What if it was Me

Car idling, I was impatiently waiting for the left lane turn arrow to change from red to green. I needed to make a U-turn so that I could get into the Wendys parking lot. I stared blankly out the window, trying to decide exactly what to order for myself and my boyfriend when I saw a tall African American man walking up the median to stand next to my car.

He was tall and very thin. The kind of thin that people do not choose to be. His shirt was ripped, and dirty. His jeans were frayed at the bottom. He held a sign that read, "Hungry and in Need, ANYthing helps."

He looked like he was my age...

Without realizing what I was doing I rolled down my window. I told him to meet me in the Wendys parking lot, and that I would be right there. He nodded, and limped across the three lanes on University Boulevard, watching as I made the U-turn I had originally been so irritated to make.

I parked and got out of my car. I looked at him and smiled, he held the door open. We walked into an almost deserted restaurant. There was one man ordering at the counter and two girls running the register. We waited in line for a moment; I looked up at the menu while he looked at me. I suddenly became very aware of exactly how tall and thin he was. He stood three feet away from me and I knew it had been weeks since he had showered.

I turned and asked, "What's your name?"
He slowly replied, "Dean."
Wondering if that was his real name, given our proximity to Dean Road, I smiled anyway and continued, "I'm Sarah. Nice to meet you."
He nodded.

I ordered a meal for myself, a meal for my boyfriend, and a meal for Dean. I had mine packed to go, as I was already late meeting my boyfriend. But asked that Dean's be for here, figuring he would want to sit in the air conditioning while he ate. After I paid the $16 bill, I walked away from the counter to get napkins. Making my way back to the counter, I realized Dean had asked for his order be changed to "to-go" as well.

We left the restaurant; Dean held the door.

I said, "It was nice to meet you, Dean."

He nodded.

I got in my car and Dean walked away.

I again found myself waiting for the left lane turn arrow to change from red to green. Only this time I felt an indescribable heaviness weighing on me. I watched Dean walk across the six lanes of University Boulevard, and into the forest that sat on the other side.

The light turned green, and I began to cry.

Introduction

Hello blog-readers, as you have probably figured out by now, my name is Sarah Ann! I am a student at the University of Central Florida and am currently pursuing a bachelors degree in secondary English education. Having always had a passion for education, reading, and helping others, I knew from a very young age that becoming a teacher is what I am meant to do.

I am a native to Orlando, Florida and am proud of it. I love the sunshine (and ironically the rain), the beaches, and the theme parks (excluding Disney World). However, I make sure that I make my rounds of the theme parks on Sundays because I spend a good majority of my Saturdays watching college football... GO Knights! In addition to football I love watching, playing, and coaching volleyball. Although, my most recent athletic adventure is in the form of tennis lessons, which I hadn't taken part in since I was in elementary school, but hey, you're never too old to learn!

The way I see it, when a person is able to find what they are passionate about in life, then why not dive in head first?! As a future educator this is exactly my plan, I want to experience and learn as much as possible. My goal is to be the kind of teacher and role model that I would want my future children to have. Learning is a life long process, so why not make it as fun and exciting as possible? I want to open the doors of reading to students that thought they would never pick up a book on their own, and I want to encourage the budding writers (and non-writers) in my class to think outside of the box.

I have big plans and even bigger dreams that I plan on fulfilling throughout my lifetime, but if I can make a difference in just one student's life, than that will be my ultimate accomplishment.