A mentor was all I ever needed,

And two individuals agreed.

One plays the flute and the other writes;

Two activities that demand time in the night

Are two things that define me.

 

The flute began as a happy accident,

But too soon I wanted to be the best.

My flute mentor - both my inspireror and teacher -

Strives to keep me with the rest.

 

This mentor of mine shared a story with me,

Of how she struggled in the same course as myself.

It's a course that gives advantage to pianists and vocalists,

And makes the rest of us feel discouraged:

It is the one class that brought me to tears and made me feel depressed.

 

So, when I was struggling, my mentor offered her help.

Taking time out of my flute lesson,

And making it a little on-time keyboard/vocal session.

 

But there is another mentor that I've mentioned.

She's hyper and used an unexpected tactic

To try and add another English Major to the program.

 

This mentor and I didn't start off on the best of terms,

But after spending two semesters with her,

I can't help but be overjoyed.

Overjoyed for the help and opportunities she's given me.

 

This is the mentor whom I surprised,

Surprised with my writing, questions, thoughts, answers and mind.

For one day in class, we were finding the focus in the things we like,

And now she still uses my two answers as examples: flute music, and napalm.

 

That occured in the first semester,

The second semester brought more to the table:

This writing mentor of mine pushed me to be a presenter

In the 2018 English Symposium.

 

After two hours in her office -

Which is many hours less than I've spent with my flute instructor -

I submitted a proposal and we waited for the announcement.

 

It was my turn to be shocked as I found myself accepted,

And this mentor of mine was soon my coach for the symposium.

When the lot of us met to practice,

I found myself with two juniors and a senior increasing my optimism.

 

Here's the kicker for which I'm proud,

I could invite friends to the presentation.

So, I invited my flute instructor without hesitation;

If only I better understood the situation.

 

With my flute mentor seated in the very front row,

My writing mentor and syposium coach stood to introduce me.

After stating how she was trying to get me to switch to an English Major,

My flute mentor firmly stated, "I don't think so."

 

My writing mentor was taken aback while the audience chuckled,

She gave me a look while my flute mentor smirked, and I blushed.

That is one of my favorite memories from my first year,

And the two of them played an enormous role in my first two semesters.

 

So, though my writing mentor was only temporary,

I couldn't exclude her from this glory.

For she helped me through my first year at USU,

And now I look forward to continuing with my flute mentor.

 

Thank you, Leslie Timmons and Cana Itchuaqiyaq (It - chaw - key - yuck)

For being my flute and writing mentors.