What The Arts Taught Me

   My first order of business is to commemorate the woman who showed me that everything is always a little better with a touch of music. My mother always told me that there are one of a kind teachers that can reach out and change the lives of students with little effort but a soft smile and a gentle guidance. For me, it was my very own middle school choir teacher, Mrs.Lee. Barbara Lee was one of those teachers who touched your heart by bringing a draw in of music from all regions, all time periods, and all examples; showing you that there is no expiration date on what you can sing and listen to. She was a teacher who built confidence with light criticism, and helped shape the love of music in every kid she taught. Before she was teaching choir, she was the music teacher for one of the elementary schools I went to, which compelled me to have a bigger connection with her than most who didn't know her first hand. She was understanding and only strict when she needed to be. She took the expression "You're never too old to have fun" at heart and brought us to believe in the greater power of letting go and letting loose. Now I do not mean that every class was a party, but I do mean that she made education in music enjoyable and there was no struggle without great reward. My own mother has given thanks to this woman who has brought me joy in some of the important elements in my life, but I have not quite been able to give her the credit she deserves for where I am. She managed to give us all a proper farewell with her tear jerker at the end of my days in choir with the song "Until We Sing Again" so I feel it in my best interest to send her a proper au revoir. Thank you, Mrs. Lee for the memories, and I will hold everything we all shared in my heart until we sing again...

    Language is beautiful and vastly diverse. The Art of French has been brought to me graciously by a very special teacher to whom my respects fall close to. Monsieur Michel, while being possibly the oddest teacher on campus at Nimitz, has brought a bit of my own culture straight to me and taught me more about who I am in my own blood than I've ever learned in the walls of my own home. To Mon Prof, it's not just about teaching the vocabulary, it's about bringing the culture of francophone countries to the classroom. It's not the fancily made power-points or the lectures that really make it special though, he brings the culture in through virtual demonstrations and fitting in the lesson plan with the regions he wishes to introduce. The history, the art, the music, all of it is brought out to show the students the beauty that exists from the connection of languages. My lesson here is that you should embrace those roots and cultures because you may find something new that you like about yourself. Merci beaucoup, Monsieur Michel...

    While we are still on the topic of language, the proper form of release I ever have received for my most pent up emotions belongs to the beautiful ink spilled on a white page in chicken scratch handwriting that translates into breath-taking words. Writing is in my blood and has been passed on as a beautiful burden. The introduction to literature, creative writing and poetry has brought upon me the ability to shape the thoughts and emotions of the world around me with a stroke of a pen or the soft clicks of fingers on a keyboard. I have learned that you do not need to be in love to write a love poem though, nor do you need to be well rounded in vocabulary. Those are simply the optional parts of writing and might add to your works depending on the occasion.
    To give thanks for my writing abilities, I cannot acknowledge all of those wonderful teachers that have brought me to my current position, nor all the people whose names and faces I barely remember but words encouraged me to press on, with a passion, towards my dreams of being published somewhere. I must, however, bring to the attention of a certain teacher who brought out the part of me that I never thought I'd see: a more sociable person who sees the 4th period English class as her salvation for the drastic changes in her life and as a family that is bound through diverse amounts of love and tolerance. The amount of uniqueness radiating from person to person is something one feels when they step through the portal that is Mrs.Haddock's doorway, entering a room where no matter what kind of day you're having, you'll be surrounded by people who you never thought would care but do. Leslie Haddock, thank you for your humble hospitality, and thank you to all the members of that beautiful class that taught me that love is stronger than any pain life gives you....

     To bring about more fine arts, I'd like to dedicate this next piece to the teacher that brought my life to it's newest chapter and inspired so much more than what I ever thought would occur. Miss Shelley Tucker (now married under the name Quintana) was the first teacher to actually pull me aside and tell me my own worth. I've cried in classes many times and held my own depression against the world, but nothing ever changes as much as it did that day the world was trying to change me. Ms. Tucker pulled me out of the class into one of the empty rooms to let me work out my emotions and helped pull me back together. A teacher as kind and compassionate as she should never be taken for granted. They say you don't know what you have until it's gone, but frankly, I knew exactly what sort of special teacher I had. It takes a real gentle and patient person to pull someone through the roughest storm and encourage them to sail for calmer waters. I've been blessed with the power to pull myself out of depression with the help of those around me and it was she who brought me to that first step towards recovery. It's only ironic that as the semester ended, so did her role in my life, and so now I am left here again without the time to give a proper thank you to one of the people who brought me my sanity. So to Shelley Quintana, I hope that the spotlight shines bright on you, where-ever you go...

    The art of visualizing and animating comes to play a big role in my life. When I have 8 classes a day, pressure builds in a way that is almost unhealthy. For the past 3 years, I have been blessed to have an amazing teacher whose class has brought joy in learning and enjoyment in being in school. The days I've needed a motive to continue my efforts in the day, I was blessed with Mrs.Nwokolo's class. An escape from the usual sitting and cramming is needed for all people every once in a while, and in her class, I could easily enjoy using my gifts with programs to my advantage. I can't imagine being able to pull off the effects I can on my artwork without her instructions, so here's to you, Mrs.Nwokolo. Thank you for your help in making my life a bit more connected...

Together, the arts have taught me so many things. I've learned to draw them together to make incendiary works of multi-media, multi-purposed forms of art. I am only as talented as those who made me who I am today and without them, I wouldn't have had the inspirations to chase my dreams. If it was not for you all, I would not be here and I wish to thank you all for your contributions to my life, bringing me even closer to that goal which still looms over my head. Please continue to change hearts and minds in the way only you can, and I'll do my best to share your gifts of knowledge and encouragement with the rest of the world.