Keep making your mamma proud

I remember a seventh grade girl who spent a night sick. My daughter, Elise, was so sick; she coughed and hacked all night, and in helping her, I turned off the alarm, so she would not go to school the next day. She answered that yes, she would, and I countered with my wise, motherly response of “oh, no you won’t.”

Morning dawned and the upstairs held only the sounds of Nick brushing his teeth and dressing for school. He was downstairs and ready when I announced that I could see the bus approach. As quick as a flash, I heard a thunderous sound pounding down the steps as a bedraggled, fully dressed, backpacked Elise flew out the door, ran across the lawn and up the steps of the bus. She refused to miss school, and could not be forced.

What does the future hold for such a defiant child? My phone rang today and she chimed in that with grades posted and internship hours complete, she will be graduated from Harvard University next weekend. While I burst with pride at her academic accomplishment in earning a master’s in intervention science – a college guidance degree, my heart fills with where she will take this training and skills, and the tenacity it took for this achievement.

In high school Elise spent camp time at Mountain T.O.P. in Grundy County, Tennessee. There, she learned to construct porches, paint, do minor repairs in homes and most importantly, build relationships with the folks who needed these services. One summer her crew worked at the home of two little girls, one named Shelby. The girls wanted to help and spend time with the teenage crew. Shelby had a “Skip It,” one of Elise’s favorite toys at Shelby’s age. They played together and shared with each other their love for school.

This little girl touched Elise’s heart, and when she came home and we shopped for her school supplies, she lamented that Shelby will not have the great trip to the store to pick out new binders with matching spirals and two-pocket folders; she will not have new number two pencils with coordinating pouches, sharpeners, and the other treasures that build excitement for the opening of a school year.

While an undergrad student in Florida, Elise came home summers and worked at Mountain T.O.P. where her eyes and heart opened to the fact that not everyone has the opportunities to go to college. In her hometown circles, just an hour and a half by car, and a world away, the question was never whether you would attend college, but where. High school decisions revolved around honors or Advanced Placement classes and which ones would best serve in university preparation.

Elise’s mind drifted back to the kids in Appalachia who not only did not have the opportunities or resources to attend higher education, but lacked the high school training. Mountain T.O.P. opened Elise’s eyes to the world beyond her window – a world that called for her.

After graduation from University of Miami, Elise spent a semester working with children in Tanzania. Her view and heart expanded. A little boy named Parsley melted the core of her being. The leaders of the orphanage misjudged this toddler’s age because his growth was stunted from illness. The pictures of Elise in the orphanage where she assisted in the evenings after teaching school include her working with the kids with her hip jutted out and Parsley rested on it.

Word came while in Tanzania, that Elise gained acceptance in Teach for America where her eyes would be further opened to the needs of youth in urban settings. Her two years teaching seventh grade English gained her the incentive to pursue college counseling, specializing in the needs of students at risk.

Elise’s brother Nick carried such pride for her dedication to the kids, and he bragged on her often. Next week, as we attend ceremonies at Harvard, there will be a family in the audience that beams just a little brighter than the rest, and a brother smiling from above.

Elise, keep making your mamma proud!