When I remember my high school graduation now, I think about how the district chose a venue that wasn’t accessible to everyone.
I try to take it in, because this is the moment, right? Everything I feel, every decision I make from here on out, feels vitally important. One of my classmates delivers the commencement speech, something about how grades aren’t the be-all and end-all of life. The year is 2009, and I sit wearing a bright purple polyester gown at my high school graduation. In this essay, Forrest recalls her own commencement ceremony and offers some advice for this year’s graduating seniors. To get there, she’ll have to find the courage to speak up about what she wants-and what she needs. As a wheelchair user, Effie has been treated as an “obstacle” by her school, and she hopes that things will be different at a prestigious, big-city college. And maybe being more than just friends with Wilder is one of those dreams.Claire Forrest’s first YA novel, the effervescent and emotional Where You See Yourself, follows its protagonist, Effie Galanos, through her final year of high school.
As Effie navigates her way through a year of admissions visits, senior class traditions, internal and external ableism, and a lot of firsts - and lasts - she starts to learn that sometimes growing up means being open to a world of possibilities you never even dreamed of. When she finds out that Wilder (her longtime crush) is applying there too, it seems like one more sign from the universe that it's the right place for her.īut it turns out that the universe is full of surprises.
She's never been to New York, but paging through the brochure, she can picture the person she'll be there, far from the Minneapolis neighborhood where she's lived her entire life. What Effie hasn't told anyone is that she already knows exactly what school she has her heart set on: a college in NYC with a major in Mass Media & Society that will set her up perfectly for her dream job in digital media. Where You See Yourself combines an unforgettable coming-of-age tale and a swoon-worthy romance in this story about a girl who's determined to follow her dreams.īy the time Effie Galanos starts her senior year, it feels like she's already been thinking about college applications for an eternity - after all, finding a college that will be the perfect fit and be accessible enough for Effie to navigate in her wheelchair presents a ton of considerations that her friends don't have to worry about.
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