Growing up I knew strange and random facts. Did you know the average person spends two weeks of their life kissing? That’s the kind of stuff I know. I was also the kid who read during recess. Other kids thought that I was weird. Being the impressionable youngster that I was, I went along with what everyone thought of me. I didn't feel like I would ever fit in.

Then there was always the mystery of why I walk the way I do. I was born with Cerebral Palsy, and will always have it. That basically means the parts of my brain that work my legs don’t function properly. People always looked at me differently, whether I was at school or getting on a bus. They would react by staring or making rude comments. When people made rude comments I had to figure out how to respond, without being rude back. The two things I learned to do were to ignore it, or tell a joke and make people laugh.

All through my younger years I felt stuck in the role of the weird nerdy kid. I hoped High School would be the time I could break out of it. But when I got to Central, nothing seemed to change.

That is, until my Summer Search interview. During my interview, my mentor was really persistent in getting me to talk about my family, my past, and even my Cerebral Palsy. My interview was the first time I felt someone getting to know me.

Still, I didn't thinkI would get into Summer Search. But the mentors saw things in me that I didn’t see in myself. Things like leadership skills, or altruism – whatever that means. Just kidding – it means giving back to others. So I DID get in and didn't expect what was next. I had to call every week! At first, it was the hardest thing. I had to intiate the conversation or else they would just sit there in silence and it would be really awkward. Sophomores, you know what I mean! But with time it got easier. I went from being saying nothing to being excited to talk to my mentor. This really helped me get ready for my trip. On my calls, my mentors, Joni and Adam, kept saying "you’re going to be uncomfortable and scared and will have to learn to overcome obstacles". I wasn’t entirely sure if they were telling the truth. But I trusted them, and as it turned out, they were right.

So, I went to Longacre Farm. When I first found out I was going to the Farm, my reaction was “Oh my God what am I going to do at a farm for four weeks?” I tried t obe open to new experiences. I learned how to use a circular saw, I helped take care of animals, and I developed close relationships with the 90 students and staff.

The biggest thing I learned during my summer at the Farm was that I could just be me. The only other time I was able to do this was with Summer Search. It was as if the way I felt about myself on the inside and the way people saw me on the outside were becoming the same.

Coming home was hard, sad, and not at all like the farm. I missed those close relationships, and the sense of being a part of a whole community. New students may feel this way too. But remember, the things you learn on your trip can (and will) help you when you get home.

For the first time I started asserting myself. During my second year interview, Linda Mornell, the founder of Summer Search, asked me to share a piece of the Farm. I chose an exercise in which you take a quality from someone and you give them one of yours. From Joni I took her confidence, and I gave her peace of mind. And from Adam I took his ability to always know what to say, and I gave him assertiveness.

Lately, I have been starting to accept myself for who I am instead of who people think I am. This is a process. I’m learning that change is hard work and it doesn’t happen overnight. I am happy about all the work I accomplished on my trip. I also realize that it’s hard work to remember what it feels like to simply be myself.

Summer Search is all about change, but it's not about becoming somebody new. It's about learning to be ourselves. Summer Search, through the mentoring and incredible summer programs, gives us the chance to discover who we really are. They want to get to know us, but it is our choice weather we get to know ourselves – even when process is hard.

I encourage you Summer Search students to remember one thing: no life can change completely in the span of a trip. It is a daily effort. And lucky for us, when we get stuck, we have all the Summer Search staff to support us. I’ve learned that the small changes we make in our lives everyday are the greatest evidence of overall change.