At 12 years young
I moved from the very southern city of Columbia
to the incredibly eccentric Northern Virginia.
My high school was in one of the most ethnically diverse counties in the area with competitive academic standings. I finally didn’t feel as obvious of a minority. Walking through the halls I felt like I was just another part of this sea of different colors. In my peer helping class junior year I learned about another type of minority. We studied the struggles of the disabled in a world full of people moving at their full ability. I got involved in an after school organization called Best Buddies. The international organization’s goal is to help students with disabilities integrate socially through one to one friendships. Those Thursdays when we had our after school Karaoke parties in the cafeteria taught me about determination as a citizen. The school would be empty for the most part and the hollow hallways that led to the cafeteria would echo with the sounds of Journey and the Cheetah girls. I would look around in our makeshift sanctuary where it was safe to sing the wrong words and dance in the most creative ways. I remember looking around at a room full of freespirits yelling, "Don't stop believin' - hold on to this feeling!" I saw how genuinely happy they all were. These students are subject to such scrutiny from society because of their learning disabilities but they don’t let that discourage them. They still put their efforts to make friends, go to school, join the dance team, learn all the songs to every Disney movie, get a drivers license. They will prevail and it is simply because they refuse to give up. They are an extraordinary example of an American citizen. You can achieve what you want to in this country if you work feverously, determinedly, and enjoy life while you’re doing it. I will never forget what I learned from these people or those times that can never be reproduced, dancing around my empty cafeteria with them. They dealt with the worst kind of high school humiliation when they walked through the halls but they were some of the happiest people I knew and that is a sign of strength. Through my involvement I learned so much about life and the determination required to be an American citizen. "Street lights, people - don't stop beleiving."
picture taken from Chantilly High School website
...adventures in the city