Life, In Progress
10/15/2025
From childhood milestones to lifelong perseverance, every stage of life brings its own challenges and victories. This photo essay captures moments of strength, growth and resilience across generations. Each photo in the series reflects a different stage of life and a unique brand of endurance, yet they all share the undeniable truth that life is a journey of learning, growing and moving forward.
Miriam Backer, 6
Miriam Backer is 6 years old. One week ago, Miriam lost two of her baby teeth on the same day. While she was hesitant to lose them according to her father, Harrison Backer, she was able to save up her tooth fairy money for a brand new stuffed animal. She chose one after her favorite animal, a cat, and named him Cam. This year will be Miriam’s first year of homeschool kindergarten. Her current favorite subject is math and, she uses an abacus to help with her schoolwork. She does, however, get frustrated with reading “She is learning to read quickly, despite her frustrations,” Harrison said. “Once she learns something, she doesn’t tend to forget it. She’s a very good learner.”
Kendal Lyssy, 29
Kendal Lyssy is 29 years old. Twenty-nine years ago, Kendal, along with her twin sister, was born blind. Many activities that seemed simple to her sighted peers presented much more of a challenge for Kendal. Using a computer or crossing the street safely took a significant amount of time to learn. When Kendal moved to Columbia in 2022, she spent several weeks in multihour training sessions with an instructor to learn how to navigate the city. “Repetition is the key to my success,” she said. Growing up, her parents never thought of their daughters’ blindness as a weakness, but merely another part of their identity. From an early age, Kendal and her sister were taught they could achieve just as much as anyone else. “The narrative that you hear growing up really shapes your self-concept,” Kendal said. “It really matters.” Inspired by her own upbringing, Kendal is now a Ph.D. candidate in interpersonal and family communication at the University of Missouri. She will be defending her dissertation in the spring. When she does, she’ll not only become the first in her family to earn a Ph.D., but also the first blind person to do so in the history of the university’s communications department.
Vicente Heredia, 17
Vicente Heredia is 17 years old. Ten years ago, Vicente's mom signed him up for dance classes at Jabberwocky Studios. He quickly fell in love with hip-hop dancing, becoming a teacher at the same studio in 2022. Now a junior in high school, Vicente is still unsure on what his future career path will specifically be. However, he does know two things. He knows he wants to work with kids, and he knows he wants to attend Harvard or Yale University. Because of this, Vicente has been pushing himself to get the highest grades he can to stand out for college admissions. “I understand that it’s not completely indicative of who you are as a person or a student,” Vicente said, “but it shows a certain aspect of a student they really want.” While splitting his free time between the dance studio, his other extracurricular activities and his schoolwork can be challenging, Vicente takes his responsibilities to his students seriously. For the past two weeks, the five students scheduled for the lesson did not show. Despite this, Vicente remains committed. “I feel a larger obligation here,” he said. “It’s important to do your homework, but, really, it’s important to show up for the kids. Even if they don’t show up for me.”
Miikka Rokkanen, 41
Miikka Rokkanen is 41 years old. A few years ago, Miikka felt like he was getting out of shape and gaining a few pounds. While he has been going to the gym on and off since high school, he wanted to dedicate at least one kind of workout a day to get back to a body type he felt more comfortable with. For the longest time, Miikka focused exclusively on weightlifting. “It’s the only type of exercise I can get myself to do on my own,” Miikka said. “I’ve tried to become a runner many times in my life. I’ve failed consistently. I just can't get myself out of the door.” Miikka dislikes rowing and group exercises, so when his wife suggested he accompany her to a rowing class, he was hesitant. However, Miikka eventually caved and immediately realized he was wrong, signing up for a membership for the rowing gym the same day. After being at the rowing gym for roughly a year now, Miikka might actually enjoy the social aspect the most. Since he works from home, getting out of the house and interacting with others has been good for him. “It makes me feel good,” Miikka said. “It’s more of a psychological thing nowadays. I love starting my day in particular with exercise.”
Pam Hildebrand, 70
Pam Hildebrand is 70 years old. Three years ago, Pam was diagnosed with Charcot Foot, a rare disease causing progressive weakening and deformation of the bones, joints and soft tissues in the feet, leading to pain, swelling and difficulty walking. For a year and a half, Pam’s feet were stuck in casts that kept them aligned, ensuring she could properly wear shoes in the future. Since then, Pam has been forced to use a wheelchair for most of her movements. This has made daily activities, such as cooking and cleaning, much more difficult. Despite her health setbacks, Pam lets very little get in her way. “I don’t let it slow me down,” she said. “I don’t look at what I can’t do, I look at what I have to do to get what I want.” Pam lives at Bethel Ridge Estates, a senior living community, where she often finds herself as an unofficial resident advocate. She helps others through their mental health problems and fosters a tight-knit community, even going so far as writing legislation fighting for seniors’ rights. Pam Hildebrand is 70 years old, but that’s not how she sees it. She simply has 70 years of experience she draws on to keep herself and her community going.
