Entering high school seemed daunting at the time. But, when third hour rolled around and I walked into your classroom for the first time, this sense of ease washed over me and I felt calmer. I hadn't taken an Art class since 5th grade, so I had no idea what this was going to be like. It was a Foundations class, so we learned the basics, but man was it fun! I learned so much and was so excited every time 3rd hour rolled around. You'd always greet us with a smile and told us exactly what you had planned for the day. I remember there were projects I hated, but I did them anyways. By the end of the school year, your class was my only solid A+ class, the rest were decent, except for math, but who cares, right? Sophomore year came and I was so hyped for my schedule that I checked the mail every day. Imagine my horror when I saw not one Art class on there, but instead, two math classes. I begged and pleaded to get an Art class in there, but Administration was adamant that I take them both. Finally, second semester schedules came and I had my Art classes back. Mixed Media 1. Holy crap was that class fun too! It was then that I found my passion: Photography. Of course, the cameras we used were what I called 'Tourist Cameras'. They were those little handheld cameras with the one lens and not much else to them. Everything was auto on them, so you couldn't change any of the settings. But that was the best camera I had ever used. My group had decided to focus on Mental Health, more specifically, Depression. We all had it and knew how it affected us, so we wanted to show people the different perspectives we had. Our project was displayed in the coffee shop downtown and had so many people talking about it. Our next project was difficult because I only had the use of one arm, but at least I got the hardest part out of the way first. Everyone loved it too. It was a tribute to my grandpa, who had passed away a few years prior. I knew then that my passion was to draw attention to things people wanted to turn their heads away from, so, when Junior year came around, I stuck to it. Same with Senior year. Finally, it was time to decide on college. Because I was going through a tough time, trying to keep my dad happy and myself happy, I decided on a community college a few minutes away until I decided exactly what I wanted. I took a few Psychology classes, thinking that that was what I wanted in life, to be a Profiler with the FBI, but I also took my Art classes. I took a Ceramics class I didn't really care for, but I also took a Photography class. I didn't know it then, but that class was what would reawaken my inner photographer. We explored so much more than I thought we would. I expected to stay with modern technology and large cameras, but I was in for a surprise. We had a section that focused on film. And I understood why. By using film cameras, we learned how to use our cameras in manual mode, instead of auto. The next semester, with my dad breathing down my back to continue with Psychology, I took two Psych classes and a Seminar class to keep him happy, but to also keep me sane. It was then that I decided to revisit that project from Mixed Media and take it further. With the help of my sister as a model, we made some powerful photos. I even got the courage to enter two of them into the student gallery! I didn't win any prizes, but I did get my name out there. It was nerve-wrecking and exhilarating at the same time. Now, I'm focusing solely on photography and myself. I'm taking a Studio class and a Digital Color class. I can't wait for everything to come in the future. I owe it all to you. Thank you for everything, Mrs.G
