UW Posse Scholar Shehrose Charania on Resilience Through 2020

UW–Madison senior and Posse scholar Shehrose Charania of Chicago went through a particularly difficult year, with members of her family suffering from the disease and even losing health insurance.

Charania carries positivity with her even during difficult times. She’s been able to thrive at UW–Madison despite 2020’s adversity. She was named the 2020 Newman Civic Fellow, and she was one of the first studentsto enroll in the new bachelor of science in Health Promotion and Health Equity degree program.

“It was difficult being a student while having COVID, taking care of sick family members, and fearing our future when it came to our access to health care,” she said.Through all of these difficult times, Charania also learned a lot about herself. She learned just how important her mental health is to her well-being.“I learned to love myself again and take care of myself. I used quarantine to take a step back from reality to build healthy habits, reach out to loved ones and be kind to myself as we live in times of uncertainty,” she said.

Charania’s story is not just encouraging but is also an example that it is okay to not always be okay. Charania looks back on 2020 as a big life lesson and has a lot of hope for what 2021 will bring. Above all, she is hopeful for healing.

Read the full story at news.wisc.edu