Miss Independent-Part 1

Raising a child to be academically, socially, and financially independent is a goal of most parents. When it came to Claire, Amy and I hit the jackpot. From elementary school to adulthood, Claire displayed a self-reliance and confidence that would make any parent proud.

Part of that independence can be attributed to the demands put on Amy and I of raising Morgan and Carson, twins with special health needs. Fair or not, Claire often got the short end of the stick when it came to our attention as we juggled their feedings, rambunctiousness, and later their medical conditions.

One morning when Claire was in the 2^nd grade, she came down to breakfast before catching the school bus and proceeded to tell us that she had a dental appointment that afternoon. She asked that we pick her up by a certain time. Afterward, she told us, we needed to take her directly from the dentist to swim club that evening.

As Claire grew older, she remained extremely organized (just like Amy) and focused on her goals. Claire was not a natural athlete, but something about swimming appealed to her and she applied herself to the sport with vigor. She rarely missed practices at the Menomonee Falls Swim Club. It gave her structure as she balanced her wellness, social life, and academic goals. It may surprise many of you to know that Claire is the only Academic All American in our family (lettering in swimming all four years in high school and having a GPA higher than 3.6).

She breezed through high school and headed off to the University of Minnesota to pursue her goal of becoming a Physical Therapist. Of course, she had already planned her route through her undergraduate program to best position herself for that goal.

Dropping Claire off at college was one of the few moments when we were able to see her confidence and self-assurance waiver slightly. She tells us the story that after we left her in the dorm, she went to an adjoining room to introduce herself to her dormmates. She plopped herself down in their midst and admitted to not wanting to be alone at that moment. Of course, they all became the closest of friends.

Amy, sensing Claire’s vulnerability at that life moment, wanted to call her before we were even 15 minutes down Interstate 94. I was able to dissuade her, but Amy cried for at least the first hour of our return trip home.

Claire’s hesitancy was short-lived. She absolutely thrived in college. From earning a position on the athletic training staff as a freshman (extremely rare) to traveling to Oregon with a group volunteering for Habitat for Humanity, she embraced the college experience. Bundled against the bitter Minnesota winter, she and a handful of friends were featured on the front page of the St. Paul Pioneer Press protesting athlete sexual misconduct on campus.

We never received the dreaded I’m in over my head call many parents receive at some point in their child’s college experience. Claire just never needed the support and encouragement that many young people her age need to work through transitioning to adulthood.

Until her graduate program for Physical Therapy that is.

The admissions process was stressful for Claire. After going down to the wire without being accepted to any of the dozen or so programs she had applied, she was prepared for a gap year (sitting out a year and reapplying).

On a Tuesday afternoon I received a call from Claire during a lunch meeting with a client. “I’ve  . . . got . . . an . . . interview . . . at . . . Western Kentucky!” she sobbed when I answered.

The interview was for that Friday in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Attendance was mandatory for admittance to the program and gave her just two days to juggle her mid-term exams and make travel arrangements.

The plan was for me to pick her up from the Nashville airport and drive her the 90 minutes to Bowling Green for her interview the next morning. On her way to the airport, she received a notice that her flight was being delayed. Because it was the last flight out, we both suspected it would be cancelled (it was). I encouraged her to get to the airport as quickly as she could and get on stand-by for the only other flight. She made it onto that plane by the narrowest of margins.

The interview process was a group interview as the prospects were ushered from area to area to learn more about the Western Kentucky PT program and talk to the various professors. As the participants gathered for the concluding statements from the staff, the phones of numerous participants began to go off with notices of acceptance to the program. An unfortunate and mistimed miscue by a staff member. Claire’s phone was silent.

Claire was not deterred. Given the last-minute invitation, she figured she would be waitlisted. Every month she received an email asking her if she was still interested in the program. She went from 48 on the wait list to seven, then to three. Shortly thereafter she received her notice that they had a position for her.

The celebration was short-lived as Claire scrambled to find living arrangements and complete her Finals at the University of Minnesota.

Getting into the program would turn out to be easier than making it through.

To Be Continued . . .