Goodness Vs. Greatness

As I walked out of the newly-released Disney movie Oz: The Great and Powerful this past weekend, I was struck with how apt its core message was: aspire not to greatness, but to goodness. As a natural over-achiever, I have, as long as I can remember, wanted to achieve great things. Yet, even as I won academic scholarships and research awards, I was never content. 

Over the years, though, I have come to realize that it is when I am volunteering that I feel most at peace. Indeed, while volunteering, I feel purposeful, happy, and even inspired. Completing community service has helped me to realize that doing good in the world should not be regarded as any less of an achievement than being great. Indeed the “goodness” spread through service to others has far-reaching and lasting impacts on the individual volunteering and those they are serving: volunteering is humbling; it allows individuals to apply their knowledge, passions, and talents for the benefit of others, especially the less fortunate; it allows one to connect with others in their community; it fosters open-mindedness and acceptance of diverse populations; it allows one to “Pay It Forward”; and it can be a great way for one to gain new experiences, see new places, and be exposed to new ideas. 

McNair Scholars are truly some of the best, brightest, and most inspiring individuals I have ever met. All of you have overcome adversity of one form or another to get where you are and you have now set for yourself some very big and impressive goals. I can tell you first hand, though, how easy it is to get caught up in these goals and to (1) not make time for the seemingly "small" and non-relevant things like volunteering here and there in the community and (2) not realize that by doing good, even in small amounts here and there, we really truly are making big contributions to society and developing into the great people we want to be. :)

New Heights

I find this time of year to be very exciting.  And a little sad.  I'm excited about the new phases of life and new experiences approaching for our scholars.  I'm sad that some are going to be leaving us.  That's part of it though.

I encourage you all to take pause with where you are at this moment.  I'm thinking about our graduating scholars finishing up their final semester at CMU and preparing to move to their new city or town to begin their graduate work next fall.  HUGE changes there.  Finishing one chapter in your life and moving into another.  All of your work, all of the experiences you've had at CMU, all of these things have led you to this point.  Take pause and really think about that.

:: Justin C and Sara headed to Athens, Georgia
:: Jenn and Tom headed to Ithaca, New York
:: Tanisha, Chance and gang headed south south to San Marcos, Texas -- or we could say Austin!
:: Darnell staying put at CMU for just a bit longer then who knows!
:: Jared and Robyn going to Mad-town (aka Madison, Wisconsin)
:: Maame following suite -- party in Mad-town!
:: Katelyn -- another soon to be Wisconsinite -- cruising to Milwaukee!
:: Ke`Ara likely to find a home in the big city of Nashville.
:: And Justin M -- I'm going to make an "educated guess" and say New York City it will be.

Then we have scholars headed to new cities to set up shop in new labs with new faculty mentors. These scholars are "trying on" their top-choice graduate programs for size by having secured (highly sought after and lucrative) positions in a Summer Research Opportunity Program (CLICK HERE for more info on these SROP's).  This is one of the best ways I know to get yourself into a graduate program.  This is a critical juncture in their journeys to graduate school.  I'm excited to see what the summer brings and what connections might be made.

:: Sam's going to Pittsburgh (after a short jaunt to Bermuda)
:: Nicole is joining Jared and Maame in Madison

AND, we have all of our new scholars preparing themselves (right at this moment) to become original researchers.  Proposals are being prepared and presentations are being crafted.  This group is getting ready to advance into the realm of scholarly research with gusto and confidence. I can see it already.  I see enthusiasm.  I see pride.  Yes I see apprehension and some confusion, but that always comes along the way.  Once we hit the spring research symposium, these scholars are sailing with new found energy and accomplishment.  It's going to be a summer of exploration--both personally and professionally.  Pause where you are right now and soak it in.

Pause where ever you are right now and SOAK IT IN.

McNair: FIVE More Years!

On a Tuesday morning COE sends out the email saying the McNair slate is out.  This is something we’ve been thinking about, wondering about, fretting about for over a year now – way before we even submitted the grant on June 7.   I distinctly recall getting the email on July 4, 2011 saying that McNair is in trouble.  In trouble!  With the budget and economic times the way they are, the federal government was only going to refund two-thirds of McNair programs nationwide.  That meant only 134 of 200 programs would be refunded.  Not good!

So our goal: write a perfect grant.  We had to!  Nothing like putting on the pressure.  No biggie, we can do this.  This was my second time writing the grant so at least I had experience under my belt.  I also had Maureen.  Long story short, Maureen is a McNair scholar, turned McNair graduate assistant/Ph.D. student and ah-mazing comrade and partner.  Did I mention that Maureen is a highly skilled writer, communicator, researcher and generally highly knowledgeable about all-things-McNair?  Yeah, she’s with me.

I enlisted Maureen’s help on the grant and she spent the greater portion of the spring semester updating all of our sources that *demonstrate need* for a McNair program at CMU.  I focused on other “goodies” like the plan of operation, budget, objectives and the like.  This time around, the Department of Education included the "option" for us to address several “competitive priorities” if we chose to.  Certainly a “no brainer” since we needed to accumulate all the points we could.  Suffice it to say, doing more with less and recruiting more STEM students is the name of the game! 

As an already well-established McNair program producing Ph.D.’s yearly (we have THREE to date with over twenty more in the Ph.D. pipeline), we also had the benefit of scoring additional “prior year experience points” – also an essential item if we were to make the cut!  Despite never quite knowing how those prior year experience points were figured from year to year, the Department actually told us how they do it during a recent COE conference.  Based on that information, we knew that we would secure all points accessible to us.  Yes!

Things came to a head the week the grant was due which happened to coincide with both Maureen and I escorting our McNair scholars to a Graduate School Training Camp hosted by Murray State University in the “far reaches” of Kentucky.  Needless to say, all of the McNair directors present at camp were pretty darn stressed.  We compared notes, shared drafts and told each other that all we could do was our best.  Okay, that sounds good, right?  I won’t go into the details, but one or two breakdowns (some more major than others) later, we submitted the grant upon our return. 

I have to mention the calm, capable and steady presence of Deborah Clark – our grants person – who took us through every step of the process (which is convoluted to say the least – come on, it’s the federal government) and all I have to say about that is – I love you, Deb.  You ROCK!  Seriously, other programs that don’t have such awesome grants folks are up a creek plain and simple.  This is now our second time through with Deb!

June 7 came and went, and for a while, we chilled.  We chilled meaning we didn’t think as much about the grant.  We were in full force with the Summer Research Institute and working with our current group of scholars.  My stomach returned to normal and before we knew it, it was getting more challenging to make a turn onto Mission (meaning students were creeping back!) and school was about to start again.  I knew I had to proceed with our normal recruitment efforts despite not knowing if we would be able to service this next group of scholars.  Talk about having to muster up some energy and excitement without really having *real* energy and excitement.  Not fun. 

Meanwhile, we were receiving almost daily emails from COE (Council on Opportunity in Education, our DC-based organization that advocates on behalf of Trio programs) updating us on advocacy efforts to restore McNair funding, calls to action for alumni, current students and faculty and supporters to sign petitions and contact their representatives.  No real positive information was coming from Washington despite such efforts.  A good number of McNair programs were going to be cut nationwide – to the tune of about 75 in all!

My anxiety level rising once again coincided with the start of the fall semester.  Everywhere I went people were asking me if I knew about our grant it seemed.  Nope!  No idea.  The last time we wrote (back in 2007), I distinctly remember attending COE’s annual conference in Chicago in mid-September and still NOT knowing if we were safe.  Our grant expires on September 30 every four years.  We found out September 17 that CMU made it!  You know, it’s always nice to have some planning time knowing that you will be continuing to run a program after the next two weeks. 

The Department of Education since became notorious for being slow to announce grantees for other Trio programs and the pressure was on to announce not only McNair, but Upward Bound Math and Science and Veterans Upward Bound.  Again, in dealing with the federal government, this would be no small feat!  One of the primary COE outreach strategies had actually been to postpone the McNair competition until after the elections.  Obviously that had not come to fruition.

One day after our program assistant interviews for a new job (because she doesn’t know if she’ll have a job come the end of the month!), I wake up to an email from COE stating that the McNair slate, as they call it, is out.  Now, you might think that we would simply all get emails, or a letter even, telling us YES or NO.  Ah, no, that would not be the case.  Instead, we all have to go “sleuthing around” to find out if we are refunded.  The Department sends letters to Congress who then makes this information public.  I immediately call my contact in Senator Stabenow’s office and leave a message.  Doug had called me as soon as our CMU Upward Bound program had been refunded (yes, CMU rocks!).  I then called my contact in Representative Camp’s office and left a message.  Then I called Toby Roth, CMU’s congressional staff person.  Then Mary Montoye called me for a reference for our program assistant, Julie.  Of course, I’m shaking and freaking out.  No biggie, I can give Mary a reference, no problem. 

I had just read my two daily emails – one from the Daily Love (check it if you haven’t - www.dailylove.com, it’s cool!) and the Winner’s Circle – and BOTH (yes, BOTH) talked about how sometimes life can really throw you big challenges and that even if the meaning isn’t immediately clear, those challenges make us stronger.  I immediately think: oh my gosh, we’re not being refunded.  I’m going to be jobless (I’m not even thinking about the scholars – sorry guys – at this point).  I’m mid-conversation with Mary and my cell beeps in with a 202 number – DC!  I say to Mary, “gotta go, call you back” and pick up.  It’s the educational aide from Camp’s office, I stop breathing and wait.  Ashton says she has GOOD NEWS.  OMG, jumping for joy, happy dance X100, trying to breathe, smiling uncontrollably, I can’t even believe it.  She got the letter late last night.  CMU IS IN!  Wow.

Seriously, I’m dancing around the house (I was home that day with our babysitter having started fall classes) and everyone was still sleeping, including Ken.  I call Mary.  I get Sue who passes me to Deb who then passes me back to Mary (they are all in the research office) and we are all ecstatic together.  Couldn’t be better!  Ah-mazing.  Who do I call next?  My mom, Ken’s mom, Ken finally wakes up to the good news, I call my friend Pat who also directs a McNair program in Michigan (she doesn’t know yet if she’s in – she must not have contacts like me – JUST KIDDING!), I’ve got other director friends emailing me, they don’t know either.  Pure craziness!  I text Julie and ask her to send a note to the scholars.  I call and leave a message for Maureen.  I post it on Facebook.  Love that!  I think I ended up with about 70 “likes” and a bunch of awesome comments.  McNair unite!  The only reason I really got on Facebook in the first place was to stay connected with our awesome alumni.

It’s been several weeks now since we got the news and I’m still in shock.  After being so deeply stressed (even if I could “ignore” it on the surface) for so long, it’s going to take a moment to decompress and get back onto a “normal” track and way of being.  As a matter of fact, I have to admit that I much prefer this way of being.  I LOVE this way of being.  I love that we can now move forward with recruiting our next cohort knowing that we will actually have a next cohort.  I love that I can get my current scholars on track applying to schools this fall and start booking plane tickets to go and visit their future faculty advisors!  I love that I can continue to move forward with my own coaching training and become even better at what I do.  If anything, this past year has been a tremendous gift in the form of giving me the confidence and inspiration to really embrace what I do and take it to a whole new level.  I’m just super pumped!

It’s been absolutely FANTASTIC walking around campus and sharing the news and joy!  I love that we have such an amazing support network of faculty, staff and students around campus.  It makes this work feel even more special and amazing than it is.  I just returned from New York after attending COE’s annual conference and I have to tell you – we are LUCKY!  The word on the street isn’t entirely complete and the fight continues as I write this, but McNair programs are being cut across the country in significant numbers.  Big, long-standing programs with great track records.  While this may be due to the reality of our current economic situation, I believe that it MAKES OUR WORK AT CMU EVEN MORE PRESSING and “of the essence.” 

Our job is to pluck motivated and curious students from the crowds.  Motivated students that come from some hard backgrounds but have persevered.  Motivated students who demonstrate a certain curiosity and passion for….SOMETHING…..FOR LIFE…..and want to take their education to a whole new level.  They just might not know exactly how to make that happen.  We work with these amazing students and get to witness their evolution and growth in a way that most do not.  We get to push, encourage, elevate, support, excite and witness the growth of our students.  The amount that we learn from our students and this work is simply icing on the cake.  There’s nothing better than receiving notes from our alumni around the country with their exciting news, or better yet, having our alumni come back to Mt. Pleasant after receiving their Ph.D. for a celebratory dinner with faculty, friends and mentors.  CMU McNair students ROCK, hands down!

We have our work cut out for us.  We couldn’t do it without the amazing faculty that give of themselves and their time and their expertise.  It never ceases to amaze me how many deeply caring – and interesting and inspiring – individuals we have that work with our students and support our McNair mission.  It is truly humbling.  So, I’d like to put forth a charge not only for our current scholars, but our future scholars as well.  Appreciate this opportunity and take full advantage of it.  McNair is special.  You are special.  Let us help you keep moving forward in your journey.  Get your Ph.D. and then give back.  Do GREAT things and then help others do GREAT things.  Together we can elevate the McNair mission to new heights.

Ghana: McNair Scholar Across the Pond

Hello Fellow Scholars!

I wanted to take a break today from writing on my own blog, and give you all a little sharing of my experiences and how they seem to be relating to what I want to do with my life after CMU.

This is Kojo - Which means born on Monday

So, to give some background I'll start with why I signed up for a trip to Ghana in the first place. As a student, I study biomedical science, which is pretty much as bench laboratory science as you can get. I have spent many hours (including my McNair summer research) working in a lab with fruit flies and test tubes, and lots of small calculations and figuring. That research was fine and dandy, but I guess deep down I really wanted to do something more with people. I have spent a long time focusing on Global Health in my spare time, which has really consumed my interested and steered my individual research from my bench-science focus to really a broader healthcare-focused work. I've been searching for months on where I want to put myself as a scholar in the future. Its simply been a toss up between medicine and graduate school, and through McNair I was guided toward combining the two. My MCAT got the best of me, and took that off the table, at least as an immediate applicant, so it was time to turn a cheek. That time came just as I was leaving for this trip.

These children were just on the street, and they loved us.

This trip focuses on International Nutrition. Nutrition is not even close to my major, but is pivotal when discussing global health, and therefore lies within my interests. I met the professor for this trip, Dr. Francis Tayie, and we spoke about my interests. He was excited that I was willing to go on the trip, even if it did not count toward my major. He was pumped about my enthusiasm. Anyway, at first it was not necessarily going to happen since there were financial difficulties and a lot to plan beforehand, but my Will provided and here I am.

This little boy's name is John! 

This trip for me has been an experience of a lifetime.  I have gained so much knowledge in Ghanaian culture it is ridiculous. I have also gained an important insight into the public health situations here, and it really makes you think about developing nations around the world, and how their healthcare systems are so different from our own.

I recently published a post on my own blog about the comparison between Ghanaian hospital care and US hospital care, so I will not restate it all, but I will give some highlights:

The statue is Cecily Williams, she pretty much invented
nutrition medicine for undernourished children.

Ghanaian hospitals are set up on a cash and carry system, meaning that a patient must pay separately and that day for every aspect of their treatment, from medicines (even those used in wards for overnight stays) to labs (yes, even getting simple blood draws), even down to the cost of checkin, which by the way is 7 GHC (about $3.50 USD) at the hospital I was checked into for a mild case of malaria. Don't worry, I'm fine, malaria isn't really that bad, but it will be something I can look forward to sharing my experience with!

The Whole group and the teachers at Bright Lillies
preschool in Accra, Ghana

Anyway, the experience of looking at the conditions of the hospitals here, both the one I went to for my own health called Lapaz, and the one I went to for our class called Princess Marie Louise Children's Hospital, have opened my eyes to show me even more why a career in public health, focusing on global perspectives is one I should pursue. I am excited to continue my trip and then really reflect upon these experiences in choosing where and how to apply this fall.

I hope everyone is having a great summer, and I hope you all take advantage of the McNair program. Things can change rapidly before, during, and after, but overall, you have the world at your feet and amazing people to teach you how to walk. Enjoy it, and let's keep in touch! 

Living for now,
Justin Mendoza
McNair Scholars 2011

The Feeling Is Relative

Hey all this blog is just a reflection of my experiences so far while doing my research in Madison. It's been a very enlightening and wonderful summer for me and these are my thoughts on it all. I hope that it helps you all gain some perspective and understanding. I also think we should all take the time to do this. It's extremely helpful :-) hope you enjoy

I posted a question on my facebook status this past week asking about a 1000 of my closest friends this question. “ How do you want to feel about your life?”  It’s a pretty simple question, not asking too much of an individual. I got it from an audio book that Lynn lent me, called The Fire Starter Sessions That by Danielle LaPorte. (I suggest you check it out if you can) It was while listening to this book that I realized that I’ve never really been asked how I want to feel about my life. I’ve been countlessly questioned about what I want to do, where I want to be , and the type of person I want to be.  But never once has anyone bothered to ask what I wanted to feel about my life.  Because of this I realized that I had no idea. I couldn’t answer the question. I could easily recite my elevator speech that would easily address the first three but literally had no idea how to address how I wanted to feel about it all.

Through McNair I have very much become sure of my future. I have defined my research interests. I’ve gotten a taste of what life at grad school will be like. I can actually see my PhD in my hand.  I am happy with my answers. In fact I am sure of them. But there is no doubt that something is missing. I know! That sounds crazy. I mean I have everything that any hopelessly lost but hard driven undergrad would want, more even. Obviously I understand that being so young  I am not supposed to have all the answers. It is normal for me to feel this clueless and have no idea why I can’t seem to be satisfied with my circumstances.  So after a week of reflection and examining the feedback of my much appreciated facebook friends I realized exactly how I want to feel about my life.

1.          I want to feel alive. Though I am living, I have actually not been living my life. I have not experienced anything new, bold or outside comfort zone. Which is why I decided to come to UW-Madison for my summer research. Being here I have become more enlightened, both in my research and general life. The fresh new environment is exactly what I needed to add some spice to  my bland living. Everyday has been a new experience, from navigating my own way to realizing that yes I am now an adult . But also realizing that in being an adult how I start living  now is exactly how the rest of my life is going to be. As such, I want to spend everyday of my adult life being excited. Meanwhile understanding that whatever my choice of higher education, whether it's Madison or not, the important factoid to remember is to actually live my life and enjoy it.

2.                I don’t want to settle. I believe it was the infamous Don Asher who said fit and match equals admission. Through all the GREing and personal statements, I have come to find that nothing is truer than this statement.  I have come to realize that being selective in every aspect of my life is what will bring me the most fruitful opportunities. For me it is no longer just about saying yes to make someone else happy because I see no other doors. It is about having faith, believing in myself, and realizing that to be at my best I have to choose what I feel is best. I have to decide what will make me happy and with every part of me go for it.

3.                I want to be influential. My definition of influential does not just encompass social change or advocacy. Instead it includes the small stuff. The little things that go unnoticed but seem to make the greatest difference. Doing this is what makes me happiest. The warm smiles I give to light up one person. Taking the time to be a listening ear. Saying thank you more often than not and all the other cheesy clichés of kindness we so often forget about. I want to recognize the little battles, the every day struggles that we face. After all it is the small steps we take that help make those big ones happen.

I’m not sure if doing this will help figure everything out.  But I am certain it’s a start. Embracing these experiences and realizing that in anything I want, whether it’s getting into graduate school, falling love, or getting that perfect job, I need to realize how I want to feel about it all. Truly taking the time to see why what I am are doing is important. I suggest the same for my fellow scholars not just to find answers, but to bring clarity and perspective especially during these most critical times of our lives. 

It's All About Your Passion

I'm inspired to write about PASSION.  I'm inspired to write about passion for our "new" scholars who really aren't so "new" anymore as they get ready to present their research at tomorrow's symposium.  I'm inspired to write about passion for our "older" scholars, some of whom are getting ready to graduate and start their graduate career.  Others are continuing their undergraduate work and seizing new and amazing opportunities - like doing more research at other institutions and even countries!

It's all about the passion baby!  Right?  Several of our scholars recently presented at Dr. Hernandez's College 101 program for at-risk high school students and talked about "finding your passion."  Dr Hinck and I spoke about how the best research presentations come from scholars who allow their passion to come through to the audience.  I can tell you for a fact that our scholars who are starting their graduate programs next fall are passionate about taking this next step in their journey.  They wouldn't have received such spectacular funding offers if they weren't!

You can't fake passion, nor can you just make it appear out of thin air.  You can tell when someone really has passion, can't you?  I believe it's combination of opening yourself to possibilities and opportunities, while being true to yourself.  You'll feel it when you have it!  Read Freddy's post (One Day at a Time) on his first year in grad school at IU and he talks about his passion and already starting to feel like a "real" scientist....

McNair gives you the chance to experience research.  Asking questions and finding the answers can be exhilarating, for sure.  Sure, along with the exciting part comes the hard work which can sometimes be pretty mundane, cumbersome and even frustrating.  That's where the passion comes in!  It's the passion that carries you through...and allows you to "pop out" the other end....when it comes time to present your work in front of a group of people and express the importance of your findings....when it comes time to tell a graduate admissions committee what you are going to do with your Ph.D. in "fill in the blank" and why there is no other better choice for you.

So, here's to YOUR passion!  To finding it.  To nurturing it.  To sustaining it on ALL levels.  Now that's the best!

Today Was A Very Important Day!!

Today I submitted my first application to my top choice school the University of Maryland for their doctoral program in Women's Studies. I was so excited because this point in my life has not come without many tears (literally and figuratively) and much hard work. A few months ago I was doubting my ability to even get in to a Ph.D. program. I only wanted to apply to MA programs (which I still will do but not all) and I was afraid that maybe I wasn't ready. I was even doubting my program and not sure what I wanted to study. But after and few gentle "smack downs" mostly encouraging words and some self exploration, I realized that I am completely capable of pursing this next level.

Throughout this process I have learned three major things about myself...

1. Be honest with myself...it really doesn't matter and it's really not that convincing to others if I am not passionate about.

2. If it's meant to be it will...let the chips fall...relax, relate, release (yep as cliche as it may be)

3. And finally during my visit to U of Maryland a graduate student that I met said something completely profound "go for the school that is going to accept MOST of you."

So with that being said I am signing off to get back to studying and I am excited to submit more applications. Rutgers is next...

I Am Thankful For You!

I think most of you know how much I love working for McNair.  I do!  It’s a great job because we ultimately are helping to “produce” or “grow” (if you will) some fabulously creative and confident and awesome people who will go on in their education and careers and do some really excellent things.  I especially like seeing this evolution occur over time.  Each scholar goes through the “exploration phase” and the “working really hard” phase and the “oh, I’m super excited about this” phase, and so on….  During each of those phases, different elements come into play.  What’s great about a program like this one is that we can help put out different opportunities and resources and ideas about things that might just help someone think about or consider something as valuable that they might not have done before – or they might get a chance to do something that will help open up new options down the road.  We are all growing together, and through this program, we get to share some of those experiences.  These special occurrences are the core foundation of McNair.  So, I thought I would say thank you to all of you for making this work special and meaningful to me – I am thankful for each of you!  You make my life rich!

Here’s a little something that underscores this feeling – Masani told me that I could share this with you from her last monthly – she talks about visiting the University of Rochester and how she felt while she was there.  All I can say is that it’s been a great privilege working with you, Masani.  You are one dedicated and determined chick!  I know you are going to do some amazing things; because you already are.  J

“One of the most significant events that happened to me in Rochester occurred after my interviews with faculty. I was walking with a professor to lunch, and felt this intense feeling of pride. I thought to myself, "I can do this." I felt for the first time that I am capable of not only being a graduate student, but being a professor as well. As I have never been the most confident person in the world, this was rather profound for me. I really believe that having this feeling allowed me to be more successful in communicating and marketing myself during the visitation.”   

--Masani McGee

On the River!



"...Give the world the best you have...": A Quote on Forgiveness, Perseverance, Success, and much more

I have always struggled with balancing being myself and being the person others wanted me to be. I admit- I'm a people pleaser. Although I still struggle with this often, the following quote has been crucial in helping me believe that I can be myself and not focus so much on others needs over my own. While being attentive to and aware of others needs is not all bad, I feel that in the long run it is damaging to a person's sense of self-esteem to let other's thoughts and opinions bring you down. Most of all though, this quote inspires me to continue working hard, even if it doesn't seem worth it sometimes. I hope you all will find it helpful as well:

People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered; forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives; be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies; succeed anyway.
If you are honest and frank, people may cheat; be honest and frank anyway.
What you spend hours building, someone could destroy overnight; build anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous; be happy anyway.
The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow; do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have and it may just never be enough; give the world the best you have anyway.
You see, in the final analysis, it's all between you and God; It was never between you and them anyway.
-Mother Theresa

Laughter and Transitions

I thought I would reflect for a moment on this particular stage in the McNair experience. When I say McNair experience, I mean my own McNair experience which has been going on for some time now….this time of year is always exciting, a little nerve-wracking, and inspiring on many different levels. We’ve got scholars graduating, getting offers for grad school and moving on to the next phase in life. We’ve got scholars just getting started in the process, although I must say that they are probably feeling “down and dirty” in the thick of things at the moment given that draft proposals just came in yesterday and presentations are coming up in just a few weeks. Having both groups going at once is really fun, sometimes challenging to keep track of everyone’s details, but most of all – super cool. In short, everyone is in the process of exploring options for themselves and figuring out their lives. That’s what McNair is all about.

I encourage everyone to embrace this process, wherever you might be in it, and take from it what it has to offer. If you are willing to really put yourself out there, I’m betting that you’ll receive back ten-fold – in ways you probably can’t imagine right now. Again, that’s super cool. I’ll end with a tidbit from Lou Tice on laughter since I think that is something that can really help, really with everything, and at every point along the way.

Here is what Lou says:

Today, we know that humor is a vital sign of life that affects us both physiologically and psychologically. Genuine laughter signals emotional flexibility and is a common reaction to the unexpected, the unpredictable. Some folks claim that one good belly-laugh – that full-out, no-holds-barred, tears streaming down your face laugh – can give you up to 90 days of protection against illness. If that’s true, imagine what a giggle-a-day could do.

The ability to make others laugh is an invaluable quality, but the ability to make ourselves laugh is even more precious – so develop a ticklish funny-bone, and you’ll be growing in more ways than you might think!

--Lou Tice, The Pacific Institute

Advance Confidently in the Direction of Your Dreams ...

I just wanted to share a fantastic quote, one that was given to me on my 33rd birthday. As I get older, I forget not only what I have achieved, but what I am still capable of. A good friend of mine reminded me with these words from Henry David Thoreau. The first sentence is my favorite.

“I learned this, at least, by my experiment: that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavours to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours. He will put some things behind, will pass an invisible boundary; new, universal, and more liberal laws will begin to establish themselves around and within him; or the old laws be expanded, and interpreted in his favour in a more liberal sense, and he will live with the license of a higher order of beings. In proportion as he simplifies his life, the laws of the universe will appear less complex, and solitude will not be solitude, nor poverty poverty, nor weakness weakness. If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them.”

--Eric

The Invitation

The Invitation by Oriah

It doesn’t interest me
what you do for a living.
I want to know
what you ache for
and if you dare to dream
of meeting your heart’s longing.

It doesn’t interest me
how old you are.
I want to know
if you will risk
looking like a fool
for love
for your dream
for the adventure of being alive.

It doesn’t interest me
what planets are
squaring your moon...
I want to know
if you have touched
the centre of your own sorrow
if you have been opened
by life’s betrayals
or have become shrivelled and closed
from fear of further pain.

I want to know
if you can sit with pain
mine or your own
without moving to hide it
or fade it
or fix it.

I want to know
if you can be with joy
mine or your own
if you can dance with wildness
and let the ecstasy fill you
to the tips of your fingers and toes
without cautioning us
to be careful
to be realistic
to remember the limitations
of being human.

It doesn’t interest me
if the story you are telling me
is true.
I want to know if you can
disappoint another
to be true to yourself.
If you can bear
the accusation of betrayal
and not betray your own soul.
If you can be faithless
and therefore trustworthy.

I want to know if you can see Beauty
even when it is not pretty
every day.
And if you can source your own life
from its presence.

I want to know
if you can live with failure
yours and mine
and still stand at the edge of the lake
and shout to the silver of the full moon,
“Yes.”

It doesn’t interest me
to know where you live
or how much money you have.
I want to know if you can get up
after the night of grief and despair
weary and bruised to the bone
and do what needs to be done
to feed the children.

It doesn’t interest me
who you know
or how you came to be here.
I want to know if you will stand
in the centre of the fire
with me
and not shrink back.

It doesn’t interest me
where or what or with whom
you have studied.
I want to know
what sustains you
from the inside
when all else falls away.

I want to know
if you can be alone
with yourself
and if you truly like
the company you keep
in the empty moments

"The Invitation" is a really great way for me to reorient myself in the world when I seem to be so caught up in everything else.

What I find so inspirational about this piece of poetry is it's not simply challenging you to share your goals and dreams, but is aiding in the process of self analysis and self efficacy - but not just in terms of the world, but individually. She is challenging each and everyone of us to look deep within ourselves and take a serious inventory of who we really are.

A passage I find really interesting:

It doesn't interest me
where or what or with whom
you have studied.
I want to know
what sustains you
from the inside
when all else falls away.

I find this to be extremely applicable to our program and each of us as McNair Scholars. It doesn't matter with all of the fine details if you don't care about your fellow human beings at the end of the day. We are McNair Scholars not simply by selection and because of the memory of Dr. McNair - WE are Scholars in his memory because he understood and actively engaged in the process of social and economic growth and development through the attainment of higher education. Although he was an astronaut, he was a humanitarian. What is so remarkable about him (in my opinion) is his belief in and empowerment of the underprivileged.

So, in our active participation in this program take time to recognize and give thanks to those who have come before you - humility is an important virtue that all people should actively incorporate into life. During our busy lives, looking at graduate programs, studying, writing reflections and affirmations, and meeting with mentors - remember why we now have a special privilege and status as McNair Scholars. Remember the life and legacy of Dr. McNair.