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Alice stumbled into the rabbit hole; I jumped. For the next
four years, I will be a student of the University of Louisville. As you know,
one cannot simply reverse gravity and shoot out of a rabbit hole, so here I am
falling, falling, falling… For the most part, I am content with this reality. I
can pursue my academic interests and bask in the excitement of living in a new
city for the next four years, but part of me questions if I made the right
decision.
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| Jasmyne Post - Class of 2021 |
I jumped into the abyss in the middle of a war. Our nation
is more socially and politically divided than it has been in decades and I
would like nothing more than to be a bricklayer in the mission to bridge the
ever-growing gaps in our society. However, like I said, I am busy right now
with falling. My class schedule keeps me busy and I am constantly attending
meetings for extracurricular activities and most days it seems that my only
breaks come in my dreams. My dedication to being a model student often feels
like it conflicts with my obligation to contribute to the global good. I wonder
if I am missing out on my calling to be a great activist by committing myself
to this institution, but I know that this fear is highly irrational.
College is not inhibiting my potential to be an efficient
global servant, it is enabling it. It is true that I have class and homework to
keep me busy, but the opportunities to do good granted to me by virtue of being
part of this university are far greater than any that I would have as an
individual who dedicates all their time to the pursuit of social justice. I
have realized that a large part of one’s college experience is based upon what
they do in the in-between.
In-between classes, in-between study times, these are the
critical times. It takes great discipline, but using these times to seize
opportunities to serve and get involved with the campus and local communities
is so fulfilling and important. I am blessed enough to be fed opportunities to
do amazing things through my experience as a McConnell Scholar, but the
university and the city of Louisville have so many other opportunities to get
involved and be engaged as well. For example, it is very important to me that I
am an active community servant. So, I volunteer with a non-profit called the
Food Literacy Project twice a week. I spend every Tuesday afternoon with 25
elementary school students teaching them how to cook healthy foods and every
Thursday on a farm helping grow these healthy foods and doing behind-the-scenes
things to make these programs possible. My time with the kids and on the farm
is so meaningful to me and was made possible by a partnership the University’s
Honors program and the organization.
I am constantly having conversations about diversity and
inclusion and learning more about issues that I previously would’ve never
considered. I have realized that for me this journey called college is about so
much more than passing classes and meeting tier requirements for different
programs, because I have made it so. To all those who are afraid that college
won’t allow them to pursue their passions of art or music or service, don’t be.
College isn’t a cage; it is a hot air balloon that you can take further up
toward wherever you would like to go. Make each of your seconds intentional by
finding empty slots in your schedule and filling them with things that you
love. School will always be the most important thing, but remember the
brilliant potential of the in-between.
Jasmyne
Post, of Philpot, Ky., is a freshman McConnell Scholar studying English and political science.