EFTA01221160.pdf

RECEIVED August 25, 2011 SEP 9 2 2011 Mrs. Cecile deJongh Manager Financial Trust Company, Inc. 6100 Red Hook Quarter, B-3 St. Thomas, VI 00802 Dear Mrs. deJongh, I would just like to express my gratitude and thank you for allowing me to spend my summer at Princeton University. During the four weeks spent at the Junior Statesmen Summer School at Princeton University, I studied U.S. government which gave me a more in-depth knowledge of how the country was founded and how it functions today, and partake in highly heated debates about present day political issues. The whole program was a great experience that I will remember forever. I could not have made it without your generous help. The JSA program gave me a better understanding of college life and living life alone without the guidance of parents or guardians. Having to wake up and make my way to class every morning was difficult and did come with some accidental sleep-ins, washing my clothes every Sunday morning at six in the morning was a burden but looking back, I had many laughs inside that laundry room. Through this I realized that college and the real life is even more desirable to me right now I went to Princeton because I was hungry for more knowledge and more life lessons that would make me a better person. For those four weeks I studied AP U.S. Government, I must say it was the most grueling academics I had ever encountered. I learned that procrastination is not healthy in a college environment and neither is gulping down ten Pepsis trying to stay awake in order to finish your sixteen-page research paper in time. I learned that setting your priorities from greatest to lowest EFTA01221160 importance is key to being successful, and that staying in your room studying is probably more important than playing Frisbee (which ironically caused me to break my clavicle a day before graduation). There was never a point in those four weeks that I didn't enjoy JSA. The best part about the program was meeting new people. I made many life-long friends from all parts of the globe, including Palau, Germany, and even back home in St. Croix who I didn't know before the program. Other aspects of the program I enjoyed were the stress-relieving dances on Saturdays, the "spirit" missions down to the local convenience store, and of course the heated debates that ranged in topics from immigration to railway systems. Overall the program more then surpassed my expectations both academically and socially. I don't take any of the experiences I had for granted and will continue to cherish them for the rest of my life. I encourage you to continue to make charitable donations to allow students to attend such a wonderful program. Sincerely, EFTA01221161