STAGE WRITE's Ke'Nihya Pane on Why 2020 Was Her Best Year

Courtesy photos provided by Ke'Nihya Pane.

The following is a college essay written by Ke'Nihya Pane from Armstrong High School as part of her time with Cadence Theatre's STAGE WRITE student leadership and workforce readiness program virtual first semester. Ke'Nihya truly exemplifies the spirit of resilience and commitment to effective storytelling through the written word. Thank you, Ke'Nihya, for being one of our star students and sharing your message and inspiration. 

When we were studying the speech Robert Kennedy gave after Martin Luther King, Jr. was shot, my English teacher gave us a Horace quote to consider: “Adversity has the effect of eliciting talents which in prosperous circumstances would have lain dormant.” Struggle finds us in many forms, whether it is tying our shoe or studying for an exam. Struggle is real. It means that we find difficulty in the task presented to us. Without the resilience after unfortunate experiences in the world, we miss being shaped into the people we were meant to be.

As a freshman at Thomas Jefferson High School, I was nervous about what I was facing. I imagined it would be one of the best years of my high school life, and it was. I was concerned with fitting in with my peers and with pursuing things that I missed doing in middle school when I was a bookworm, interested only in reading and staying to myself. 

Two months into sophomore year, things got harder.  My grandfather was diagnosed with cancer and underwent surgery, and a classmate and I had several altercations, which resulted in my being suspended. On top of the things going on with school, I was dealing with things internally, contemplating the many choices of the “average teenager.” I ended up switching schools. Trauma and grief thrust me into a depression that lasted for over a year. I worked to overcome it.

Junior year, discovering my GPA was the lowest it had ever been since the eighth grade, I made sure to submit work on time, communicate with teachers, and was determined to complete homework and all extra credit assignments. In January of the next year, I was successfully released from probation, promising myself that I would never go back and that I would not become a statistic.

2020 has been one of my best years in every aspect of my life. I became closer to family. I feel renewed. It feels like I have gained back time that was lost. Today, I have surpassed what others thought of me and even what I thought I could do. There was a time where other’s thoughts could dictate my reality: the things that people were saying and the little things that were spewed at me with spite. I try to use my weaknesses to my advantage because I know someone, even you, may smile harder if I compliment your shoes, laugh when I admire your outfit, or blush just because my little words have made your day better. Change has made me more compassionate, out-spoken, and honest. By valuing life's lessons, I now aspire to walk in my purpose that I know I could fulfill if given a chance to prosper while helping others. Reflecting on the timeline we call life, I am confident that I will change, motivate, and guide others in a way that will, in turn, affect me. I’m still undecided in terms of major, but maybe I am destined to help children with the things they believe are too much. I now have my own expectations. I am living by my own rules.

To learn more about Cadence Theatre Company's Stage Write program, click here.