Some students are either returning from time abroad or are about to venture off to faraway lands. These travels may include visiting a few castles. Whether it's the beautiful Versailles palace outside of Paris, Sintra in Lisbon (where I met a few lovely DePauw girls during my adventures) or the actual castle that inspired Disney in Segovia (where DePauw has placed eight students this semester).
Abroad, students may have the delight of seeing an actual castle and living the fantasy we dreamed about while watching Disney movies.
While the European castles are fabulous and deserve their fame, there is another castle that deserves credit. As students' Facebook statuses this August announced, some might even call this castle the best castle on earth. And students, entrance to this castle is free (sort of) and close. It's Greencastle. It's DePauw.
You can call it the East College Palace or the Roy O. West Mansion. In these halls, students encounter subjects that channel their creativity, challenge their minds and open their worlds to destiny.
In Olin, chemistry students create concoctions and fire that rival anything a Disney character could compile. In the GCPA, princes and princesses in the music department are heard singing songs that are more beautiful than the love duets between Ariel and Eric.
Every third Wednesday, the basement of Roy O. houses economists who debate the world economy and work together to achieve a plan better than Aladdin's rescue of Jasmine from Jafar.
Sometimes, I have taken this school for granted. My high school friends left for adventures on big college campuses, and I thought they had the college fairy tale.
Reflecting on my experiences and what DePauw has shared with me, I truly believe Greencastle and DePauw represent the ultimate castle.
It is this castle that will bring Bill Clinton to its campus. It is at this castle that princes and princesses have taught you English, who have had you to their homes to bake cookies, who have let you start your own television show or newspaper column as a freshman. I urge you to take advantage of the academic, intellectual and personal opportunities this castle can bring you.
The Greencastle community is absolutely included in the castle. These residents have contributed to your experience in some way, and many are currently working to improve relations between the campus and the city. It is Greencastle residents who founded Marvin's, made the delicious strawberry pizza at Almost Home, work at the Putnam County Foundation to promote scholarships at DePauw and more.
While the halls of this castle are not lined with marble or gold, they are lined with opportunity. Students, take the opportunities DePauw offers you. Whether it is studying abroad, interning through DePauw's network, attending a professor's office hours or venturing on a Winter Term trip to somewhere completely unfamiliar to you, seize it. Attend a poetry session at 6 p.m. at Peeler on Fridays, go to the meetings of clubs you've never heard of and turn on D3TV.
Unlike Disney movies, this fairy tale ends and you won't be able to rewind. The castle will close its academic doors to you. It is up to you to discover where this castle will lead you once these four years conclude. It is this castle that led me to the European ones. DePauw may not always be a fairy tale, but this castle can make dreams comes true.
—Napier is a senior economics major from Lake Forest, Ill. opinion@thedepauw.com