I'm On Fire

Woah.

These past few days have left me at a loss for words. Thank you notes to Rock and Doc are summarized as, "I'm speechless and grateful." Even writing this blog there's not much I can drag up to say. It's a little bit overwhelming. My whole future changed overnight.

Waiting in line for graduation, Mr. L told me that this was a sign. He knows I float by in classes, and that this incredible opportunity isn't meant for somebody who accepts the minimum. I don't really believe in signs, but I do believe in advice, and he's right. Mr. L said in those difficult moments of "to do or not to do," I should imagine his bearded Jiminy Cricket face on my shoulder.

In congratulating me, several people mentioned that I deserve it. I don't necessarily feel undeserving, but it's an outrageously generous gift for only having written three essays. Financial need was the most heavily weighted factor in determining the recipient. Am I simply the poorest applicant, or did my academics weight me above somebody less fortunate? My dad wanted to know how many people applied for it. I don't know of anyone else.

Mrs. G. and my dad both asked where am I transferring to, but I don't think that's going to happen. Admittedly, when it came to application time, I didn't even look at colleges over $25,000 a year. Over the weekend, I threw out my booklets from NYU and BU.

By great coincidence with graduation, my cousin is getting a new car, and I'll be receiving her '91 Nissan Maxima as a joint grad gift from my dad and my uncle Mike. It was tentative for a while, but after the awards night, my dad said it was a definite. I'll have to get a job to pay for gas, but I'm still terrified of driving, so I feel this will mostly exist so I can pay to get myself to work.