May the Triforce Be With Him!

Years ago, when he was about seven or eight, the older boy used to spend hours (upon hours, upon hours) playing his Game Boy. To say he was obsessed with gaming back then would be a slight understatement. He was convinced that he was going to grow up and “help Nintendo out” by giving them ideas for new games.

In fact, at one point he decided that he didn’t want to wait until he grew up; he crafted a letter to Nintendo USA that detailed his game idea and why they should manufacture it. He received a really nice letter from the company, thanking him for writing but explaining that they don’t use game ideas from people who don’t work for Nintendo. (We still have the letter!)

A side hobby that sprung from his video gaming hobby was drawing. Sort of. He spent hours (upon hours, upon hours) at the computer, using the “Insert shapes” function in Microsoft Word to create pictures of the Triforce from the video game “The Legend of Zelda”. I was lucky enough to find this example to show you; the others are no longer on a computer (they’re on our back-up drive):

triforce1
The amount of time he spent on these was ridiculous.

Or was it?

Fast forward to this weekend:

We spent yesterday over the northern border in America’s Dairyland. The older boy had some business to take care of; he was a finalist in a major scholarship program at his first-choice college. He spent the morning writing an essay and then being interviewed in order to compete for one of twenty scholarships ranging from 3/4 tuition all the way up to full tuition AND full room and board. We’ll find out in three weeks if he was among the top twenty; obviously we’re keeping everything crossed right now!

After the luncheon, he had an appointment to get his graphic design portfolio reviewed by a Fine Arts Department professor, in order to be considered for a Communications and Digital Media/Graphic Design scholarship. He has done some really great work in design over the past couple of years, and Julesie, an über-talented graphic designer herself, helped him assemble his portfolio in a way that made sense and prepared him for the interview*.

We are hoping that all those hours he spent making Triforces is going to pay off for him; the professor was very, very complimentary of his mad skillz, and actually asked him if she could take his electronic portfolio (CD) to show her SENIORS. That’s a good sign, don’t you think?

We are super-proud of him no matter what happens**.

*She also suggested that he wear his red and black tie for the interviews, as those are the school colors. It was pure genius. Subliminal suggestions can’t hurt, you know!
**Believe me, if he gets a scholarship, you’ll know, because you’ll probably hear me shrieking from all the way over here!

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©2010 Suburban Scrawl

20 Comments

  • nycgirl0501

    He definitely made a good impression if the profession took the CD of his portfolio. Great job! Hope he is one of the lucky 20!

  • Heather

    I am totally keeping my fingers crossed for him, I know that from your tweets, and now this post, that it sounds like he nailed!

    🙂

  • Michelle

    That is all what life is about — find your passion and find a way to spend your time doing something with it and being happy with how you choose your life. I LOVE that he's doing this. I just hope the wee ones find their passions, too. (Ok, and that I find mine)

    Phrew – a real comment finally!

  • Mags

    Weird…now there is no trouble! Sorry for the false alarm. 🙂

    What I was GOING to say is I've been following along on Twitter (or FB?) and am VERY proud and excited to see what happens!! No matter what, it's VERY impressive that she is showing to her seniors. Way to go Older Boy!!!

  • Michael

    Sounds like you've got a very talented son. Kudos to you and him. It's times like these that make you feel like you've done a pretty good job at parenting.

    Passion is such a driving force. We should all learn from this.

    Best of luck to all of you!

  • PJ Mullen

    Good luck, that would totally rock. We'll try to keep little man's fingers crossed for him, but I'm not holding my breath 🙂

  • Tara R.

    I hope to hear those shrieks too. I would think the prof wanting to show off his portfolio is an excellent sign. Good luck in the selection process!

  • publicknitting

    I must say, there was a time when I was pretty addicted to the GameBoy. I was in highschool at this time and played in class, but I was still doing it. Also, I came on to the Zelda scene a little late, but it's nice to hear about a fellow fan. I did have Saria's Song as my ring tone for a couple of years (during college).

  • Mr. Man

    That's pretty awesome. I was having a conversation this past weekend with my daughter encouraging her to figure out what it is she likes to do and to do it well. As the older boy has proven, a child's passion can really pay off into a possible career. Very encouraging for this dad.

  • Momo Fali

    How exciting! I will also keep my fingers and toes crossed! Just for you, I will also braid my hair and cross my eyes.

  • Rebecca @ Diary of a Virgin Novelist

    As I try to figure out my next steps, I think back to my childhood and the things that used to fascinate me. I think a lot of our true, authentic selves can be found in our childhood experiences.

    Good luck to your son. Fingers crossed!