The Freedom Writers Diary - Erin Gruwell [89]
I feel like the traveler in Robert Frost’s poem “The Road Not Taken”: “Two roads diverged in a wood, I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.”
I am the traveler that came upon those two roads. I had a choice: I could take the road that is more traveled by the members of my family and get a job, or I could take the road less traveled and be the first to go to college. I decided to take the road less traveled because I knew it would be better in the long run. I know that my decision to go to college will affect my sisters’ decisions and they will not be as afraid as I was of traveling this road.
Diary 106
Dear Diary,
Colin Powell once said, “The best method of overcoming your obstacles is the team method.” Ms. Gruwell is an advocate of the team method, which is why she began a mentoring program between her graduate students at National University and the Freedom Writers. Each college student would mentor two Freedom Writers. Ms. Gruwell thought we would all learn from each other. The mentors would share their wisdom that comes with age and experience and we would share our knowledge about diversity to help make them better teachers.
The first night at National University, Freedom Writers were put in pairs and then assigned a mentor. My partner was named Becky and our mentor is Sara. For the rest of the night we talked and got to know each other. Sara was very interested in our goals. Becky wants to be a pathologist and I want to be an aeronautical engineer.
To help me learn more about being an engineer, Sara drove me to the Jet Propulsion Lab in Pasadena. There I met John Matthews. Mr. Matthews is an engineer, and he showed us places that aren’t usually seen on the tour. One of those places was a room where model rovers were displayed. These rovers were used to help simulate the rover on Mars. I felt like a kid in a candy store!
After watching all the scientists on television hype about the rover, I actually had a rare opportunity to be so close to all the action. I could almost see myself working with the engineers on the Pathfinder Rover Mission. “This could be me in four years,” I thought to myself. I was so awestruck that I couldn’t think of anything to ask Mr. Matthews, but Sara was right by my side asking the questions she thought I might want answered. Thank goodness I have a mentor like Sara!
I then had the privilege of being taken to a small room with a few computers that engineers used to map out the location of the rover, using information that the rover sent back! I was allowed to move the rover on the computer, now that it had lost its communication with Earth after over ninety days. Everything was so overwhelming that Mr. Matthews lightened the mood by taking me to an area where enlarged 3-D pictures of Mars were displayed. Mr. Matthews explained how some of the rocks on Mars received their names. For example, a rock named Yogi received its name because the rock resembled a bear.
After seeing the technical and nontechnical sides of the job, I began to picture myself working on a mission like this one. I could now see myself doing this for a living. My dream is slowly becoming a reality, but my next and most important step lies ahead of me…in college.
Diary 107
Dear Diary,
Today at Butler Elementary School, the Freedom Writers mentored the kids. I feel so happy right now because we made a difference that will probably change some lives. These children are like lotus plants. A lotus flower doesn’t grow in a swimming pool, but grows in a muddy pond. It lives in a dirty environment, but amid the muddy pond lies a beautiful flower emerging from the water. I hope with guidance, these kids can become as beautiful as the lotus flower.
Butler is located by the most dangerous, gang-infested park in Long Beach. In the past there have been shootings, drug dealings, and other illegal activities. On