When faced with adversity, she turned challenges into opportunities.

Words by Hannah Manasco | Images by Ryan McGill

When life deals a tough hand, some people lay down their cards and walk away from the table. But when Anna Brooke Dill found herself holding one, she refused to fold.

It was the spring of her sophomore year, and Anna Brooke was gearing up to audition for the Dora High School marching band's danceline. The plan was in place: she would breeze through the auditions and spend her third consecutive season dancing under the radiant, fluorescent lights of Horace Roberts Field.

As she rehearsed for auditions, she channeled the memory her muscles had built and extended her leg into a hitch kick, a fundamental action. She expected her foot to land firmly on the ground, but it gave out instead, causing her to tear her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and ripping her junior season right out of her grasp.

This injury wasn't the end, though. As a lifelong Type One Diabetic, Anna Brooke knew how to adapt, especially during a crisis. Instead of watching from the sidelines, she approached band director Jeremy McFall, who gave her another opportunity.

"I went up to him and said, 'I still want to be in band,’ and he said, 'Well, can you keep count?' and I could, so he said, 'Just try out for drum major.'"

Though her junior and senior years were full of surprises, she experienced much success. As drum major, Anna Brooke led the band to several awards. When she wasn't on the field, she studied health sciences at the Walker County Center of Technology. There, she received a certified nursing assistant (CNA) license and participated in Health Occupation Students of America (HOSA). In March 2024, she competed at the HOSA Alabama Leadership Conference and earned a spot in the top six for her campaign for mental health awareness. Her high school career came to a bittersweet close in early May as she slid the blue and gold tassel across her cap. She now attends Auburn University at Montgomery (AUM), pursuing a degree in nursing.

When Anna Brooke Dill faces the unexpected, faltering is never an option. Instead, she says this: "You can always learn new stuff. Light can always be found in the dark. There's always another way and a new perspective." 78