My
mother has a theory that everyone should spend at
least one year of his or her life in New York City.
And though I whole-heartedly agree with her now,
when I first arrived at Barnard, I was completely
overwhelmed. The life I had known for 18 years was
gone, and I had to begin again to place myself in
a new and challenging community. But let me begin
with how I got here…
I chose Barnard College not only because it fulfilled
the New York requirement, but also because of its
reputation as an academically challenging, and supportive
college for women. Before I entered Barnard in the
fall of 1997, I thought that I had life figured
out. I knew what I wanted to be, where I wanted
to go, and how to get there. This all changed very
quickly. After three weeks at Barnard, where my
days were filled with intensive class discussion
and thought-provoking lectures, and my evenings
were filled with frightening subway navigation,
my opinions and my perceptions of both the world
and myself were completely scrambled. Both the city
and the school overwhelmed me.
This is what Barnard and Manhattan did to me. And
while it might seem like some horrific form of first-year
hazing, it was the most important part my education.
My first semester at Barnard was spent attempting
to grasp a completely new concept: I didn't know
everything. All that I could do, as Socrates tells
us, was pursue the truth and enjoy the journey.
And so I do, and I have learned many things.
I am not the same young woman who, only 3 years
ago refused to ride the subway alone for fear of
being carried off into some unknown borough. I no
longer fear speaking out in class because others
might not agree with my opinions. I have confidence
in myself and my abilities to navigate the world.
In other words, in my pursuit of truth, I have found
myself.
My metamorphosis, according to my mother, has been
anything but subtle. She says that, among other
things, I have developed strong, well-grounded opinions,
that I have learned to say what I think and welcome
a differing theory in response, and that don't call
her as much as I used to. It was only a few weeks
ago, however, that these differences became wholly
apparent to me. I received a letter from my grandfather,
where he praised both my hard work as a student,
and my development as a human being. In one line
he summed up what I am trying to tell you about
this evening, "Katie," he wrote, "I think that you
made the right choice with this school of yours,
the education seems to be working."
And I wholly agree. Currently, I am pursuing a double
degree in history and political science, and this
semester more than ever, I am involved in activities
on campus and around the city. I am the co-chair
of Barnard's Honor Board, which oversees academic
integrity on campus. I am also a research assistant
for the chair of the Political Science Department,
and a member of the Student Activities Council.
In my copious spare time, I am an intern at the
New-York Historical Society where I satiate my love
of the city every Friday as I help set up exhibits
and examine pieces of fine and decorative art.
My life has been forever changed by my Barnard experiences
of the last three years. And it has all been made
possible by your generosity. Thank you.
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