"And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years," Abraham Lincoln once said. In my mind, no other quote better articulates being a college student at Tufts.
It is so easy to just let college pass us by, especially when we are bombarded with multiple papers, demanding tests and professors of many different and diverse teaching styles who all mean well. What has made my time here at Tufts, however, is the substance in those years both in and beyond the classroom. I was not a part of Tufts until I started to add life to my time here at Tufts. For me, life has been added to my experience because I have grown within my passions and learned through others.
I began to understand and embrace Tufts through the relationships I have developed. I'll never forget that first day when I walked up the Hill and saw a group of students who all were just as unclear about who would actually talk to them as I was.
Nevertheless, soon enough I got to really grow close to some people who have shaped my college experience. Those waffle brunches at Carmichael, snow fights in the bitter cold and moments that can only be witnessed in one's freshman year all brought me closer to people so different, and also at times somewhat similar to me. Learning from my friends has taught me some of life's greatest lessons; lessons that no class could teach. I have learned trust, kindness, loyalty and so many other traits through my friends. It is not right to start to even think about my college experience without saying thank you to them.
Friends have shaped a large part of my college experience, but it is also the events both inside and outside the classroom that have given the qualities I have learned substance and depth. The best decision I made here at Tufts was to join the recently renamed Tisch College, then the University College of Citizenship and Public Service.
I have always wanted to go into public service, but before college I had no idea what that actually meant. As part of the Tisch College, I have met with community leaders in both Medford and Somerville, worked to form a community analysis book on living wage and poverty in Somerville and helped Boston Public High School leaders articulate and formulate policy.
Also, I have witnessed a group of other amazing individuals who are my dear friends formulate programs that encourage international understanding and dialogue, encourage childhood understanding and health and push for a better environment. Being in awe of my peers, along with seeing the state of our high school children and realizing that great poverty takes place only a few blocks away from our "campus on a Hill," really has added a much-needed purpose to life in my college years and also future years post-college.
Tisch College is a great aspect of the life I have here at Tufts. Its vision of active citizenship and leadership has helped me work with a group of my friends, and on a campaign with Democratic gubernatorial candidate Deval Patrick. For the sake of brevity, I will just focus on the Emerging Black Leaders Symposium.
My freshman year, a group of rising seniors pulled me aside along with a few other black students and asked for our support on an effort called the Emerging Black Leaders Symposium.
At the time, their vision was something I could not see, but after learning from and following their lead, I realized that this vision of empowering the black community through the voices and actions of others really held some power.
My sophomore year at Tufts we were able to make history and put together the first Emerging Black Leaders Symposium, and my junior year we were able to add to that success and put on the second one. This experience taught me that leading is much more about listening then speaking. Our symposium took place because of the thoughts of others that guided me through my leadership role. Without them, there would be no symposium, and I would never have been able to extend and contribute to the vision that was a gift to me in many aspects.
But the experience that brought my college experience together is the Senate. For very long, I never ran for Senate because I thought my energies in improving the school could be better spent in other arenas. This proved to be one of my greatest misreads at Tufts. When I joined Senate, I witnessed a body of students who all meant very well and really love Tufts for one reason of another. You can never really understand the great things the Senate does until you engage yourself in the process - it truly is amazing.
After being on Senate, I wanted to contribute more to our school and student body and decided to run for president of the Tufts Community Union (TCU).
Running for TCU president is a tiring experience and a small microcosm of real politics, but I cannot remember having more fun. Two things made the experience great for me. First, the involvement so many of my friends had - words cannot articulate how grateful I am. Secondly, being able to meet with and listen to the complaints, suggestions and ideas that so many of my fellow students have here at Tufts.
Meeting other members of the Tufts community made me that much more proud to be a student and individual on a much greater campus.
For me, this campus has added life to my years and will continue to do so in my last year. To the teachers and friends who have made my experience, I would like to say thank you. Also, to those that are leaving I would like to say congratulations.
Many of you (you know who you are) have given me so much wisdom, and one of you (she knows who she is) has taught me so much. For those who still will reside on this Hill, let's look less at the length of the time we have, and more into the life we have added to that time.
Mitch Robinson is a junior majoring in political science. He is the incoming president of the Tufts Community Union, in addition to being a Tisch College of Active Citizenship and Public Service Executive Board Member and working for the Deval Patrick gubernatorial campaign.
