 1853. He was presented to being an artist at a young age when his uncle worked for an art company dealer, where Vincent was hired at the age of 16 for 6 years. According to Prezi.com, he decided to allocate his life to art. He attended to an art school in Brussels. He made more than 200 colorful pictures in school. Yet, he failed on a lesson and quit school after. Later, he pursued a career as a preacher in the Christian ministry. After a great experience in his hometown, he failed the entrance exam for his education (which lead to another failure).

In addition, Van Gogh’s life was a common pattern of failures after disappointments. Based on goinswriter.com, he tried another path, art and Christianity. His parents believed that Van Gogh was insane. But Vincent was interested in nature as a child while he traveled in the beauty of the God’s Creation. Van Gogh continued to believe in God helping him on the way. Although Vincent was going through depression and anxiety (which led him to cut his ear due being upset), he still continued to face his adversity. His parents still were ashamed of his actions pulling him down like an anchor, but soon Vincent in small steps lead himself to success.

Finally, Vincent Van Gogh never gave up on his dreams after failing unstoppable times. According to goinswriters.com, Vincent failed his way to victory. The Dutch painter continued his love for the outdoors. Everything he saw in front of him became his inspiration. His artistic carrier lasted for about ten years. He died at the age thirty-seven, in a hospital bed, mentally ill. After his death, his sister-in-law, his brother’s wife, sold his paintings and they eventually were shared around the world. His worldwide famous panting, ‘Starry Night,’ became well-known and popular around the globe. Soon, his name became admired.

To close up, Vincent Van Gogh was   remarkable man. He took his mistakes and converted them to prizes. One door closed and another one opened. He didn’t let anything get in his way. He trusted himself and followed on what he believed in. Vincent’s artworks inspire many people today, including me. Facing adversity was quite challenging to him, but he learned to forgive himself and try again. Vincent had once said, “In spite of everything, I shall rise again; I will take up my pencil…”

Helen Keller by Ashley N.

People have overcome adversity at least once in their life. Like Jesse Owens faced segregation but he overcame it. Even Albert Einstein had a learning disability had overcome adversity. But we are going to read about someone who faced a big adversity, also known Helen Keller who was deaf and blind. 

To begin, Helen Keller was born in Tuscumbia, Alabama on June 27,1880. She wasn’t an only child because she had four siblings. She caught an unknown illness when she was 19 months old. The doctors described this unknown illness as “an acute congestion of the stomach and the brain”. In “Early Childhood and Illness” in paragraph 3 of afb.org the author said, “Which might have been meningitis caused by the bacterium Neisseria meningitidis or possibly haemophilus inflenzae. Other possible infections were rubella or scarlet fever.” The doctors were trying to guess the possibilities of how Helen caught the unknown illness. The illness had left Helen deaf and blind. In paragraph 4, “At that time, Keller was able to communicate somewhat with Martha Washington, the two-years-older daughter of the family cook, who understood her signs; by the age of seven, Keller had more than 60 home signs to communicate with her family, and could distinguish people by the vibration of their footsteps”. Even though she was deaf and blind, Helen had ways to communicate with her family and could recognize people by feeling the person’s vibration of their footsteps.

Next, on March 3, 1887 someone named Anne Mansfield Sullivan came to Tuscumbia to become Helen teacher. Anne is blind or she suffered from serious vision problems. In “When Did Helen Keller Meet Anne Sullivan” on paragraph 5, “Anne believed that the key to reaching Helen was to teach her obedience and love. She saw the need to discipline, but not crush, the spirit of her young charge.” Which means Anne thinks the best way to teach Helen was with love and compliance. Anne also needed discipline but didn’t want to crush Helen’s spirit. So, Anne asked permission to take Helen out of her main house and to live in a nearby cottage. They stayed there for two weeks. Anne started teaching Helen by manually signing into Helen’s hand. Then Helen started to learn to form letters in the correct order and spelled words that she didn’t know existed. In “What were Helen Keller’s First Words” on paragraph, “Helen quicky proceeded to master the alphabet, both manual and in raised print for blind readers, and gained facility in reading and writing.” Helen and Anne’s amazing abilities or unique skills were then noticed by Alexander Graham Bell and Mark Twain who were two giants of American culture. Helen was then accused of plagiarism or copying at the age 11, but Bell and Twain defended both Helen Anne.

Lastly, when Helen was young, she wanted to go to college. In “Helen Keller’s Education and Literary Career” on paragraph 1, “In 1898, she entered the Cambridge School for Young Ladies to prepare for Radcliffe College. She entered Radcliffe of Arts degree cum laude in 1904.” Also, Helen was the first deaf and blind person to receive a Bachelor of Art Degree. Sadly, Anne died in 1936 and Polly Thomson took her place. Polly was a secretary for Helen and Anne in 1914. Helen started her writing career when she was still a student at Radcliffe. On paragraph 5, “Helen used a braille typewriter to prepare her manuscripts and then copied them on a regular typewriter.” She wrote topics about faith, blindness prevention, birth control, the rise of fascism in Europe, atomic energy, and more topics. In 1924, she had joined AFB and worked over 40 years for the organization. In “Helen Keller’s Worldwide Celebrity” on paragraph 1, “During seven trips between 1946 and 1957, she visited 35 countries on five continents.” She even met Winston Churchill, Jawaharlal Nehru, and Golda Meir who were world leaders. She died on June 1,1968 in Arcan Ridge and her ashes was put next to Anne and Polly in St. Joseph's Chapel of Washington Cathedral.

To summarize, Helen had faced a difficult adversity. Helen had achievements. She even inspired others who were deaf or blind. Helen had made a message of faith and strength through adversity resonating with those returning from war injured and maimed. She had to work hard to get where she is today. She had help facing adversity, but the strength was mostly hers.

Stan Lee by Antonio S.

If you are looking for a great person who has overcome adversity then Stan lee is the kind of man. He was hard working, and he did his absolute best making the Marvel comics and movies. He was very nice and everyone wanted to be around him. Even though he was rejected for most of his ideas with comic,s he didn’t let that criticism that he faced stop him from publishing any comics at all. Look how Captain America turned out, a soldier infused with super soldier serum was frozen for 70 years, but he survived. Even though Stan knew there was a war going on he still published the comic.

To begin with, since Stan Lee’s comics weren’t that popular because of World War II, and he wanted out. His wife gave him the push he needed to pursue his passion for creating comics that he wanted to create. e needed motivation to go back to creating comics because, since he was in the war most of the time, he lost interest. LifestyleAsia.com reports how Stan Lee overcame adversity to become a comic book icon. What happened for the next 50 years saw the eventual rise of comic book heroes onto the silver screen. Stan Lee helped Marvel with its success. While Lee had already retired from Marvel Comics by then, he played an important part in the company, going as far to appear in various cameos in many Marvel movies. Stan Lee was a crucial part in movies because even though he retired he still tried his very best to make everyone enjoy the movies. If Stan Lee stopped working at Marvel, then there wouldn’t be any Marvel movies.

Secondly, Stan Lee’s ideas were like bombs of success being set off every time they released a movie. Stan Lee was a very good old man, who suffered for our joy, because for Stan those cameos were really hard to film. Lifestyleasia.com reports how Stan Lee overcame adversity to become a comic book icon. So when Stan Lee was in the process of creating Spider-Man, he was met with criticism and skepticism from his publisher during pitches. Stan was determined to get his idea published. So even though he was rejected he still published Spider-Man. According to fantasy vol 15.lifestyleasia.com, Stan Lee overcame adversity to become a comic book icon. If Stan had listened to his publisher so many great movies, comics, and characters wouldn’t exist and Marvel most likely would have to shut down in the 80s or even sooner. We would never have the new Spider-Man if it wasn’t for Stan. Stan Lee was a great and determined man to produce joy with his ideas 

Thirdly, his publisher was right because a teenager superhero, with personal problems, and spider power was ridiculous. Nobody would want a spider as a pet his publisher thought and nobody would buy the comic. Time.com shows how Spider-Man was born. First of all people hate spiders, so you can’t call a book Spider-Man. Secondly, he can’t be a teenager since they can only be sidekicks. And third, he can’t have personal problems if he’s supposed to be a superhero because they are supposed to be on the top. Stan Lee was so positive even when his publisher was so rude to him. Stan got no credit whatsoever for the character Spider-Man because throughout his life he was just a writer for hire, so he never got credit for any of his work. Though out his life he was dealing with comics and the war, so he had a really stressed out life.

To end these thoughts, there were almost several challenges that Lee had to face, criticism, skepticism, and rejection. His rejection in the beginning made him a comics and movie star. His early life was damaged with rejection that he got, and especially with almost quitting. His comic career was ruined by both his publisher and the World War, which had caused him to give up, because comics were like cartoons of his war experience. His wife Joan saved the Marvel company, by motivating Lee back into the comic business, with him almost giving up. We would not have the multiverse of Marvel if it weren’t for Joan, who was a career saver, and may she Rest in Peace with Stan. They both were extraordinary people with great minds and they both overcame obstacles, particularly Stan Lee.

Oprah Winfrey by Janiyah H.

 

Look at anyone whom you admire, and you realize that they have determination because of their early years full of strife. Facing adversity is a normal part of life. People's mindset and choices they make sometimes affect what they do with their adversity. Some people take that adversity and use it as a boost for a better future. One person is Oprah Winfrey, who overcame adversity in her younger years, living with her grandma and mom, living on a farm in Mississippi, and in Milwaukee with her mom.

      To begin with, Oprah Winfrey had a difficult early life. According to learningliftoff.com, she was raised on a small farm and moved house to house. Oprah grew up on a little farm with not much luck. She was always moving and faced many obstacles. She was not getting much attention from her family. Further showing her rough childhood, she then moved with her mom. She still began to get treated badly by many around her. But everything soon started to change.

       Secondly, Oprah Winfrey had a difficult early life. According to learningliftoff.com, she was neglected by her mom. Her mom was always working, and she would be alone. This is an important time in a child’s life to be surrounded by people who are loving and supportive. According to the text, “since her mother worked long hours as a house cleaner, Oprah was neglected.” Since her mother was always working, she would be left with her nineteen-year-old cousin who raped her. Oprah had many rough times when she was younger. She was beaten, neglected, and many more things that had been hard for her to deal with. Soon, her life started to become better.

      Lastly, Oprah had a difficult early life, but everything started to change once she moved with her dad. Her dad got her into school, and she began to grow and overcome all her obstacles. According to biography.com, her dad showed her the way. She went to a good high school, and she got into a program for public speaking. Once Oprah got older, she began to become successful with all these opportunities, her education, and her training. She has gotten her own talk show and even her own television network. Her dad changed her whole life. She has become very well known. She overcame all her obstacles and pursued her dreams.

        In conclusion, Oprah has had a very rough life. Her grandmother would abuse her, and she would get neglected by her mom. But everything started to change once she moved with her dad. She became successful and very well-known across the world. Oprah overcame her obstacles and focused on her dreams.

Franklin Roosevelt by Celeste H.

 

The person I am going to be writing about today is Franklin Roosevelt who overcame many points of adversity. If you do not know who this person is, he was a four-time president of the United States. The adversity that this person faced and overcame was that he was paralyzed from the waist down by polio before running for office. This incident came with many other obstacles tied to it. The adversity points that are being mentioned are about how he faced polio and managed to do all the jobs that a president does during presidency. 

  

To start off, who was Franklin Roosevelt? Well other than from what we already know that he was one of the past United States presidents is that he was born is 1882. To be more specific he was born 1882 January 30th in Hudson Valley Town of Hyde Park in New York. In 1910 he even won the election for the New York senate. He became elected President in November 1932, to the primary of 4 terms. ”Roosevelt had pledged the United States to the “good neighbor” policy, transforming the Monroe Doctrine from a unilateral American manifesto into arrangements for mutual action against aggressors.” He additionally also looked for neutrality rules to hold America out of the battle in Europe, but at the same time to bolster countries threatened or attacked. But this is only of the few things that franklin Roosevelt did. This shows that he was dedicated in making America a better country. He was a great president during his four-term presidency. But this is some background information on him. This can be found on the website https://www.whitehouse.gov. 

To continue, he faced many adversities, one being that Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Democratic Party had simply misplaced to Republicans in 1920. Then, in 1921 he felt unwell at the same time as on holiday in Campobello Island. He had child-like paralysis which left him absolutely and completely paralyzed from his waist down. Having been within the limelight as a prime political figure, his infection could move fast and persuade Americans that everybody thought they’d get it and it changed into now that it was no longer simply an immigrant sickness as that they'd believed before. This is all showing the adversity he faced. It was also quoted that “This permanent paralysis could have marked the end of Franklin Roosevelt’s political career. Many assumed it was. His family included. But Roosevelt, living true to his words, that the only thing you should fear is fear itself, took this as his re-introduction to politics. The beginning of his powerful political career.” This shows that even though all these new and not so good things were happening to him he kept his head held high. This quote can be found on the website https://justwritelife.com. 

Furthermore, Roosevelt had won the United States presidential election three extra instances in a row, making him the longest serving American President thus far and the American President to serve the workplace more than 2 phases. He also served 4 phases among 1933 and 1945, when he had died. This shows that he pushed through all the adversities he faced that he made the best out of it and became a great president that won 4 elections. He also faced his fears by facing his adversities. Also quoted is that “Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s story is a display of how much you can achieve when you live a life of zero fear and fight all the fear factors in your life.” So not only did he face many obstacles, but he did it to the point where he got reelected for president three more times. This can be found on the website https://justwritelife.com . 

Altogether, Franklin Roosevelt overcame many times of adversity all together, but still managed to pull through. Problem after problem, but he just saw it as a bump on the road. And that road that had bumps on it was the road to success. He faced his fears and overcame them to the point where people chose his three more times as president. So, to him it did not matter if he was paralyzed from the waist down, he still faced all his fears. 

Frederick Douglass by Brianna O.

 

Frederick Douglass is a person who has triumphed in the face of adversity. What happen to his mother, and what did his grandma do to him as a child? How did he begin to learn? Finally, what did he knew when he was unrestricted? Other people, like Frederick Douglass, can overcome adversity because he has shown us the way.

Douglass was born a slave, to begin with. He was taken away from his mother and placed with his grandmother, according to www.cram.com. Since his mother worked on a different plantation, Douglass didn’t get to visit her very much. He would still see his mother four or five times every year, but she passed away in 1825. Frederick’s grandmother was in charge of twelve other kids, including his brothers, sisters, and cousins, which meant he got little parental attention. His grandmother abandoned him when he was 7 or 8. He was depressed because he felt alone. He was left at the Great House to labor in the fields.

Next, Douglass was given to the Auld family in Baltimore as a friend for their boy, but was treated well in the Great House. He met Hugh Auld’s wife, Sophia Auld, there. Sophia adored Douglass, so when she began teaching him how to put words together, she thought it was natural. Sophia was proud of him, but when her husband learned about this, he was disappointed. According to www.history.com, Hugh’s disapproval was based on the fact that it was both illegal and dangerous to educate a slave. Sophia would no longer want to be associated with Douglass as a result of this. However, it was to late, Frederick was determined to learn to read and write. This literacy would lead him to become a freedom fighter who inspired others. 

To continue, Douglass didn’t give up years past and he was now able to keep high-ranking federal appointments after Reconstruction. As the United States Marshal of Washington, D.C., he served under five presidents between 1877 and 1881. He was also D.C’s Recorder of Deeds from 1881 to 1886. He held these posts at a time when African American political involvement was severely limited by violence, fraud, and discrimation. On top of his federal responsibilities, he continued to advocate for racial equality and women’s rights in his speeches and dealings with people. Douglass published his third autobiography in 1881. Frederick Douglass: His Life and Times, takes a long view of his life’s work, the nation’s progress, and the work that still has to be done. Even though the country had injustice and a fundamental lack of freedom, Douglass and like-minded thinkers had more to do.

Overall, Douglass had both a difficult and a fortunate existence. Douglass was a hardworking man. Douglass never gave up and succeeded in the end. Douglass would have liked if everyone could work hard even when they wanted to give up. His adversity led to success. 

Helen Keller by Abigail M.

 

Have you ever wondered about how Helen Keller became successful? Well, first she started out with a bad behavior and gave up on her life. But when her teacher Anne Sullivan taught things, she never knew she began to think that she can do things she thought she could never learn and just by not giving up she is where she is now. She was a famous author, good teacher, and other roles.… Helen Keller lived a successful life despite adversity. Here's her story.

 For starters, Helen Keller was born on June 27, 1880, in the small town of Tuscumbia, Alabama. Helen Keller was around nineteen months old when she got a horrible case of scarlet fever, leaving her deaf and blind. Soon they found a partially blind teacher named Anne Sullivan. It states on History.com, “Anne Sullivan was at the time 20 years old when she began teaching Keller. "When Sullivan just started teaching Hellen, she used a teaching technique where she placed something in Keller's hand and then would spell out the word on her hand. When Sullivan ran water over Keller's hand, she understood what Anne was trying to teach her.” Keller knew she could learn more. This is when she began learning more and more things. It was like a light was turned on. Before this, she was living like a wild child with tantrums.

Furthermore, in 1888 Hellen started attending The Perkins Institute for the Blind. This was a basic schooling course for someone with a disability. This wasn’t getting Keller nowhere. As soon as she graduated from the PIFTB, she and Anne Sullivan moved to New York to attend a school for the deaf. In New York she also started speech lessons with Sarah Fuller. According to the site History.com, it says, “In 1896 They returned to Massachusetts, and Keller entered The Cambridge School for Young Ladies”. There she studied more until she got accepted to Radcliffe College of Harvard University. For someone deaf and blind, she was moving up with education at an amazing rate.

Finally, Helen went on and became a famous author and she set her mind to educate students. Keller was the first deaf and blind person to earn a bachelor's degree. This was one of her greatest accomplishments. According to britannica.com, it tells how went on and grew older and was recognized by many people. Even famous and well-established people got to know who she was. She also got many more trophies and medals for her good work. Later on Helen Keller died at the age of 87 in 1968, June 1. She grew to learn what life can bring and how she could help those in need. Helen Keller would be the perfect person to look up to.

To sum up this explanation, I'd say Helen Keller had the most surprising life. She lived a successful life while facing many challenges like her being deaf and blind. But in the end, she overcame those problems and focused on what she could do and what she wanted to achieve. Helen died a strong woman who held on to what her life could bring. Helen Keller once said, “When one door of happiness closes, another opens.”

Bethany Hamilton by Emanuel C.

 

Many people face adversity in their lives and become successful. Bethany Hamilton, born in Hawaii in 1990, was surfing competitively at the age of 8. Her career was almost derailed at age 13 when a shark bit off her left arm. Despite this, she came back to surfing shortly afterward and won a title for herself in 2005. Due to being a successful author and public speaker. Hamilton has shared her experiences within the topic of adversity in documentary films and appeared on several TV shows and programs.

To begin with, according to biography.com, Bethany Hamilton was born in Lihue, Kawaii, Hawaii, to parents Tom and Chery. She was raised in a surfing family. Hamilton learned to handle the waves at an early age. By 8 years old she started competitive surfing, an amazing accomplishment for someone so young. By 9 years old, Hamilton got her first ever sponsorship, which was also amazing. Hamilton continued to do competitive surfing. She even proved herself capable of beating more experienced surfers. Her early life was wonderful until tragedy struck.

Next, on the morning of October 31, 2003, Hamilton went to surf with her best friend and her family. After a few hours of surfing, she felt pressure on her left arm and her best friend noticed that her left arm had been severed nearly to the shoulder. She was rushed to Wilcox Memorial Hospital. It was confirmed that she had been attacked by a 14 ft tiger shark, who bit off her arm. Nevertheless, she had the mindset of a lion, the king of the jungle. Missing a limb, she vowed to return to surfing as soon as possible. 

According to Titanica.com, despite this tragedy, Hamilton resumed surfing just one month after the attack and was determined to  help keep the story alive in the news. She did many interviews about her experiences. Her 2004 autobiography, Soul Surfer: a true story of faith, family, and fighting to get back on the board, became a best seller book and also a movie. She was honored by MTV, ESPN, and the U.S sports academy for her courage in the face of this adversity. Hamilton continued to publish more books such as “Devotions for The Soul Surfer” and many more. Even though a shark bit off her arm she accomplished so much for a young girl.

In conclusion, Bethany Hamilton succeeded despite her adversities. She was determined and was not letting her bitten arm get the best of her. So, she went on to surfing after a while of her attack. She is now known from several documentaries and from several TV shows and programs. She is an inspiration around the world to many kids, teens, and even adults.

Bethany Hamilton by Andrew H.

 

Anyone you know who is famous, well known or admired, they have probably gone through adversity. They became who they are known to be now probably from hard work and determination. Bethany Hamilton is an example of that, since a traumatic accident happened to her, yet she still overcame it and defied the odds. Even with her disability, she did not give into her injury and continued to do what she was passionate about. And for her that was surfing and competing in competitions. 

Bethany Meilani Hamilton Dirk was born on 2/18/90 in Lihue Hawaii, to parents Tom and Cheri. She was raised in a surfing family; her parents began teaching her how to surf before age 5. She swam competitively at 9 years old, and she also got her first sponsorship at that age. In 1998 she competed in the Rell Sunn Menehune Surfing Champions in Hawaii, She won both the short and long board divisions. Having her first success, she was very eager to become a professional and competitive surfer. Over the years Hamilton steadily rose the ranks in amateur surfing competitions, and she even won several events. “Courage, Sacrifice, determination, commitment, toughness, heart, talent, guts, that’s what little girls are made of the heck with sugar and spice,” said Bethany Hamilton. 

On October 31, 2003, Hamilton and her best friend Alana, her father, and brother went surfing While she was lying on her board, all of a sudden she felt immense pressure on her left arm. Initially she felt no pain; it took her a couple of seconds when she then noticed that the water had turned blood red, and that her left arm was missing. Almost her entire arm had been torn off, so she was quickly rushed to the hospital. About 60% of Bethany’s blood was lost that day and on the way to the hospital she felt numb. Although the doctors said that her chances of survival were slim, Bethany kept fighting for her life. After the incident, Hamilton was left traumatized, but she did not let that stop her. Within only a couple of weeks after the attack Bethany was already starting to surf again, and she had to use a custom board that was thicker and longer and had a handle for her right arm. On January 10th, 2004 Hamilton entered her first ever competition since the shark attack, finally getting back to surfing because she did not let her disability get in the way. Later she wrote an autobiography called Soul Surfer talking about the attack and what happened afterwards.  

Bethany Hamilton’s legacy will live on as someone who has gone through adversity, because she lost something most people can’t live without. According to bethanyhamilton.com, the famouspeople.com, and biography.com, she won the NSSA National Championship in the women’s division and started competing on the pro circuit in 2007. She won the event that year and it wouldn’t be her last. In 2009 Bethany went on the game show “Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader?” She won a 25,000 dollars. In 2011 a feature film Soul Surfer, based on Bethany’s 2004 book, released and she even did all the one armed stunts in the movie. She has written 9 books and was featured in 2 movies. She is involved in numerous charity programs including her own, Friends of Bethany, which reaches out to amputees and youth. She has four different programs in her charity which cover traumatic limb loss, free community gathering events, conference for young women and girls to discover their beauty and self-worth, and a male retreat for men who have lost their limbs and to focus on faith. Overall, Bethany Hamilton has had many achievements in her life.

Overall, Bethany Hamilton had faced adversity and overcame it, most people wouldn’t have been able to do the same after losing a limb. But a missing arm would not stop her passion for surfing. In her life she had many accomplishments and has won many awards.  And she has helped people refund their faith after losing limbs or going through hardship. For all the trauma and all the therapy, she had to receive from her arm, and to get back up and start surfing so quickly, it means she’s determined and believed nothing could stop her from surfing, not even a missing arm. Despite all the adversity she faced in her life she overcame it and came out on top with multiple achievements. 

Frederick Douglass by Yostin M.

Have you heard of anyone who overcome adversity? People who face adversity choose to give up or continue. Those who take a step succeed. One person who overcame adversity was Frederick Douglass. He is a historical figure of great importance who came from the time of slavery.

To begin with, Frederick Douglass had a hard early life. According to Britannica.com, Frederick Douglass was born in slavery to a black mother and a white father. Basically, he grew up in a difficult circumstance where he would have to make his own life choices. Also, at 8 years the man who owned him sent him to Baltimore, Maryland to live in the household of a Hugh Auld. Frederick Douglass grew up just to overcome all these challenges since childhood. At age 15 he attempted to escape slavery but discovered obstacles before he could do so. Frederick Douglass did everything he could do so to escape, to overcome that adversity. Despite all of this he grew to show all of us that you can overcome adversity.

Next, Frederick Douglass had a fear of speaking. According to pbs.org, Frederick Douglass was 23 at that time when he overcame his nervousness and gave a speech. This shows when Frederick Douglass overcame his fear and started to publicly advocate against slavery. Also, Frederick Douglass was determined to use his verbal communication to advocate against slavery, racism, and discrimination. We see how he grows up to become someone who we will remember because he fought for rights. And on this, with his speeches he fought to advocate equal rights, justice, and citizenship for African Americans. We see how he is willing to fight for what matters. He did so much overcome that fear of speaking to do all of this.

To continue, Frederick Douglass continued into old age to fight adversity. According to the website History.com, Frederick Douglass remained an active speaker. We see this after he accomplished everything and then he never stopped. Also, he spoke about rights and equality. We see how Frederick Douglass continued to speak about what was right. Even in his old age, Frederick Douglass saved many lives by helping people escape slavery. Frederick Douglass did the right thing even in his old age. He did everything in his power to save and change those who suffered. Many people were inspired by his speeches since he was a great man.

To conclude this, there where so many aspects Frederick Douglass, all of what he did, which started with a rough beginning. His early life was a life of slavery, poverty, and unfairness. His life was changed when he overcame slavery and his fear to speak. Even after all of that, he fought to the end, to save and free all slaves. He was an awesome person fighting for rights of all the people.