Rejection
Weekly Report 11/27/2017 to 12/04/2017
Over the last two weeks, I completed my interview assessment for my interview with Judge Kimberly McCary, began working on a research assessment, completed the Research Speech assessment, designed an invitation to the Research Showcase, and, most importantly, I contacted Judge McCary about possibly being my mentor. Because we had a break, I wanted to get ahead of the schedule and complete more work in advance so that I would not have to stress during the holiday season, especially this upcoming week, when I have a concert almost every single day of the week for Reedy orchestra, All Region orchestra, and the Greater Dallas Youth Orchestra. I was so ready to be prepared and relaxed, but now I have found myself confused as to where I should go from here.
When I met with Judge McCary a few weeks ago, she was so kind and had offered to let me sit in on a trial whenever I wanted to, so I had no doubt that she would be willing to mentor me. After thinking and reflecting on what I had learned from our interview, I realized that I, too, share a passion for working with children and helping to rehabilitate and guide them. These juvenile courts work to find the best possible solution for the child, whereas adult courts simply administer sentences. I think it is so special and unique to be able to help serve these children and maybe act as the parent or guardian which they need, and I have been so inspired by Judge McCary’s compassion and grace. In learning this about myself, I was confident that I had made the right decision in contacting her about the mentorship. However, Judge McCary sent an email back explaining that she has recently been appointed to a legislative committee, so she would not be able to fully devote her time to the program, which I respect and understand. Although I was surprised and disappointed, I believe that everything happens for a reason, so I know there must be someone else who will be an even better choice for me.
The main issue that I have run into now is the time crunch. I was expecting Judge McCary to say yes so I would not have to worry about conducting any further interviews, but now I will be pressed for time and will need to begin looking for someone else to mentor me within the next two weeks.
A year ago, I ran into the same trouble with my mum challenge. I had planned out everything over the summer so that my second year would be smooth and I would not have to worry about any difficulties in introducing something new. I had written out every announcement, scripted every lunch speech, drafted every Pride Time slide, and yet, when the year rolled around, I could not have predicted the difficulties in setting up a bank account with the district that completely changed the time frame. Instead, I was more busy than the first year in trying to coordinate the funding, and at the end I only had two weeks to sell compared to the two months I had the year before.
This was a huge lesson for me in that I have to plan for flexibility and change, which I am not very good at. Even in my Research Speech, I wrote out every single word on those 29 note cards, making sure that my speech was absolutely perfect. However, when reviewing it, I realized that it actually made my speech worse, forcing me to sacrifice eye contact for the exact phrasing, and causing me to input filler words when I slightly messed up the wording. All of these things, planning for a stress-free December, planning for a smooth second year of the challenge, and planning for a perfect speech, did not go as planned. Learning to be adaptable and not dwelling on my frustration in the change is something I am beginning to work on, and I do believe that I have grown from these experiences and am slowly becoming more calm and grounded.