Fifteen years ago, I began my college journey with this call to action:

“We expect you to dream about a future for this college and this nation that is free of fear, prejudice, intolerance and injustice. And we expect you to energize us with your dreams and your enthusiasm for making them come true. We expect you to help us understand that quality and equality are inseparable, and that diversity is synonymous with what is best in America and should be celebrated and not feared.”
- John Brooks Slaughter, former president of Occidental College in Los Angeles

I had just turned 18 when I first heard these words, and most of you were about three years old. A lot has changed in those 15 years, but I don’t believe that the wisdom behind these words has changed at all. Amid all of the wisdom and counsel (solicited and unsolicited) you are receiving from the many people who care about you as you approach your college journey, I hope you will add the wisdom of these words to the mix.

What are your dreams? What do you believe in? What do you hope for?

You may have ready answers to these questions, or they may stump you. And if you have ready answers, they may evolve in subtle or radical ways over the course of the next four years. You may worry that everyone has the answers except for you, or that your answers are somehow inadequate.

Whatever your major, whatever your talents, whatever your background, I urge you to search for your own answers to these questions, and to find adventure in that search. I’m not sure I have answers to those questions, and if I do, I’m sure they’ll continue to evolve as my life changes.

How do you believe we can make the world better, safer and cleaner? How can we be sure that more children grow up with hope instead of fear? How should we go about assuring that more people live with dignity through all places and stages of life?

These questions are big and perhaps unanswerable. You may have or develop your answers, and they may either parallel or conflict with another person’s ideas. I believe that’s what makes this world interesting, and I hope you embrace this dynamic conversation.

There are many paths on this journey of exploring questions, and you may or may not reach firm answers by the time you graduate. The secret is to approach the questions by involving yourself in the community and by pushing yourself to try new things, explore new ideas and consider new possibilities.

Community service is a way for you to live your passions-or find them. It’s a way to better our neighboring communities in small ways-or large ways. It’s a way to explore the diversity of St. Louis-and add to it. It’s a way to extend some of your dreams beyond yourself to those around you-known or unknown. It’s a way to meet people with common dreams-or common questions.

I hope you’ll consider community service as a way to act on your dreams, your enthusiasm, and indeed, your questions. To do this, I recommend three simple steps to get started.

First, sign up for Service First (Saturday, Sept. 2) with your RA and volunteer for a day at the St. Louis Public Schools with 1,000 of your peers. The event concludes with a Community Service Fair, featuring all of the University’s student-run community service groups.

Second, sign up for Community Service Connection, our office’s weekly email newsletter that will keep you informed of community service opportunities with student groups and local non-profits, as well as non-profit scholarships, internships and jobs. You can sign up on our website or visit our table at Service First.

Lastly, get to know what our office has to offer you, and take advantage of our resources! We’re located in the Women’s Building (Room 2) and would love to meet you and help you find what you’re looking for. Online, you can find us and a wealth of information and programs at www.communityservice.wustl.edu.

I offer you my heartiest welcome to Washington University, and look forward to getting to know you-and your dreams!

Stephanie is the director of the Community Service Office.

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 25th, 2006 at 12:00 pm and is filed under Forum. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.