Without A Voice (Based On A True Story)

Epilogue

The following August, I uprooted my life to attend college in Peterson, Arkansas. Emerald River University of Aeronautics and Astronautics was going to be my new home for the next 4 years of my life. I went on to study aerospace engineering with some of the best and brightest around the world. Emerald River was one of the top universities in the world for aerospace engineering. I expected to be pushed to my intellectual limits, and was determined to do so.

I was lucky enough to have a second cousin living nearby. Her name was Phyllis, and she was a retired physical education instructor at another local college. She lived with her best friend, Debra, and pet dog, Melody. They invited me and my friends out for lunch on special occassions. They would celebrate my birthday, as it fell during Spring Break. They also took me on errand runs if I needed. They gave me guidance as I blindly went through my college career. They were wonderful people and mean the world to me.

I made some friends throughout the years, but mostly made enemies. I didn't escape the isolation and bullying I experienced throughout my childhood. My peers always found something wrong with me: my clothes, my hair, my weight (I gained a lot of weight during the first two years), and many other external aspects about me. It was difficult and frustrating, but at least I had friends this time.

I also trained mixed martial arts (MMA) part time during this time; I also trained in Hawaii during school breaks. I primarily trained Brazilian Jiu-jitsu (BJJ), avoiding causing brain damage to my opponents. It was an amazing experience. I went on go 10-0 with six wins via submission and four via knockout (didn't say my system was perfect). I gained much-needed confidence and lost over 100 pounds; I competed at heavyweight (265-pound weight class) all the way to bantamweight (135-pound weight class). The reason I stopped? That will be revealed later.

I went on to work with the housing department as a Resident Assistant (R.A.), and later a desk worker. I had wonderful residents (some more of a handful than others), and wonderful coworkers. I was considered one of the most kind, helpful R.A.'s on staff, but was labeled as a "Brown Noser". I was offended at first, but really didn't care. I was called much worse things than "Brown Noser"; for those of you not clear on the term, "brown nosers" are people who go out of their way to do favors for their superiors/bosses for personal gain. I left the department after two years with them to focus on school, well sort of.

I also went on to hold high positions in our school's Hawaii Club. Having a background in traditional dances, I was asked to take charge in teaching performances for our annual showcases (called a "Lu'au"). I was also club president and vice president for a couple years, working along my best friend Daniel (who is also from Hawaii).

Daniel and I met in our freshmen year. We lived in the same dorm building and introduced ourselves at our first hall meeting. We became quick friends, hanging out almost everyday. He and I shared similar interests: movies, humor, music, and much more. We helped each other through homesickness with every meeting. He truly was/is a lifelong friend.

Now to address the "sort of" said previously. During my Junior year, I witnessed possible corruption within the department. There was a girl, who I was previously friends with, that rose through the ranks in the department unusually quickly. I will admit that there were some personal bias in my judgment, but it was abnormal nonetheless. I did have an attraction to her, but she let me down gently. Things were awkward for a time but we got through it with time. However, she went from an R.A. position to a supervisor position within half a year. It was odd, but she was a friend and I was happy for her at the time. Then, I noticed her acting weird around the department director. She would accept invitations to the director's activities after rejecting other R.A.'s similar invitations. I don't think there was anything inappropriate between the two, but I think she had other motives. For some context, there was a large gender split at Emerald River; there was a 80% male population in the student body. So, I believe she used her gender to help her advance.