Week Eight Discussion: Write a Letter To Next Semester's Students
Dear Future Cohort,
You made it. Enjoy every minute of it. Savor what you’ve been able to do and how far you’ve come. You have so much to be proud of, and know that you have a community of Penn Quakers past and present cheering you on as you cross the finish line. Graduation is coming soon, which will be a wonderful opportunity to celebrate with others, but also marks the beginning of the next chapter of your life. It’s a moment where you’ll take everything you learned and go out into the world and apply it. Penn has encouraged you to become the best version of you that you can possibly be, now’s the time to share it with others and become the spark for an explosion of change in the world.
This class will ask a lot of you. It will ask for deep reflection. Go as deep as you can. It’s worth putting in the hours to do it. Get organized and manage the clock. Take the time to really savor what you did. To surface your most impactful projects for the artifacts. To bring them to life in the Pecha Kucha assignment. And to surround yourself in the blanket of curiosity you’ll receive from others in class. This is one of those classes where the more you put in, the more you’ll get out, and the rewards will only compound the deeper into class you get.
It will ask you to think about what you really want out of a career, but it will also help you understand what you don’t want. It will cause you to think deeply about the journey so far and apply it to the path ahead. To take all of the scar tissue of past jobs and forge a positive road into the future. This class has many challenges in it along the way. Structuring your time and work will be one of them, and if you can do this you can do anything. Overcoming the anxiety of being on camera and hearing your recorded voice will be another. Know that everyone else feels the same seeing themselves on the internet.
Don’t be afraid to seek out those whom you’ve not had classes with. Ask as many questions as you want. Of yourself and of others. Find the fertile spaces of common ground. Learn from each other as much as from the instructors. If someone takes the time to leave you a comment, extend them the gratitude of a response as much as possible. Show up for the synchronous sessions. Dress up for Hey Day. Learn about the shoulders of past Penn Quakers you’re now able to proudly stand upon. And if you can, take an inspiring trip to campus and take it all in.
So my ask of you as you cross the finish line is to believe in your ability to succeed. Take a really good look around at what you just did. And enjoy every minute of it. You’ve spent long nights and early mornings balancing your academic work with real life, which is itself an achievement. Be proud of how far you’ve come but know there’s lots more ahead. Set big audacious goals for yourself. Speak up and ask for what you want. Lift others up who want the same. This class encourages a fearlessness which will serve you well as you graduate, and reinforces the idea that in times of extreme uncertainty, opportunity is everywhere. Go out there and grab it all with both hands.
Go Quakers,
Matt
