Last night, I received a call from my cousin Natasha Scott in Raleigh, and I heard the news that she had been accepted into North Carolina A&T University. I congratulated her on her acceptance, and I also told her that it’s a nice place to study. Sure, she’ll be quite a good distance from home, but she’ll still be close to her family, which is a win-win situation for everyone. I never got to attend Natasha’s high school graduation, but I heard she got some nice graduation gifts. She’s now driving a brand-new Toyota RAV-4, which she says is the best graduation gift ever! And she’ll be driving the RAV-4 to Greensboro this coming fall. For now, Natasha’s looking for a summer job to pay for her gas and other necessities.

I still remember when Natasha once told me that she wanted to be a musician like me, because she sat next to me at the piano, and I was playing some random notes for her. From that day, she picked up a recorder in elementary school, and then went on to play the flute in middle and high school. I told her that she’s always welcome to sit in with my band anytime she’s in Chicago. By the way, haven’t I told you that my brother Walter plays trumpet in the band?

Once again, I want to congratulate Natasha on her high school graduation and acceptance into a great college, and I wish her lots of continued success in Greensboro. I’ll be sure to stop by and say hello to her whenever I’m in North Carolina. Go Aggies!