By Craig Williams

Courage. Commitment. Genuineness. These three characteristics have positioned Terrionna Covington, a 2021 Meridian graduate, for post-secondary success. She wants to serve people by helping them heal. She wants to become a Registered Nurse and begins her journey this Fall at Shawnee Community College where she intends to earn an LPN degree before transferring to a 4-year school to pursue a bachelor’s degree and become an R.N.

But it wasn’t always so clear. Terrionna’s life has been beset by its share of hurdles, detours, and outright tragedy. While just a toddler, she lost her older sister to a drowning incident and, as an eleven-year-old, she lost her other sister – 4-years her elder – to an asthma attack. The loss of this child landed like a dagger through the heart of her mother who, as a result, made the decision to leave their home in Hayti, Missouri for a different environment. They landed in the tip of Illinois where Terrionna would begin a series of tumultuous years, beginning in 7th grade, in the Century school district. With this relocation, Terrionna experienced some social challenges assimilating into this new community. She found herself on the receiving end of verbal assaults and lobs of ugly epithets. The fight-or-flight response with which we are all equipped is often less of a choice and more of an instinct and, in Terrionna’s case, it frequently leaned toward the ‘fight’ end of the spectrum. Eventually it all just became too much of an uphill battle and Terrionna’s mother decided to move her into the Meridian School District for a change of scenery.

By her sophomore year, Terrionna had found a supportive social circle and was making solid progress in every area of her life. As she was approaching high school’s finish line, she celebrated the milestone 18th birthday dinner with her girlfriend. She’d told her father already and, to her friends, she’d been out since freshman year, but within minutes of the selfie of Terrionna and her girlfriend sharing a birthday kiss showing-up on Instagram, she received the disapproving call from her mother, “When you get home tonight, we need to talk.” “Yes,” she thought, “we sure do.” But she didn’t expect that her mother would announce a departure from Mounds, a return to Hayti, or the admonition that Terrionna must join her. Not in the middle of her senior year. “I told her I wasn’t going, that I’d get an apartment and stay here to finish school.” Despite her mother’s departure and protests, that’s what she did. She got an apartment and resolved, not only to complete her senior year, but to enrolling in Shawnee Community College for the Fall semester.

Authenticity is a truth we tell on ourselves and it may as well be Terrionna’s middle name. She is defined by courage in the face of adversity and an unswerving commitment to crossing the finish line. In life, we are all confronted by our own unique tests. Our response to them reveals who we are and what we’re made of. Terrionna has already demonstrated, unquestionably, that she’s made of good stuff and one who is well on her way to authentic excellence.

With an eye on the future and her heart focused on healing, she’s going to make a good dent in the world. She’s going to continue to make us proud.