Pro deo et patria

Over Thanksgiving Break I had the chance to catch up with some friends. We shared college stories, looked at photos, reminisced, etc. As much as I enjoyed hearing whatever it was that had caught their interest, the overall experience reminded me of just how exceptional my college career has been and will continue to be. Many of my peers predictably selected in state schools (U of I, ISU among them), and their stories, while entertaining, did not interest me nearly as much as I would have previously guessed. My only explanation to this phenomenon is attributed to the opportunities presented by AU, and the numerous benefits of having DC as one’s playground.

 

While at AU, we have listened to foreign diplomats, journalists, politicians, and philanthropists. We have witnessed the remarks of two heads of state, trick or treated in the foreign embassies, and attended rallies that will be forever recorded in history. Maybe it’s personal preference, but I would choose active civil engagement over beer pong any day. I feel fortunate to be a part of this environment, one that encourages service and action to further the progress of humanity.

 

On Tuesdays and Fridays, friends from home recover from hangovers while my new peers and I try to figure out how to save the world. As much as I loved my high school, I was constantly alienated by the apathy that many people adopted towards the condition of the world. For many peers back home, the world did not extend beyond the borders of the Chicago-land area. Here I am but one mind among many; a student of international studies in a campus of academics, interns, volunteers, and humanitarians.

 

I realize that I may be young, naïve, and overly idealistic. The world is a tricky place. There exist people who simply wish to inflict harm on others without any valid reason. But impacts are already being made by a multitude of actors, ranging from HIV/AIDS prevention in Africa to microcredit initiatives in South America. These groups ultimately will be driven by people who care about the condition of humanity, people who want to improve the world-in short, people like the ones at AU.

 

So, with the end of our first semester at AU, I find it exciting to acknowledge the opportunities that we have as students at the most politically active campus in the nation. We now have the means to realizing our goals, what is now important is that we make the most of these next three and a half years in order to reach our full potential. I wish all of my peers good luck as we set out to achieve our ambitions.