“E” for Experience!

From elementary school through college, earning outstanding academic grades is emphasized by our teachers and parents. I agree, they are important –but we shouldn’t beat our heads over always maintaining solid A’s. My college experience has taught me that it’s not always healthy to obsess over being the best at every subject. During my time at DePauw, I have taken at least one course in every area of study offered: religion, political science, quantitative reasoning, psychology, biology, English writing, Spanish, anthropology, education, communication—you name it. Unfortunately, I did not always achieve the “A” I wanted in every course and this bothered me tremendously. I started doubting my decisions and regretted having taken courses I was not sure I would be interested in, never previously experienced, or knew the professor was tough; I should have listened to my peers’ warnings! 

In retrospect, I could not have made a better decision. College is the perfect place to explore and challenge yourself. I could have easily been influenced not to take a particular course based on my peers’ reviews about certain professors and courses. But stubborn, I wanted to try it for myself and make my own assessments. I did my fair share of trial and errors, investigated all of my curiosities, and followed what I wanted to do.  In effect, my repertoire of coursework helped me receive great grades after a couple of semesters because I approached every theory I learned with a variety of frameworks. 

One big mistake college students constantly make is comparing oneself with others. My advice is to always remember that every student will encounter different obstacles and opportunities. College is your personal journey so make it unique, worthwhile, and holistic because it goes by quicker than you expect. As a senior, I could not be any more content. I have developed many skills, seen the many layers of my work ethic and personality in action, and learned what my strengths and weaknesses are. It has been the best way to learn and gain self trust, self-confidence, and teamwork skills. 

Stay tuned, my next blog will about studying abroad!

Should Latinos do the Greek thing?

The percentage of students affiliated with the Greek system on campus varies within each college or university. As part of a project I’m doing in school, I produced a short clip that introduces the perspectives of four DePauw University students who are a part of different sororities: a Latino-based multicultural sorority, a historically black sorority, or a traditional sorority.

The members of the multicultural and historically black sororities follow on the footsteps of previous students who created these organizations that fit them. At DePauw the non-traditional sorority members constitute less than 15% of the 70% traditional sorority and fraternity population on campus. In effect, they have been unrecognized by many students and have received many stereotypes, which you will learn more about in the video.

Despite such challenges, however, the non-traditional sororities have stuck it out and remained loyal to their sorority’s mission and their needs. Rather than allowing the lack of cultural awareness on campus push them into giving up their cultural background, they continued to work hard on projects that often times go unnoticed. They believe that in the end future students will benefit from their hard work of establishing these diverse sororities. Take a look at my video: