I hate to be the corny/cliché one, but I truly believe the
most valuable information I learned pre-departure is of my peers. During the
time we had together I was able to hear out the opinions, personalities, and
life experiences of 20-some individuals I’ve never (or just barely) met before.
Not only will this glimpse into my classmates’ perspectives work to minimize
conflicts within our house (score), but it showed the significance of
co-education. With each anecdote or impassioned rant shared by a peer I came to
recognize that though we are all at the same stage in our lives, no two people
have taken an identical route to this point. Our experiences all differed in
terms of the choices we made, the actions that unfolded against us, or the
focal lens we held along the way (referring to our Meyers-Briggs type).
Furthermore, for as long as I can remember I have held the belief that I must
always listen to how others think and feel as I already know my own thoughts
and feelings. Over the years, such an outlook has allowed me to expand my own
mind; however, it has also caused me to forget how to use my own voice. Since
the course started I’ve seen how much of an internal struggle it is for me to
participate in class – an action that is crucial for the success of co-education.
In all, I find it valuable for me to understand how I must balance listening
and leading in discussion in order to achieve the most from this opportunity.
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