I'm usually not one for farewell columns. I often find them tacky and self-serving, but alas, after three years at this paper, I find myself longing to write one.
Many of us came here four years ago not knowing what we wanted to do with our lives. Graduation was the furthest thing from our minds, but time moves quickly.
I came here thinking I was going to be a computer science major or at least do something involving math. After some questionable grades in those classes, I realized it wasn't for me. Luckily, the options at this great university were limitless, and my passions changed.
After a devastating loss in the 2004 election, I realized I needed to get involved with politics. I saw that our country was headed in the wrong direction for another four years and it disturbed me. That's when my idealistic, and yes, naive dream of changing the world first bloomed, and with the amazing opportunities provided for me here, that dream has yet to die.
It's one of the beauties of this university: If you look hard enough, whether it's in a campus organization like Wisconsin Student Public Interest Research Group, College Democrats or a student newspaper, you'll find enough people who share your goals and your passions.
Starting first as an observer of the political world on campus, I was honored to play a role as an opinion leader as the editor of this page last year. This year I took a step further in joining Students for Obama, becoming a doer"" instead of just a ""talker.""
These experiences also challenged me to examine my own social values and political beliefs. I started thinking about what it meant to put that ""liberal"" tag on myself and why I was so willing to do so. I, like many of you, was raised with the simplest of values. Respect others, treat others as you'd like to be treated, and always offer to lend a helping hand.
Our country was supposedly founded on the basis of equality of opportunity. No matter who you are or where you were born, you could achieve anything in life with hard work and resiliency. It's the ""pull yourself up by your bootstraps"" mentality. But I've always wondered, what about those who are too weak to pull themselves up?
What about those who are stuck in a failing public school system who can never get out of the cycle of poverty? Or those in rural communities whose small farms are hurt by subsidies that only benefit the wealthy few? Or the homeless on the streets of Madison who fight addiction every day?
Are these people, many of whom are born into circumstances they can never escape, really given an equal opportunity to succeed in life? I think the government should play a role in helping these people, not step out of the way expecting them to do everything on their own.
And that's where we come in. Politics aside, as graduates of UW-Madison, we are given every opportunity these people are denied, and now it's up to us to make the best of it.
Among us we have engineers who will design cars that get hundreds of miles per gallon, easing the pain of Americans who can hardly afford our dependence on foreign oil. We have scientists working with stem cells to cure diseases. We have teachers who will educate the leaders of tomorrow and doctors who will treat AIDS victims in Africa.
As leaders of the new generation, we will face so many challenges, but after four years here, I know we are ready to lead lives that will change this world.
A lot has changed in those four years. That's something bound to happen in all our lives. Circumstances change and we change with them. We're no longer defined by whom we're friends with on our dorm floor or what parties we were invited to last weekend. Instead we look at our values and beliefs and seek to harness them in an effort to make a difference.
Many of you reading this may not have experienced that change yet. I urge you - go get it yourself, grab it and embrace it. Without the help of the UW-Madison community - faculty, students, friends and yes, maybe even Scanner Dan - few of us would be where we are today.
My time here has been the best experience of my life, and I'm proud that UW-Madison played a pivotal role in changing who I am. As I leave here, I see that this university has made a valuable imprint on me that I will cherish forever. I only hope that I've made an imprint on this university, and that I can live up to its expectations.
Now let's get started: The world's not going to change itself.
Erik Opsal is a senior majoring in journalism and political science. He welcomes your feedback at opsal@wisc.edu.
