April 5th, 2013. My parents had just informed me that I will not be attending Camp Seneca Lake due to my poor grades. I had not tried for most of my Freshman year. I just didn't care. Later in April, Noah called me and said that Ari Baum had extended my application date to late June. My parents decided to give me a second chance to get into Tusc. So those next three months were the most mentally tough months of my entire life. All I did was focus on school. I remember teaching my Carmelo Anthony poster all of the material that I hadn't paid attention to all year. My phone would ring and it would be my friends asking to hang out. It was tough always missing out, but I was doing it for Camp. As the months went by, I became more mentally stressed, I started getting anxiety attacks out of nowhere. Then finals came. I remember watching the scene from the "Dark Knight Rises" when Bruce Wayne climbs out of the pit. Before each final, I knew I was in a pit, and I needed to climb out. I was always the last person to leave after each test. After finals were over, grades were posted shortly afterwards. I had done it! After all of the hard work, I was going to be a part of Tusc '13. Through this experience I learned that if you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything. Laziness is no longer an option in my life. Rather, I am now committed to a life of hard work and determination, as I now have seen all of the positives that have come from this experience.
Marty
Tusc 2013