For as long as I can remember, I believed that I had no voice. When I tried to speak up, my voice would simply fade away, lost under the voices of the rest of the crowd. I felt ignored, insignificant to all the causes that I held close to my heart to the point where I finally felt like giving up. How would my one voice change anything? Why should I even try?
It only recently dawned on me that the problem was not only that I was shy, but I did not have a platform from which I could project my ideas. I did not have the right tools to voice my opinions.
I quickly learned that there is more than one way to voice your opinion, whether it is through writing or definitive action. Not only did DePauw expose me to the different mediums of action, but it has also taught me how to gain confidence.
An alumnus once told me that the only way to gain confidence is by throwing yourself into situations that may be out of your comfort zone. You might be scared to death at first, but the more you continue to put yourself into those types of situations, the more susceptible you get to approach future challenges.
As students here at DePauw, we are fortunate to have special constructed spaces on campus we can take advantage of in order to voice our opinions. At the end of my freshman year, I promised myself that I would take full advantage of these places on campus and began to do so by contributing to campus media and the phone-a-thon.
Every day, I put myself at risk of being rejected by people who will not like what I have to say about a certain cause or like the way I think on various situations. And every day, I remind myself that no matter where I go I should not have to feel pressured to change for anyone.
My life style or ideas do not have to be liked by everyone, but the least people could do is respect them. People should not have to feel bullied or out of place just because they are different. Having this type of mentality is important especially at a place like DePauw, because we all have distinct personalities.
Sometimes, I feel like people forget the real reason why they came to college. It is not only because it is a place where we could party and be independent, it is also a place where we can learn from one another and become open minded to new experiences. We will always be surrounded by people from different walks of life and ideas. This is exactly what DePauw is preparing us for before the "real world."
We should all try to become more involved on campus and never be afraid to voice our opinions. Your opinion just might be the idea that could shape a person's altered perspective into one where they see both sides and try to make a positive change.
—Conduah is a sophomore from Manhattan, N.Y. planning to major in English writing and communication.
opinion@thedepauw.com