I choose to go the my second-choice school

“We’ll support you with whatever choice you make, Elijah,” my mother says. Dad agrees by nodding towards me.

“Okay, I think I’m going to take a leap of faith and go to the school on the west coast,” I tell them, picking out the letter that came from the dean.

My father comments, “Good choice. You know my little brother lives out there. If housing on campus doesn’t work, I bet he could let you stay with him.”

My mother comes to my defense, “We don’t know that yet. Plus, I think your counselor said you were approved with some scholarships.”

“I think that’s what this other envelope is about,” I mention.

“Well, in any way, congratulations, Elijah,” my father says.

I go up to my room with my acceptance letters and the fourth unopened letter. To anyone reading, while my parents know of the availability of scholarships, they do not know in detail the very one that is going to pay for my whole time in school. And I’m not stupid. I know what X-Change is and there is a possibility that my parents know what it is, or maybe just the negative aspects of it. Hopefully whatever is in this envelope details what this program is all about.

Once my door is closed and locked behind me, I open the envelope. There is a letter on top of a small stack of documents from my counselor, Mrs. Ramirez. It reads, “Elijah, I hope this finds you well. And I hope you have received good news from the schools you applied for. As you have told me, each of those schools offered the Student X-Change Program, so whatever university you picked, be assured that your whole tuition, housing and school materials will be paid by the X-Change Corporation for your participation.

I have included in this envelope the pamphlets and a personal letter addressed to you. Please read all the material fully and carefully. And if you need any advice or just need an ear to vent out anything to, know that I’m always available for a visit or a call. Hope your future is bright. Sincerely, Mrs. Griselda Ramirez.”

I go through the documents one by one. The first one is more of a pamphlet given to interested prospective students. It has text on it that reads, “We invite you to join us for four years that will change your life forever! You can learn about the world at any university, but here you'll learn even more about yourself!” Given that this probably wouldn’t be possible if I didn’t sign up for the program, I look at each of my acceptance letters and find that each of them have this line: “Congratulations on your acceptance to our university. And thank you for your willingness to participate in our Student X-Change Program.” I wonder if, regardless of my good grades, they were simply willing to accept me just because I signed up to become a young woman for four years. If I thought that before applying, I probably wouldn’t even consider going to college. It’s not only a leap of faith going to a school more than six-thousand miles from my home, but it’s also a risk changing my gender and all the faculties involved with being a female.

Another document details the implant that I’m going to get before starting school and other purposes the trail serves: “This program serves several purposes. First, it is an FDA trial of a new implantable form of X-Change being offered by the X-Change Corporation. But it also helps promote understanding between genders and helps balance campus demographics.” There is also fine print that discloses the risks of the change becoming permanent and having some side effects along the line.

I mostly skim over the details, reading what only catches me eye. The last of the letters says that more information will be detailed to me at Freshman Orientation, which is when I will be given the implant and become my female self for the next four years. News this good needs to be shared, but I’m unsure whether to tell my parents and siblings about the Student X-Change Program now, while I’m still Elijah or at a later date.