Lucky Snowball
Must be nice.
In third grade, I took a standardized test that determined I was “gifted.”
Because of that, I got to skip three grades of math and was in a special class where we read more challenging and interesting books.
Because of that, by 8th grade, I was getting carted to the high school for math classes, and I got assigned to an honors Language Arts teacher who inspired me to love stories.
Because of that, I went into high school knowing I wanted to focus on writing. There, I also got a “gifted advisor” who listened to these goals and interests, and helped me to lay out a 4 year plan to get there. (Meanwhile, I met with my my regularly assigned advisor ONE time in my freshman year, and they spent the 20 minutes telling me how “honors classes are a lot of work” and asking if I didn’t want to take regular English instead.)
Because of all that, I finished AP Calculus my sophomore year, and then got to take a class called Advanced Studies, which was basically an honors credit study hall where I got 1:1 mentoring to write a book of short stories my sophomore year, then a novel in my junior year.
Because of all THAT, I had more open slots in my schedule, which let me take an extra class called Aspire to Teach, which helped me discover my passion for both teaching and theater. I also built teaching and interning experience as a high schooler.
Because of taking all those advanced classes, and with the help of that gifted advisor, I finished high school with a strong resume, great standardized test scores, and graduated valedictorian of my class, bc I knew how to play the ranked points game.
Because of all that, I got great scholarship offers to several different schools. I ultimately chose to go in state to take advantage of two full ride scholarships, turning down Ivy’s (and incurring the wailing wrath of all the Asian Aunties) to essentially get paid to go to undergrad.
Because of that, I could take on a bunch of free internships and low pay opportunities to work in my chosen creative fields. I also had enough money through scholarships and savings to form and run a small theater company, gaining invaluable entrepreneurial and management skills.
Because of that, I was able to afford living in LA (and then Seattle) on a cobbled together actor/entry level writer salary, focusing on doing just industry work rather than needing to take on unrelated survival jobs. This let me build skills and connections until I got a few lucky breakthrough opportunities that set me on my current career path.
All from a single test in third grade.
Sure, it’s not a direct cause and effect. I had to work hard, and much more importantly, get lucky a bunch more times along the way to get where I am. But when I look back and think about it, it’s wild how that one tiny opportunity and advantage rippled out into so many life changing opportunities, mentorships, and moments.
I genuinely don’t think that I was that “smart” or “gifted” as a kid. I think about the kids in my class who didn’t know to take that test seriously, or who maybe weren’t good at standardized tests, and all the things they didn’t get access to as a result.
Life is a series of wild and unpredictable moments. Fairness doesn’t exist. It wasn’t “fair” that I did well on that one test and other kids didn’t. I distinctly remember a friend of mine being sick the day of that test, and then afterwards we stopped getting to be in the same classes together. Fairness is a joke.
I’m very lucky I had folks help tip the scales to help me catch good fortune. I’m very lucky my mom worked her ass off to give me the support to walk into every opportunity I could.
Now all I can do is try to do the same for anyone I can along the way.
