A tender hearted, expansive minded young person, Quentin Ingram can be both a wide eyed dreamer and a skeptical realist. Describing his proudest accomplishment, Quentin shared: “Definitely graduating but that much is to be expected. If we are going by all my life so far, as little that I have done, I did get a poem published as part of a writing compilation in a writing workshop I attended back in elementary school called ‘You Will Be Able To Say a Thousand Words.’ Regrettably I can’t say it was my greatest work, as I was very young at the time, and I didn’t write down both my First and Last name, since I did not trust those people at that age either. But it is pretty neat that my written work is at least somewhere in literature.” Well we think so too Quentin. And we hope that you continue to write, to get lost and found in other worlds, other stories. Through his imagination, Quentin casts himself widely into the large, starry universe and beyond, to what may be possible. “I have always been a huge Star Wars fan. And I absolutely love playing that [Star Wars] game to really get immersed in that fantastic world created by George Lucas in 1977.”

At the same time that Quentin’s sense of the world and of his own future are ever expanding, Quentin grounds himself in the present with a gentle, often playful read on his and the world’s evolving capacities and growing pains. Quentin has good cheer for both the wide world and for himself, as they each take many interplaying roles in making each other better.

Describing his biggest challenges this year, Quentin’s old soul shines through as with tenderness, self knowledge, some humor to ease the hard, and surely some understatement, he reflects that, “As an individual with ADHD, quarantine has been hard. And though I did graduate, I only graduated with IB certificates in some select classes. And not the full IB diploma. Which I suspect I could have succeeded in acquiring had I attended school physically throughout the year. But alas, I did not to go school physically and did not receive the full diploma. Seriously, nobody even knows what TOK class is, it stands for Theory of Knowledge, basically leaning about learning. Seems a little late to cover in high school but hey, on the bright side! It’s over now.”

I mean, from one tender, artistic ADHD soul to another, we would truly like to get this affirming quote on a coffee mug. I’m sure some of us might like every experience to have its sunshine threaded through but the truth is sometimes the only bright side of an experience is it’s ending. But hey. Quentin knows that we are much more than our challenges. Quentin shows us how although struggle will inevitably trickle, maybe sometimes pour, into our days, the practice of cultivating one’s joys and of developing a good sense of self, these practices can both serve as refuges intough times and as guiding stars along the way. Quentin shows us how letting your joys and dreams and loves take space in your life can illuminate a person from within.

Asked what three things he would tell his younger self, Quentin shared:

1. Still focus on school, but focus on what makes you happy more. Study the things you like and maybe you’ll be even more mentally prepared with a happy mind.

2. Editing videos is exhausting, but learn how to do it. Get better at it sooner. We coulda hit 110 subs by now were it not for you, me!

3. Yes your girlfriend is awesome. Okay. I got to go before I screw up the timeline too much. BYYYYYYYE!!

Quentin, we feel pretty certain that your timeline is in all kinds of good shape. We could all take a lot I’m sure from your idea of a happy mind pursuing passions being fertile ground for learning. And we wish and hope for you to keep investing in yourself and your passions as you take your next steps.

“I mean, we all feel like we’ve all been through alot. Sometimes we think it means we deserve greater than most. But that’s indulgence, and it’s not productive. People need to learn contentment. But that doesn’t mean being happy with what you have. It means understanding what you have. And looking at everything around you through the lens of critical analysis. And when the first step to gaining knowledge is observation then we’d all learn a lot if we looked around a lot more. And what we choose to do with that knowledge afterwards can shape everyone’s future.”

We would like to celebrate Quentin for who he is now, for who he will grow into being and for the thoughtfulness and joy seeking he may inspire in us all. All our very best to you young sir, and you may you continue to shine and be a light yourself and others.