July 24, 2025
A Future Full of Hope
How Symphony is Turning Challenges into Strengths
We define Hope as the ability to understand difficulties within a situation and believe it will improve. This month, we are proud to honor Symphony as our Achiever of the Month for embodying this Core Asset.
Symphony has been paired with her Friend, Keyera, for three years. Through transitions, academic challenges, and moments of loss, Keyera has been right beside her. When they first met, Symphony was unsure. “At the time, she was dealing with multiple transitions and was hesitant about another mentor,” Keyera recalls. “I gave her space to share her feelings while also reassuring her that I would be a consistent role model in her life and fun!”
That consistency has paid off. Today, Symphony is quick to share stories, laugh out loud, and bring her full, energetic self into every outing. “She’ll always be herself. I admire that about her. As soon as I pick her up she’s ready to catch me up.”
Symphony’s journey has not been without obstacles. She faced the emotional toll of being held back a grade in school. It was a difficult experience that could have easily discouraged her. But she didn’t give up. Instead, she worked with Keyera, her teacher, and her mother to turn things around. “Symphony and her mother did an incredible job this school year with attendance. I’m so proud of them both.” And her dedication to bringing things around showed. “Symphony was excelling in all of her subjects, completing her homework and projects on time.” Though the school ultimately did not move her back into her original grade, the advocacy from her teacher was a testament to Symphony’s progress. “Although we didn’t get the result we wanted, her teacher’s belief in Symphony showed me just how much progress Symphony has made academically.”
Symphony encountered another deeply personal challenge this year when she lost her kitten, Mazikeen. The grief was intense. “She went through a tough period where that’s all she would talk about with her counselor,” Keyera says. But Symphony didn’t shut down. She talked through her feelings, leaned on her support system, and allowed herself to be cared for. “She’s at a point now where she understands what happened but still thinks about Mazikeen.”
She also found healing through her love for her other pets—Sparkle, Magnum, and Cinnamon. Her ability to process that grief and keep showing up to life is a clear and powerful example of what it means to live with hope.
In the face of both of these challenges, Symphony has chosen to keep growing. She’s committed to her self-care, thanks in part to intentional outings with Keyera focused on hygiene and well-being. “It’s been great to see those discussions have an impact just based on how Symphony is showing up to her outings as a young woman.”
And even on the hard days, Symphony finds ways to reset: she shares her stories, makes plans, and looks ahead. “Giving her that control back is important,” Keyera explains. “That’s when she’s in storytelling mode and expressing herself fully.”
Through it all, Symphony’s relationship with Keyera has remained a steady foundation. “Unless there are circumstances outside of my control, I see her every week and that’s how I make my impact,” says Keyera. “Just being a reliable source of support, comfort, fun and joy.”
Symphony’s story reminds us that hope isn’t about pretending things are easy. It’s about knowing things are hard, feeling those emotions, and choosing to believe that things can and will get better. She has shown us that through her work to catch up in school, through her courage to grieve, and through her refusal to let setbacks define her.
“I hope Symphony remains herself even when life happens,” Keyera reflects. “I hope that doesn’t change even when processing loss on different levels.”
We do too.