1. 2020 Autumn IBelongMagazine

Audition By Wesley Alexander

It was my last year of middle school, and I had to make a decision on what high school I wanted to attend. It was a really hard decision because I wasn't ready to leave middle school and I felt unprepared for what was to come. I was mainly focused on my art career and maintaining my grades, which was no problem because I loved to do work. Even though it was tough, I always managed to make good grades. During my eighth-grade year, I had a lot of help looking for high schools from my mother and my favorite art teacher, Mrs. Emberson. She would spend her whole lunch period helping me with my art skills and perfecting my work. The real reason why I love art so much is when I was in elementary school I had a lot of behavior problems, and the only way to get out my frustration was to draw. Going back in time, as I entered the third grade I was diagnosed with ADHD, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. According to the CDC website, it is very common. 1 In most children and some adults some of the symptoms are careless mistakes and lack of attention to details. People with ADHD are described on the website of the National Institute of Mental Health as having these symptoms: “difficulty paying attention (inattention), being overactive (hyperactivity), and acting without thinking (impulsivity).” 2 After learning this, I thought there was something wrong with me, and that made me question a lot of things in life. I wondered why I would get pulled out of class and have lots of meetings about my behavior, but that improved over the years. As I entered fifth grade, I was happy and excited about going to middle school. But then my happiness ended. Because on March 17, 2016, my Grandma

died. That was the hardest experience of my life. I was so close to her. The night before she died, she had promised that my sister and I could come over and spend the whole day with her. After her death, I was depressed and sad all the time, but then I realized she was gone but never forgotten. Before she died she had said, “Wesley, you will be something one day. Don't let nobody tell you otherwise. You are an amazing artist, and me and your Mother believe in you. I love you.” As I entered my last year, eighth grade, I had hope that I would get into the school of my dreams—the Baltimore School for the Arts. It is one of the top five public art high schools in the country. I was trying out for theater and visual arts. My audition was on January 23, 2019. For the audition for visual arts I had to draw a realistic shoe, my bedroom, and a hand holding something. For the theater audition I had to write a play, creating the characters and designing the clothing and props. Then I had to put everything together in my portfolio. It was mid-December. I worked very hard to finish my drawings even though I restarted about eight times. I didn't let that stop me from what I love to do. My art teachers, Mrs. Emberson and Mrs. Roberson, helped by writing recommendation letters and helping me with drawing my art portfolio. My other teachers helped me with my school work so I would be sure to pass. Finally, it was time for me to audition. It was a long process, but it was worth it. As I entered the room, I prayed to God that I would be accepted by this school.

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I BelongMagazine.com, Autumn 2020. All rights reserved. Published by Unified Efforts, Inc., Baltimore, MD, https://unifiedefforts.org

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