Whitney Paige...

...AKA Whit, Whitto, Auntie Whit, Crazy Aunt Whitney, and in her childhood, Bellowing Belinda.

My sister sent me an instant message yesterday morning to say that she received her "okay to graduate" email. She wanted my input on how her name should appear on her diploma. Congratulations, Whitney! My most brilliant of sisters will receive her B.A. in May, one year early! (Gee, wonder where she gets that from?) Her major is English with a minor in secondary education. She's been hemming and hawing all year about whether to go back for her senior year, and she finally made up her mind. She wrote her senior thesis last fall, and has more than enough credits, so grad school here she comes! I'm so proud of her! She is an amazing student. I think the campus will miss her, though. In her three years, here's what she's done:

• Three internships, including one funded by a prestigious scholarship from the college


• Worked as an aide to special needs (mostly autistic) children, while school was in session and on vacations and summers


• Worked in the college library (of course!)


• Resident Assistant


• Programming board


• Worked on the school paper the Onyx


• Orientation leader


• VP of her class


• Assistant chair, now chair, of the Community Court (She was elected to hold this position through her senior year.)


• Evenline player and now coach (one of the school's long standing traditions is an Odd/Even competition between classes, including a basketball game)


• Danced in a senior thesis performance


• Wrote her senior thesis and received an "A"


• Protested her college abandoning its life as a women's college and becoming coeducational, though sadly unsuccessfully

I must admit I was thrilled and not surprised at all to hear that in graduate school she plans on concentration on elementary and special education. I knew all along she would. She was born to work with special needs kids. She has such a gift.

I'm sure I'm forgetting something. I can't help but brag! Her personality is just as wonderful as her accomplishments, and I am so glad and blessed to have such a wonderful sister and friend!