On most days, David Zeitz looks like any other high school student walking the halls talking with friends, heading to class, thinking about the future. What most people don’t see at first glance is the weight he has carried for much of his life and the strength it has taken to keep moving forward.
David, this year’s Against All Odds Award recipient from the Northern Kentucky Education Council, has faced a series of losses that would challenge even the strongest adults. He was just 8 years old when his mother, Nicole Weed, died from breast cancer. Five months later, his father, Keith Zeitz, passed away from a heart attack on Father’s Day while on his way to pick him up. As a teenager, he lost his grandfather, David Weed, the man who had stepped in as a steady, guiding presence in his life.
Each loss could have stopped him in his tracks. Instead, David made a choice.
“I could have turned it into something that held me down,” he said. “But I turned it into motivation. I kept thinking my mom and dad would want me to keep going, whether they’re here or not.”
After his parents’ deaths, David was raised by his grandparents, David and Emma Weed, who made sure he could stay in Carroll County and remain surrounded by familiar faces. Their support gave him stability during a time when everything else felt uncertain.
“They weren’t just guardians,” he said. “They were my grandparents. They helped me live as normal of a life as I could.”
David was nominated for this award by CCHS counselor Laura Beth Neff, who first met David the year his parents passed away. She was his school counselor at that time as well.
“I first met David as a fourth grader at Cartmell Elementary during an incredibly difficult time in his life when he lost both of his parents, and I was grateful to reconnect with him again when I moved to the high school his sophomore year,” Neff said. “ While I have worked with many students who have faced hardship and shown incredible resilience, David’s story is unique and etched in my heart. Even after losing his grandfather his junior year, David continues to show a quiet strength and determination, truly defining what it means to rise ‘Against All Odds’”.
Even though his grandparents strove to keep life normal for him, his grief didn’t disappear. When his grandfather passed away just before his 17th birthday, it brought everything rushing back.
“That was when it really hit harder,” David said. “It brought back the grief from my parents. But it also became a stronger motivator.”
David credits much of his resilience not just to his mindset, but to family members, teachers, and friends who showed up when he needed them most.
“The biggest thing was accepting the support people were trying to give me,” he said. “Not just them offering it, but me saying, ‘OK, help me.’ I couldn’t have done it by myself.”
CCHS Principal Crystal Harris said David is very deserving of this award. “What stands out most is his growth in recognizing when to ask for support. Hearing him say, “okay, help me,” is meaningful, as many students feel they must handle everything on their own,” Harris said
That support came in many forms, from encouraging texts that helped him get out of bed on difficult mornings to meaningful conversations with teachers who believed in him. Even the simple, steady presence of his beloved cats brought comfort.
“There were a lot of tears, a lot of talks, and a lot of people who helped me through,” he said. Several of those people are pictured above with him at his senior prom.
Through it all, David found healthy outlets to cope and grow stronger. He poured himself into soccer and martial arts training, using physical activity as both an escape and a source of discipline.
“It helps you focus,” he said. “It’s not about showing off. It’s about control and discipline.”
As he worked through grief and found his footing again, David also began to discover a clearer vision for his future. Once unsure of his path, he realized he wanted something hands-on that would challenge him and allow him to solve problems.
That realization led him to civil engineering.
“I like figuring out how things work and putting things together,” he said. “There’s something really satisfying about finishing a project.”
David plans to attend Western Kentucky University to study civil engineering and later pursue construction management. One day, he dreams of starting his own construction or architectural business.
While his goals are ambitious, he approaches them with the same quiet determination that has carried him this far.
When he learned he had been selected for the Against All Odds Award, the moment felt almost surreal. Standing alone in the hallway at CCHS, he read the email, then immediately went searching for someone to share the news.
“It felt like a really big ‘I’m proud of you,’” he said. “For a long time, it felt like everything was against me. This felt like confirmation that my hard work is paying off.”
For David, the award is not about comparing struggles or measuring hardship. Instead, it represents a deep recognition of perseverance.
“I’m not defined by what happened to me,” he said. “I’m defined by how I kept going.”
That mindset is exactly what those around him have seen all along. Teachers, family members and friends have watched him rebuild, push forward and continue striving, even on the hardest days.
With a strong support system behind him and clear goals ahead, David is determined to keep building a future that honors the people he has lost and the life he continues to shape.
“I’ve been through a lot,” he said. “But I’m still here. And I’m going to keep going.”