Top 10

JUST WHEN I NEEDED A SHOT IN THE ARM, I got one.

This morning, one of our professors announced the names of graduate students who are in the top 10 percent of our class, and guess what? I made the cut. I needed to hear this today for some reason. I have been struggling the past week, and I guess I was being a doubter. I know it's normal to feel stressed out while in graduate school, yet knowing it's normal doesn't make it feel any better.

I also know that even if I hadn't made the grade, I would still be a valuable and gifted human being, as are the students who fell below the 10 percent line. I have to be careful not to base my self-worth on a number -- be it on the scale or on a transcript.

AND, it feels damn good to have worked this hard and to achieve membership in Alpha Kappa Mu.

~Ms. T. J.