College has attuned me to the inherent poverty of time. My deadlines are debts I must pay back, and the late penalties are brutal interest.

Be it another exam or another meeting or program, we hardwire our brains to think only in the future, neglecting to see our present as anything other than a stepping stone towards the next task.

Recently named one of Time’s Most Influential People of 2010, Michael Sherraden, of the George Warren Brown School of Social Work, established his reputation by founding the Brown School’s Center for Social Development. Time recognized Sherraden for his work in asset building for low-income individuals.