Kerry Nation

GPC Student

Spring 2007

Kelsey, our own Hermione.

When you see Kelsey, my twelve-year-old non-blood niece, you can tell that she is a major Harry Potter fan.  She is often found sporting her black with crimson lining robe with a Gryffindor crest just below her left shoulder waving a wand and shouting “expelliarmus” to cause her brothers’ wands to fly from their hands.  Her family has lovingly nicknamed her Hermione because, like the character in Harry Potter, she has wild brown hair, is a bit of a know-it-all, sometimes lacks common sense, and is an exceptional student.

The first thing you notice about Kelsey, her wild hair, might cause you to assume she is dirty, lazy, or unruly only to realize later your assumption is not only horrifically inaccurate but you also missed the insight into her personality her hair offers.  Just by looking at her sandy brown, out of control frizz that is flying freely from her head you can see the natural beauty pure and free of hair sprays, gels or any other chemical substance.  Like Hermione, Kelsey’s impatience and lack of concern of what others think of her is apparent by refusing to bind her hair closer to her head in any way and to do so would cause much whining and gnashing of teeth.  The combination of those two elements reveals the innocent intelligence so rarely found in a twelve-year-old girl.

Although most of Kelsey’s friends and family laughingly call her a “know-it-all,” we are all proud of how smart she is.  It is no wonder that she knows so much since her favorite subject is reading and she has a reading comprehension on a college freshman level.  If given a choice, our “Hermione” would spend the day curled up on the loveseat next to the window with the sun filtering through the lace curtains with a blanket covering her while she is completely engrossed in a book.  I am still amazed at what a steel trap Kelsey has for a brain.  After reading a book just once, she can practically recite the entire book to you and not miss the smallest detail down to the color of a butterfly’s wings. 

It is my hope Kelsey continues not to care what others think of her, not to be more like a character in a book but because that is who she is: a beautiful, nonconforming and intelligent young woman.