It's hard to believe that, this time last year, I never even knew Marina. I had seen her perform once at the KG Talent Show (and had been pretty blown away with her poise and talent) but never actually knew her name.
Then last year she was in THREE of my classes. She took (and did very well in) PreCalculus 11 and Foundations 12. Plus she was my CS student. So I got to spend a lot of time with Marina. And it turns out that she is not just an amazing singer; she is also an amazing student! Marina always showed great focus and determination in her courses. She listened intently and thought through things completely. If she didn't understand she would always ask good questions. No wonder she was so successful in my classes.
She was also a fabulous CS student. Marina picks up on instructions FAST!
Me: Okay Marina. I need to make up a new assignment for my grade 8's. You will need to make a table in Word and then enter in these numbers in each of...
Marina (interrupting): Okay. I got it.
And she would! No more instructions needed. Fast and accurate. A CS dream!!
I'd like to point that Marina is taking PreCalculus 12 and Calculus 12 (with me!! Yay! More time spent with Marina) this year. So that means she will have taken FIVE senior Math classes. The only other KG students who I know did this previously were the great Nella L and hilarious Peter P. Congrats to all three of them!
The BEST thing about Marina is her personality. She is always so enthusiastic and jovial and quick to laugh. She was a bright light in three of my classes last year and I am so thankful that I'll still be seeing her (only once every two days! Boo hoo) this year.
Marina, you are a talented, charismatic, and intelligent person. Set your goals high and chase after them. I know that you have what it takes to be successful in whatever you do. And most importantly, never lose your beautiful smile!!! :)