The Hamilton Promise, which appears under the "Facts about Hamilton" section on their website, reads as follows: "At Hamilton, you can study what interests you, be accepted for who you are and what you believe, and prepare to be the person you were meant to become." Before taking Truth, Lies, & Literature, I can honestly say I had only accomplished two of the four things Hamilton promised me. I've studied what interests me. Each semester, I'm allowed to choose four classes and have basically no restrictions, other than the fact that I have to enroll in a writing-intensive class. I feel pretty confident that I'm accepted for who I am here, as well. However, I certainly hadn't felt like I was accepted for what I believe. In every class, I participate (sometimes sparingly), write papers, discuss with my classmates, and complete tests. I state what I believe, but I don't really know if my classmates or professors "accept" me for what I believe in. What does that even mean? How would one know if they are accepted for their beliefs? If the professor nods their head in approval?
In TLL, I learned that I am more than accepted for my beliefs, as long as I back up my opinions with a strong argument and evidence. I learned that it's ok to believe something that might go against the norm, and challenging that norm is even better. If students always acted the way they believed, I strongly believe that every professor would be challenged much more every day. Janelle has taught me that I can always be accepted for what I believe, it's just a matter of backing up my thoughts with evidence. Hopefully Hamilton will continue fulfilling their promise to me, that this whole college experience will prepare me to be the person I was meant to become...but who am I "meant" to become? I guess we'll have to wait and see.
No comments:
Post a Comment