Meet Ginger McNamara, aspiring doctor, wonderful friend, and soon to be a graduate from East Career and Technical Academy. Much like many of the Academy’s students, Ginger has her own take on the importance ECTA played in her life. I asked Ginger to express how she felt about the past four years.
“It was a roller coaster; a roller coaster with a tight seatbelt,” Ginger said with a quick laugh.
Like many roller coasters, there are ups and downs, turns, and gut wrenching spins. You might even vomit. Soon Ginger will begin a new adventure; she’ll get off El Loco East Tech Roller Coaster and line up for the Portland Screamer.
Ginger will be attending the University of Portland in Oregon this coming fall; she’ll be living on campus of course, and she’s extremely excited to attend. She’s also very proud to be studying Biology/Pre-Med. When I asked about why she chose PU, Ginger had this to say.
“I don’t want to lose the ambiance of the city, but I also want somewhere eco-friendly. I decided on Portland.”
We talked about graduation, exchanged looks of glee and slight horror…but only slightly. It was that excited yet unsure glint in our eyes that I’m sure is common amongst the class of 2014. I didn’t want to only talk about her future plans, because I wasn’t there to make Ginger feel distant from East Tech; I wanted to talk about East Tech. I wanted a heartfelt answer from her, so I asked “if you had freshmen Ginger in front of you, what would you tell her?”
Ginger stopped what she was doing, gave me a wide stare and then let out a sigh before making a thoughtful face. She smiled and took a mellow breath before answering.
“Don’t settle for Bs your first semester, keep yourself open to friendships and enjoy the ride.”
Wouldn’t it be great to actually meet the freshmen version of yourself and let them know your GPA matters, like, a lot?
Ginger further went on to tell me that one of her greatest impression of the past four years was how she grew up. Looking back, she’s astonished and a little embarrassed for freshmen Ginger. That’s totally fine, many of us are mildly embarrassed for our freshmen selves I’m sure. Sometimes the Academy can seem a little rough with the rules and expectations, but Ginger doesn’t regret her decision of attending.
“The teachers are pretty good, they always try their best. The staff in general has pushed me to better myself; they encouraged me to gain more experience with not only my program, but with other aspects of my high school career.”
As I spoke to Ginger, I couldn’t help but notice the ease to her shoulders. She looked ready for what lies ahead after accepting that diploma. Sure, we might have shrugged at one another with excited, unsure faces about life in postsecondary education. We laughed at remembering our silly freshmen selves, but I would be lying if I said Ginger was anything but prepared.
On behalf of The Mountain View, I wish you all the best Ginger, we hope you achieve your dreams and become a remarkable doctor. “Dr. McNamara” doesn’t that sound nice, eh? We wish you all the best in promoting health in all age groups, in healing the wounded, and helping those in need. We thank you ahead of time as well.
“Focus on your future, set your priorities, do your best, don’t stress because what you didn’t do today you can do tomorrow. Never close your eyes, keep them open….unless you want to sleep. Then of course, close them, you need your sleep for school.”
– Ginger McNamara to incoming and present Freshmen of the Academy
Source:
http://ift.tt/1kfosFU