Part 1

Pre-Writing: 

1. A place where I felt heard

   1. A place where ​I felt heard was a spot I went to in New York City back in 2020 right before covid hit. It was the FACES gala, which is set to help people dealing with epilepsy. Here I was literally heard as I was picked to give a speech to a crowd of about 700 or so.Either way it was too many people to count. I told everyone about my struggles as well as how I had learned to surpass them. People afterwards commented saying my speech was phenomenal even though I could not stop trembling inside. 

2. A place where I felt spoken to​

   1. A place where I felt spoken to was up in Vermont where my school has a campus. I was one of the members of the first ever group that went. Here I felt spoken to because we had no phones and did activities like sitting in a circle and discussing hardships in our lives to learn more​

3. A place where I have a complicated relationship​

   1. A place where I have a complicated relationship is at UT because as a horned frog I always say horns down. However, my brother and his close friend go there and love it. Part of me hates UT part of my appreciates it​

Post peer mentor crot: 

Back in High school I was often quiet and nervous tending to keep to myself

Covid completely changed my view of life

Turns out rough times often have a silver lining

You only get one life to live

Always be interactive with people and remember you do not need everyone to like you

All you need to do is trust yourself and behave in a way that makes you proud of yourself

​

Scar wars

I have a scar on the left side of my head from brain surgery. When I was five I was diagnosed with epilepsy after having a long intense seizure that scarred my left hippocampus. Because I had surgery in 2020, I was in the hospital for eleven days until they removed the left hippocampus since the right side still worked, and had taken over for the damaged left side. After surgery my skin was stapled back together. Now every time I get a haircut you can see the scar

Genre: Poem

 I Am From

​

I am from the northern skies,

Where pink clouds lur

I am from the rusty tracks

(old yet operable,

Bringing us were we ought to be)

I am from dark murky pools,

The spring who low sounds I followed

As if it directed me on a path

 

I’m from the island and blazers

EQ and honor

I’m from the blue waves and the Bruins

From results not intentions

I’m from due north of the zone that never sleeps

And south of the city that banned street handstands

 

I’m from the long island sound and candlewood lake

Lobster rolls and apizza

From the lawn with my grandads spiritual tree

A sight my father both hates and loves

Above my bed was a jersey

Connecting memories of my early youth to my teenage life

A shrine of old faces

To spirit me forward

 

I am from those days

Where I built my roots before spreading my wings

Like a butterfly springing from a cocoon 

Peer feedback:

• Show evidence that you truly have grown

• Explain times where you struggled to succeed rather than explaining times when you have succeeded

• Talk about confidence and your lack thereof since this is about growth

Revised crot #2:

Life is not steady path

A simple day of school can unexpectedly start with a car wreck

You may get another concussion just after having one earlier that year for six weeks

Having you friends involved can bring laughter to everything

You always need to remember to keep your head up and always think before you act

Never over assume the way people will feel or act