Learning to change the world

By James Bickford

It is an exciting time to be a Bronco here at Santa Clara. In a system that encourages community, rather than exclusivity, we are learning the skills needed to change the world.

The world we live in is not a happy place. With war and poverty, disease and death, social inequities and environmental crises, we are confronted with many challenges.

These challenges, however, are addressed in an unparalleled way within the walls of this school.

Over the past three years, I have heard a lot about Santa Clara's prestige. We are a tier-two school, after all. Regrettably, we are overshadowed by our neighbor up north, Stanford, and other Jesuit universities back east.

I argue, however, that we are not competing with the school up north with the silly, dancing tree mascot or our fellow Jesuits in the east.

We are a school focused on undergraduate education. We are training leaders that will have the weapons of conscience, competence and compassion to combat the current status quo.

While I don't think that many of my peers -- or even myself, for that matter -- will go join the Peace Corps or become priests or nuns, challenging the status quo does not necessarily mean taking that big of a step. Santa Clara simply expects us to challenge the world with the concepts taught and practiced here: inclusiveness, intelligence, hard work, leadership, dedication and sensitivity.

With the help of these tools, we learn how to live in a community, to foster tolerance and respect in every setting. The fourth C, after all, is "community," as Phil Kesten, associate provost of undergraduate studies, likes to put it.

The other three C's describe what it takes to make a community, but ultimately, our goal as graduates will be to build a world community around these concepts of tolerance and respect. And by bringing the three C's into focus, we are working on strengthening this global community.

Most universities are filled with students who want to change the world. Only a few of these students, however, are taught the skills needed to do so.

For those of you out there that wonder what you are doing here at Santa Clara, start paying attention. You are not only being equipped with the tools necessary to succeed in the 21st century, but also the concepts needed to transform the lives and policies of the world.

So welcome, freshmen and transfer students. Remember that in order to get the most out of this education, you must participate -- actively. Join the dorm communities, explore relationships, delve into the unknown and understand that you are taking your first steps toward the most important lesson of all: community.

James Bickford is a senior mechanical engineering major.