“I never saw myself as a smart person.  Definitely not book smart.  Maybe smart in other ways.  I never liked school all that much.  No matter how hard I tried, I could never reach past a B.  I even got a tutor in high school, and she was great, but my grades didn’t really improve.  I was intimidated by how well other students could write and speak.  I didn’t think I’d ever reach that level.  I figured that college just wasn’t for me.  After graduation I took a year off and backpacked through Southeast Asia.  I loved it so much.  I didn’t want to leave.  When I came home I decided to major in history, because at least I could keep learning about Asia.  I’m almost finished now.  I made it through with about a ‘B’ average.  Last term I even got nominated for an award by my favorite professor.  His name is Arne Kislenko.  He’s a little bit of a hard ass.  He expects a lot.  He doesn’t even post lecture slides.  But he has stories and tidbits for everything.  Even though I almost failed his class, I registered for two more because I learned so much.  I wrote my final paper on Thai Foreign Policy from 1932 to 1945.  He handed it back with a note that said: ‘See me.’  He told me that he was nominating me for the Dean’s List Essay Award.  I was the only student he chose.  I didn’t win, but I didn’t care.  It showed me what I could do if I write about a subject I care about.  It was the first time I’d ever been recognized for something academic, and it came from the smartest person I know.“ Â
(Toronto, Canada)
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