Race driver and athlete McKenna Haase had to struggle a bit during a presentation to students at Pleasantville High School on Friday; but she says she has faced much harder struggles in her lifetime, and urged students not to give up.

Haase spoke to students on behalf of Support Our Next Generation, or SONG; this community group is reaching out to youth to help them avoid falling into drug and alcohol use, and to build their self-esteem.

Even though Haase was ill and having difficulty speaking, she gamely went on with her presentation; she told students even though she has gained success as a sprint car racer and as a contestant on the TV series “American Ninja Warrior,” she too has faced personal struggles in her life.

Haase tells KNIA/KRLS News part of her message to kids is to realize they will be facing difficulties as they go through life, but surviving them will make them stronger.

“It’s so cliche to say the worst things that ever happen to you are the best things, but for me I felt like the worst things that ever happened to me, allowed me to help other people with the same struggles. And that’s why I encourage kids to embrace challenges and embrace hardship, because you can always use that to help people…even though it’s still really hard,” Haase says.

She also told students not to measure their own self-worth against what they see around them; as a case in point, she contrasted a picture of her at an awards ceremony, to a much grittier shot of her right after a race…and told the kids the second picture is the real her, and they should accept their real selves instead of comparing themselves to others.