An envelope carrying words that could change the course of my life for probably the next 15 years. Any other piece of paper would have thrown away considered junk, unimportant, meaningless but not this one, this one was life changing. I thrust open the envelope to reveal a light golden copper colored paper folded into threes. I straightened out each flap until the paper lay straight on the table. For one moment I felt bloated, my stomach full with anticipation. Quickly that feeling changed and the paper felt like an ocean of letters, as I couldn’t bear to see the results. My feelings changed around for minutes until I realized what I was really feeling. Scared. Scared that I wouldn’t get in and have to stay at one of the crappiest high schools in New York. Scared that if I did stay at one of the crappiest schools in New York there would never be a chance for me to go to Stanford. Scared that if I did get in, but not on a scholarship I wouldn’t be able to go because my family would never be able to afford it. Just plain scared.

I’ve waited long enough, time to just get this over with and you know what if I don’t get in then whatever I still have a future. At that my eyes found the top of the page and I started reading

Dear Latoya Johnson,
After reviewing you’re grades and GPA, teacher recommendation, volunteer work, athletic achievements and written essay I am pleased to announce that you have been accepted to St. Clare Private Catholic High School located in the Upper West Side of Manhattan. In addition to being accepted into this school we have granted you a 100% scholarship to the school. In the next few days you will be receiving information for textbooks, uniforms, and the athletic department. We hope the transition will be smooth and easy and we will be very happy to see you at this school next semester.




Sincerely,
The Acceptance Board at St. Clare’s
For the first time in my life, I finally knew what it meant to be speechless. Me Latoya Johnson, a girl who was born and raised in the Lower East Side in Manhattan, the real ghetto, was going to one of the best Private Schools in New York, maybe one of the best in the country. I had been taking small baby steps all my life, but this felt like a giant leap. I was on my way from being nothing to becoming something and it felt so damn good.