The Rocket

Issue date: 5/4/07 Section: Opinion

I've often considered myself a stubborn human being. Upon entering college, I vowed to stick to my guns, listening only to what I had to say when I had to say it.

After four years of taking part in the SRU experience, however, my thoughts have been altered.

I always wanted a career in journalism and broadcasting. Those goals haven't changed, but my outlook on life has been redefined. Growing up in the suburbs of Greensburg, Pa., I never understood hardship.

At the same time, I wasn't someone who was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, either. I was your typical middle-class American who only loved to watch sports and look for girls. Never did I have a concern about things that were taking place around me.

But that ideal eventually came to a screeching halt.

College throws a significant number of curveballs at a young person. For me, meeting people who were completely different than those I had grown accustomed to was a difficult adjustment.

Each year in college, I recognized my open-mindedness growing and I feel that I have become a better person for it.

My message for the entire SRU student body is to keep an open mind. Whether it involves a career choice, an interpersonal relationship or a simple decision that needs to be made, think of the bigger picture. Understand the benefits and consequences to your actions and decisions and don't be so stubborn. Everyone lives one life, so don't live it amidst a state of misery.

The media present us as consumers with controversial issues every day. As young adults in society, our understanding of the world is critical to the country's future success. People can't afford to be incognizant of their everyday lives.

We don't always have to listen to our parents, teachers or mentors, either.

Young adults everywhere need to carefully evaluate issues prior to making judgments while keeping that open mind. I've often felt that we as college students deem our ignorance as acceptable.

The morning of May 13 I will wake up a graduate of this university and a member of the "real world." Maybe then I'll find out how ignorant I've been for the past four years.

The first step in understanding the world around you is obtaining an understanding of yourself.

Through all of the people I've met, only a few exist that I can call "true" friends. Those are the people who tell me when I'm wrong, who knock my ego down two notches when I'm on a high horse, who argue with me about the slightest details and who challenge me because they know that challenge is good for me.

For those people, you know who you are and I thank you for that.

Having as close to real-world experience as can be is a big plus for someone trying to understand the world.

I came to The Rocket four years ago and wrote sports game recap stories.

Working my way up through this newspaper has been the greatest ride of my life.

It gave me a sense of accomplishment that I hadn't previously encountered. It also forced me to work with people who were completely opposite from me, people who would at every turn test me to be the best I could be.

Now, it's time for me to start a new chapter. While I look forward to leaving behind all of the tests, papers and late night cram sessions, I will reflect positively on the people I've met, the organizations in which I was a part and all of the positive as well as negative experiences I've encountered as a student at SRU.

I've often been called a prima donna, an egomaniac and a very highly overrated student. For anyone who feels that way, I say thank you.

Those sentiments challenge me to be an even better person as I continue my quest to become a fulfilled and successful adult.

Ironically, as I prepare for graduation and to walk on the SRU campus as a student for the final time, I feel more humble and down to earth than I have in my entire life.

Mike Mallory is a senior communication major and Editor-in-Chief of The Rocket.

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