Success Story: Zack R. (Part 1)

Every once in a while you meet a young(er) person who exemplifies all the things you hope are still alive in future generations: manners, ethics, ambition, humor, creativity, personal responsibility, healthy curiosity.  Well, the gentleman I interviewed for today's post has all those bases covered, as well as some ephemeral attributes that I can't quite put words to.

Upon meeting Zack Rosenberg (a proudly self-proclaimed nerd) it is hard to imagine anything but the self-assured, friendly, successful persona he presents today.  However, Zack's school years were not as smooth as one would wish for their precious little boy.  He was diagnosed with OCD and Tourette Syndrome early on and as he aged into puberty and adolescence, his symptoms grew out of control.

He attended various schools in the Los Angeles area with minimal success, but eventually he had the great fortune of finding the solution:  Glenholme School in Connecticut.  (I encourage you to check out their website.  Not only will you see an example of a best-practices secondary program, but you will be envious because odds are good that your high school wasn't this gorgeous and didn't incorporate an equestrian program.)

Zack was gracious enough to tell me about his experience of living away from home for the first time and what life has been like for him at the lovely Paul Smith's College--an even more gorgeous campus with another excellent, specialized program. (If nothing else, Zack has high aesthetic standards in living arrangements.)

Just to put his growth into perspective: Zack used to have literally debilitating tics and OCD symptoms; now he gives admissions presentations for his college and has interned two summers in a row at Marvel Comics in NYC.


Me: Hey Zack, thanks for letting me interview you.  I want to help parents get some insight about what it's like for kids today to leave the safety of their families and how they can best adjust.  Can you tell us about your experience moving away from home for the first time?

Zack: The move at the beginning was hard, but my family always reminded me that they were only a phone call away.  I was only a junior in high school, remember. It would have been worse if it hadn't been for my mother urging me to keep busy. As I have come to realize, my transition was incredibly smooth due to my involvement with school activities. Whether it was participating in events or joining clubs, I kept myself busy.  That way I had less time to over-think being away from home. So my suggestion for you parents is to encourage your child to get involved with campus life. Not only does it keep them busy, but that’s where they find their friends and people who have similar interests, and ultimately their support system.

Me: Even though you lived away from home for a couple years in high school, I'm sure the transition to dorm living was another change yet again because of the increased freedom. How would you describe dorm life?

Zack: Dorm life is dorm life. Everyone tells you to not succumb to peer pressure but that ain’t so easy. I just recommend you let your child find things out for themselves and live the college stuff.  I found real-life experience, trial-and-error, to be a better deterrent than my parents telling me I couldn't do this or that. Personally I love dorm life, and now I am a Head Resident Assistant for 5 buildings on my campus! In the dorms I found a group of people that I now call my second family, and I am incredibly thankful for the chance to have lived with such a wondrous array of people.

(Continued on December 24th)

Blog by a freshman about her daily college experience

Today is your lucky day.  Today you don't have to listen to me jabber on about, well, anything!  I merely wanted to take this chance to direct you toward another blog:

Year One: A College Blog (by Ruby)

This blog is described as "an inside look at the life of a first-year college student and her experiences in her first year of college."  Despite the redundant description, I think this blog is a fantastic opportunity to peer into the thought process of a young person living independently for the first time, trying to navigate all of the freedoms and responsibilities of her new life.  Such insight is priceless.

Enjoy, and I'll see you again on Monday.

Thanksgiving: An opportunity to focus on what we have

Thanksgiving is a great opportunity to focus on what we have instead of what we don't have.   I try to remember to take a similar approach when helping kids develop their post-high school plans. When I find myself feeling frustrated with a certain student, as if I'm banging my head against a wall, most likely the reason is that I'm trying to fit them into some kind of box rather than flowing creatively with what they have to offer.

A recent example is one of my students who, from one perspective, appears "lazy" or "unmotivated" because he doesn't particularly like school.  However, he loves riding his bike (not lazy!) and is actually known around L.A. as a trendsetter in that subculture.

For a while I worked at trying to get him to come around to a more mainstream path because he has the potential to be successful in college, but I met with huge resistance from him.   Just last week it dawned on me that I was taking the wrong tack and I immediately called him in to get things headed in the right direction.  I acknowledged his strengths and interests and asked him to brainstorm with me so we could find a satisfying, productive career path for him. Come to find out, he has already contacted the downtown bike courier companies for a job but they won't be able to hire him until after graduation because he still has to be in school during their business hours. (Once again, not lazy, not unmotivated!)

The point is, I changed my behavior toward him and that resulted in a change in his demeanor in response, because he was finally feeling respected and seen for the unique and valuable individual that he is.

In the vein of focusing on what's right instead of what's wrong, I'd like to share this 5-minute video about a young man from London named Steven Wiltshire, also known as "the Human Camera."  He was diagnosed with Autism at 3 years of age but that hasn't kept him from having his artwork shown around the world, opening his own gallery in London, or being named a Member of the Order of the British Empire (for service to the arts) by Queen Elizabeth II.

I hope you find it as awe-inspiring as I do.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING.