My Governor's School Experiences

Story by Allison Olmstead

"What am I doing here?" I wondered as I lugged my heavy suitcase up the stairs of the dorm. I was at the Governor's School for Humanities at UT Martin. I never realized it at the time, but the entire experience would change my life forever. Being stuck in the middle of nowhere with eighty-plus strangers changed how I communicate with people. At first I thought I would be all alone, but soon found out that a lot of the people at Governor's School were very similar to me.

While at Governor's School I also learned a lot about myself. When you go away with people you don't know, they don't have any expectations of you, and you can be whoever you want. The people at Governor's School got to see the insane Allison who most people back at home never get to see. I even took two classes for college credit while I was at UT Martin.

Philosophy 110 was my first class, and Visual Art was my second class. Philosophy was most definitely not my best subject; in fact, it may have been my worst. Philosophy was all about deep thought and understanding, but I didn't do much understanding during that class. Visual Art, however, was the best class I have ever taken. I learned so much and had fun in the process.

Most of all, the Governor's School for Humanities helped me to grow as a person. Now I'm not afraid to branch out, or talk to someone I don't know. I'm also confident that I will do well in college, and hopefully will better manage my time. Not a day goes by that I don't use something I learned at Governor's School, whether it relates to art, or philosophy, or people skills. Governor's School further taught me that it's ok just to be myself. As Dale Carnegie said, "Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are."

Does this sound like an experience you would wish to have? If so, contact Ms. McPeters or go to www.tennessee.gov/education/govschools to explore your many options of schools to attend. There's a Governor's School for many subjects including: agriculture, art, technology, international studies, teaching, and sciences.

The deadline to register for a Summer 2009 Governor's School is November 2008, and there are only about eighty spaces for students at each Governor's School, so apply early. If you are accepted, be prepared to meet many wonderful people with whom you can share a variety of new and challenging experiences and even earn college credit! Take the time to look at the application on the website and apply. I know I am certainly glad that I did!