NYU

• Laurin Raiking, Gallatin Interdisciplinary Seminar: Rituals and Art from the Prehistoric to the Present

HS

• Mr. Roubian
  • also never took shit from anyone; did headstands!; one of the best journalism advisors around...
• Mr. Alcosser
  • never thought I'd enjoy calculus so much; pushed through personal hardships and made sure we learned, always
• Ms. Chen
  • sharing food and having conversations about literature and film--and also for actually having the guts to watch Irreversible after I described it... you got balls, man.
• Mr. A
  • also belongs in the JHS list; for caring, simply put, sometimes to the extent of damaging his own health, and almost always at the expense of his comfort; my first book dedication belongs to him
• Mr. G
  • amusing me endlessly; being absolutely adorable whenever he talks about his son, cooking, or anything he's passionate about; for asking me questions that maybe he shouldn't; for wearing awesome ties; for having a Japanese wife; for making me want to be nicer
• Ms. Kelly
  • letting me talk about things that most people wouldn't, and for having faith in my abilities; for loving "The Real Housewives" and not being shy about it, and for being so maternal
• Ms. Clifford
  • never technically my teacher, but one of the most kick-ass women I know; I can only hope to know as much as she does when I'm older
• Mr. Moran
  • all the movies! and "light beer is shit."

JHS

• Mrs. Quackenbos
  • just for saying "ass" in a class full of immature 6th graders, never taking shit from anyone, and making me want a bob just because she looked kick-ass with one
• Ms. Myers
  • letting me borrow Metallica and Cranberries CDs? letting me blow off AR and having me read Sophocles instead, and then bragging at conventions about having a 7th grd. student reading Antigone? letting me borrow her college Milton textbooks?
• Ms. Brittenham
  • making history the most fun it has ever been for me
• Ms. Dickerson
  • laughing when she saw me reading The Feminine Mystique, making me look forward to the end of the school day; admired her so much--still do, even if she did get married...

ELEMENTARY

• Ms. Black
  • admittedly a bitch, but I learned more from her than anyone else; taught us about everything--art, music, literature, and how to write checks; also the only one to ever properly teach outlining techniques...