In his #SeniorChapelTalk, Daniel Espey shared the internal struggle he faced as a child when answering the simple question ‘Where are you from?’ Born in South Korea and brought to the U.S. when he was adopted at just 8 months old, he found himself answering both South Korea and America to the question. But he faced his biggest struggle at just 11 years old when another child told him to go back to where he belonged. Never expecting such a comment and not knowing how to respond, he whispered, “I can’t.” He realized in that moment that life would not be a breeze as he thought it would. But what he shared with the community is that everyone faces difficulty in their lives in their own way. Prove your doubters wrong, he stressed, “you are a unique individual and you have a place in this world…your story, your background is something nobody else can possess, so use your experiences as a way to better yourself and prove yourself.”

“I never stop talking,” Jessica Cox said in her #SeniorChapelTalk. But when she started to get bullied at her old school for being part of something she loved–swimming–she reached out for help and ended up hearing versions of ‘boys will be boys’ and was left feeling like it was her fault for speaking up; she retreated and fell quiet. Feeling defeated and let down by those who were supposed to help, she came to TMI a reserved and closed-off sophomore. As time passed, however, she found her voice again. Back to talking people’s ears off, she told the community to never be afraid to speak up. “Share your voice without being afraid nobody is listening,” she said, “and if no one listens to you, speak louder.”