Cutting the Gordian Knot for academic success in college (or high school)

Ever hear of the Gordian Knot?  Try this:

In Greek and Roman mythology, the Gordian knot was an extremely complicated knot tied by Gordius, the king of Phrygia in Asia Minor. Located in the city of Gordium, the knot came to symbolize an impossibly difficult problem that could not be solved.  

According to legend, Gordius was a peasant who married the fertility goddess Cybele. When Gordius became king of Phrygia, he dedicated his chariot to Zeus and fastened it to a pole with the Gordian knot. Although the knot was supposedly impossible to unravel, an oracle predicted that it would be undone by the future king of Asia.

Many individuals came to Gordium to try to undo the knot, but they all failed. Then, according to tradition, the Greek conqueror Alexander the Great visited the city in 333 B.C. After searching unsuccessfully for a while for the hidden ends of the Gordian knot, Alexander became impatient.  Then, in a sudden unexpected move gleaned from a flash of brilliance, he took out his sword and cut through the knot in a single bold stroke. Of course, Alexander then went on to conquer most of the known world, including Asia, thus fulfilling the oracle's prophecy.  

Alexander's solution to the problem led to the saying, "cutting the Gordian knot," which means solving a complicated problem through bold action or extraordinary insight.

Georgia Teenager Overcomes Homelessness to Become Valedictorian

 Georgia Teenager Overcomes Homelessness to Become Valedictorian

By CHRISTINA NG | Good Morning America – Thu, May 23, 2013 3:44 PM EDT

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When 17-year-old valedictorian Chelesa Fearce stands before her Georgia high school graduating class today to give her speech, she will talk about overcoming homelessness and fighting to "get the future that you want."

Fearce, a senior at Charles Drew High School in Riverdale, Ga., spent most of her high school career living in shelters, the occasional hotel, short-term rented apartments and sometimes the family car -- when the family had one -- with her mother and three siblings.

"I would just pray," Fearce told ABCNews.com. "My mom, whenever we're in that situation, she always finds a way out of it. So I would just tell myself, tomorrow it will not be like this, so take your time, do what you have to do now so that you get the future that you want tomorrow."

Regardless of where she was living, Fearce found a way to study. She recalled using a cellphone light in shelters to get her homework done. "I'm so happy that I got through all of this and that I finally have gotten to this point," she said. "All the studying I've done ... you don't know! It was crazy. I was studying science, math, everything. I'm very proud to come this far."

Her favorite subjects were literature and science, especially chemistry and physics. Fearce wants to be an oncologist when she's older.

Fearce's "very proud" mother said that despite the family's hardships, she always emphasized education for her children.
"I read to them a lot, took them to the library," Reenita Shephard told ABC News' Atlanta affiliate WSB-TV. "Everything around me was a learning experience."

Fearce completed high school with a 4.466 GPA and scored a 1900 on the SATs. She tested high enough in school to enroll in local college courses for her last two years of high school. When she starts Spelman College in the fall, she will already be a college junior.

"Chelesa is an outstanding young lady. She's very conscientious, always going over and beyond and is a very humble young lady," Fearce's school counselor, Razelda Killen, told ABCNews.com.
Killen praised Fearce's positive attitude and described how Fearce always has a smile on her face. "She has overcome some obstacles," Killen said. "She has been homeless, but in spite of those obstacles she has still done an outstanding job academically, socially and still has goals to go even beyond."

On Saturday, Fearce's 18-year-old sister will graduate as salutatorian from a different high school.

Fearce hopes that her speech at today's graduation ceremony will motivate her classmates. "Our mascots are the Titans, and I feel like the Titans are very influential," she said, giving a preview of what her speech would be about. "They're strong, and they need to be strong despite their hardships."

Teaching is my life work

(Why teaching matters to me --or academic mentoring, if you will. And yes: I send this young woman books every so many months on a variety of subjects just because she loves being educated and learning more. She doesn't ask me--I just do it because it makes a difference for her. She's now in law school too.)

            "When you were a professor @ Snead State, I had the honor of  being your student in English 101. I remember talking to you because one day I felt so overwhelmed due to lack of family support. My family never understood the value of education, and my father can't even read. 

    "I think back to those times when you said 'If you say you can't, you won't.' Every time I have had enough of college, work, and life situations, I keep pushing myself knowing that someday I will finish college, and if the only person that comes to my graduation is my son and myself, that's fine with me. All that being said, I just wanted to say ''Thank You''. I will be graduating with a pre-law degree in the spring of 2012, and I am working on admissions for law school."

(signed),

Jessica G.
Guntersville, AL