Sorry, Klausner-Heads: tonight’s entry is 100% Julie-free.
July 30th, 2002 | by Scott Jennings |Let’s bring back I Get Letters:
Dear Scott:
As the Director of Communications for The Community School of Naples, Head of School John Zeller has asked me to prepare a brochure highlighting some of CSN’s outstanding students who, in addition, benefited from financial aid. I have already obtained a few profiles of some fellow members of the Class of ‘96 and Mr. Zeller wondered if you would be willing to participate as well. The requirements are fairly straightforward:
1) Briefly describe how receiving aid from CSN impacted your life and what it accomplished for you, namely, if your education here helped you at college and beyond (possible programs and teachers that were notable could be mentioned as well.)
2) Your accomplishments since leaving CSN - college(s) attended, degree(s), major, career path, etc.
3) Agree to allow us to publish this information in a brochure to be sent primarily to current CSN families to encourage continued support of our financial aid program.
4) Accompany this information with a recent photo of yourself (participating in a school or career related activity or a simple head shot will do) to me by email.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to email me or contact me on campus.
Thank you for your consideration.
Kind regards,
Lisa Kelly-Boet, Director of Communications, The Community School of Naples
Oh, I knew this day would come. Some exposition is needed; you see, The Community School of Naples is an independent college prepatory school in my hometown on Naples, Florida. It serves grades pre-kindergarten through 12, it’s really itty-bitty (my graduating class had nineteen), and it’s simply the best high school in the state. I spent eight years there, starting in grade five. Fond memories.
We were totally spoiled. Naples is a very affluent community, last I checked it had the most millionaires per capita in the nation. The school’s philosophy was to charge an incredibly high tuition (on par with the boarding schools in the Northeast), bring in the very best teachers, build the very best facilities, and generally pinch no pennies. At the same time, the school very generously subsidized the tuitions of talented local students who otherwise couldn’t even think of affording the tuition. It’s a tried and true formula. But we had it all — class trips across the country and the world, the best lab equipment, the most up-to-date textbooks, the computer equipment, the Internet (before it was cool), just about everything imaginable. A glut of the physical and intellectual capital of education. And wherever a load of money is involved, a lot of questionable decisions and unlikely outcomes are sure to follow.
(By now, it should be noted that I basically wasted this opportunity, barely aware of how incredible it was since it was all I knew, and just existed in this space. My teachers were constantly frustrated, my academic performance was absurdly average, and my attendance record was consistently on the line between passing and being held back. I was not a model student. I was not willing to do the work. I was intellectually curious, of course, but not within the constructs of a set curriculum. I was a superstar on the math team, but actually logged a D- in calculus one term. I lack the maturity to do what I’m told most of the time.)
Of the nineteen in my graduating class, nine were National Merit Finalists. (That’s an absurd proportion, if you’re keeping score.) The whole class went on to selective colleges — Dartmouth, MIT, and Princeton, among the fancy names. We were given the world, and were expected to go out and conquer it.
And now they want the status report.
Let’s call this the first draft:
1) Well, sure it helped. I think most importantly, my time at CSN taught me to expect the world, and go find a way to get it. I was taught to be a leader. I was taught how to solve problems and observe the world by the very best math teachers on the planet. Being able to see the inner-workings and poltics of a small school close up was an incredible catalyst for my now-highly developed cynicism. And of course, the most important lesson a young man can learn, money is the only fuel for the engines that make the big decisions in the world.
2) I graduated from the University of Rochester in Rochester, New York, in May of 2000 with a Bachelor of Arts in mathematics and economics. During my senior year, I served as student body president. I moved to New York City immediately after graduation to begin a career as a software development project manager, and after almost two years, ignoring the spectre of being halfway to six figures in student loan debt, threw it in the shitcan ostensibly to concentrate on writing, but actually just mostly mope around and feel sorry for myself. I did manage to stage a show which I wrote, but immediately hated it after its pilot performance and haven’t touched it since. I also have several brilliant ideas for short and feature-length films and stageplays, but have nothing to show for them beyond a few scratches in a notebook. I’ve achieved a certain measure of success and promise in the artform of long-form theatrical improvisation, but you don’t know what that is and probably never will. But it’s awesome ’cause there’s no homework and it’s basically just playing around and being quick-witted. Currently, I’ve completely drained my savings, am unable to pay my rent, and I spend my evenings pulling staples out of piles of subpoenaed documents for $10/hour. I aspire to return to the sort of work I walked away from in some way or another if only to keep a roof over my head, but fuck if I know how to land a job in this city with this economy.
3) Knock yourself out.
4) I think I clearly only have one choice here:
I look like I’m from the future!
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