At 18, Javonie Turner is a young student but old in her wisdom and experiences. She explained how difficulties in her life led to valuable life lessons and finding strength through others.

Due to health complications due to her mother having breast cancer, Turner considers herself a miracle baby. From this, she firmly believes that “everything happens for a reason.” Her mother died, leaving behind three daughters and a single father. Turner has two sisters – one older and one younger than her – and looks to them for strength and wisdom.

“My oldest sister played the mother role; I looked up to her, and it was hard for her but she radiated strength,” Turner said.

After her mother died, Turner became an introvert and mostly kept to herself during school. Outside of school is where the bullying started.

“I was very quiet, and didn’t interact with others,” Turner explained. “I was quiet because I was going through a lot. People talked about me, and I felt like I was trapped inside and couldn’t say anything.”

From this, she says that she didn’t have many friends, but the few friends she has she considers family.

When her father remarried, adjusting to a new stepmother was a struggle and a difficult situation. She had a bad relationship with her new stepmother from the start. “I believe that my stepmother wasn’t ready for the baggage of three kids,” Turner said.

As time progressed, she learned to coexist with her stepmother, and she considers the birth of her baby brother a blessing. Now, she is more cordial with her stepmother but still has yet to know her better.

“Joint families don’t know what they’re getting into, and you should put in effort,” Turner believes. “Make peace, don’t try and enforce rules, don’t be difficult, hateful, or spiteful. Be nice and cordial regardless.”

How has Javonie been able to come out stronger through all of these hardships? A few events have helped Turner come out stronger through all of these hardships. She moved from Spanaway to Puyallup, she has met new people, she has friends that helped her, and she finds strength through her spirituality. Going to church gave her an outlet and a refuge, and there was availability for support.

“I felt like I was [spiritually] carried, and I possibly could have been dead without church,” Turner said. “It’s everything to me, and I couldn’t imagine life without my spirituality. I believe God is still looking out for me.”

From her hardships she believes that she is wiser and mature than most people her age. “I grew up faster because of my responsibilities, I knew what loss was, and I was there for other people.”

She has learned plenty of lessons in her 18 years, and shares a few of them that she firmly believes in: “Forgive people, don’t hold grudges, don’t be afraid to tell your story, speak up for yourself, treat yourself how you want to be treated, be loyal to those loyal to you, and be yourself.”

Now that she is satisfied with where she is in life, she plans to finish and do well in school, set high goals, achieve her dreams, and make her family proud. And, she adds, “Remember to do it for yourself.”