<p style="text-align: left;">I was fortunate to meet this beautiful and brilliant 18-year old Cornell student last week. Her grandmother asked if I would be so kind as to provide any advice I may have for entering the field of clinical nutrition. Today, I received an email from her with the following note:</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><strong><em>"I had a great time hearing about your work, and I hope I can put your advice into practice. I feel like talking with you has put me ahead of where I would be otherwise. Thank you."</em></strong></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Thank <strong>you</strong> Laurel for allowing me to participate in your journey. I feel like talking with you confirms my mission in life - helping to make a difference in the world guiding others.</p>

<div style="text-align: left;">At age 15, Laurel received the "Youth Winner" award in the US Poet Laureate competition in the category of "The Natural World and Man's Separation from It."  A remarkable piece of work. How fortunate are those who will have a chance to be influenced by this amazing young woman. I certainly have been.</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;"><strong>"Opaque" by Laurel Moffat</strong></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;"><strong></strong>You pull the socks up</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">and the sleeves down</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">to cover your bruised knees</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">and scabby elbow</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">Is it chilly in the growling car?</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">Then you frown at the plastic flowers</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">like autumn leaves</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">shoved into the dirty white container</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">next to the gas pump;</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">an extension of the dusty asphalt.</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">Where have you been?</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">Did you collect your scrapes</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">while taking a hammer</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">to the pavement,</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">dicing the gray into ice cubes</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">that melt enough to let trees through?</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">I think not.</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">They're from that time you tripped</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">and fell into the black glass street</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">while running in the warm dark</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">where the leaves couldn't see you.</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">You're hiding from them again,</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">behind the car door.</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">Behind the bulletproof glass.</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">Where are you going?</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">Maybe today it will be the zoo,</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">where wild things</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">hide in glass, too.</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">I know you won't break it,</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">break out.</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">You only seem to know</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">how to break yourself.</div>
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