Jennifer Shilling
College of Liberal Studies
College of Liberal Studies
Life after college is an exciting time. You begin to test the waters: start your first job, move to a new community, and begin a whole new adventure. In today's world the sky truly is the limit. I would like to encourage you to stay involved and informed. Many of you have a job waiting for you when you leave school, for others your future is not so clear. Whatever the case, the next few years will mean greater challenges and a greater opportunity to grow.
As I was thinking about what I would like to talk about this afternoon, I tried to think of the lessons I have learned outside the halls of UW-L since I graduated from here 10 years ago. It is easy to feel overwhelmed with all the possibilities in front of you. Your path is not always clear. But I believe that by simply keeping a few things in mind that will ground you and keep you moving in the right direction, your life's path is always attainable. These are the lessons that I have come to appreciate and practice in my own life, and I hope that you will appreciate them as well.
If you don't like them, I can recommend about a half dozen books out at Barnes and Noble by really famous people who are getting really rich by penning their own lessons, some close to 100 little nuggets of wisdom. I don't have that much time, plus I have not lived that long, so I will keep it to 10.
1. Dream big. You are at the beginnings of something great. Your college education has formed the basis of who you are and where you are going. You are Wisconsin's best and brightest. While you may not be sure what it is exactly you want to do now or feel discouraged because our nation's economy is not as strong as it used to be, don't lower your expectations because someone tells you that your goals are not practical or easy.
Remember that all your achievements thus far have not been easy - but hard work and dedication do pay off. As long as you are willing to put a little sweat and elbow grease into your dreams they too may come to fruition. Dreams only come true if you are willing to work hard and see them through.
In 1990, as a 20-year-old junior at UW-La Crosse, I cut my teeth on local politics. I decided to run for the La Crosse County Board against a gentleman who was 58 years my senior. My parents came up to be with me on election night to either celebrate a victory, or if I weren't victorious, to console me. Fortunately, that night was a victory party. My roommate's mother gave me a handwritten congratulations card, and on it she wrote: 1990: County Board, 1992: State Assembly, and 1994: Congress. While the timeline was a bit ambitious for me, it reinforced the notion to dream big. And according to her timeline, I was only 8 years behind in getting elected to the State Assembly. I still have that homemade card because it reminds me that I may not have been dreaming big at the time, but at least someone out there was dreaming big for me!
As the first woman to represent La Crosse in the State Legislature, I believe that this is an especially important message to the women in the audience. Out of 132 Legislative districts seats, currently women represent 33 of them. That means that only 23.5 percent of our state lawmakers are women. The number of women serving in the state legislature has increased from 4 percent in 1969, the year I was born, but we still have a long way to go. I have always wanted to serve my community through public service, and I believe that being the first woman to represent the 95th Assembly District presents wonderful opportunities and examples for others. Last year after speaking to a high school government class, a female student approached and said she was glad I had come to her class because several of my male predecessors had spoken to her class, and they always encouraged the students that they could grow up and be what ever they wanted to be. But after I was elected, she actually believed it, because now there was someone who looked like her representing her in the legislature. She indicated that she hoped to run for the Legislature someday. I politely told her I hoped she would wait until after I was gone, of course!
In the same way, don't let outdated thinking and stereotypes stop you from dreaming big. Don't be afraid to break the mold and do something that nobody is expecting. Challenge yourselves and consider all possibilities. Just because no one has done something before, doesn't mean that it is impossible to achieve.
2. Remember your roots: While many of the graduates before me are academically gifted, you are all gifted in many, much greater ways. You are gifted with families who believe in you, professors and mentors who challenge you, and a community that supports you. This support and encouragement is what has allowed you to achieve academic excellence, and what will allow your dreams to come true in the future.
I am sure that everyone can remember a time when you were ready to give up and fall short of a personal goal. However, with the intervention of a parent, professor, or friend, you were able to reach your target. While the ability to achieve that goal was within yourself, if it were not for that person encouraging you, that achievement would have never occurred.
As you plan your life's path, remember and honor this support system. If you continue to value family and community, you will always have a basic understanding what you are and what you can be.
In the same light, I would be remiss if I did not take this opportunity to encourage you to always remember your roots here at UW-L. Currently I am a member of the UW-L Alumni Association and serve on the Board of Directors. While I know the President of the Association will address you today, and I don't want to steal his thunder, I strongly encourage each of you to join your Alumni Association. It is awonderful way to support your alma mater and stay in touch with UW-L. Your support will assist the Alumni Association in programming and event sponsorships not only here on campus, but also around the state and across the country. Please consider your membership and the benefits it offers. The UWL Alumni Association is for you. For La Crosse. For a lifetime. Stay tuned for the real Alumni pitch from our President Bruce Friel.
3. Volunteer: Once you recognize how important your community is to your success, it is impossible to underestimate the power of volunteerism. As volunteers, we see our spirits grow and change, we see the spirits of those we assist lit with the knowledge that they are valued in our community, and finally we see the spirit of our communities strengthened through selfless acts of volunteerism.
Without this volunteer work, we would be lost. Shirley Chisholm, the first African-American woman elected to the United State Congress once said, "Service is the rent you pay for room on this earth."
That is to say, volunteering isn't just nice to do; it's necessary. Quite truly, without these 'rent payments' our city, our state, and our nation would not go very far. I can tell you with much certainty; Wisconsin State Government would be stopped dead in its tracks without volunteers. There is no way for an act or policy of government, to replace the goodwill of individuals motivated to become agents of change.
4. Ask for Help: Just as it is important for us to give of ourselves, it is important to let others give to us. As college graduates involved in your studies and communities, most of you are used to leading the way, and giving others a hand. As you grow into independent adults, it is sometimes difficult to ask for the assistance of others.
However, asking for the help of our friends, coworkers, and community is very important. Working with others always produces a better product than working separately. We can learn a lot from the ideas and skills of others, and by reaching out to them, we build community and let others know how much they are valued.
Our community is like a great Wisconsin forest-made up of strong and diverse trees. Alone these trees may be able to give a little shade and a home to a few birds - but while that is good; there is still a greater potential. In order to achieve greatness these trees must stand together. By doing so they create an ecosystem that houses flora and fauna of all sorts, weathers fires, snowstorms and tornados, and nourishes the earth from which it comes. Likewise, together we are able to draw on the strengths and merits of all in our community and ensure that our common goals will afford ourselves a better and stronger future.
5. Be a Life-Long Learner: I know many of you are thinking this is the last time you will be enrolled in school. But, being a life-long learner has nothing to do with your career or the level of formal education you pursue. Rather it is a state of mind. By opening your mind to experience new tasks and learning experiences, life becomes much more enjoyable and enriching. Opportunities constantly arise where we are able to glean a new piece of insight or skill.
I attribute this lesson in life to my 85-year-young Grandmother Joyce Wiese. My grandmother is an inspiration to many, including myself. She is a retired elementary school teacher, which I think explains her zest for learning. She is always reading books, learning a new craft or embarking on a journey to learn more about the global community. In short, she has a general zeal for life. For sometime now she has been in the midst of researching computers so she can buy one and get on the information superhighway. She plans on learning how to surf the internet, and use e-mail to stay in touch with her daughters, granddaughters, and great granddaughters. It wouldn't surprise me if she ends up registering on E-bay so she could start bidding on kaleidoscopes to add to her already extensive collection. My grandmother's hunger for knowledge has kept her mind sharp, and kept her in touch with the amazing advances of the 21st century.
I am confident that all of you as graduates of the College of Liberal Studies already posses many of the important attributes to be a life-long learner. You posses the intellectual depth to attain goals and solve problems creatively. You are experienced in communication and interpersonal skills. And you will integrate your experiences and knowledge in order to make effective and constructive decisions.
The life-long learner attitude applies to the many tasks of life as well as new and exciting opportunities. Many of you before me already have an appreciation for the arts. This appreciation will enable you to enjoy, understand and support the arts and humanities for a lifetime. You can cultivate this appreciation by attending the symphony, enjoying the theater, or attending an art exhibit. Whatever the case may be, being a life-long learner adds color and interest to life, it allows us to look at life as an adventure that keeps surprising us and teaching us something new.
6. Travel: One of the most enjoyable ways of keeping learning alive is through travel. By seeing other parts of our state, our country, and our world, we are able to look at the world from a new perspective and gain insight into the world's diversity.
The Internet has revolutionized the way we see our world. You have grown up in a world where you can communicate with someone in China or South Africa with just a click of a button. This is an amazing opportunity. Our world seems to be shrinking and the barriers to travel disappearing. Take advantage of this new accessibility. If you decide that you need to see the pyramids of Egypt - do it!
Not only will you learn about the people you visit and the history of that land, you will learn to do things that you never thought possible. You will establish relationships with people you may have once thought you had little in common with, but in retrospect find that humanity is not all that different from one another despite the assortment of places that we all call home. By being an active participant of our diverse society, we are able to increase global understanding and grow in the understanding of our own capabilities.
About six months ago I had the opportunity to spend two weeks in the Philippines. Know that I had never traveled abroad, and did not even have a passport. I only had 2 days to accept the invitation, and 10 days to get ready for the trip. It was an amazing trip that opened my eyes to both the similarities and differences of a different culture and different government. After being overseas one has a deep sense of appreciation for the freedoms and quality of life we often take for granted here in the United States. Additionally, I learned to always have my passport ready because you never know when a trip around the globe may present itself to you.
7. Expose yourself to diversity: Even in you are not able to travel as much as you'd like, expose yourself to different cultures. In Western Wisconsin we are blessed with a mix of ethnic backgrounds. From the Hmong, who started coming to our state less than 20 years ago to the traditional Native Americans of Wisconsin, there is so much to learn. UW-L is rich in diversity within its student body and faculty. I hope that during these 4 years or in some cases, more like 5 or 6 years, you have engaged in relationships that will serve as a solid foundation for you to continue to experience and celebrate diversity in your lives. Diversity makes us all better, stronger, more tolerant people.
8. Vote!!! I cannot overstate how important it is to get out and vote. As college graduates you are tomorrow's leaders. One of the most important ways to guide and empower your generation, is through your vote. The percentage of 18-35 year olds who vote is dismal. When you don't go to the polls, you are allowing your voice to be silenced and allowing others, who do not necessarily care about your interests, to make decisions for you. Voting is not just a privilege but a right. And while people complain everyday that one vote does not make a difference, it most certainly does. As we saw in the last presidential election, one small county-out of the entire US population-can determine the future leadership of this country.
Additionally, every year in our communities, local elections are won by a handful of votes. Surprisingly, however, more people turn out for presidential elections than do in local elections. Americans have the idea that the bigger the office, the greater the impact on our lives. It is, however, quite the opposite. Local government affects our daily lives in a much more immediate way: It determines the funding levels for local schools, policies on transportation, and the management of our natural resources. I challenge each of you to take the time and exercise your right to vote not only this November, but each election, spring, fall, or special election. And be proud that you live in a country where your voice counts, and that elections are held peacefully in this nation.
9. Lead a balanced life: Leading a balanced life means looking for ways nurture your spirit. This can be reached in so many different ways, and is extremely personal. For some of you, your faith is the way to ground yourself and keeps your moral compass pointed straight ahead. Others may find spiritual comfort in music, family or writing in a journal. Feeding our soul does not have to occur in simply one venue. By finding many methods to balance our lives, we are able to keep ourselves grounded and in touch with our individual morals.
Whatever your method, it is most important to always take time out for reflection. Life can be very difficult and stressful, as well as intensely wonderful. Without taking time out to understand what is going on in your life and what it means to you, all our experiences, good and bad, become less meaningful.
10. Life is short - Be Proud! Life goes by very quickly. As graduates, I am sure it seems like just yesterday that you were walking through campus to your first class with 40 pounds of books on your back and no idea where you were headed.
While you will not always be able to anticipate the bends in the road that life will bring, make sure that you are always a strong player in what your future holds. As long as you are active in determining your future and stick to the values that you deem correct, you can be proud of what you do and how hard you work.
As I reflect on life, I like to equate it to that of an acorn and the mighty oak tree. We all begin life as an acorn. We are small but full of potential, not yet aware of how we will someday soar toward the sky. Then like the acorn we become planted, we establish roots. Our family and friends nourish us, support us and watch us grow. We don't always know the direction we will grow, but the branches represent the many journeys that await us. At the end of life each one of us has grown into the mighty oak. We will have weathered many storms, and seen the changing of many seasons. We then drop our acorns, so the circle may begin for the next generation.
In closing, as the College of Liberal Studies Class of 2002, you have an important and exciting road ahead of you. Today we are here to congratulate you and offer our best wishes and success to each of you. I can tell you it is quite exciting to stand up here and look out at all the acorns among us. Great things await you, because nothing can ever take your education away from you. As part of the UW-L family that is so proud of you, we look forward to celebrating your accomplishments, and we wish you a very fulfilling lifetime as well! Thank you.
© 2002 University of Wisconsin La Crosse and University
of Wisconsin Board of Regents
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Comments regarding this page? Please contact webmaster@uwlax.edu