Chantilly — Sultan Seraj from Chantilly High School and Rachael Hayes from Poplar Tree Elementary School won the Chantilly Day essay competition. The topic of the essay was: “Remember Yesterday, Celebrate Today, Embrace Tomorrow.”
Past … Present … Future
By Sultan Seraj
10th Grade
Chantilly High School
“Remember yesterday, Celebrate today, Embrace tomorrow.” These can be the words of a scholar or an author of a best-selling book, but in reality there are not. These six simply words convey the goals everyday individuals in society placed upon themselves.
We can never forget what happened “yesterday,” however we must put them aside and celebrate “today.” If we don’t celebrate “today,” the day will be over and we ought to embrace “tomorrow.” Making mistakes is what makes us who we are. We cannot let the past hold us back, and should rejoice the present and grasp the future. The perfect candidate for this theme is Chris Rene.
Chris Rene was born on Dec. 25, 1982. He auditioned on the X Factor USA, where he admitted he was a rehabilitating drug addict. At the age of 15, Rene had smoked drugs such as methamphetamine and cocaine, along with drinking alcohol. Rene received extensive rehab at the Janus Rehabilitation Center of Santa Cruz, California. After being sober for 10 weeks straight, Chris realized “that there’s always a chance and there’s always a choice.” He then sang his way through the auditions with flying colors and automatically became a fan favorite.
Rene was placed in L.A. Reid’s (U.S. record executive/producer) group throughout his X Factor USA journey. His smooth vocals brought him all the way to the semifinals, but he finished in 3rd place. Rene was extremely grateful for his experience on the show, but that did not stop him. In March of 2012, Chris Rene released his first single, “Young Homie.” Today his single is placed under iTunes “Top Songs” list and is extremely popular.
Chris Rene has not only been an inspiration to all rehabilitating drug addicts, but also to everyday Americans. Rene’s battle with drug addiction, displays his strength and commitment to being sober. Everyday Americans see Chris as an individual who turned his life around and set strong goals. Rene understands that “life is too precious to waste,” and has truly changed his life for the best. Even the legendary singer Stevie Wonder told Chris: “You are an inspiration to me.”
Individuals like Chris, first set goals and plan on how to achieve them. Long or short, no matter what obstacle stands in their way they will fight for their dreams and push themselves to their breaking point. Drugs are in Chris’ past, he is now in control of the present and his future is a straight forward path.
Rene stopped abusing drugs for his son and his girlfriend, but most importantly he stopped for himself. He realizes that drugs were holding his life back, and by stopping, Rene has opened doors to several great opportunities. In the words of Jim Rohn, American entrepreneur, author, and motivational speaker: “Take time to gather up the past so that you will be able to draw from your experience and invest them in the future.” Chris Rene will never forget yesterday, he is living sober today, and now knows that nothing can stop him from embracing tomorrow.
‘Remember Yesterday, Celebrate Today, Embrace Tomorrow’
By Rachael Hayes
Fifth Grade
Poplar Tree Elementary School
Chantilly is a community with great history and opportunities.
A way we can remember yesterday is remembering Chantilly's history. Chantilly began with many farms where people grew plants and raised cows for a living These hardworking people produced most everything except for flour, sugar, and coffee(a.). At one nearby hill, two armies met for battle during the Civil War. John Mosby, a Confederate hero who gained information and gave Union soldiers problems roamed behind enemy lines throughout our area.
We can celebrate today by making happy memories. During the summer, Ellanor C. Lawrence park offers free entertainment for kids on Saturdays. Last summer, my family saw puppet shows, magic shows, and musical presentations there. The Cub Run Center is my family's favorite place to swim all year. I remember my first time going down the dark slide. I go to Brookfield Elementary and enjoy learning because of great teachers.
The neighborhoods in Chantilly are beautiful. Many of the houses are big, but are often low priced and you can find friends quickly and easily. To keep in shape, my family rides to the Chantilly Regional Library. It is sometime hard to find the five books I read a week because there are too many good books to choose.
We can embrace tomorrow by making sure that Chantilly is a better place. We can be good citizens, obey laws, and not litter. We can build our community by supporting local businesses, including the Dollar Tree, Lotte Market, and Lowes. We can plant trees, flowers, and plants to make our community and environment better and prettier.
Chantilly lets people live in historic areas, enjoy modern conveniences, and volunteer to make the community a better, and more beautiful place to live.