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Tegan Conner

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My Essence

The story about a visually impaired high school student's search for identity.

    As a child, Essence Garlington's family noticed she had an unusual tendency to run into things. After seeking medical attention, the doctor determined that Essence had nystagmus, a rapid, involuntary eye movement that prevents the eyes
    Essence began attending the Governor Morehead School for the Blind in Raleigh halfway through her freshman year of high school.      "When I first got here I didn't talk to anybody for months," she said. "I was mad
    Essence rubs her eye as she waits for breakfast. The school keeps a very structured weekly schedule for the students to follow from the time they wake up in the morning until lights out in the evening.     "It can be fru
    "It feels like an island," Essence said. "You feel like you're just here in this little place all the time. Then when you come home, you're outside the island where things are speedy and fast and where everybody is going and talking."
    Like most of the students at GMS, Essence lives at the school from Sunday evening until Friday afternoon and then travels on a bus back to Charlotte to visit her family for the weekend.     "Lately, when I go home, I'm j
    When Essence travels to Charlotte each weekend, she stays with her older sister, Shana Phillips, her husband, Rico, and their four-year-old son, Rico Jr.     "My sisters are like my best friends," Essence said. "When we
    Shana spreads Essence's eyelids open to take a closer look at her iris after reading about the eye in a textbook.      "You have really pretty eyes, Essence," Shana said.      Shana is currently
    Shana and her four-year-old son Rico Jr. vie for Essence's attention during her weekend visit.      "It's like our own little chill space," Essence said. "When you want to relax and watch movies and hang with your f
    The sisters share a special relationship filled with love and support for each other.       "I'm so proud of the person she's become," Shana said.      "My sister calls me her personal therapist,
    Essence bounces on a ball in the gym at GMS during a free period before classes start in the morning.      "People here are a little different," she said. "They've been here a while, and they're a lot more sheltered
    Essence helps her classmate submit an assignment online during a class that consists of just the two of them.      "I love the teachers here because they each have something different and most of them are pretty fun
    Essence looks out the window as she climbs stairs at GMS.     "I want to go to college, which is really hard to get ready for," she said as she thinks about the future. "Hopefully, one day, I'll open up my own little [th

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