By Nate Fisher

It can be challenging to breathe in a work-obsessed culture. As many of us already know, the time our work and school obligations leave for grieving is virtually nonexistent. Any sort of self-care is regarded as an individual responsibility, and this can be incredibly difficult if you lack the resources. One of the resources we can draw on, but often struggle to, is the simple admission that we need a little self-care in the first place. For Kambria Choldress, a 2021 graduate of Meridian High School, realizing this for herself has given her an advantage early in her career. Her message for us is a good one, one to which we might listen: it’s alright to take a breather for your mental health, and taking time doesn’t mean you’ve quit or that you’ve failed.

The daughter of military veterans, Kambria has had plenty of influences in her life that have directed her toward this acute self-awareness. She says that her siblings have had a profound impact on her life and that her middle sisters present an ideal model for how she might pursue her own dreams; They seek out new experiences and aren’t afraid to try unfamiliar things, and this confidence is something she hopes to emulate.

Kambria is attending Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville this year with the plan of getting her Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree. She hopes, one day, to specialize in pediatrics and even travel nursing if the opportunity presents itself. Ultimately, she hopes to attend graduate school and become a nurse practitioner.

For someone with high expectations for the future and a rock-solid plan already in-hand, Kambria has seen her share of unexpected grief. In June of 2019, she lost her stepmother when a storm pushed a tree onto her vehicle. In November of that same year, Kambria lost her grandfather, one of her most significant role models. In navigating all this grief, she emerged with some key lessons she learned by her grandfather’s example, one of which is that family should be number one. She says that he never let his illness bother him or interfere with where he was going, a display of resilience and grit that has inspired her to keep going. Two months later, her other grandfather also passed away, and all of this pain finally came to a head.

It was during this period that Kambria was rocked with grief and uncertainty. She admits to mentally checking out of school and extracurricular activities and is grateful for the support of close friends who carried her through this difficult time. By experiencing these hardships, one tragedy after another, she began to develop an affirming belief in the power of pushing back when you’re at your lowest and just giving yourself room to process the sorrow. She discovered that claiming this room to breathe was one of the most effective tools available to heal from such trauma.

Despite the unexpected emotional holdups, Kambria returned to the active self she’d been throughout her entire tenure in the Meridian school district: a Beta Club member from fifth grade through her senior year, student council, NHS, working on her associate degree through the Fast Start program, two years of softball, in addition to working as a cashier, nearly full-time, at JCPenney. Though she is aware of the opportunities outside of Mounds, she still considers it home. Knowing from her own firsthand account that you can give yourself a mental health break without considering yourself a failure, she is well-equipped to move forward and fulfill her desire to make her family proud and become an inspiration to her younger peers. And we fully expect that she will do just that, and then some.