Fail Upwards
I think there's a few underlying themes in this story:<p>1. Don't let others get in the way of what you want to do.
2. Rejection isn't the end, it's just a wall to climb over.
3. (This message was definately between the lines) Success takes hard work.<p>I know a lot of people I applied to school with and eventually graduated with felt entitled to a position to the program or to a job after graduation. But these same people bumbled through school, never really caring or putting in the work to complete the project the way it needed to be completed.<p>I'm right there with the author in saying never give up, but not giving up takes a lot of hard work and you can't forget that.