Meet Alisha, a young woman with an inspiring passion to master the universe of learning! She's seventeen, and begins her senior year this fall at Alief Taylor High School. Before school starts, however, Alisha will be completing two semesters of online AP English 4 classes, and spending a couple of weeks shadowing two surgeons to get a feel for the world of medicine she hopes to enter after college.
We met Alisha through Posey Parker, Executive Director of the Linda Lorelle Scholarship Foundation, who called one day, anxious and very excited to tell us about a deserving young scholar's need for a computer. While interviewing Alicia for the Lorelle scholarship, Parker had learned that Alicia was enrolled in two simultaneous online classes and desperately needed a laptop to continue her studies outside of school library hours. Knowing that one of the strategic legs of achieving the TECH CORPS Texas vision is to increase the number of children that have access to computers at home, Parker, like many of our collaborative partners, provided us with an opportunity to do what we do best put a refurbished computer back to work in the hands of a deserving student.
I met Alicia and her mother for coffee and to learn for myself about this young woman Parker had so enthusiastically recommended. Scribbling as fast as I could as she rattled off her laundry list of accomplishments "drum major, student council, 4.4, ranked 7/665, National Art and National Math Honor Societies, State Poetry Out Loud, State Solo and Ensemble, State Vase (art), 7 science credits, AP Art and Gov, etc." I had to pause occasionally just to give my hand and mind a rest. Her mother, an immigrant from Kerala India, smiled with pride as she watched my face respond to her daughter's joyful embrace of life and learning. Her teachers tell her she's a "glutton for punishment." Alicia says she tries hard to learn, not just to memorize, but to understand and internalize what she's studying. Clearly, Alisha is mastering the art of learning; the skills, knowledge and abilities she is now developing will become her tools for achieving all that she dreams of.
Dream #1 is to be accepted to Harvard (or Rice, Stanford, Duke or Yale) for her undergraduate work (molecular biology perhaps). In Dream #2, she is accepted into a top medical school to train as a neurosurgeon. Dream #3, she starts her practice and is able provide an income to her mother as well as herself. Dream #4, a husband and children, comes after 30.
Alisha's career choice was inspired at age 10 by her father's death from an illness that destroyed his brain. Alicia attributes her genius and drive to her father and a desire to please him and honor his memory. She learned her good habits from observing others and learning what not to do, which reminds me of the sage saying that while it's useful to learn from one's own mistakes, and experiences, it is even wiser to learn from those of others.
I asked Alicia which of her accomplishments had given her the most satisfaction. Again her mother smiled and reminded her knowingly what that was. Again my eyes popped in surprise. Tiny Alicia (110 lbs) had once weighed 165-180 lbs. How did she lose the weight? DDR, Dance Dance Revolution, helped her lose the first forty pounds; cutting fried foods helped her lose the next. Today she eats what she wants and jogs 2-3 miles each week. Alicia loves to paint. Portraits are her specialty and Vincent Van Gogh is her favorite artist. She plays the flute and still makes time to hang out with her friends.
Congratulations Alisha, we hope your new laptop helps you continue your mastery of learning and achievement!
