An appetite for risk

Various student groups are always holding conferences and bringing different guests to give lectures on campus. I try to go to ones that might interest me when I can, usually for the sake of hearing what they have to say, but sometimes just for the free food-- these things tend to be hit-or-miss, sometimes I wonder where they find these people.

But today I went to a talk by Andrew Shapiro, the Senior Defense and Foreign Policy Adviser for Senator Hilary Clinton and a graduate of Penn. The talk was presented by the Fox Leadership Program at the Fels Center for Government and Public Policy (for all you aspiring IR, Political Science, Urban Studies and Diplomatic History majors, or anyone else with a related interest, definitely tap into the resources offered by this center) and it was the first time in a while that a speaker held my attention for the entire hour. Not only was he just a very down-to-earth guy with a good sense of humor, but hearing about his career path and how he got to where he is was really encouraging especially given my recent apprehensions and concerns regarding my own uncertain future (Hey Day was great fun and everything but the realization that you only have one year left in college is not at all).

Although Mr. Shapiro was always headed down a successful course, nothing was ever certain and there was no "linear path" as he put it. There was no step-by-step process, and he went through his own share of uncertain times, sleeping on a couch and doing temp work while his friends were working at fancy law firms, investment banks or consulting groups. While at Penn, he never thought he'd ever be so lucky to have the opportunity to get where he is today, but he did so by taking advantage of opportunities as they came, not by following a set of specific guidelines. Instead, he emphasized what he called an "appetite for risk" and the willingness to try out new things, even if it's not always the safest path. When asked where he saw his career headed in the future, he said he still had no idea, despite being in his late 30s. This really put things in perspective for me. After being abroad, especially in such a "tranquilo" society like Argentina's, I learned exactly what having an "appetite for risk" meant and didn't mind uncertainty so much. But sometimes being around so many career-oriented and pre-professional classmates can be a little overwhelming, so it was nice to be reminded that I am only 21 and have plenty of time to decide what I want to do. And then change my mind and decide on something else about 8 times if I want to.

Hey Day!

Basically, yet another great reason to come to Penn. Today was the last day of classes, which means it is also the day when juniors officially become seniors. Basically, there is a huge picnic for the entire junior class on Hill Field, after which everyone wearing red Hey Day tshirts, canes and foam hats, and marches around campus while the seniors throw various items such as marshmallows, streamers, mayonnaise, ketchup, flour, chocolate sauce, and I think even a dead fish was thrown last year (although you all won't have to worry about that, they've banned several items). Then, the march ends in front of College Hall where the University president, Amy Gutman gives a speech and officially declares everyone seniors. I know, it sounds a little silly, and even I myself was a little skeptical before. But there really is nothing like being a part of it and seeing your entire class all together, wearing the same thing and all excited about the same thing. And also all freak out about the fact that you now have only one more year of college left!

Working hard and playing hard

So we're in the last week of classes, right before finals, smack in the middle of crunch time. What a time to start a blog on reflections on typical Penn life. All around me, I see students half-asleep, walking around like zombies with cups of coffee and Red Bull practically permanently attached to their hands. Study lounges are packed, and don't even think of trying to get a spot in the library unless you've staked out your carol early on. But nevertheless, despite the tense atmosphere and stress all around, I try to take a step back and put things in perspective. It's almost comical how we drive ourselves crazy around this time. It's something you get used to, and something you bond with your peers about. You come together in your suffering, and when it's all over, you've never been happier. That's what it's all about-- work hard and play hard. But in the end, the positives always seem to outweigh the negatives, and in the long run, the negatives never really seem all that bad anyways.

In an attempt to mentally flee from more immediate academic obligations, I've started looking towards my summer plans. Today, I finally bought my plane ticket to go back to Buenos Aires this summer. I studied abroad there last fall and had SUCH an amazing time that well, I just had to go back! I mean, I'll be using grant money for undergraduate research through the Penn Program on Democracy, Citizenship, and Constitutionalism so technically I think I'm supposed to be doing quite a bit of work while I'm there. But again, I can sense that whole theme of "work hard and play hard"coming up again. Now that I've actually bought my ticket, the whole thing finally seems a bit more real to me. I had been feeling a little stressed about my summer plans (or lackthereof) recently since all of my friends were hearing back about exciting internships; I'd started to tell people I was going to be working on a fishing boat off the coast of Alaska or as a lion tamer at the zoo when they would ask about my summer plans. But then I found out I'd gotten this grant which was perfect-- the chance to travel and be abroad under the pretense of doing something academic and productive! No just kidding, I mean I will be doing quite a bit of work, and the topic (the participation of young people in politics, and the recent re-opening of cases of human rights violations that occurred during the military dictatorship) is very interesting and important to me, but let's just say I'm extremely glad that I will not be in a stuffy office building from 9 to 5.

It's going to be slightly nerve wracking this time around since I'm basically going completely on my own. No one will be there to pick me up at the airport, I won't have my program office to turn to if something goes wrong, I won't really know a ton of people my age (most of my friends were other American students while abroad), and I actually don't quite know where I'm going to live yet. Buuuuut those are just minor details, I'm sure everything will figure itself out in the end! I mean, a friend of mine studying abroad in Australia ended up living in a hostel for like 6 weeks. And I'm kind of excited to be there on my own and be really independent. And also maybe finish up all the shopping I didn't have the time/luggage space to do while I was there the first time... Ok, but enough about Argentina. Basically, this just goes to show that there are tons of great opportunities and resources for Penn students, and they're not always what you'd typically expect them to be! I never thought I'd be able to do something like this, especially as an undergrad. I mean, I didn't even really know what "doing research" meant until a few months ago, but I guess I'll find out! Ok, chau for now...