Remembering Cory, One Year Later

On July 13, 2013, Glee star Cory Monteith was found dead from a drug overdose at the early age of 31 in his hotel room in Vancouver. Not only did this come as a shock to Gleeks everywhere, but it was also a tragic day for Monteith’s family and friends, including his then-girlfriend and costar, Lea Michele. We are all still mourning the loss of Lima's quarterback.

To see someone with such talent and, according to Michele, heart, leave the world at such a young age was definitely heartbreaking to many across the world, whether fans of Glee or not. However, though still devastating a year later, it’s clear that both Monteith and his character, Finn Hudson, were able to spread knowledge and inspiration to people everywhere, as Finn would have done as a teacher on the show. In fact, though a fictional character, Finn taught us many important life lessons.

Don’t Be Afraid to Go After What You’re Truly Passionate About

As everyone knows, Finn didn’t begin his time on Glee as the sweet and charming singer-athlete that fans came to love. Instead, he was just like any of the other jocks as a captain of the football team who was notorious for throwing slushies at the very people he would later befriend.

Though Finn was always passionate about football throughout the show, he discovered his true passion for singing through the William McKinley High’s glee club. He dealt with a large amount of hazing and harassment from various guys on the football team because of this, but continued to push through it knowing that participating in glee club was what he loved.

Learn How to Accept Others

As mentioned previously, becoming buddy-buddy with people like the nerdy Jewish girl (Rachel Berry) and the gothic Asian with a stutter (Tina Cohen Chang) wasn’t an easy task for Finn. He was the popular guy at school, and the original glee club members who he had to team up with were far from “cool.” Yet after finally taking the time to get to know everyone, he was able to make some of his closest friends and even find true love.

His acceptance of others was especially true when he discovered he would become a stepbrother to Kurt Hummel, who was Glee’s first gay character on the show. Though he was clearly homophobic toward the show’s commencement, he finally opened up to Kurt and even defended him in front of a bunch of football players while dressed up as Lady Gaga.

Face Your Fears and Your Bullies

Finn just wanted to fit in with the rest of the crowd as many people probably did in their awkward high school years. So when he went from being the bully to the bullied after joining glee club, he learned how to stand up to his peers. Though it definitely feels easier to simply ignore the haters, Finn taught everyone how to face their problems head-on because they won’t just disappear overnight.

Embrace Who You Are and Be Yourself

During his time in glee club, Finn was known for being one of the worst dancers in the group. His friends would always tease him about it, but he never let it get the best of him. There may have been some times when he would trip over himself and realized he wasn’t the most talented male in glee club, especially when Jesse St. James joined, but he learned to just have fun with it.

Always Fight For the People You Love

From their duet in the first performance of Don’t Stop Believin', to the emotional scene where Finn puts Rachel on a train to New York, rather than getting married to her as they had planned, Team Finchel will live on forever. Even though the two weren’t officially an item on the show at the time of Monteith’s death, everyone knew Rachel and Finn were meant to be together.

The couple had their issues, from cheating on each other to dealing with a long-distance relationship, but they always remained close despite their lives taking very different directions. Finn showed us the real significance of true love after fighting for Rachel time after time, never giving up.

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