Congratulations to Alexander from Exeter, NH on Being Chosen As One of Two Winners in the “It’s Katy Perry” Week Contest!

In her video, Katy describes how the song lyrics to Queen’s “Killer Queen” hit her like a shockwave and spoke to her like no song had ever done before. For this contest, participants were instructed to share a story about how Katy Perry’s music has inspired them. His winning entry can be found below.

 My mother is a firework. During her most recent experience with cancer I learned something about her. I learned that nothing could stop her from living the life she wanted to live. Whatever happened she was always in control of it. When her hair fell out all she saw was that she no longer had to shave her underarms, and that she could finally buy a wig with the hairstyle she wanted. She knew what was happening to her, and she knew how she was going to deal with it. When her school put her on a medical leave, all she thought was how frustrating it was that she couldn’t be with her students.

She taught me that there is good in any situation, and it’s your job to find it. Throughout her months of chemotherapy, she never let it change her. She never felt sorry for herself. She taught me that strength has nothing to do with the number of pushups you can do. And she taught me that if there’s something you want to do, if there’s a way you want to live, that you should never let anything stand in the way of that.

At the end of my senior year in high school I was forced to test what she had taught me. I applied to ten colleges and was accepted at two of them, neither of which I wanted to attend. I had set my hopes very high and was extremely disappointed in myself. I felt that I had let down my parents, my teachers, and myself. I thought there was no way my teachers or parents would be proud of me, and I certainly wasn’t proud of myself. But with the support of my friends and family, I decided not to view my future this way. I chose instead to learn from my mother’s story. I decided I would go to college and be the best I could be. I decided to find the good in where I ended up.

And two years later I could not be happier with my college choice. I’ve joined the Relay for Life at my university, and I will be a Resident Assistant for a freshmen dorm in the fall. I want to always find the good in my situation, in the people I meet, and in the world. I’ve made it a goal of mine to share my story and my mother’s story. I want to inspire others as I have been inspired. This is what Katy Perry’s song Firework is about to me. It’s about being everything you can be. It’s about being the best you possible. It’s about loving who you are and living the way you want to, just like my mother does. And this song is a constant reminder for me to do that. It’s no coincidence that Firework is my most played song.

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