Another Saturday, Another Opportunity

It's only been about two months since I was interviewed for the Experimental Physics program at U. Penn. I remember staring into the eyes of each of the four professors. I wasn't frightened, nervous, nor scared; I was anxious, excited, and relaxed (until I was behind the door). I was the last to do an interview, and my name was also the last one announced. It seems to me that that day's sequence of events was fortuitous. When I heard my name announced for the scholarship, I could feel my blood pressure rising and the muscles around my mouth expanding so wide that it could make 3 revolutions around the moon. I felt embarrassed and surprised that I could make a smile that big. Then, it hit me; the friends that I made 3 hours before my interview did not receive the scholarship, and I knew that the next couple of days for them would be of constant disappointment. Realizing that, I felt a peculiar mix of both sadness and satisfaction. Regardless of that, I will continue for it's not anymore a contingency, but an obligation and duty to represent the District. 

The smile's not that big, but you get the idea.