“
Today at Breck
48 /
Winter 2014
IN THEIR OWN WORDS
”
SENIOR SPEECH BY LUKE LEBLANC ’14
IT SEEMS THAT EVERY COUPLE OF MONTHS WE HEAR ABOUT SOME BIG 645 MILLION DOLLAR LOTTERY IN THE NEWS. MILLIONS OF PEOPLE RUSH OUT TO THEIR NEAREST CONVENIENCE STORES TO BUY A TICKET, AND THEN RUSH BACK HOME AND TURN ON THEIR TVS TO SEE IF THEY WON. AFTER THE NUMBERS ARE READ, 99.99999% OF THESE PEOPLE TURN OFF THEIR TVS AND HEAD OFF TO BED BROKEN HEARTED. BUT I’M NOT ONE OF THESE PEOPLE; I’VE WON THE LOTTERY. Now, when I say I’ve won the lottery, I’m not talking about
opportunity was part of the Ameson Foundation, a cultural
the Powerball – so don’t come asking me for a loan. I’ve won
exchange program that provides the chance for both
a different kind of lottery, and the fact that I’m standing
American and Chinese students to intermingle and learn
right here in this chapel speaking to you now is proof of it.
about one another’s countries as ambassadors at the Beijing
Seven years ago, after completing my final year of elementary school at Loring Elementary in North Minneapolis, it was time for me to find a middle school. My dad refused to
High School Number Four. There were about 25 American students from various states, and roughly 250 Chinese students.
stop looking for a school until he found the one that would
My trip to China was like no other. Out of all the places I
give me the best education possible. He values education
could go, China is the farthest away from home given that
above all, and for this I am extremely grateful, because
it’s halfway around the world. On top of that I wasn’t
without him and Becky Farber, the former Dean and Director
accompanied by anyone on the trip, so I had to figure things
of the Middle School, I wouldn’t have won my lottery:
out for my own. It was a little hard, but it was fun and
attending Breck.
exhilarating at the same time.
I don’t think many of us realize how good of a school Breck
At the Beijing high school, the exchange students were
really is. It is one of the best academic schools in the nation.
required to stay on the campus. Beijing high school four is a
Our teachers are of such a high caliber of educational
great school, but its high reaching fences and security
excellence that you just don’t find anywhere else. In addi-
guards who kept track of who came in and out made it seem
tion, some of the opportunities here are unlike any other.
like a prison. I just wasn’t going to spend my limited days in
For instance, let me tell you about another “lottery” I’ve won. It was the summer after my sophomore year, and I was in Nashville, Tennessee, when I received an email from my college counselor, Ms. deKoven, that read, “My apologies for the impersonal, last minute, and vague email, but if you could take a moment and read this you might benefit from an amazing opportunity this summer in Beijing, China.” That
China locked up in a fence while there was so much to explore outside – so the day after I arrived I tried to get some of the other students to come with me to walk the streets, and experience the Chinese culture, but there weren’t any takers. So, I walked up to the security gates alone and surprisingly, the security guards let me leave with a smile. The next day, the other American students tried to leave the continued on page 45