grade, so they placed me in special
ed. After maybe five or six months, I
graduated at the top of my class and
returned to regular schooling. I always
look back at that and say: “And look
at me now!” I’m getting A’s in my Lit
classes and write poetry and edit our
high-school literary magazine! I don’t
think I was dumb. I just never had a
regular childhood. I grew up quicker
than most kids. So I think that, instead
of me focusing on my work at that
time, I was focusing on getting attention. I craved a loving family, but with
the constant drama between my mom
and dad, sometimes my frustration
made me hysterical.
Glare of the
Spotlight
In elementary and middle school,
my electric personality and intense
need to be in the forefront worked
against me. When I was 13, I almost
got booted out of the Future Scholars
Program for arguing with the principal of Lincoln School. But I was telling the truth about a situation with a
substitute teacher and became disrespectful with the principal. That’s an
unfortunate trait that I have. When I
know something is true, I fight for the
truth to come out and some people
don’t appreciate the truth because
they don’t believe that a child is telling the truth. But I always tell the
truth, even when my stakes are on
the line. Anyway, the principal was so
angry she threw my Rutgers Future
Scholars folder in the trash can. She
changed her mind because she knew
my mother and how important it would be to have help
with my college payments. Memories like this will always
be embedded in me because, if I believed what the administrators at the school were telling me, that I wouldn’t
remain in the program very long due to my attitude, I
wouldn’t be able to grasp this wonderful pre-college experience that’s helping me to develop a better attitude, a
sense of when to let go, and grace.
That’s my past, but what is my present? Well, I walk the
halls of New Brunswick High School both as a lion and a cub.
I do have a lot of courage. I always keep my head held high
but I act as a cub sometimes because my school setting is
not amusing. There are a lot of problems and gang affiliation
in my area, so it can get scary at times.
THE RUTGERS FUTURE
SCHOLARS PROGRAM
selects bright seventh-graders from
Newark, Camden, New Brunswick and
Piscataway, N.J., providing college
preparation, mentoring and
scholarships if admitted to Rutgers.
Currently, there are almost 600
scholars in grades 8–10.
Individual and corporate contributions
provide vital support for these
worthwhile young scholars.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT
