An open letter to my SS: Dear SS, I know that a lot of people view this gift exchange as a chance to get to know someone as well as to give gifts. I thought I would write you a little letter telling you all about myself. My name is Maddie. I am 17 years old. As of now I am a senior in high school, working on my applications to college. I am applying as a voice major so I have to do double the work that most have to do, which can really stress me out. On top of college apps, I also have my 4 AP classes (English, Music Theory, Calculus, and Biology). Sometimes, I may not have the best time management and I let things get ahead of me but I always manage to push through and work it out. I do my best to persevere in these situations. As mentioned before, I am a singer. I have been singing ever since I was four years old. I remember being so little that the voice teacher at my music camp would have to read me the words and I would memorize them because I couldn't read. That teacher was my voice teacher until June of this year. I cried like a baby at our last lesson. He switched me to a teacher who would be a better trainer for my type of voice. My new teacher is an incredibly talented woman who has sung at big venues like the Met and Carnegie Hall. She is one of my favorite people to be around. I connect with her on a very personal level, even though she is 15 years older than me. Another thing about me, I have been a vegetarian ever since my dad decided to raise and breed rabbits for food. If nothing else, this diet has taught me to cook for myself, as our family meals often contain meat in some form. If we ever met in real life, I could cook you a mean vegetable stir fry. On the subject of diets, I have been slightly overweight for almost my entire life and my family has not been shy about letting me know that. As a result of that, my family (dad in particular) have put me through a series of diets of varying sucess. I have done weight watchers, atkins, south beach, and many others whose names I forget. However, now that I have chosen my diet for myself and begun working at my weight issues on my own, I feel much better than I ever did being forced to count points or avoid carbs. As a result of these problems I have had, rather than allow myself to wallow in self-pity, I stay positive. I try not to do it to the point that it is irritating, but I can put on my favorite butterfly dress (the one in my profile pic), twirl around, have fun, and feel beautiful. I also like to remind other people of the good things in themselves, because I feel that people are often too willing to focus on the negative. I am the type of person that will go up to a complete stranger and tell them that I love their outfit or that they have beautiful hair. I think that giving compliments is something that does not happen enough. I am excited for this year because it is one of the first time that I have felt confident in myself and my talent. Nothing much has really changed, just my outlook, although I'm sure dropping 10 pounds over the summer didn't hurt. I love being a senior because people look up to me and I love helping them. I have always been generally kind and friendly but it is nice to know that there are people who really appreciate it (and me!). A few more things about me and then I promise I'll stop. I am nearly fluent in French. I just love learning it so much that I will go and work on learning more when I have extra time. I have only one sibling, a brother, who is nearly my exact opposite but is still one of the kindest people you will ever meet. I sing everywhere, rather loudly. I just love how it feels and I'm not afraid to do it. When I have something that I am proud of I will show it to anyone. Although my family may think I am a lesbian, I am in love with a boy, a beautiful tenor. I won't tell you his name but his initials are L.U.A. and I would do anything for him. Even though I am not a great pianist, I love to play piano and practice it. I also laugh really loud and I love to laugh, so I take any oppurtunity I can to do so. I truly believe that my friends, both in real life, and here on MUT are some of the most wonderful people in the world and I feel blessed just to spend time with them. Well there me in a not-so-nutshell. Hope this helps you in your quest to get to know me/ find me the perfect gift. Yours truly, @makeitupasigo
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