...looking to the sky to save me.
up until a year or two ago i always used to doubt that i'd make a name for myself. once i got to the point where i was kind of figuring out what i wanted to do with the rest of my life, i knew that i was going to be something and i knew i was going to be somebody. when i say somebody i don't mean just anybody, i mean somebody extraordinary. call me crazy, but i feel it. it was the end of junior year when this feeling had begun. i stood after class talking to my english teacher at the time and we had a conversation that i never thought i'd have with him...it was deep & intense and mentally he had driven me places that none other had before. i walked away with so much inspiration. i had never admired anybody as much as i did him that day. and i walked away from a year long course that had influenced me in becoming the person i want to be. when i say i want to become a teacher because i want to make a different in kids lives, this is exactly what i mean; i want to make an impact on others the way he has impacted me.
slowly but surely, i think it's already begun. i say this because it really hit home today. i was walking in the halls and a substitute, whose name i don't even know, grabbed me to the side and told me how great she thought i was. how she's seen me grow since freshman year and she admires the person i am becoming. that made me feel really good about myself and after that i couldn't help but smile. but that wasn't the end of it...i actually walked home today, i must have been in the mood (*smirk*) and i was at the stop sign where the crossing guard was standing and she was like "hmmm who are you? i never see you walking." and i looked at her and was like "i'm luz du---" then got cutt off. her face lit up like a christmas tree with a huge smile from ear to ear. "ohhhhhhhhhh that's right. so how are things with you? i'm so glad to finally see you in person, i've only seen pictures of all kinds of you. ms. homecoming queen, how does that feel?" with a smile on my face i said, "yea guess that's me huh? it's alright...things are fine." and she said, "wow you really are a down-to-earth person. coming out of a rinky stinker school like this one, it's great to be the lady you are. ya know everybody really loves you, you should be really proud of yourself." ...*smiles* "what makes you say that?" "it's the word around. town's been talkin' about you like no tommarrow. teachers and everyone else were so excited that you won." and then of course we talked for a few minutes but that was that. i knew it had just begun.
on that note...i finally sent my transcripts/act scores/money/apps. i'm really nervous about not getting accepted to my top few picks but i guess it's okay. i kind of bailed at the last minute to other schools i thought i wanted so here's the 5 i did apply to (i still have others in mind but i'm not too sure) in order from what i want to go to most to least:
Arizona State University (*Tempe*)
University of Minnesota (*Twin Cities*)
Northern Michigan University
Michigan State University
University of Dayton
until i get accepted/rejected i'm going to sit and wait anxiously for a response *bites nails*...and before i end this entry i just HAVE to put a recommendation that i got from mr. lilly (english teacher i was talking about) in here so if your interested here it is:
To Whom It May Concern:
Please accept this letter in suppport of Luz Duarte's candidacy to your university. It has been my pleasure to have taught Ms. Duarte, but further I consider her to be among the most mature individual's I have ever met.
Ms. Duarte is courageous, respectful, serious and fun-loving. She clearly has a zeal for life. I understand Ms. Duarte wants to become a teacher. Iw ould welcomer her among the teaching ranks upon graduation. She has that indefinable edge and that undeniable appeal to the better perception of one self that needs to exist in the classroom. She is a deep soul who strives to understand herself and others. The fact that she wants to teach should indicate the selflessness of her spirit.
The selflessness has endeared her to her many friends here at Leyden. She has participated in all forms of extra-curricualr activities, most notably as a reporter and photographer for the school newspaper. She has involved herself in many clubs, organizations, and athletics. She certainly has made the most of her four years here, and I expect that she will continue to be involved in college life as well.
Luz Duarte exudes confidence in her many abilities, including an effortless writing style that, when allowed, can be worldly appealing. She has the ability to strip down any discussion to the core. She is undaunted by detail, a remarkable ability for a high school age person. When one reads Ms. Duarte's best efforts, one gets a sense of a depth of consciousness not often seen in any age.
When I asked Ms. Duarte why she wants to go to college, she told me "I want to make a difference in kid's lives." I can think of no nobler reason for an education. I unreservedly recommend Ms. Duarte to your university.
Sincerely,
Christopher J. Lilly