Why Not Ardella?

Who needs a role model? I don’t, well, that is what I thought. Everyone needs somebody to model themselves after because if you don’t model yourself after something, then you become nothing (you like how I rhymed, don’t you?). But sometimes life gives you the most unlikely role models. They come in all different shapes and sizes, different beliefs, and races but you have a connection with them that surpasses kinship and even friendship. Out of all people that was placed in my life, why Ardella Williams?

Just a brief overview of Ardella, she is extremely goofy, fashionable, beautiful inside and out, intelligent, and sometimes a little dorky. I haven’t always known that about Della. I met her the summer of 2008 when I enrolled in the University of Michigan’s Bridge Program. My first thought of Della was that she was a loud mouth, snotty, black girl who just wanted to exalt her power and control over the little freshman. Well, I’m not the only to think that, but let’s just say if we were on an island and had to vote someone off; Ardella would have been the first one off.

Throughout bridge, I did not have many encounters with Ardella; she did not live on my floor. I just stayed away from her because I knew that if we bumped heads, it would be a showdown. My first encounter with Ardella may not have been a showdown but it certainly was a major putdown. One of my favorite PA’s during bridge was Garrison Paige, my first bridge crush. She would proof read my papers for me before I turned them in. When she would give me back my papers, they were bleeding with red ink. My very last paper that Garrison was to look at, she had Ardella proofread it. Ardella, just like Garrison, made my paper bleed. She was way harsher. The first thought that came to mind was ‘Who do this bitch think she is’ marking up my paper (okay, I actually did not think bitch, that is just for reader entertainment).

That is when I found out that Ardella was a writer, even better, an English major. I knew that I wanted to be an English Major and of course, and now kind of found a little respect for Della. I had so many questions to ask her. Then Garrison told me that Ardella is in a program that is for people that is interested in the writing and the arts, so now I was really turned on (Get your mind out the gutter) by Della. Ardella was a kind enough person to tell me about The Lloyd Hall Scholars Program and she really got me interested.

So after bridge was over, I managed to get a job at the Alice Lloyd Community Center and I was to start work immediately. As I was moving in to Alice Lloyd, I saw a familiar face leaving from her room and with the biggest smile ever I screamed “DELLA” and she said in reply “Oh damn”. She wasn’t the happiest camper. Throughout the fall school year, I stalked Della (don’t judge me) and even though it was slow going, she warmed up to me. Now, she has me more enthusiastic than ever to be an English major. Yes, we are two completely different people, and yes, I annoy her, and yes, I’m good looking (just had to throw that in there) but we somehow manage to get along. We both have life long dreams to get involved with magazines and I hope one day that I will be able to call her my co-worker or even better, my boss.

The moral of the story is be careful who you call a bitch because one day she could be a bitch and the next day your boss! But on a serious note, I find myself trying to mold myself in her character (no, not becoming a 21 year old female) and follow her footsteps (sometimes literally). She’s always there to give me advice (Most of the time its ‘Victor, why do you need to buy that’). At the time when I met her I did not know that she would be my big sister on campus but she somehow is. Too often in the world today, we look pass the simple people and always go for someone larger to follow after. Why try to live up to Michael Jordan standards when we you have Lebron James to follow after? Why try to live up to Michelle Obama standards when you have your mother, or sister. It’s not limiting yourself, its realizing reality. Maybe one day you will find your on Ardella, I know I have found mine!