The space between my twin sister’s room and mine is approximately one step—short enough to transport myself into the rays of sunlight that her breezy white curtains permit. Often, I find my twin sister Nina K. ’26 lying on her bed, eyes buried deep underneath her hands to escape those same rays and the excruciating pain of headaches. Headaches have become normalized for her after getting a concussion during April 2024, her sophomore year, in a lacrosse game. Nina still experiences concussion after-effects a year and a half later, which she said resulted from ignoring her concussion at the start.  

A few months later, in October 2024, Siena G. ’26 woke up in her room the morning after accidentally dropping a hand-held camera on her temple during a theatre rehearsal. Immediately, she struggled to read the names of the books on her shelves, marking the beginning of a lengthy battle against nausea, headaches, and pain dominating her concussion experience.  

Concussions are not new.  

Over the past three years, Mr. Michael Avelar, or Mike, the Athletic Trainer at Westridge, has managed 33 concussions among students. Concussions, a brain injury resulting from a hit to the head, often result in a variety of symptoms unique to the student, ranging from light sensitivity and headaches to vomiting and memory loss.

When a student gets a concussion, Ms. Bonnie Martinez, Dean of Student Support, communicates with the school nurse, Ms. Lorena Beltran, and teachers to organize accommodations for the student. According to Ms. Martinez, teachers have become more used to concussions. 

However, as Ms. Martinez notes, “It is not a one-size-fits-all.” Alia S. ’27 got a concussion from soccer. She did not tell her teachers because her concussion was diagnosed as very mild. She said, “[My concussion] made doing homework harder, but also because it was so mild, I thought ‘I should be able to do this. I’m fine.’ But it was messing with my brain, and I would start trying to focus on something, and it’d be hard, and then I would be mad at myself.” She mostly recovered after a week. 

For Abby L. ’27, who suffered a concussion from soccer, she did inform her teachers; however, she mentioned that one of the biggest struggles was obtaining extensions for her assignments. She said, “Initially, I emailed my teachers, which I feel like I shouldn’t have to email them, especially when I’m recovering from a concussion.” Though she got extensions after her parents proved that she had a concussion and Ms. Martinez communicated with her teachers, Abby said, “I clearly wasn’t at school because of my concussion, so I think those extra steps could have been avoided. I shouldn’t have to fight my way for an extension.”

Students like Nina and Siena, who are still recovering in some aspects a year later, received a lighter workload, which allowed them to prioritize their healing, yet, they felt isolated from the community, due in part to the intense work culture at Westridge. Nina said, “No one ever helps you with the emotional aspect. It is hard to be isolated from everything, and everyone tells you that you can take your time and you don’t have to do [schoolwork], and everyone else thinks that you are so lucky because you don’t have to do it. No one asks if you are emotionally okay.”  

Similarly, Siena said, “It was really difficult to have everything happen around me. Yam Fest happened, and I was literally lying in the nurse’s office with a migraine and was so nauseous that I could not eat or even get up.” As a result of missing classes and schoolwork, Siena had to make up her schoolwork over the summer, and because she could not contact teachers over break, she had to hire a math tutor and a humanities tutor to teach her the material.  

Meanwhile, Sydney E. ‘26 experienced three concussions from volleyball during her junior year. Sydney emphasized the strong presence of volleyball in her life, yet after her concussions, she had to take a break from playing with her team. “[It is] so hard to go back on the court knowing that I could get hit again. I kept picturing getting hit,” she said.

However, in the wake of their difficult experiences, concussed students still find strength. Siena, for instance, continued doing theatre. She recounted the support and excitement of the faculty over the summer while she was finishing her work from the previous year. “Every time I knocked off a subject, there would be like a mini party in the room and the [faculty on campus] would congratulate me,” she said. Sydney and Nina commented on the lighter workload that teachers provided them. Sydney was also grateful for the support from her volleyball coach, Coach Jenna, and Mike, the Athletics Trainer. 

For some students, there is no clear “after” the concussion; they still experience lasting impacts like headaches and visual discomfort around paper colors. They define their recovery by small yet meaningful steps, whether stepping back on the field with teammates or reading a book page without a headache. Siena even uses humor, listing “survivor of cameras” as a special skill on her theatre resume.   

The concussion experience becomes a lesson of patience and, for others still experiencing the aftereffects, a test of their perseverance, and a journey towards self-trust. As a community, offering a support system and even a moment to listen becomes more important than ever. For those recently diagnosed with a concussion, “Advocate for yourself, take care of your concussion from the beginning, and reach out to people—don’t go through it alone,” Nina K. said.