The greatest gift Emory gave me was an optimistic spirit. At Emory, every life path seems possible if you work hard enough for it. While I was here, I explored, I tinkered, I reveled in the curiosity Emory imbued me with.
College taught me that things are never as easy as they look and that choosing one door closes others. Oftentimes, I learned this the hard way — starting my own clothing company, Edward Foster, was much more difficult than I thought it would be.
But the curiosity Emory provided me meant that I could always find new doors. I discovered genuine passions inside the classroom and out — working at the Wheel, learning how to hack in cybersecurity class and understanding the historian’s mindset.
I discovered all kinds of incredible people, from my wonderful girlfriend who lived on my hall freshman year to incredible professors who taught me new ways of thinking.
I will never forget the warm embrace Beta Theta Pi gave to a lonely West Coaster who felt out of place so far from home. By joining a fraternity, I gained a family and a community that gave me something accomplishments never could. I choose to remember and be strengthened by the wonderful experiences we had together, despite what happened to us.
I could lament about how technocratic college has become and how the kind of community I found in Beta isn’t as big of a priority as it should be, but this doesn’t seem like the place for that.
College was wonderful, and I only wish I could have had more of it. Take advantage of every opportunity while you can, and never stop dreaming.
Duncan Cock Foster is a computer science major from Seattle, Wa.
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