Educate for Service

If you ask any Etown College student, alumni, or professor what is Etown's motto, everyone would say to you: Educate for Service. One of the main reasons, at least for me personally, why we attend Etown College is because we feel that we have some higher calling in life. Etown offers students not only the ability to learn about a particular field of study, but also the chance to do something of substance, whether it be our various community outreach programs, having the chance to do life altering research with faculty mentors, or traveling abroad and experiencing something new and different from everyday life. While at Etown, not only are we schooled with a rigorous academic curriculum, but we also take an intrinsic journey that not only allows us to define our own personal values, but also redefine them to accept new and different perspectives.

While at Etown, I can say I truly was able to complete all the above. Not only did Etown give me the knowledge and passion that I have called upon numerous times throughout my professional career, but my time at Etown also embedded something on a much deeper level. I have developed an unyielding, flaming passion to want to do something that matters in the world. However, for some reason, I can not wrap my head around how to do this yet. I have all this energy that I want to spend on doing something of paramount importance to the world, but I have absolutely no comprehension of how to do it. 

I often spend hours thinking about what I have to offer the world. I am intelligent, caring, and thoughtful. I have many interests and hobbies. But I somehow cannot connect the dots in order to form some cohesive thought that might actually put me on the right path to doing something great. My current job is literally a flop. I feel that I have no upward movement capabilities, my opinion is not heard, and I am wasting valuable time doing something I do not care about. In reality, I have a decent job making an alright salary. I have good benefits, and the work atmosphere, for the most part, is good, but my problem is my lack of caring for the job. I thought that transition roles would help, but it did not. I am still unhappy with the job and my company. I do nothing that is important and have very little say in anything.

I think the problem is that I am tired of business. There are strict codes and rules that must be followed. You must conform to how the company and its "elites" say you must act. Most businesses are bureaucratic in nature, which means you are nothing but a small fish in a big sea. And herein is my problem with business: I feel as though I am being suffocated everyday at work. I have this passion that is pushing me somewhere else, but for some reason the fog over the path has not lifted. 

For now, I will spend the next year thinking about what I would like to do. I know that I would definitely like to live closer to my friends in PA. As I have state in earlier posts, most of my friends live in PA. I am currently driving on average 2-3 hours each way to visit with them. However, I also know that I want to do something for the greater good of the world. Etown College is also know for being extremely international. Every incoming student is placed into a "peer group" which has 2-3 peer mentors, who are upperclassmen. They are there to act as mentors for incoming students helping them orient to college and provide support. For most students, this is the first time being away from their parents, and it is a very large life step. By having someone there who has gone through the same ordeal, it makes the transition much easier. However, in the case of the international student body, we have different, more specialized mentors. These mentors are known as International Peer Ambassadors, or IPAs for short. 

IPAs are usually students who have traveled abroad, speak multiple languages, or have some sort of international experiences. Naturally, due to all the above, I was selected to become one of these mentors. Even before I was an IPA, I had always made quick friends with the international students, especially the Japanese students. In fact, one of my best friends from college is Vietnamese. Usually the Asian students were a lot easier for me to get along with, but I knew most of the international student body. I enjoyed working with international students. They often made me challenge my views on the world, and I can say that I would not be who I am today without the experience I gained from them. My professors had often complimented me on my international perspective. 

With that in mind, I know that whatever I do, I want to it to be related internationally. Although, for now, I am going to take the time to slowly work on my goal 3. As I said previously, I had foolishly rushed into my past few jobs, without taking the time to look into the future. In closing I will leave you with a video. My friend Fleming posted this, I feel that it is extremely inspirational in finding what your path in life may be.