"Like students with talent in athletics or the arts, students with academic talent deserve opportunities to develop their skills to the highest possible level. By bringing together academically talented students from all over the country, our summer programs are able to offer an unusal educational experience, one geared both to the students' high abilities and to their need for peers who share their academic abilities and their love of learning."

That is what the Center for Talented Youth's course catalouge says on page one, as its welcome. CTY may very well be that place. To me, and to the people I have had the priviledge to know, its so much more.

CTY Carlisle is the place where I learned what it was to be myself, and it helped me to figure out who and what I am. Without CTY, I wouldn't be half of what I am. CTY is my home, and will be my home, forever.

Carlisle 1, 1997 began right after I finished eighth grade. One of my closest friends, Tina, told me about this really awesome place she had gone the summer before. She convinced me to go. For that, I am forever grateful to her. Thank you, Tina.

At CTY, I learned what Improvosational Acting, commonly called Improv, was. It quickly became my favorite thing to do. That is, when Travis-Jason came to me, and convinced me to join in with him and some others to form CRABSJED, Carlisle 1 1997's improv troupe. We continued on the following year, with JAARB. This year, Travis-Jason wasn't able to return, but his tradition lived on.

I have hardly done this institution justice. There are so many more people that I haven't mentioned on this page, that have been a major part of my CTY experiences. I hope, however, that I have been able to at least partially show how special this place is to me. The people there are worth the 5 hours of class a day, and 2 hour study halls at night. They have given me the ability to actually be who I am, the strength to dream, and they are the inspiration in everything I do. I love them all so much, to the point where I would never have the words to convey just how much I do. But with them, I don't have to. They simply know.

"A long, long time ago,
I can still remember,
how that music used to make me smile.
and I knew if I had my chance,
that I could make those people dance,
and maybe they'd be happy,
for a while..."

--American Pie, Don McLean--