Hello everyone-
This post is going to stray from the typical updates and high-spirited happenings here on The Hill, but I feel it necessary to touch on the events that have occurred here on our campus within the past few weeks. It is important that a college campus embodies a community that takes such issues as violence, judgement, and discrimination seriously.
Prior to Thanksgiving break, Holy Cross organized The Engage Summit.
https://www.holycross.edu/engage
The Summit was aimed to combat the adversity in our community as well as in our society as a whole. It included a variety of workshops and speeches produced by faculty and students who felt compelled to share their opinions and stories to those who were interested in expanding their knowledge in the worlds of diversity and social justice.
Each session had its own stories, its own collection of experiences speaking of the social injustices, stereotypes, and prejudices that unjustly occur as a result of differences in beliefs, backgrounds, and opinions.
After attending two sessions, I was left speechless. To see such passionate people speaking their un-filtered, powerful opinions for the student body was truly inspiring.
One session in particular had my mind spinning. I found myself overwhelmingly grateful to be on a campus that has such strong-willed, motivated individuals who stand up for what they believe in. Such individuals as my Psychology professor, Gary Senecal, who spoke with words that “have the potential to move mountains” (as I told my mom over the phone immediately following his presentation.)
This session showed me the importance of having a voice. It showed me the power of expressing your beliefs, even to those who may fail to understand their meaning.
Professor Senecal spoke effortlessly about corporate diffusion of responsibility, and the need to collectively work together as a community to make changes and expand upon our human connections. His words embodied the potential for us to BE the changes we want to see in our worlds, and inspire others rather than demoralize them through crude language and disheartening violence.
Overall, The Engage Summit instilled a sense of confidence in myself that I was unaware existed. It allowed be to take a step back and realize the importance of voicing your opinions, no matter how unworthy you may feel.
I realized that although college is a time to find yourself, it is also a time to gain the skills necessary to become an individual who encompasses what it truly means to be a compassionate, motivated, and inspiring human being.
I came to appreciate that although Holy Cross celebrates its perfections, it also works adamantly,through events such as The Engage Summit,to ameliorate its imperfections and create a community that fosters both intellectual and spiritual growth.
Life is not about striving to be a perfect version of yourself, but rather about recognizing the inevitable imperfections and finding the power and motivation within to intensify your own human connections.
