C.S Lewis wrote: “Affliction is often that thing which prepares an ordinary person for some sort of an extraordinary destiny.”

In every ordinary school year, we witness scores of “ordinary” students and teachers doing extraordinary things.

They meet and overcome personal, emotional and physical challenges. Along the way, they develop resilience, grit and determination. They show curiosity and a thirst to learn more and keep aiming higher. They learn to adapt gracefully, turning unforeseen trials into unexpected opportunities. 

The events of the past year in particular brought the extraordinary people among us to the forefront. We saw many of them in January at the first virtual event of the annual Teacher of the Year celebration.

Now we’re at the time of year when our attention turns to another group deserving of our admiration: our students—specifically those juniors and seniors who have overcome significant obstacles in improving their lives.

We call these overcomers “STRIVE” students. Their stories are powerful, their grace in the face of adversity is inspiring, and their gratitude for being recognized is humbling. In past years we hosted a luncheon to honor them, but that, too had to be adapted, and we continue to find new ways to recognize and encourage them to keep going toward the next level of their education.

These examples of individual students and teachers tapping into their ability to reach their potential during extraordinary challenges led me to reflect on a macro level how our community and country are demonstrating resilience and strength, while I also reflected on a micro level how our organization and even I, as a human being, can demonstrate determination and resolve not only to survive but to thrive during this challenging period of time.  

I curiously wondered what lessons we might be learning along the way? Is it possible that our challenges are preparing us to reach new heights? Is it reasonable to consider how anyone can fully appreciate the exhilaration of an epic mountaintop if one has not yet experienced the throes of being in the valley?

Could it simply be that the obstacle is the way?

Author Ryan Holiday posed the question in “The Obstacle is the Way: The Timeless Art of Turning Trials into Triumph”, which is the audiobook I currently am listening to while running.

I’m inspired by the teachers and students who press through the obstacles they face and leverage those obstacles to reach their full potential. It’s fascinating to see people who become better not in spite of their circumstances but because of their circumstances.  

As each of us is the individual owner of our beliefs, it is appropriate that we consider carefully how we answer these questions as our answers reflect what we choose to believe. 

A well-known quote attributed to Mahatma Gandhi emphasizes the importance of holding fast to our beliefs:

 “Your beliefs become your thoughts, your thoughts become your words, your words become your actions, your actions become your habits, your habits become your values, your values become your destiny.”

Jennifer Vigne in president and CEO of the Education Foundation of Sarasota County.