i swear i will.

So I used to know this guy who was a columnist for the Daily Bruin when I was assistant editor. Now he's graduating and going onto a PhD program at Harvard. Most people probably know who I am talking about.

I never really realized it before, but he actually is something really special. He actually deserves all of the things he's earned. And when I think about the things he's accomplished, I can't help but feel a little bit jealous. I think deep inside, I really want to be a Ph.D., to be an expert in my field, to hole myself away in libraries in the Northeastern United States studying literature for the next 8-10 years. I wish that were practical for me. Unfortunately, the thought of spending the next 20 years in deep debt and crossing my fingers for a good post as a professor upon graduation sounds impractical to a middle-class girl like me.

Back to my point, this guy once told me (and I've said this before): "Your dreams only fall apart if you let them. Don't." I think about this all the time. It's so funny how a line like that in a short e-mail has changed my perspective. It's just really inspiring to me that someone could be so confident in their success. I guess, at the end of it all, I am not jealous of where this guy has gotten and all of the things he will do that I may never get around to. I'm jealous that I can't believe in myself the way he can. I suppose that's my own fault and could be easily changed.

He is now valedictorian of UCLA's class of 2008, speaking alongside Bill Clinton. So if you didn't know who I was talking about before, you do now. He should be an inspiration to all of us. It's taken me two years to realize that.