By Nate Fisher

Few people can relate to losing their home and all they own to catastrophe, and there are even fewer who can make a comeback in a short amount of time. Sara Williams, a lifelong Meridian School District student entering the 10th grade this year, is one such person. Her story is an example of personal determination and a testament to the “better angels” of a rural community’s nature.

On a New Year’s Day when Sara was 11, she lost her home and all her belongings when a fire broke out on her family’s property. A heater on the well pump that the family used for water set a nearby curtain ablaze. Sara was asleep at the time, along with her grandma and grandpa, oldest brother, uncle, and aunt, who was pregnant. As the family escaped, her grandpa searched for her grandma’s purse, which held their wedding rings and cash. When they reached the door and made it to safety, the home was already half engulfed in flames and deadly smoke. Her mother would return from a midnight shift to discover the house she had left only hours earlier had vanished in bursts of heat and light.

The family was devastated, and Sara was left unable to attend school for an entire week. Sara and her family began to piece their lives back together with a helping hand from her aunt and uncle in Texas and several locals. Her aunt and uncle started a GoFundMe page which collected donations from others eager to help. Several churches teamed up and donated canned goods and other food, clothes, and toys for the younger children.

“Her school and community are incredibly special to her.”

Today you wouldn’t be able to tell Sara had ever encountered this setback. She’s inspired by her love of art and spends most of her free time drawing. When she’s not sharpening her creative skills, you’ll most likely find her cracking open a science-fiction novel or biography. Her school and community are incredibly special to her, and she’s found mentorship in the guidance of her favorite teachers.

Her post-graduation plans are to attend Three Rivers College in Poplar Bluff, Missouri, where she hopes to study toward becoming an OB/GYN. If that doesn’t play out, she could easily see herself becoming a teacher, as she’d enjoy any opportunity to be around children. Though she prefers to stay close to home, a side of her wants to explore possibilities outside Southern Illinois.

The willpower that drives her forward is encouraged by the support of her grandparents, the two most influential people in her life. Inspired by their example, Sara shows an eagerness to build an exciting future for herself as you would a new home, moment by moment, brick by brick. And there is little doubt in the minds of anyone who knows Sara, that her ‘house’ will be built stronger not just in spite of the challenges she’s faced, but because of the way she faced those challenges and overcame; a well-fueled future, indeed.