Lately, I've been thinking a lot about what I want to do with my life. After high school, adulthood approaches rapidly. This is a frightening thought, isn't it? So, I'm often asked the inevitable question, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" I can't be expected to know for sure at this point in my life, but I do have an idea--an idea inspired by one person: Valerie Stark.

You see Valerie Stark is my piano teacher. I've been taking piano from her for six years now. When I first started in third grade, we had an average student-teacher relationship. She'd instruct me on a piece, and I'd play it.

Since then, though, a few years have passed, and I don't really know where, when, or how it happened, but we became good friends. We're not the kind of friends who talk on the phone for hours, but friends who share something special, who have some kind of unidentifiable bond.

You may ask , "What does any of this have to do with what you want to be when you grow up?" I'll tell you. Valerie Stark has inspired me to think of a career as a pianist or composer.

Valerie Stark has, obviously, taught me how to play the piano, but she's also taught me to be a loving, caring person. I could play a piece terribly, yet she'd still tell me that I'd tried hard, then she'd help me fix it.

From Valerie, I've not only learned how to play the piano and be a good friend, but about the range of possibilities for my life.n