Episode 27: Senior Chapel Talks by Karina Samuel, Eddie Garcia, and Evan Will ’19

“I’ve always seen people as people,” said Karina Samuel during her #SeniorChapelTalk. She shared the story of her family and the unconditional love they have for each other. With her mother from the Ukraine and her father from India, she described her family as a beautiful compilation of people from all different backgrounds, cultures, and opinions. It's something she's also experienced here at TMI where, "unconditional love is a cornerstone for an open minded and diverse community belonging to each other and respecting one another...So when you leave this place," she said, "take some love from this community and make it your own."

Finding himself with two broken arms after a bicycle crash one summer, Eddie Garcia shared how his determination to take on any challenge changed the way he looks at life. During his #SeniorChapelTalk, he shared that initially he allowed himself to feel sorry for himself. But after three days of wallowing in his own misery, he realized he was bored and that if things were going to be different, he needed to change his attitude. Rather than feeling that his summer was ruined, he started to look at everything as a challenge to overcome. He learned to adapt, improvise, and even lean on those who supported him. He soon found himself–with two broken arms–snorkeling, kayaking, and making the most of life. By the end of the summer, he learned “no matter how hard a problem is, and no matter how impossible it may seem, I can and I will overcome the problem.”

Commenting that he didn’t have just one single life-changing event to share with the community, Evan Will stressed the importance of learning from all your mistakes–small and large–during his #SeniorChapelTalk. He shared one example, in elaborate detail, how a bad idea led him to jump an iron fence and resulted in him impaling his leg. Knowing he had been doing something he shouldn’t have, he proceeded to lie about it as the ambulance came and took him to the hospital. After he healed and the truth finally came out, he realized how not telling the truth had forced his doctors to work with limited information. “Maturity comes from making little mistakes, learning from them, and living your life…so, take risks, and make mistakes while you’re young…just make sure you actually learn from your mistakes.”