Public Education Foundation - Partners for Strong Schools

A Student's Story: Passport to Julian Krinsky

“Maturity of the mind is the capacity to endure uncertainty,” said John Finley. Being a Passport Scholar and attending Julian Krinsky Camps and Programs (JKCP) changed my life drastically. The experience was phenomenal because I was pushed outside of my comfort zone, I learned so much about whom I am and who I want to be, and I was given the opportunity to make my community proud. I will never be able to repay the Passport Scholar Program for what they have given me. This was a once in a lifetime chance. I took it, and could not have asked for a better summer because of it.

JKCP forced me to go beyond my personal limits. About eighty percent of the camp was from another country. Even if they were American, they were all from the northern part of the nation. I was the only true southern person there. I was constantly being asked to talk with my drawl (which I did not know that I had), or to cook the way we do “down in Tennessee”. Everyone was convinced that I lived on a farm with hundreds of horses and cows. I only knew the southern way, but I took my time to gather knowledge from other cultures. I hung out with people from Massachusetts, New Jersey, Michigan, Italy, France, Scotland, Australia, and many more countries. I met a girl named Sasha from New Jersey. We talk every single day, and she plans to visit over fall break. JKCP was so diverse, and I learned so much about other cultures around the world. It truly was amazing.

Passport Scholars and Julian Krinsky nudged me down the pathway to figure out my future. I went into Philadelphia full of questions. I came home full of answers, and some more questions. I did not know if I wanted to go away for college or stay near home. I did not know if I wanted to pursue culinary arts or go into education. This program gave me the skills I need to make this decision. I learned so much about myself and who I aspire to be. I gained a lot of knowledge about life. I gained strength, maturity, and thoughts about my future just in three weeks. These two programs offer nothing but positive opportunities. I remember waking up one morning at camp and looking in the mirror. I told myself that morning that I deserved that experience. That was a changing point in my life. I do not have a single complaint about everything that I experienced.

I live life with the goal of wanting to make the people I love proud. Going into a college-like situation for three weeks was something I wanted to use to make my family, friends, and community proud. I was the only Passport Scholar that Central High School has had in quite a few years. I was the first person in my family to ever do anything like this. How many people in Chattanooga can say they went to culinary school on a full scholarship as a sixteen-year-old? I do not think very many could. I strive to be different, and to stand out for the achievements I have made. I often feel that my academic achievements make me the girl that I am. I can honestly say that this summer gave me the opportunity I was looking for. I feel like I definitely made my parents, my relatives, my friends, and my community proud.

Summer of 2011 was, by far, the most amazing time of my life. The Passport Scholar Program changed everything about me, and in a positive way. Without Passport, I would have never been able to experience the things I did. During those three weeks, I stepped outside of the life I knew, gained the knowledge of my life, and impressed the people in my life. I could not have asked for anything more. I am so thankful for what I was given. I hope that all 10th grade girls take the chance I did. They would definitely be satisfied with the decision. I know I am extremely pleased.

—Haley Long