A series of entries tracing my interests : [two]
High School Dreams
In high school, English was my favorite subject. English introduced to me different perspectives of looking at the world. My sophomore English teacher, Ms. Ficociello, encouraged individualism and higher-order thinking. “Transcend materialism!” “Transcend the commoners!” “Befriend a tree!” were a few of her phrases she spouted each day, phrases which I dutifully followed. In her class, I began to love the nuances of words. I loved manipulating words to create a sense of style and convey meaning. Writing became a canvas for me to express my thoughts and ideas. In junior year, Mr. Fineran had challenged our conventional views of society—was war ever justifiable (Catch-22)? Could slavery ever be forgiven (Beloved)? Could death be humorous (As I Lay Dying)? The topics discussed in my English class engaged me into thinking beyond my self and about social and political issues. I guess, looking back, this thinking carried itself outside of the classroom.
In the community, I was involved with multiple projects. I had a love for people and wanted to help others when it was possible. Whether it was making cards for seniors in Key Club, or collecting books for Future Educators of America, or rallying students to abstain from alcohol with Teens in Everett Against Substance Abuse, or participating in charity events with the National Honor Society, I was everywhere. With this, school became a secondary matter to me; the community was more important. I began to rely on writing to express my passion for the community. More specifically, I was passionate to develop it. What I felt was the absence of community. To me, people were disconnected and had a tendency to remain within their closed circles. I wanted people to open up more and to increase communication among groups of people. No, I wasn’t looking for them to hold hands and sing songs—I was hoping for people to shift their perspectives of others, and see them at a personal level. This was my intent when I left high school to enter college.
