Oh, I forgot! I AM a student!

My mother always kept me extremely busy as a child. There were ballet, tap, piano, flute, voice, and etiquette lessons. There was marching band, orchestra, and choir rehearsal. There was tennis and soccer practice. There was always something. I can't even remember a Saturday or a summer break spent in the house, lollying around like most kids my age. And for that, I'm glad. All the things that I participated in during my youth allowed me, in different ways, to learn new things, meet new people, and have fresh experiences. I wouldn't be who I am right now if it weren't for the myriad of teachers, team members, flautists, and dancers who each sowed something into my life.

The only bad thing about being that active of a child is that I sometimes don't know when to give things up. I am a member of a bunch of different groups (I'm a leader in many of them), and find myself constantly being invited to take part in many more. I always have an extremely hard time saying "no." I always feel that if I'm going to be the one complaining about certain things, then I should be the one to help make those things better. I sometimes forget that I can't make everything better by myself.

I also sometimes forget that I am actually a student. I can't tell you how many times I've come in from a meeting too tired to do a homework assignment or read the assigned chapters. It often seems that my classes get in the way of my activities, and that I begin to schedule them around the extracurricular things that I do. Of course, it should be vice versa.

So today, right here and right now, I pledge to remember that I am a student first! My main purpose here is to get an education, not see how many organizations I can rack up on my resume. So, if you see me anywhere other than a classroom on Tuesday and Wednesday, call me on it!