Yes. I know. I'm kinda, ok... REALLY, late in getting these up here. But I felt I should share a little bit of how my senior year has been.
I've learned countless lessons this year that you cannot find in the average public high school textbook. I learned how to be a leader, to discipline myself to commit and apply myself to a task (even if no one is breathing down my neck), to take responsibility in difficult situations, to stand unafraid in the face of judgement, to present myself well at an audition or job interview, speak confidently about my faith when there's a great chance I will be ridiculed or shot down, and finally to learn to take risks. I'm not professing myself to be an expert in any of these fields, but with God's help, I feel that I have matured and grown in ways hitherto undeveloped or suppressed by my own timidity or inexperience.
Let's begin with literature.
I won't say a WHOLE lot on this subject (because trust me, I could ramble on and on). Because I graduated from Torrey Academy last year, but still had one more year of English to complete, my mother and I decided to have me read a diverse selection of great classics. Without my Torrey "family," I will admit I felt kinda like a shipwreck victim set afloat on a rickety raft in the middle of a vast and tumultuous ocean. Nevertheless, despite the fear, there was much beauty to discover in that ocean. I began with the Greeks (The Iliad, The Three Theban Plays, etc.) and eventually worked my way to late 18th century European literature (The Brothers Karamazov, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde). I struggled through some of the denser books, and I guess this is where I was reminded (though I have been taught this many times in my years of Torrey) that though a book may prove difficult to finish, once you are done, you may discover that you have learned and discovered more that you originally thought. Such was the case when I read The Fountainheadd by Ayn Rand. The reading was not difficult, but I struggled to finish this book because my religious and moral convictions were constantly at war with Rand's ideals and philosophy. I did finish it: all 700 pages. But I think I learned more about the discernment of false ideas, and how to, as Aristotle put it, "entertain a thought without accepting it." However, most of the books I read this year I enjoyed so much, I could not put them down. Such was the case when I read The Hunchback of Notre Dame. I absolutely loved Hugo's style (due in part to the lovely and readable translation I have) and the beauty of his prose both astounded and moved me deeply.
Next, we'll move on to theater:
In theater, this whole year has been a roller-coaster experience. I'm sure most of you have read about my experiences during our fall production of Godspell. As a sort of postscript to that entry, I would like to add a small story that happened recently. The seniors were all asked to speak during the intermission the shows for our spring production of Annie Get Your Gun the Revival about our experiences during our time at BYT. I chose to speak about what God has taught me at BYT. In short, I talked about how I learned to trust God, citing my experiences during Godspell as an example. I feel that despite all the pressure and responsibility placed on me during that show, I was extremely blessed by it, and by all the dancers I was leading. Well, during our BYT graduation, I ran into the girl I had replaced as dance captain during Godspell. We chatted for a second and then she added that she had seen me speak at the performance the other night. Then she added that as I talked, she felt like God was telling her that this was the ultimate reason she stepped down; so that I could have the amazing experience I did, and be blessed by God. Then we both started crying. Anyways, this past semester brought new perspective and, of course, lessons of its own as I performed as Dolly Tate in Annie Get Your Gun the Revivall. Its still difficult for me to think about this past show partly because it all happened so recently, partly because I'm still processing it all, and thirdly it all just seems so surreal right now. So, here a picture. :)
Ok.. dude... I loved this dress... isn't it fantastic. Its so showy and sequin-y! One little boy told me it looked like a diamond mine threw up on me...Next on the menu is art:
Well, this has also been a topsy-turvy matter as well. Last year, as again many of you will know, I participated in a program called Ryman Arts. I was very privileged and blessed to have been able to participate in the program and I hoped to continue my entire senior year. However, because of the demands of rehearsals for BYT, I had to drop out during the fall semester. This greatly disappointed me, but like always, God knows what is best. When the spring semester rolled around, I was able to participate in both BYT and Ryman. To say the least, this class was somewhat different than the Beginning class the previous year. Firstly, the beginning class mainly focused on the basic principles of drawing (perspective, shading, chiaroscuro, color etc) whereas the Intermediate class focused on the drawing of the form (either with pencil, charcoal, or even watercolor). We therefore had many live models of both genders... clothed and unclothed, but mostly the latter. I have found that when I tell people about this experience (mostly in warnings to uber-conservative parents interested in Ryman), that they are infinitely more weirded out than I was.... Anyways... secondly, I must say that I really appreciated my teacher, David. He was honest and sometimes very brutal in critiques, but he helped me to greatly improve my work through his diligence to excellence and unbridled creativity. I am grateful for his passion for art and for imparting even of a little of that passion to my own burgeoning creativity. I also felt like God was pushing on me to reach out to David (who openly expressed his anti-religious sentiments) and to my classmates, not by shoving a Bible down their throats, but by simply talking to them, being kind and considerate and even discussing my faith if asked. Every week I would try to be and do all those things, and I ended up with several new friends and a teacher who may not have agreed with me on religion, but who liked and respected me. Here are a piece I photographed before I turned it in:
This is a still life I drew with my feet... you read it right... I put the charcoal between my feet.. and.. never mind...Besides Ryman, I also participated in the Spotlight Awards, hosted by the Music Center of Los Angeles. I at first applied for their opera competition, but did not qualify for the next round. I then found out about their fin art competition and submitted a photography piece I had been working on. The next thing I knew I had made it past the first round of reviews and was asked to come to the Music Center and participate in a portfolio review with several high-ranking professional photographers (one had worked closely with Stanley Kubrick and Baz Lurhmann if that gives you an idea). This understandably, scared me out of my wits. But I swallowed my fears and went in with as much confidence as I could muster. To my own surprise, I was able to carry on a lengthy discussion on my work and answer all their questions without tripping myself up! Haha! Soon after I found out I was a semi-finalist and was having my work displayed at a gallery in LA. Even though I was not one of the two finalists, I had a simply amazing experience during the whole competition. All the employees and coordinators of the Spotlight Awards are all so understanding, courteous, and have given me many exciting opportunities (such as a master class with celebrated photographer Mark Edward Harris, and a scholarship to attend film classes at Art Center). My mother and I also received complementary tickets to attend the awards ceremony at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion:
Here is me outside the Dorothy Chandler... all dressed up.... :)
And here is my art up on the bid screen before the ceremony started.I think that pretty much sums up a lot of what I've learned this year. I did plenty more (kept up with Latin, GRADUATED!!, another play, "A Romance to Remember" [in which I played an amazing Time Elf named Violet], wrote lots of essays, sewed my own prom dress, and watched many films and wrote essays on a few [for a class]). If you've gotten this far, thank you. I have had an eventful year and wanted to share some of it with you all. I am excited as I reflect back on all I have learned and look forward to applying it as I head of to college next year. I wonder what I will be able to write at the end of next year. :)
