Transferring from Enid schools to Cordell in her fifth grade year was a rocky shift for Piper Gallagher.
Though she fits in well with the Cordell crowd now, at first Gallagher experienced issues with mental health, and struggled with the culture shock of moving abruptly to a small town.
Gallagher’s mother was her saving grace during the move, which took place at a pivotal developmental stage in Piper's life.
“When I first moved here it was really hard for me to make friends, and I developed a lot of mental health issues. It was really hard for a long time, but I'm getting better slowly, my mom has helped me a lot,” Piper said.
Growing up a very happy and social kid, Gallagher never expected to face issues with her mental health, making the battle even harder.
“It all hit me at once. No one expected it, not even me,” Piper said.
Tiffani not only helped Piper get started in therapy, but also helped her slip in with the right crowd, redirecting her a few times.
“She helped me find the right people to talk to, and gave me a good kick in the butt when I got in with the wrong people,” Piper said.
Along with her mother, her father and brothers' support assisted her greatly.
“I’m really close with both my mother and father, they have a really big influence on who I am. I'm very thankful to get to experience that, especially because I know some people don't,” Piper said.
Gallaghers father has always supported her athletic ventures, even when they don't prove to be successful.
“Even though I'm not like a super stud or anything, my dad has always been proud of me. He has been a coach for as long as I can remember, and I think that's something that has really shone through in his parenting,” Piper said.
Gallagher’s brother Bode, is another one of her biggest supporters, encouraging her to keep moving forward even when things get tough.
“Bode has always been really helpful, he tells me to keep at it, because my time will come as long as I keep working,” Piper said.
Now that Piper is comfortable at her school, she has unearthed her love of photography.
“My love for photography started early, when my Grandpa Don would let me hold his camera at Bode’s games. I know the pictures I took were probably just blurs, but I loved it because he loved it. Now I have reignited that passion with yearbook,” Piper said.
Another one of Gallagher’s passions is running, something she picked up in sixth grade.
“It's therapeutic for me,
“It's therapeutic for me, even though I'm not the best at it. When I'm upset about something I feel like I could just run for hours, and most of the time that's what I do,” Piper said.
THE GALLAGHER FILE
YEAR: Sophomore
FAMILY: Tiffani, Brandon, and Bode Gallagher
SPORTS AND ACTIVITES: Track, Cross Country, Softball, Cheer, Robotics, Academic Team, Student Council, Yearbook, Ethics Team
HOBBIES: Hanging out with her boyfriend Joe McPherson, listening to true crime podcasts, photography