GREENFIELD — The hard times just never seemed to pass.
She moved away from her hometown, and then her father died. She moved back, and then her mother fell ill. Sprinkled in between, she dealt with depression, anxiety and angst.
It would have been easy for Kaitlyn Yurchiak to quit, her teachers say; to let her school work fall by the wayside as she dealt with her chaotic personal life.
But the Greenfield-Central High School senior never gave up, they say. And Saturday, she’ll collect her academic-honors diploma knowing that her hard work and dedication left an imprint on the hearts and minds of those who knew her best.
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Click here to purchase photos from this galleryThe last four years have certainly been tumultuous, Yurchiak said; but they’ve taught her a lot about her strength and character. She’s learned that no matter what the obstacle in front of her might be, she can face it head-on and come out on the other side braver and wiser.
Yurchiak’s family moved several times while she was growing up. She lived in Shelbyville and then Anderson before coming to Greenfield, where she attended Greenfield-Central Schools throughout middle school.
She started her freshman year at Greenfield-Central High School in the fall of 2014; and had just started to settle into a routine when her parents told her the family would be moving again, this time to a city and school district more than 150 miles north in Crown Point.
Yurchiak admits she wasn’t excited about the change. Crown Point High School is twice the size of Greenfield-Central, and the idea of leaving behind the friends she’d made left her feeling scared and angry.
Still, she did her best to adjust after the move. But the family’s time in Crown Point proved to be short, she said.
Her father, Paul, died by suicide in December 2014; and her mother, Sally, moved her three children back to Greenfield, where they could be near family.
Yurchiak said her father’s death has certainly been the most difficult time in her life so far. And the years that followed it have been full of ups and downs.
She was happy to be back in Greenfield; but the terrible circumstances that brought her back made the move home bittersweet.
She struggled to stay on top of her classwork while mourning her father, while learning to live without him.
Some semesters were harder than others, she admits. She retook a few classes, knowing she’d need a better grade in the course to earn the academic honors diploma she craved.
Then, in the spring of her junior year, Yurchiak’s mother suffered a brain aneurysm that required a major surgery to correct, followed by a grueling recovery process.
Once again, Yurchiak was distracted from her schoolwork, she said. But with graduation drawing closer, she was determined not to let herself fall back into a slump, she said.
So, she turned to her teachers for help.
The staff at Greenfield-Central became a sounding board for Yurchiak, regarding both personal and professional issues, said Maranda Anderson, a social studies teacher.
While confiding in them about what was going on at home, Yurchiak sought advice from her teachers about how to stay on top of her work and how to complete it to the best of her ability, Anderson said.
Yurchiak would come to Anderson’s class, seeking extra help, asking that term papers be reviewed and revised two or three times before the official due date, all to ensure she received the best grade she could, Anderson said. Her hard work showed, and she managed to stay at the top of her class, she said.
Yurchiak was proud of the success she saw when she pushed herself. But after a while, it all became too much, she said.
During her senior year, Yurchiak became concerned with her own mental health, she admits — so much so that she decided to get professional help, and checked herself into a hospital that specializes in such care.
There, she learned ways of coping with grief and stress, she said. She learned she’ll never completely get over the pain of losing her father or her constant worry about her mother’s health, she said. But she can manage the feelings and ask for help when needed.
School guidance counselor Kim Kile said she worked with Yurchiak throughout her four years of high school and was always moved by the teen’s willingness to face every hardship with a smile.
“… I am amazed at her resilience,” Kile said. “She has been given quite a bit to deal with during an already stressful and emotional time in her life, and she has kept an amazingly positive attitude.
“I will always remember Kaitlyn’s smile and determination to persevere,” Kile said.
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Take a peek at the future plans of Greenfield-Central High School’s top graduates. Page A5
Tuesday, check out photographs of the school’s commencement ceremony.
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