I still remember
walking into the after-school program EHTP and looking up at the blue steps for
the first time. The pathway to a better tomorrow, as I saw it. Inside, there
were kids everywhere and I felt the butterflies going crazy in my stomach. I
reminded myself to stay calm. I needed somewhere to go in the afternoons,
something to keep me occupied and out of trouble. This was one of my only
options remaining. The smiles on the kids’ faces struck me the most. How could
people be this happy after school?
Until
I found EHTP, I was always girl hanging out somewhere I should not have been,
with people I should not have been with, avoiding being home. The people I was
with would constantly ask me why would I want to go somewhere and do more work
after school. I couldn’t explain that I needed a sanctuary. EHTP became that
for me. It became the only place in the whole world where I felt safe. Where I
felt like I didn’t have to fight alone, I didn’t have to be tough all the time,
and I didn’t have to wonder what stupid mistakes I was going to make. The
people I used to hang out with couldn’t and would never understand that this
place was what I was looking for… a home.
If
EHTP has been the home I needed, the people who worked there have been parents
I needed to keep me on track. It wasn’t always easy. I was taught to approach
life like going to war, always arm yourself. Having people like Peter and Jenny
actually trying to help me caught me off guard. They demanded my report cards,
paid close attention to my grades, got me tutoring where I needed it. For a
girl who always had to fight her own battles, it was foreign to me to have
people stand behind me and actually show me they care. They constantly reminded
me that I can accomplish far greater things than I give myself credit for. They
constantly reminded me that unlike most people in my life, they are not
leaving. They have been the support system I desperately needed. They have
rekindled my passion for writing and most dear to my heart, they have put their
faith in me, telling me not to give up. They also kept me focused on the big
picture, which was going to college.
Writing is my
dream—it always has been—and EHTP has been the only place in my life where I
have been encouraged to follow that dream. EHTP has given me countless
opportunities to put my gift to work. This year, I wrote an 84-page screenplay
for their film and writing department, along with writing segments for their TV
show, “EHT-TV”. Nothing gives me the same amazing
accomplished feeling than when I type those last few letters to my most recent
piece. And that’s why I’ve never felt more excited to officially say that I
will be pursuing Creative Writing at Brooklyn College next fall, with a focus
in screenwriting.
There are two
people at EHTP who have made all that I have accomplished possible; those
people are Frank Perez, who runs the writing program and Peter Barros, the
Deputy Director of School Choice and College Success. Frank was the first
person to ever encourage my writing and to give me free range with it. He also
saw my stage freight and responded by saying “suck it up, you’re on,” and throwing me in front of a
camera. By doing that, he showed me what it was like to think on my feet and
still stay cool in front of a room full of people and a camera. Although I
turned red from embarrassment, I couldn’t get off camera until my assignment
was done. Frank has taught me that I may someday be the creator of something
amazing that may forever impact a person’s life. And who knows? Maybe one day I
may have the next Titanic or Goodfellas
on my hands.
Peter has inspired
me in a whole other way I never thought possible. When I first met him, I could
tell he was a “no excuses” kind of man. And I have to be honest, at first I
thought “Oh, I’m going to have a problem with him.” But Peter demanded nothing
but the best from me. He pushed me harder than anyone in my life ever has and
most importantly, he didn’t give up on me when many times I felt like giving up
on myself. He would always find me whatever help I needed or just be there for
me so I could vent and keep going with my day. He has shown me my passion for
writing is not my downfall but in fact the motivation I need to make writing my
life.
All my life I
thought college was something that just had to be done, something that was
mandatory, but Peter showed me that college is where life begins. College is
where I make my own decisions about my education, where I don’t get
discriminated against because of my health problems. Peter made me actually want
to go to college. He instilled the need for education and independence in me.
At EHTP I learned
how to stand on my own two feet and take control of my life, my dreams, my
aspirations, most importantly my future.
I am proud of the fact that although it has been so tough and so
stressful at times I did not give up. I am glad that I have worked my butt off
to get to where I am today. As I look
back, it was all worth it. I walked up those blue steps looking for a distraction
and I walked back down a stronger person, a better person, a smarter person,
most importantly I walked down those stairs with a new family and a new outlook
on life.
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