“The weird, weird thing about devastating loss is that life actually goes on. When you're faced with a tragedy, a loss so huge that you have no idea how you can live through it, somehow, the world keeps turning, the seconds keep ticking.” - James Patterson, Angel Since my father passed away in 2021, along with the weight of the responsibilities that followed, I’ve often been asked questions like, "How did you manage it? I couldn't have done what you did, bro." I usually offer a generic response—something like, "It is what it is" or "Life doesn’t stop; you just have to carry on." But if I’m being honest, the real answer is that I truly don’t know. My mother, bless her soul, is incredibly sensitive, and as an only child, it was undeniably difficult. But I hadn’t fully reflected on any of this until Owen, the founder of this emerging community—my dear friend and someone I consider a brother—asked me to write about my experience. At first, I didn’t know what to write. I wasn’t sure I had achieved anything worth mentioning. When I told Owen this, he laughed and replied, "Bro, are you joking?" And that’s the thing—when you’re in the thick of it, with tunnel vision, you rarely get the chance to step back and see the bigger picture until much later. That’s the beauty (or the harsh reality) of hindsight. Looking back now at my first year of university, I sometimes think, "Wow, I lost my best friend, my mentor, my anchor—my absolute rock." And yet, now it almost feels like nothing has changed. But of course, that’s not true. I carry that loss with me every day, and it shapes every facet of my life. It has influenced my relationships, my friendships, my entrepreneurial ventures, and even my academic path. Since then, I’ve graduated with First-class honours in Law, completed my LLM (and, Inshallah, hoping for distinction—pray for me, it’s pending), started my doctoral applications, am imminently launching a website and brand, been elected as the London Representative of the Muslim Student Council, and co-founded a business that has served Premier League footballers and one of the biggest influencers of recent times.