And then she told me something that was so amazing. She said to me, “Do you know that you are allowed to speak up for yourself?”

WE were finally seniors! Hurray!

But along with the start of 12^th grade came the word that I came to dread: seminary.

Most girls were going to Eretz Yisrael.

But it cost SO much. I felt like there was no way that I could ask the community fund to do that for me. I thought that I would just stay local. And maybe if I was staying local I would only go to half-day sem and start working already.

I wasn’t so happy. But what choice did I have?

Choices? We all had choices. Mrs. Schonfeld insisted on that point.

But not in this area, I said.

And then she told me something that was so amazing. She said to me, “Do you know that you are allowed to speak up for yourself?”

“Of course,” I stammered.