The Paul Hutchison in You

1382 Words6 Pages
The Paul Hutchison in You By: Ashwin Rane My role model? He was perhaps the coolest man I’ve ever known. He was an avid gamer, an obsessive Latin expert, and couldn’t really play sports for his life, basically, the quintessential nerd. His name was Paul Hutchison, a native Northeast Ohio and now a patriot of the National Forensics League. In his State winning oration titled Dork (1), Paul preached lessons of self-acceptance and self-confidence. Now I know what you’re all thinking, that that speech was probably – over rated, but Paul’s speech ended up teaching me more about myself, than a 90’s family comedy on ABC. You see, I was just small, timid, brown boy, looking for his way in this big world, and despite all the episodes of Full House I watched, there was never a Danny Tanner or Uncle Jesse to tell me where to look for help. I was riddled with questions, riddled with fears, and riddled with acne. Despite my parents’ futile attempts to help, I really didn’t have a role model, to look up to, to confide in, or to guide me through my adolescent struggles. Luckily I wasn’t strong enough to cause any physical damage. No really, I was as skinny as a cinnamon stick, just less delicious. Now, as I reflect on who I was back then and my lack of direction, I think of the millions of kids who don’t have a role model. I think of the struggles that I shared with them. I also think of the hole we’ve been digging ourselves into. You see, we have spent decades trusting that the kids of the new generations will find a role model by themselves, and for the most part, that statement is entirely true. But the cards that are being dealt in today’s mainstream culture have largely changed for the worse. We have begun to let kids look up to the unreliable and equally unpredictable pop idols that rock our daily feed of celebrity gossip, instead of idols that will show them a path

More about The Paul Hutchison in You

Open Document