What's in a liberal arts education?

SUMMARY: " ... for me, what really defines a person is every moment of their journey: what they choose to think about, how they interact with people and how they choose to extract meaning out of life...

All accomplishments matter on some level, but as William Cronon beautifully states it, the one accomplishment that matters the most in a liberal education is “gaining the power and the wisdom, the generosity and the freedom to connect” with this world. "


THE ENTIRE ESSAY:

If there was one lesson worth taking away from a liberal arts education, it is that we are not defined by any list of achievements. Don’t get me wrong, I do think that quality of outcomes is important as one strives to leave their place upon departure better than they found it at arrival. But for me, what really defines a person is every moment of their journey: what they choose to think about, how they interact with people and how they choose to extract meaning out of life, as David Foster Wallace also pointed out.

Why do I most nearly represent Lafayette’s ideal student? Well, that is not my job to decide. But what I can decide is how I choose to extract meaning from experience. So, I choose to find meaning in people who can listen what they hear, in people who get the job done while nurturing and empowering those around them, in people who are both self-aware and empathic; I choose to find meaning in truth and the seekers of truth; and most often I choose not to take the beaten path but to escape the triteness of routine by continuously expanding my boundaries and challenging my experiences. I can only partially fulfill my definition of living a meaningful life at this moment, but I also know that nothing truly meaningful in this world is unachievable. Therefore, as I continue my journey, I will strive to fulfill my own expectations of meaningfulness and to relentlessly enrich these expectations such that they don’t become dull.

All accomplishments matter on some level, but as William Cronon beautifully states it, the one accomplishment that matters the most in a liberal education is “gaining the power and the wisdom, the generosity and the freedom to connect” with this world.

This essay was written for my nomination for the Pepper Prize at Lafayette College: which was awarded by popular vote to a much more deserving fellow, Mickey Adelman.