Letter to My Professor

Written by Andrew Lackey

Dear Professor Campbell,

I am also excited to share with you who I am and how I find meaning in life. This is the perfect activity
for me to do over break to simply relax and be productive. I come from the largest county in Virginia,
which is roughly twenty minutes south of D.C., named Fairfax County. I have lived here since 2007 which
was when my father, Kevin Lackey, retired after serving 21 years in the Air Force. Before moving to
northern Virginia I lived in Alabama for a year, Hawaii for three years, and California for four years. I was
born in Mt. View, California and still to this day wonder what kept me from going back to the west coast.

I have two parents, three siblings, and myself, which adds up to a six-person family. My mother is a
hard-working 5th grade teacher in Falls Church, VA. My older brother, Aaron, is turning 21 in April and
graduating from Texas Tech University with a bachelors in Music and Criminal Justice. My older sister,
Abby, turns 20 in May and is going into her sophomore Spring semester at Averett University in Danville,
VA. Like Abby, Bill Gates, and Abraham Lincoln, I am also considered a middle child. Coincidence? I
declared my major as a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, which focusses on designing thermal systems
such as engines and sensors. Lastly, my younger sister Anna, who is 16, lives alone with my parents as
she finishes out her last two years of high school in Springfield, VA.

I am currently on the cross country and track team at Charlotte, where I compete in the 5K, 8K, and soon
the 3000m steeple chase. Running is a very large part of my life that consumes a lot of time each week
but the hard work easily pays off by the end the season. I enjoyed being the captain of my high school
track team, senior year, and working through the challenges that came with that. I look forward to
making the tough life decisions that will affect the career path I take that, one of which is choosing to
join AFROTC while withdrawing myself from competing athletically. I have always envisioned myself
serving in the Air Force after graduating and possibly earning a pilot slot.

Speaking of jobs, I was hired for my first ever minimum wage job in the summer of 2016 as a court
monitor to an indoor trampoline park. Basically, I was hired to blow whistles at people and referee
dodge-ball games, which was not a bad gig. Ive also worked, since 8th grade, mowing and babysitting for
my two neighbors in the summer time. My dad always discouraged me from working a job before
college. He would say, Andrew, youre going to be working for your whole entire life just enjoy your
younger years and the free-time!. Though, he never held me back from working hard in school and
allowing me to make decisions regarding what type of degree I wanted to earn. Charlotte has so much
to offer, and I feel very optimistic about the future.

There are only two things in the world that stress me out, and they are: pretty girls and writing
assignments. Putting the two together may cause serious problems, but here goes nothing. I like to
classify myself as an extrovert, however it seems every time I talk to beautiful women I lose energy and
thus lose their interest. This problem is the only reason I would consider majoring in psychology;
pursuing the activities of the female mind may be creepy, but it might just lead to a successful marriage.
I feel writing assignments leave me speechless and gasping for air, just like the unpleasant interactions I
have with women. What I mean by this is that writing is a very time-consuming and thought provoking
activity for me. Last semester I found that with no distractions or breaks, a two-page engineering
memorandum would take me roughly 4 hours to complete. That includes the times I understood the
material, so that being said please have mercy on me. I am extremely careful with each sentence that I
write, which is why this takes so much time for me.

I look forward to having you as my professor for UWRT 1104. I enjoyed this first activity, yet I might
regret saying that in the coming weeks.

Best regards,

Andrew Lackey

(1) (2) (3)

Image 1: My sisters and I. (Anna and Abby)

Image 2: My parents and I. (Kevin and Sue)

Image 3: My brother and I. (Aaron)