Being one of the students who have not read “The Other Wes Moore,” I was more than a little afraid to go to this presentation. What would be the point of my attending if I did not know what was going on? Would I understand what he was talking about? The fear itself made me almost not go, but I decided that it may be fun. With no classes on Wednesday, I woke up and got to campus just in time for his speech to begin.

My original plan was to take notes – lots and lots of notes on what Wes Moore had to say. After a while, I decided that notes would not be necessary and that I would remember what he said. This was the first speaker that I have ever heard where I had actually listened to what he had to say rather than just listened.

At first, Wes talked about his book. I began to understand after a while what he was talking about – that there was him, Wes Moore, and another man who committed a murder, also named Wes Moore. I assume that this book has to do with how each Wes Moore lived their life in comparison to how the other did. Now that I know how the book is supposed to play out, I may end up reading it for fun. Wes said that if you believe this book is about a good Wes and a bad Wes, that you missed the point. I will keep that in mind during my reading.

During his lecture, Wes then began speaking on the topic of higher education. He said that the questions college students get the most are, “What’s your major?,” followed by, “What are you going to do with it?” He could not be any more correct. I get asked about my major and what my plans are for after college almost constantly. Thinking about life after college scares me. I do so much as it is (classes, three jobs, the Honors Program, Editor-in-Chief of the school newspaper, multiple internships, etc.) that I can’t even begin to imagine what life would be like without them. Will life be simpler for me? Will busting my butt during my college years be worth it in the long run? Or am I destined to always be stuck on one part of the ladder of success, never to move up but have the possibility of moving down? Others know my major as the “easy major.” I get it all the time – “You’re so smart, why aren’t you studying something that will make you more money?” My answer is this: I don’t want to be stuck making a decent salary doing something that I hate for the rest of my life. I know that jobs in the communications field are hard to come by, but I’m confident that with everything I’m doing right now, I have a chance.

I am the type of student who gets upset over bad grades; I’ll admit it. I am the type of student who will study and work extremely hard to be “the best.” That is only because of my fear for the future. Wes mentioned in his speech that the point behind higher education is not about grades – it’s about understanding. I like to think that I am doing a mix of both. I like to understand what I’m learning, but at the same time I like to succeed in what I’m doing.

“Our society is filled with others.” That is what Wes said when talking about how so much of who we are depends solely on who we choose to fight for. It’s not all about you; it’s about the people around you. Any and all professions have to do with helping others. For example, I would like to one day be a producer for a television station. I don’t want to do it for the money (primarily because there is no money in that) but 1. Because it’s something I love and 2. Because I would like to be a voice for the people trying to get information out there. If someone doesn’t want their information out there, then I am doing it for the people receiving the information. Regardless, I want to be that person to put the information out there. I want to be a part of the group of people who helps keep the public informed.

I’m not one of those people that Wes was talking about towards the end. I did not grow up in the Bronx with incest and shootouts all around me. I also did not grow up privileged. I grew up average, fighting my way to success. I am not as worried about expectations that others have of me as I am worried about my expectations for myself. I expect a lot from myself. As to whether or not that is doing more harm than good, we will find out.

I believe I walked out of that auditorium with a more enlightened mindset. Wes is right; none of us are promised anything. We go to school with hopes that we will get out and automatically get a job because of our degrees. To me, it is not the degree that gets the position; it’s the person. Everything you do leads up to how your life will pan out. I am confident in my abilities to be able to get a job, but I can only wonder what others do to have the same confidence.