reunited & it feels so good!

Last week I flew home to L.A. for my 10 YEAR HIGH SCHOOL REUNION!

Seriously can't believe it's been that long. I'm a proud alumni of Francisco Bravo Medical Magnet (say that 5 times fast) located in East Los Angeles! Magnet schools are a fancy phrase for schools created around the time of the civil rights era to offer special programs to students across a district and create a diverse student body. 

I chose to go to Bravo. I can still remember telling my Mom when I was 13 to pick Bravo on my magnet school preference. I knew nothing about Bravo except a fellow 8th grader had told me there were cute boys there. 😂😂😂 Like most things education-wise in my life, once I heard the name Bravo, I KNEW I had to go to school there (& maybe the cute boy rumor helped sway me a little). 

I was part of the planning committee for our reunion, and  I could not wipe the silly smile off my face the minute I stepped onto campus. Bravo is hallowed ground and holds such a special place in my heart because it's really the place where I "came to myself." 

One by one classmates trickled in and I was shocked by how little we've changed. Everyone looks exactly the same, the only difference is we've done so many incredible things with our lives: doctors, lawyers, PhD candidates, several nurses, medical researchers. I mean, our high school has a reputation for strong academics, so not super surprising, but waaaay impressive. 

Being back reminded me how much I miss diversity! Don't get me wrong, I've loved BYU, but I've missed having a student body that represents the populations of our world. Our school's "white" population was predominately made up of Russians and Armenians and the rest of our student body was Latino and Asian. 

The most moving part of the reunion came in the form of a video presentation by my AP Biology teacher, Mr. Furukawa. Los Angeles Unified Schools don't usually let out until June, a full month after the AP tests are done with, so Mr. Furukawa would have us put on mini musicals. My particular group was in charge of a number set to Annie's "You're Never Fully Dressed Without A Smile." The video Mr. Furukawa played back was from 2006, I was 15 at the time, and I was shocked by how skinny I was! Shocked because I remember being in high school and feeling very concerned with my weight and the way I looked. This perception of myself led me to believe that I had been "chubby" in high school. You guys, I was so small! I couldn't believe it. Seeing myself on screen caused me to pause and think, "what am I obsessing about in my life right now that 10 years from now I'll wish I hadn't spent so much mental time dwelling on?" This reflective exercise definitely helped me to look at my fears and worries in a different light. 

When I left the reunion I could not help but start making mental plans for our 15th reunion! I had such a great time catching up with everyone, that I wanted to make headway on our next get together. 

I feel very fortunate to call myself a Bravo Knight!

(L to R) Brittny, Christal, Me, Yuliya, Masha, Maria

Planning Committee Members! (Brian, Harut, Davis, Masha, Me, Brittny)

(Brittany, Christine, Nathalie)

I've always loved this mural just outside our high school. Every day after school, I'd cross the bridge take the stairs down this mural and wait just to the right of it for my public school bus to arrive. There is an ARMY of busses outside of Bravo each day. I'd venture to say that close to 70% of Bravo's student body took a school bus to school. That's what happens when your students come from all around Los Angeles County!

My high school reunion wasn't the only reunion I had last week!

This woman is the mother of one of my best friends from elementary school who is currently incarcerated. I've alluded to him several times on this blog, but have yet to divulge the entire story—I'm waiting for the right time to do so. We're still pen pals! Every two weeks I get a letter from him. While at home I decided to pay his Mom a visit—a true miracle! This woman is such an inspiration. I met her when I was 7-10ish, but hadn't seen her since my 5th grade culmination. This reunion was an emphatic reminder that Heavenly Father loves ALL his children, that he is intimately involved in the details of our lives, and that every person he places in your life is there for incredibly specific reasons. 

With all these happy reunions, I'm now on a quest to track down every single one of my 5th grade classmates and attempt to host a reunion by the end of the year! 12 down, 16 left to find!