GRATITUDE

I do not like English. I really do not. I’ve always struggled with reading comprehension. In elementary school, they put me in an ESL class because my reading was so poor. My reading was always my lowest grade on the ACT and SATs, and I never got an A in English until the pandemic.

I feel like I have improved greatly as a reader and writer and I am able to express myself better. I have also learned a great deal about society and different philosophies.

To Mrs. Valentino, for teaching me how to write and think on the fly with your weekly in class essays. AP Lang really helped develop me into a better writer.

To Mrs. Feldkamp, you have my deepest gratitude as my teacher. Thank you for exposing us to literary classics and teaching us to enjoy reading. I learned a lot about myself and English in this class and that is thanks to you.

To all the vast literature we read which enriched my thinking and broadened my perspective of the world. From Oedipus, to Waiting for Godot to Medea, we were exposed to all kinds or literature and it has enriched my educational experience.

I would also like to thank Laura Villanueva for giving us a new perspective on how others cope with their trauma. Your Tetris metaphor was creative and gave me insight to how we process traumatic memories.

Finally to my sister Rachel, who would proof read my essays and was a beacon of hope in my decade long English struggle. I owe the greatest thanks to you for walking me through SAT books and essay writing and building the foundation for my writing skills.