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A Danbury High senior, a postcard and a dream
December 4, 2010 at 5:36 am by Brian Koonz
Hi everyone,
The postcard didn’t look like much when it arrived at Brian Medina’s house on Danbury’s west side.


Actually, it resembled one of those reminders you get when it’s time to give blood again. Or maybe, the confirmation that comes in the mail after you’ve registered to vote.
But this wasn’t your ordinary postcard. Not even close.
From the zip code — 80840 — to U.S. Sen. Christopher J. Dodd’s name stamped in the corner, something was different about this postcard mailed from the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo.
Suddenly, Brian’s dad, Jose Medina, read the only sentence that mattered: “You are now an official candidate.”
And Jose, the man who moved to Danbury 24 years ago from Los Angeles, floated into his Crestdale Drive home with the postcard that could change his 17-year-old son’s life forever.
“I handed it to Brian and he took it into his room, but he didn’t read it at first,” said Jose Medina, a landscaper by profession, a father by calling.
“A minute or two later, I heard him screaming and I ran into his room,” Jose Medina said. “I thought something had happened to him or he had hurt himself.”
Hardly.
Brian Medina, the Danbury High School senior with enough medals, certificates, trophies and ribbons to fill a small warehouse, was one step closer to attending the U.S. Air Force Academy next year, thanks to Dodd’s nomination.
“We are very proud of him,” said Rosmira Medina, Brian’s mother, who came to this country 22 years ago from Colombia, and now works as a certified nursing assistant for Regional Hospice of Western Connecticut. “He works very hard all the time.”
Just like his parents.
Education is the gateway to greatness, the Medinas have told Brian ever since he was old enough to listen, ever since he was old enough to curl his fingers around a No. 2 pencil.
To read more about Brian Medina and his dream of attending the U.S. Air Force Academy, check out my “Take on Life” column Sunday.
Exclusively in the print edition of The News-Times.

This article was taken from:


Take on Life
Brian Koonz on life in Greater Danbury

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