In which Baby Bwogger Alyse Rovner has a few choice words for one *particular* hand-raiser.

It was a Tuesday morning — 8:45 am, to be exact — when I heard your voice come from the far right of the classroom, closest to the chalkboard. In unison, heads sprung up from their laptops. The class came to a standstill, all hushed so that we might hear you. I was captivated, pondering what you might say. I mean… what could you say? The lecture had not even begun. Maybe you would ask for clarifications about the syllabus?

You pushed your body forward to the front of your desk, no doubt feeling ever so trapped by the tiny table attached to your seat. And then, you proceeded to speak.

My stomach turned to butterflies as I heard your question. My heart dropped as you eked out your last word. The one-hundred fifty other students in the lecture looked annoyed and confused; however, I was mesmerized. You presented your idea for the final project, but it was only the first day. How could you already know what you wanted to write about? How did you have the willpower to share your own thesis statement so unprovokedly? How?

I wanted to learn more. I wanted to know what fascinated you about the topic you presented. I wanted to know what prompted you to ask this specific question. I wanted to know just how you had found it in yourself to outdo all us other students by having already chosen the topic of your final paper on the first day.

With a lone tear streaming down my right cheek, I stood up in my seat to get a better glimpse of you. There you were, holding a full conversation with the professor before my own eyes, blissfully blind to the throng of people sitting right behind you. There, in a sea of confused and angry faces, was me.

I wish you could have seen me. I feel so connected to you, as if I’ve known you for ages. Yet I must remind myself that you and I are but strangers.

Go off. Be well. But know this: I have nothing but admiration for your risk, wit, and gusto.

everyone in this lecture hall NEEDS to hear your final project idea via Wikimedia Commons