"You may drink the water, but always remember where the water comes from."

--my G-Ma

i don't normally write on the weekends because the weekends is my family time. but this weekend, i have to make a special exception. 

when i arrived home last night, my dad handed me a pile of letters that were waiting for me from the week and i had gotten several from Rutgers, my university. usually, i just rip them open just for the sake of opening it but this letter was different. this letter was telling me that i had just been selected to receive the Rutgers University Alumni Association Writing Award. This award was selected by the faculty and staff members of my university; and when i found that out, the award didn't matter to me as much as knowing that my professors still thought of me after i had finished taking their class. 

that quote from my grandma has always remained with me because in this simple line, it taught me the world about tradition and loyalty. my grandma has always taught me in her own funny ways, but after each time, i am blown away by this ancient looking woman who embodies all this knowledge just waiting to be discovered by anyone who would take the time to ask. 

this award is as much for my professors and teachers as it is mine. without them pushing me forward and encouraging me to find inspiration within myself, i would not be where i am today with my writing and certainly not the person whom i've become today. being a person is so much more complicated than just walking the earth. a person is raised with the utmost care and love, and carries a piece of everyone else who has ever left footprints in their wake. 

thank you