06/10/2026
This is Tori. Her story? One of reslience, strength and bravery.
I didn't feel my words would do Tori justice, so I asked her to share how important this session was. This is Tori's story - in her words. Happy Graduation today, Tori. xo
Four years ago, to the day, I made the decision to take my life back.
For years before that, I struggled with my mental health in silence until I could no longer hide it anymore. Losing my mom on May 20, 2013, when I was only 19, changed me in ways I did not fully understand at the time. It left a grief inside me that I carried into adulthood, and for years I tried to keep going while silently falling apart. I did not know how to process that kind of loss, and instead of healing, I buried it. That grief became part of the depression, anxiety, addiction, self-sabotage, and emotional pain I was trying so hard to survive.
Every day felt like survival. My life during that time was filled with hospital stays, countless doctor appointments, psychiatrists, medication changes, and treatments. I underwent multiple rounds of ECT, which helped save my life but also left me with memory loss from parts of my past. I lost friendships, burned bridges, and carried deep regret for the person I was when I was unwell. While working to heal mentally and emotionally, I was also trying to rebuild my life from the ground up.
The last four years have been four years of growth, strength, resilience, and a new beginning. They have not been perfect years, but they have been years where I chose to keep going. I chose to heal. I chose to become better, not only for myself, but for my son and for the future I wanted so badly.
As a single mom, going back to school was not easy. I was trying to heal, raise my son, work, manage life, and rebuild myself all at the same time. There were many moments when I doubted myself, felt overwhelmed, and wondered if I could actually do it. But I kept showing up. I kept pushing forward, even when life felt heavy, because I wanted to prove to myself and to my son that we are not defined by the hardest parts of our story.
Losing my papa on November 12, 2024, was one of the hardest bumps in the road. For a while, I was scared it would set me back, but instead I have tried to use it as a reason to keep going. I want to make him proud. I want to make my mom proud. And after everything I have survived, I want to make myself proud too.
This graduation is more than a diploma to me. It is proof that I made it through the darkest parts of my life. It is proof that I fought for myself, rebuilt myself, and became someone I once did not know if I could become.
These photos are important because they are not just graduation photos. They represent survival, healing, grief, love, growth, and a new chapter. I want them to capture the strength it took to get here, the people I carry with me, and the version of myself I fought so hard to become.
June 11, 2022, was the day my life started again.
And now, four years later, I get to stand here and say that I made it.
