Was the name of the first assignment that Manda had in high school. She wrote this, which I thought was wonderful (although I might be biased). Reading it, I realized once again just how lucky I am.
Enjoy!
Kathy N-V
--------------------- My name is Amanda, and I love science, especially astronomy. I¹ve wanted to go to MIT since I was about four and a half. I am applying at the science museum to volunteer on Sundays. On Saturdays, I take classes at MIT for high school students.
I have always really enjoyed learning, not school necessarily, but learning in general. For as long as I can remember, I have always been inquisitive and rather demanding at times. I love to read all genres, except science fiction.
My favorite books seem kind of random to some, and make complete sense to others. I love any book written by Edward Eagar, especially ³Half Magic², which was given to me by my mother¹s friend Kate. Every time I read ³Charlotte¹s Web² I cry at the end. ³Beware, Princess Elizabeth² got me interested in the Tudor period, and eventually led me to reading to all the books by Allison Weir I could get my hands on. I love ³The Chronicles of Narnia², which my mother insisted I read after she discovered I hadn¹t yet in seventh grade. ³A Tree Grows in Brooklyn² reminds me a bit of my family. And next to all those on my bookshelf, I have my favorite ³little kid² books. Among them are, ³Oma and Bobo², ³Green Eggs and Ham², ³Goodnight Moon², ³Nana Upstairs and Nana Downstairs,² ³Where The Wild Things Are², and ³Alexander¹s Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.²
I have often found myself sitting in class, listening to the teacher, and then asking a question in my mind. After that, my mind goes off in a completely random direction. This goes hand in hand with having A.D.D., but it seems to be getting better as I get older. Every once in a while though, I¹ll find my self in my own little world, and I realize I¹ve been there a fairly long time. This usually happens when I sit next to a window, or am not doing something like taking notes.
I love to do impressions of people I know. The impressions aren¹t meant in a mean way, mostly it just shows that the person has their own idiosyncrasies. If I do the impression right, people should know who I¹m talking about even if the person isn¹t specified. Mostly I do impressions of my family, and it isn¹t mean at all. It is usually out of affection, not spite.
I¹m a friendly person, until someone gets me mad, which rarely happens. I have a habit of not keeping my mouth shut, which has gotten me in trouble a few times. My friends, family, (and pretty much everyone I cross paths with) describe it as a ³dry wit².
But I always stick to my guidelines. There are a few things I will never do, because I couldn¹t live with my self if I did. I won¹t insult the mentally handicapped, people¹s families, or anyone¹s race. There are a ton more but those are the three that I abide by.
Then there are those little things that everyone makes a big deal about. I¹ll remain loyal to a friend until I die, (or if they break one of the previously mentioned guidelines). If I¹ve done something, I won¹t deny it. I¹ll stick up for what I believe is right, even if I¹m the only one who will. Like I said, everyone makes a big deal out of these things, but I couldn¹t live with myself if I didn¹t.
Yeah, so that¹s pretty much me.