Commitment Day

 


I mean, technically she committed a few weeks back. Beatrix is going to Sarah Lawrence in the fall, and I could not be happier for her. Its style, of creating your own path and then investigating what that means with a small class and involved instructors, is perfect for her. The students are all self-selectingly quirky and arty. She's have easy access to all New York has to offer, while living in a small, idyllic campus. She'll be able to easily major in both theater and racial studies, while exploring lots of other topics. It's perfect for her.


Sarah Lawrence was actually the first school she looked at, and it took her awhile to circle back to it being her top choice. Her aphantasia meant that she had to look at a lot of different schools, different kinds and different settings. She had to do a lot of thinking about what she wanted to do and how to get there, how she learned best, and who she wanted to be surrounded by.

We went out for a second visit last fall so she could specifically see the theater and meet students there (plus visit some other schools, see friends, see the George Morrison exhibit at the Met and some shows, etc.). Looking back, I think that's when she knew. 

But she still took her time considering. She applied to 12 colleges by the first week of November, many of them Early Action, and was accepted to almost all of them. She then considered her various options, including scholarships. She successfully wrote in to Sarah Lawrence to appeal her financial aid, receiving a generous and substantial increase. So she committed.


And now she's thriving in her Senior Project at Penumbra (as well as volunteering at KidsPark, doing circus, and the musical). She's encountering some of her lasts, like her last aerial acts in the spring shows at circus (she's got a big role in the show this summer and several dance acts, but she'll be done with static trapeze, triple trapeze, and double trapeze, as well as fire dance). She's spending time with friends instead of having to dig into homework. Just in the last few weeks, she's grown, a lot. And I could not be more proud, even as I am also a little teary sometimes.


So Happy Commitment Day to all of the rest of you feeling the exact some way. 

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