by Jennifer Heldt

Starting a new school as a junior wasn't the most fun of things to have happen in one's high school career. Everyone by that time had pretty much made their friends and decided who they were going to hang out with. Of course, I didn't know this or I would have chosen to stay at my private school. But on to public school I went to see what I was missing.

Spanish was one of my first classes of the day which I shared with Mandy Bradshaw. It didn't take long to realize that Mandy was pretty bold for a freshman. Not bold as in she had a bad attitude, but bold as in...she didn't care what people thought of her. Because of her disregard for other people's acceptance of her...she was hilarious! Everyone loved her in that class.

There happened to be in our class one of the more "popular" seniors ... who most freshman would keep their distance from for fear of rejection ... but not Mandy. She issued war on this guy every day, from (just joking around) verbal arguments to all out combat in crumbled up pieces of paper fights. It was great entertainment.

For my senior year of high school I decided to return to the private school I attended and graduate with the people I considered my family. Also that year, my family left the church we had attended my entire life and started going to Northland. Even though coming to Northland was like being able to breathe after being trapped under water for so long, it was still hard to leave the church I had grown up in. It was also hard because again, coming into a youth group a senior ... people had their friends already. I had a few friends, met a few new people and I again met Mandy. Most of the people I met would vaguely remember meeting me the next week, and would not remember my name at all. Not Mandy...not only did she remember me from our Spanish class, but she remembered a Precious Moment calendar I drew for a class project and would comment on it often. It wouldn't matter if I didn't see Mandy for months, she would always remember me and be excited to see me.

Nothing about Mandy was fake ... she was one person who was truly kind, compassionate, energetic, and funny. Mandy is definately someone I look at and see the evidence of God in her life. Mandy is the one person, who I hadn't really known before, who made me feel welcome at Northland. It doesn't matter if you only met her a couple of times, she makes you feel like she has always been a good friend. She is truly amazing and is probably one of the few people who has the personality and the spiritual strength to get through something like this.