Editor’s note: For the past 30 years, The Day has profiled remarkable seniors at each of the region’s high school during graduation season.

Groton ― In the face of tragedy, Gianna Rosa-Scelza has shown resilience.

Rosa-Scelza, 18, a senior at Robert E. Fitch High School, is the editor of Amphora, Fitch’s literary and art magazine. She is taking two Advanced Placement classes and plans to study business at Central Connecticut State University, with dreams of someday opening her own restaurant.

She said she is determined to succeed ― to support herself and her family and create a better life.

When Rosa-Scelza was 7 years old, her father, Jorge Rosa, was murdered, creating a whirlwind of struggle for her family and altering the course of her life, she said. Her father was supportive and had brought everybody in the family together.

Rosa-Scelza said she was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, anger issues and depression, which led to panic attacks in middle school. She said her father’s death put her mother into addiction.

Rosa-Scelza said she went into a foster home, and though it had good moments and there was support, there were also times when she was in an unhealthy environment.

Rosa-Scelza said her mother, who had regained custody, helped her move to her grandmother’s house. Rosa-Scelza said she has lived with her grandmother, whom she calls her “sanctuary,” for the past two years.

School also has been a sanctuary in Rosa-Scelza’s life. She said when she was living in an unhealthy situation at home during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, her mental health deteriorated and her grades dropped.

She said when she returned to school in person, her grades jumped back up and she excelled during her junior year and senior year. She said she still struggles with depression, but being in school helps her get her work done during low periods.

During the third quarter of her senior year, she said, she faced a setback when she found it difficult to catch up after a family member’s Make-A-Wish vacation, and she was not feeling well due to polycystic ovary syndrome.

Though Rosa-Scelza said she was worried about getting into college because her GPA dropped during the pandemic, she ended up getting into all seven colleges she applied to.

Rosa-Scelza said her perseverance comes from her grandmother and how proud her grandmother is of her.

She said people may think she has every reason not to be doing well due to her life circumstances ― and she wants to prove everybody wrong.

Rosa-Scelza said therapy has helped her cope, and poetry has helped her express herself. She said she had some struggles in her relationship with her mother due to her addiction, but her mother, who has recovered, has taken accountability and they both have started to heal and work on their relationship.

Rosa-Scelza has a job at Dunkin’ Donuts and is thinking about taking on a second job.

Rosa-Scelza said she loves cooking, and her goal is to open up an interactive restaurant, with open mic and slam poetry nights. She and a friend go to dinner every Sunday to try different types of food, and she wants to bring people together by incorporating food from a variety of cultures in her restaurant.

Rosa-Scelza said she is very family-oriented, and a lot of that trait comes from her father.

“I like seeing everybody together, everybody happy,” she said.

Rosa-Scelza, who has been homeless before and who has family members who have been homeless or lived in cramped houses, also dreams of building her own house and a community of houses so her family always has a safe space.

School Counselor Dan Couture said Rosa-Scelza is one of the most resilient young women he has ever met.

“For many reasons outside of her control she has had a very challenging four years of high school,” Couture said. “She has had every reason to make excuses or give up; instead she has worked tirelessly to stay on track. She is incredibly goal-focused and is driven to create a better life for herself. She is hardworking and resilient; she has grit and determination. Put another way, she has all the traits needed to be successful.”

Rosa-Scelza said she wants others facing similar challenges to know that they too can succeed.

“I think that you may have every reason to give up and you have everything pushing you down, but I think that the mindset to have is to want to prove to yourself that you’re better than what life gave you and you can do better ― even if everybody around you thinks that you can’t,” she said.

k.drelich@theday.com