The Importance of Community
Simon & Garfunkel's "Homeward Bound" just came up on my iTunes random shuffle and as I'm getting ready to head back to my Alma Matter (Syracuse University) tomorrow to do a few presentations, I find myself feeling incredibly nostalgic. Syracuse holds a special place in my heart, and no matter where in the world I am, I consider it not only my home, but a place where my life truly began.
I was the first person in my family to get a four year degree, I put myself through college (and let me tell you - SU is NOT Cheap), and I made every second count. But everyone has this story right? Work hard, get your degree, look back fondly at the best four years of your life, go on and be an adult, The End.
I don't think that's particularly the case at SU. The school and beyond is a community that follows you throughout your life. The alumni and resources are there for you, and SU knows that it is only as good as what it puts out into the world. It's only appropriate that this year, as the Men's Basketball team received their first #1 nod in 20 years that the slogan is, "The Best Keep Getting Better."
After graduation I moved in to a small apartment in New York City with a girl who had graduated from Boston University. Our apartment seemed to have a revolving door of constant SU grads coming through it to hang out, and she continuously joked that SU must have been a cult. She could not believe that there were this many grads all with amazing life perspectives, all so well connected, and all seeming to work in every industry imaginable. She certainly didn't understand how big sporting events like basketball games at Madison Square Garden were. Might as well be a yearly reunion with 17,000 of your closest SU friends. She repeatedly said that BU had nothing like this, and this is a statement I've heard over and over from various friends throughout the world about their institutions.
I moved 8000 miles away to Seoul, South Korea for a couple of years, and always became giddy when I would see a local wearing a Syracuse sweatshirt or hat. I even stopped a guy once on the street who was wearing a "Real Men Wear Orange" shirt and we reminisced about our roots. I might have been a bit crazy about it, but I never really saw anyone else I was with doing that.
Syracuse University graduates are some of the hardest working people I know. They have taken the core values of Innovation, Diversity, Quality, Caring, and Service and they have run with it to new levels. We are always trying to constantly improve and work together. It is a community that I am thankful for, and would not be the person I am today without it. There is a network at work here that you just need to tap into somehow. It is my firm belief - that if we all really wanted to - we, as graduates of any year, could band together and take over the world.
Odds are you're not a Syracuse Grad reading this, but I am sure that everyone has some kind of network that they fall back on. Support systems are really important in developing yourself and your career. If for nothing else, people can be excellent sound boards for ideas. As you go through life, create and develop your relationships, be a mentor, give back and don't just collect business cards.
_____
I'll be speaking at SU on Thursday, March 4th at 4pm in Newhouse I - Room 409. My speech is entitled, "Mapping Out Life After College" as a part of the Career Services Alumni Speakers Series. All are welcome to attend!
I was the first person in my family to get a four year degree, I put myself through college (and let me tell you - SU is NOT Cheap), and I made every second count. But everyone has this story right? Work hard, get your degree, look back fondly at the best four years of your life, go on and be an adult, The End.
I don't think that's particularly the case at SU. The school and beyond is a community that follows you throughout your life. The alumni and resources are there for you, and SU knows that it is only as good as what it puts out into the world. It's only appropriate that this year, as the Men's Basketball team received their first #1 nod in 20 years that the slogan is, "The Best Keep Getting Better."
After graduation I moved in to a small apartment in New York City with a girl who had graduated from Boston University. Our apartment seemed to have a revolving door of constant SU grads coming through it to hang out, and she continuously joked that SU must have been a cult. She could not believe that there were this many grads all with amazing life perspectives, all so well connected, and all seeming to work in every industry imaginable. She certainly didn't understand how big sporting events like basketball games at Madison Square Garden were. Might as well be a yearly reunion with 17,000 of your closest SU friends. She repeatedly said that BU had nothing like this, and this is a statement I've heard over and over from various friends throughout the world about their institutions.
I moved 8000 miles away to Seoul, South Korea for a couple of years, and always became giddy when I would see a local wearing a Syracuse sweatshirt or hat. I even stopped a guy once on the street who was wearing a "Real Men Wear Orange" shirt and we reminisced about our roots. I might have been a bit crazy about it, but I never really saw anyone else I was with doing that.
Syracuse University graduates are some of the hardest working people I know. They have taken the core values of Innovation, Diversity, Quality, Caring, and Service and they have run with it to new levels. We are always trying to constantly improve and work together. It is a community that I am thankful for, and would not be the person I am today without it. There is a network at work here that you just need to tap into somehow. It is my firm belief - that if we all really wanted to - we, as graduates of any year, could band together and take over the world.
Odds are you're not a Syracuse Grad reading this, but I am sure that everyone has some kind of network that they fall back on. Support systems are really important in developing yourself and your career. If for nothing else, people can be excellent sound boards for ideas. As you go through life, create and develop your relationships, be a mentor, give back and don't just collect business cards.
_____
I'll be speaking at SU on Thursday, March 4th at 4pm in Newhouse I - Room 409. My speech is entitled, "Mapping Out Life After College" as a part of the Career Services Alumni Speakers Series. All are welcome to attend!