Today marked the start of the penultimate week of a snow-abbreviated and hectic quarter, one which promises to only get crazier before it ends, 9 days from today.
I spent today running around the school finding teachers to speak to about the benefactors of my two scholarships. Those who had known Ann Ferguson were everywhere I turned and I got some wonderful information on her. Everyone who knew John Johns had either left for the day or had no classes until later that week. A number of emails were sent back and forth between the Ms. Love, the animation teacher who “considers herself entrusted to conserve his legacy” and me. She chastised me sharply for waiting so long to contact her, despite the fact that I’m juggling four classes worth of finals, live out of town, have known of my recipient status for less than a week, and all my efforts to seek information through the public relations representative who first contacted me have met with long delays and yielded very little. I meet with Ms. Love tomorrow. Hopefully she will like me better in person than through emails.
After my meeting, I still have to figure out what to say in my 1-2 minute speech, that recognizes Mr. Johns and Mrs. Ferguson, that is appropriate and properly grateful to their families, despite only just having learned about the two people who’s families I am thanking. Oh, did I mention, those families are going to be at the awards ceremony? I really, truly, have not the first clue what to speak about.
I feel as if I perhaps missed something in not being familiar with the scholarship application process. Is it customary to research the person for whom the fund one is applying for is memorial? Because a week’s worth of time — a week in which one is also scurrying to complete finals projects — seems a difficult amount of time in which to understand a person and write a short yet appropriate speech honoring them and their generous gift. And it seems somewhat contrived to seek information about someone simply because they are gifting one with money, so as to appear truly interested to the family. It isn’t that I lack interest–I don’t in the least! But to seek such knowledge simply for the sake of the funds I am granted seems so…hollow. I want to know about Mr. Johns and Mrs. Ferguson, and what I have learned today alone is fascinating. I’m sorry I didn’t get the chance to know them myself. To stand before those who knew them best, however, and speak as if I had been a long-time admirer of theirs, as if I even knew their names before applying for the academic assistance offered in their spirits, seems dishonorable.
And I suppose, with that, I shall be checking the ‘rants’ tag for this post.
Anyhow, along with the fast and violent storm of the scholarship ceremony and that which surrounds it, I have reading and writing to do for literature class, studying and a fully stupid art project to do for art history, and a massive re-working of my photobook with a new student and new photos for design team. Though I can hardly wait for the end of this quarter, I know the days to come shall pass far too quickly for my liking, and that I would truly prefer it were an additional week added to our days of toil and study.
My project for packaging graphics, on the other hand, is done but for some quite minor adjustments. So I hope.
Now I shall go eat pasta. Yay!
