“My high school wasn’t very challenging.  I never had to struggle.  I was 15th in the class.  Section leader in my marching band.  Top of this.  Top of that.  Where I grew up, not too many people go to college out of state.  So when I got accepted into West Point, I assumed that I’d continue to succeed.  But I finished my first semester with a 2.5 GPA.  Not only was I barely surviving, but I felt like I was trying as hard as I could.  I started thinking: ‘Am I dumb?  Can I even do this?’  My second semester I had a physics teacher named Major Bowen.  He was honest with me about my faults.  He told me that I needed to get more sleep.  And that I had poor time management skills.  But he also told me some nice stuff.  He said that I was a good student to have in class.  And that I was definitely smart enough to succeed.  It’s nice to hear that stuff when you’re surrounded by so many naturally talented people.  Major Bowen showed me ways to become more efficient.  I started using calendars.  I started studying in groups.  I began tutoring people in calculus, because teaching is the best way to really learn a subject.  Six weeks into the second semester I got my first test back, and it was an ‘A.’  It was a ’90,’ but it was an ‘A.’  It was like: ‘Oh, wow.  I can do this.’”

“You guys are jealous because all of my friends that know me tell me that I remind them of Beyonce”

Jordan Tiberio x Rosanna Jones

it happens every time. People lose interest in me. They get tired of me. Suddenly, they don’t bother hitting me up anymore. The conversations become shorter. They forget about me and I just become a distant memory. I wonder if it’s my fault sometimes. But then I realize that people never stay in my life. And there’s nothing I can do about it.

Nana Komatsu for Vivi Online, October 2016