Friday, August 3, 2018
By:
"Some people are walking around with a tub of doubts. And you'd be surprised how little it takes for someone to come along and punch a hole in that tub." -Shirley Malcolm, Director of the Education and Human Resources Programs at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), on the topic of imposter syndrome during a plenary at the AAPT Summer Meeting.
Last week's subject was projections, next week will be reflections, so this week I've done a bit of dissection.
I was asked by one of my professor's to write a blurb for the yearly newsletter our department publishes on the topic of The Woz Project, and as I was writing, I found my thoughts drifting further and further away from the intended topic into something I've been contemplating recently:
High Point University's motto "Choose to be Extraordinary" is ambiguously inspirational enough to recruit students from across the globe who dream of being the next big-name CEO, business owner, journalist, software engineer, designer or scientist. Unfortunately, despite being immersed in an environment expertly curated to cultivate creativity and innovative ideas, currently enrolled students often regard this phrase as simply an effective marketing strategy---rather than as an ingrained mindset. I believe a significant portion of this disconnect can be attributed to the ambiguity of the phrase---it could easily be (and often is) interpreted that choosing to be extraordinary is synonymous to enrolling at HPU; that, by association, an HPU student is effortlessly transformed into exemplary contributor to society. As convenient as that may be, it’s objectively untrue.
Although I’ve chosen to single-out HPU (a school for which I have an abundance of respect and appreciation)*, this concept of ‘The Key to Success’ is a theme that runs rampant through today’s media: all it takes is one viral video, one investment, one genius idea to achieve fame and fortune. But as Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple (a company whose net worth just broke 1 trillion US dollars) will tell you, “The first Apple was just a culmination of my whole life.” Many of us expect success to fall in our laps, but true success comes by taking advantage of the resources you have, pursuing the broadest education you can, and enhancing the lives of others. These values are derived from HPU’s promise to provide ‘an extraordinary education in an inspiring environment, with caring people’ and stand as the very foundation of HPUminds.
HPUminds is the title of the group of approximately 20 students (composed mainly of computer science and physics majors) working with Steve Wozniak to build a self-driving golf cart that will eventually assist with campus tours and events. I’ve been with the group since my freshman year, watching it grow and evolve---exceeding all expectations for what it could accomplish---and it has been this experience with HPUminds and the HPU Physics Department that has helped me unpackage what it means to “choose to be extraordinary”:
[Note: Instead of using the literal definition ‘more than ordinary’, I’ve chosen to define extraordinary as synonymous to successful. Both terms are wildly subjective, but I think “successful” suits the context of the phrase.]
The key to choosing to be extraordinary is understanding that there is a choice. A conscious, intentional decision to strive for greatness. As a freshman applying to be a part of the team, I had minimal relevant technical experience and even fewer personal connections to those vetting applications. My lone qualifications were that I was a physics major (for they were only accepting physics and computer science students at the time) and that I was extremely motivated to be involved and to learn. I made it clear in my application that I was determined to be involved in the project and that I was willing to put in any amount of work necessary to ensure I was pulling my weight. Doing nothing is easy; the real challenge is finding the courage to pursue opportunities.
It’s important to mention that not all opportunities are worth pursuing, however. Often in college (and in life) there is an illusory correlation between the number of a person’s engagements and a person’s success. In the current social and professional climate, success seems to mean more bullet points on a résumé, more minutes of the day filled with commitments, more followers on Instagram, more certificates, awards and degrees hanging on the wall. But upon further analysis, it’s clear that those qualities are products of the pursuit of success---not a definition for success. Focus attention on activities that are simultaneously challenging and inspiring.
Since my freshman year (a little over two and a half years ago), HPUminds has become a Student Government Association-recognized organization, using their support and the support of the C.S., Physics and Communications departments to progress on the self-driving aspects of our eventually autonomous golf cart. We strive to embrace the strengths of our department and encourage learning, all while serving the needs of the greater HPU student-body. HPUminds symbolizes not just the minds of High Point University, but also that HPU is mindful of its and the surrounding community. Without compassion, there is no community; and without community, there is no humanity.
I would like to see HPUminds become a concrete representation of the character cultivated by an HPU education and I also hope that HPUminds becomes the catalyst for a campus-wide mindset transformation---advertising the immense resources at students’ fingertips and inspiring them to engage and conquer challenges.
Choose to be diligent. Choose to be compassionate.
Choose to take calculated risks. Choose to over-prepare.
Choose to encourage others. Choose to ask for help.
Choose to pursue and persevere through challenges.
Choose to be active. Choose to self-reflect.
And, therefore, choose...to be...extraordinary!
*Here are a few of my favorite ambiguously inspirational school slogans:
University of Colorado: “Let Your Light Shine”
University of Memphis: “Driven by Doing”
Pennsylvania State University: “Making Life Better”
University of Rhode Island: “Think Big. We Do”
Texas Tech University: “From Here, It’s Possible”
Canisius College: “Where Leaders Are Made”
University of Alaska Fairbanks: “Naturally Inspiring”
University of Melbourne & University of Waterloo: “Find Your Edge”
What are your thoughts on "The Key to Success" culture? Feel free to comment on my LinkedIn post here.
At last, Week X.
Michael Welter