My little space

These Summer days have been good. My room feels nice and fresh, and I'm slowly getting rid of stuff as a prepare for my move to NY in less than 2 months. I love having an open window- and I keep it open 24/7. I'm hoping it doesn't get too hot, because I really don't want to put an ugly A/C unit there.

I hope I have a nice view out of my window in NY. My view here ain't so hot, but at least I can see some greenery and hear the birds. 

Drum roll, please....

What am I doing Next Year?

For those who didn't see my previous post or do not know, I will be taking a gap year! See here. I will be taking my gap year with City Year, a program through AmeriCorps in New York City! Find out more about what I will do by clicking here!

Here are some highlights of what I'll do in the program:

-Provide Academic Support through one-on-one and group tutoring.
-Make attendance and positive phone calls home and lead mentor groups
-Organize and lead activities, celebrations and projects to improve the community and school  environment
-Team Based Service
-After School Program

Secondly, I will (Lord willing) help a church plant in Brooklyn, NY.  I don't know exactly what my role will be with it, but I'm really excited about the church plant this is happening because it is different than the traditional church, and I believe that church has to be different than it is now, because most of my generation are non church-goers. When it comes down to it, it's not about going to church; it's about a relationship with Jesus, and the church model Mike and Nicole are implementing will help foster that. Even if I'm only with their church for a year, I will learn and take away things from it.

Why am I supposed to go to New York City? How do I know?

• Future goals- I want to be a teacher or work in the education system when I grow up. Doing City Year in NYC will be a great training ground for that. I consistently tutored a 5th grade student this last semester, and really enjoyed it. I know that I will get great experience working in under-performing NY schools full-time.
• Take Risks! At my graduation ceremony, our principal boldly told us to not live a safe life. If I stayed here for my gap year, I believe that I would be doing the safe and easy thing. Yes, it would still be beneficial, but I know that doing MN math corps will not stretch me like City Year will.
• I am young. I feel like it makes the most sense to do adventures like this when I am young, because I don’t have a family, any debt, or a house.
• Other signs- One week I felt that God was giving me little signs that NY is the thing for me. In school we had a Creative Expressions Night and we were required to decorate a room based on a theme. Each room is given a different theme, and the room I was placed in happened to be New York City! sweet. I spent that week looking for all things New York. I even made a fun, little NY skyline. Secondly, the whole idea of a gap year still scared me at the time; I needed affirmation that taking a gap year was the right thing. That week, one of the founders of Hope Academy spoke with all the seniors and said that he encouraged his kids to take a gap year. He believed taking a gap year to explore your interests is a wise and beneficial thing to do. I was glad to hear that!
• It won’t be easy! Challenges are what make me grow! Here are some of the challenges-

~It will force me to manage a tight budget

~To ask for help from others

~To live simply

~To follow an INTENSE schedule. I will be at school from 7:30 am to 6:30 pm, plus commute time.

~I will probably feel lonely

~I will be away from my family and people I know

~New York is intimidating. No more “Minnesota nice.”

~I will be around many people who are different than me.

• In February, God gave me a trip to visit the king's college in Manhattan. It was super exciting to see NYC for the first time. While I didn't feel like the college was for me, I loved the city! I kept in NYC in the back of my mind. I believe that God allowed me to visit so I would become excited about this city.
• Church Plant- Shortly after this trip in February, I learned that a couple was moving to Brooklyn, NYC to plant a church there. I thought that was the coolest thing! Nicole was the outreach coordinator at Tapestry, and she and her husband planted Hiawatha church. I wanted to support them in some capacity. More churches need to be planted! New York is a lost city. Find out more about this family by reading their blog.
  

  
• My personal excitement- New York is just an exciting place. My heart feels happy when I think about it. I'm generally a practical person, and it's strange that I have continued to be excited for NY for the last few months, because NYC is not a practical place to live.

• Answered Prayer- Here’s a story: The other night I had dinner with Mike and Nicole, the couple planting a church in Brooklyn. It was a nice time. At the end of it, we prayed that God would not let me be accepted into this program if it wasn’t God's will. We prayed this because City Year is fairly selective. They accept 20% of applicants, and most of them are college graduates, only a small percentage are high school graduates. The application process was also fairly difficult. I had to write essays, submit a resume, have letters of recommendation, and then do 2 phone interviews. I was supposed to hear whether I was accepted or not on June 7th, but I was notified the NEXT day. Whoa! That had to be God saying, "go!"

• Faith- This experience will grow my faith. I’m sure of it. How could it not? Moving forward I need to have faith that God will allow me to get out there safely, that he will hopefully place me in Brooklyn so I can be a part of the church plant, that he will give me people to be with, that he will give me the strength to DO city year for 10 months. There's a lot more that I need to depend on God for, but those are some of the main things.

I am SO excited! I can't believe this is happening!!!

What about money?

Will I be able to afford NYC? Yes! I will receive a living stipend and a college scholarship at

the end of the program to help pay for college. Living will be tight, but I’ll be able to do it!

Will I come back?

My plan is to come back after the year. I deferred my admission to the University of Minnesota, and I assume that after the year I will be ready to pursue my college degree.

When will I leave?

I will leave the week of August 5th to 9th. How I'll get there is TBD.

How do my parents feel?

...I am still 17 after all. They were both slightly shocked. At first, my mom was pretty against it, I think my dad was too. However, we have good talks about it, and at our final discussion, they both came to an agreement, and by the sound of their voice, I felt like they were excited for me too.

Please feel free to contact me if you have further questions. I will write more on my blog this Summer, and I will definitely blog and post pictures of life in NYC this coming school year!

Tuesday Recap

Today was lovely. The weather was not. I shadowed/volunteered at Joyce preschool summer camp. It's a bilingual preschool. I thought maestra Sandra was a wonderful teacher. It was cool to see her teach and interact with the kids... All in Spanish. It was especially fun hearing little 3 and 4 year olds speak Spanish.

Making a piñata 

Welcome, Summer

Day 1 of Summer vacation. It was fun to get outside and feel the freedom of having no papers to write, or tests to study for, or topics to research, etc. etc. I could just be myself. I worked however. Babysitting counts as work, correct? Yes, it does. I babysat for 10.5 hours to be exact. Thankfully, babysitting is fun (and there's nap and bedtimes involved.... for the kids). Plus, I have this fun iPhone so I can snap pictures on the go to document my days!

Little Gems

 A peek into my life as a babysitter. It's quite fun. They never fail to entertain me.

Miss Dramatic

Something caught their eye!

The Artist

Dinner?

What's Next?

Senior Year has been a bumpy ride. In the fall, I was caught-up in the "picking-the-right-college" hysteria. I went to college fairs, I visited colleges, I requested all sorts of information from colleges, and I thought about college too much. Not only that, but I was stuck on studying for my 3rd attempt at the ACT, and then studying for the SAT-- because I was not happy with ACT results. And essays! College entrance essays are the worst. I went through draft, over draft, over draft of several essays just to get admitted into certain colleges. It was great to have the opportunity to develop several essays with the assistance of some good writers I know, but it was time-consuming, and a bit stressful. Add scholarship essays (I'm so sick of fastweb) and applications into the mix of everything, and I just became exhausted with the idea of college. I was also a writer for a newspaper publication called Student Paths, which is basically a national newspaper sent to high schools. I was the Senior Diary writer, so I had an extra pressure to make sure I was doing senior year "right."

Come January 10th, I had applied to 9 colleges. Yes, 9 colleges. Here's a list of them and the results:
Northwestern College, St. Paul-- Accepted
University of Minnesota -- Accepted*
Wheaton College -- Waitlist
The King's College -- Accepted
Loyola University, IL -- Accepted
Carthage College -- Accepted
Gustavus College -- Accepted
Whitworth College, Spokane -- Accepted
Stanford University -- Denied

*At first, I was wait-listed, and I was very upset about that, because the U was really the place I saw myself going, but everything worked out. I was accepted into the U, and I deferred my admission to Fall of 2014. Next year I will be taking a gap year, and I am excited to share what I will be doing for my gap year!

Stay tuned for my next post to find out what I will be doing next year.

Spoken Word Monday

A week ago, high school students at Hope Academy had an opportunity to recite poetry, spoken word, rap, and other creative pieces for anybody who wanted to watch. Every student had to completely memorize the piece for their performance.  I chose a spoken word by Sarah Kay, called If I should have a daughter. Above is a video of me practicing the piece.
I enjoy spoken word, and would love to write my own work one day, but for now I'll study, memorize, or listen to other great spoken word artists.
Check out: Creative Expression Pictures to find out more about C.E. Night!

Free Thriftin'

Clothing swaps are one of my favorite things. It combines getting free clothes, getting rid of clothes that I no longer want, and mingling with lovely ladies! Today there was a clothing swap at my Church, The Urban Refuge, and I want to show off my new finds.
Shirts/Blouses....8
Dresses...3
Dress pants....2
Cardigan.... 1
Cost...$0

Check out those pants! Mini flowers

Dear God...

Are all dreams and big desires from you? They can't all be, but I can hope so. I almost want this desire to go away, incase you close the door to it. But I don't think it will go away. An answer would be great. Any sign would be great!

Today I want to thank you for:
Allowing me to tutor a sweet 5th grader this morning
A nice computer lab at school
A healthy lunch
Time to design a room and work together with other high school students
My Spanish teacher
A car
My wonderful job at the MIA
A car (I really needed it today!)
A great dinner
My mom and my dad and my siblings.

Where I Stand

I took a Strengths Finder Test a bit ago, and "futuristic" was one of my 5 strengths. Some "ideas for action" for futuristic people include-
-Take time to think about the future. The more time you spend considering your ideas about the future, the more vivid your ideas will become. The more vivid your ideas, the more persuasive you will be.
-Musing about the future comes naturally to you. Read articles about technology, science, and research to gain knowledge that will fuel your imagination.
There were several more action steps, but I will just share those two.
Sometimes I wonder if I really am a "futuristic" person. I believe it can be dangerous to always live in the future. Ideas and plans are great, but all we have is now, and if my mind is always on tomorrow, today just becomes a drag. I am also very practical. Dreaming big is difficult for me, because usually BIG doesn't mean practical. Nonetheless, I still find myself taking pleasure in brainstorming and thinking about the future.
At this point you probably assume that I am about to rattle on about my fabulous plans for the future. I am a senior after all, and will be graduating in a two months. I should probably have my future planned out. Lots of seniors have their "future" planned out, and being futuristic isn't even one of their strengths.
Well, I don't. I have  ideas and dreams, but nothing is coming together quite yet. I have been reading books and talking with some great people about things, but here I stand; it's April 9th, and I'm uncertain.
Oddly enough, I am okay with that. I'm doing what I have to do, and letting God handle things in his timing. I have been disappointed and discouraged. Long story short, the 3 colleges that I wanted to attend, did not accept me. I was put on the wait list for 2 of them. However, I was accepted into 4 great colleges, but still, the college road has been tough me.
As things start coming together, I will share, but for now I just wanted to give you an idea about what is going on, because the question, "what are you doing next year" has been an inescapable one. :)