Recently, I had lunch with a childhood friend, Marlene. We have been friends since we were both thirteen years old, many decades ago. Our lifelong friendship began on the south side of Chicago where we discovered personal commonalities, as we explored public libraries and devised many less intellectual adventures together. On a chilly Wednesday in November, we met in Union Station in Washington, D.C., and it was indeed a joyous reunion as we hugged and launched into trading endless recollections and stories of all the life that has happened to us since. When we looked into each other's faces, we bore witness to a half-century of American societal forces that had shaped the lives and choices of two women who grew up with limited resources, but dreamed of nearly endless possibilities.
Between the two of us there were four children–all with college degrees. It was our prayer, and that of our spouses, that we had prepared these talented young adults to lead responsible, worthwhile, and altruistic lives. My friend earned an MBA from a big ten university, and I earned a Ph.D. from an equally prestigious university. Besides the fact that we both have done well by American standards, we also both gained so much more from our college experiences than only the academic content and subsequent jobs offered. It was our advanced educations that provided exposure to options, consideration of diverse perspectives, and development of skill sets beyond our imaginations.
Read more:
http://www.cheyney.edu/president/blog/5667
Posted By: How May I Help You NC
Friday, January 6th 2012 at 8:48AM
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