We met up at the local coffee shop in the heart of downtown. Trent chose downtown Grand Rapids Michigan for his senior session because of the city vibe and the river that runs through city. A little birdie (trent’s mom) let me know that trent liked The Legend of Zelda as kid in our initial conversation (see what I did there?). So as a gift for his senior year, I got him a neck chain. Not just any neck chain, this particular necklace had a symbol of the Triforce attached at the end: a sacred relic that appears throughout The Legend of Zelda. He thought it was super cool, which put me at ease because the shyness in me is always afraid I’ll ruin something for some reason or another. (Yes photographers, as bold as they are, are sometimes shy!)
We walked around the city and talked about past experiences. We have a lot in common it turns out. We shared stories about how we were bullied in high school and didn’t particularly have a lot of friends growing up. We felt different for some reason or another. I assured him as I do with all my seniors that at the end of the day, none of this will matter. It gets better. Graduation is the start of the NEXT chapter in life. There’s a reason why your rearview mirrors are so small and your windshield is so big. For it doesn’t matter whats behind you, but rather what’s ahead of you.
Thank you Trent, for teaching me a little bit more about myself and for being the flyest model of 2016. I look forward to seeing what advancements you bring to the world of Software Engineering.
ps. Trent’s mom let me know that the session really boosted his self confidence… hearing that made me fight back tears. It is a pleasure to be able to impact someones life in such a way.
