Hi ladies! I am having a hard time relating to Cedric. I can, in a small sense, relate to his feelings of isolation. However, maybe because our personalities are so different, I have a hard time understanding why he doesn't just make more of an effort to "be a friend". Others would then open up and include him more in their day to day interactions. Is it because he's having to work so much harder academically to keep up?

It seems that the author leads us to believe that academic struggle is the main reason, but I'm not so sure. Cedric was isolated in his high school years. He had few friends and little postive association with males. It is almost to be expected that his first male friendships were tempered with displays of temper and wariness.

It is ashamed that he seems to have chosen isolation. Is it possible that he chose isolation because of his academic struggle? Could he have had some feelings of inadequacy when he was around the other students? Regardless, it is disheartening, because, he has so much to offer to others. When he speaks, his audience is often motivated by what he shares.

Hi! I think that part of Cedric's isolation is due to working hard academically. His isolation also results from feeling like he doesn't fit in. When he was at MITES, he told his Mom that he was the only "ghetto kid." People like Andrew at MITES who wouldn't tutor Cedric saying, "I have to be looking up, not down, beneath me" didn't help Cedric's attitude toward his classmates any. I think Cedric did make some friends at MITES. Isa and Jenica wrote a note to Cedric in physics class saying, "You have to stay and prove to them you have what it takes...We all care about you..."
Elizabeth

I felt awful reading about Cedric during his high school years. Being taunted and bullied to the extent that he was, rejected by his father, and being deprived of basic needs, it would have been a miracle had he not had major issues to sort out.
The fact that he was able to stick with it speaks volumes about his character. But he really didn't have a choice. Once he chose a path that would get him out of southeast D.C., he was set up for a collision of sorts, no matter if he had stayed or left.
But I also think that any person from an impoverished economic background would have a huge culture shock attending an ivy league school. Cedric's situation was complicated by other factors.
I'm just glad he didn't quit.