“So we went to school to copy, to imitate; not to exchange language and ideas, and not to develop the best traits that had come out of uncountable experiences of hundreds and thousands of years living upon this continent. Our annals, all happenings of human import, were stored in our song and dance rituals, our history differing in that it was not stored in books, but in the living memory. So, while the white people had much to teach us, we had much to teach them, and what a school could have been established upon that idea!” -Luther Standing Bear, What a School Could Have Been Established (1933)

I’ve spent a great deal of time thinking about what would be the best way to open a piece such as this, and the only truly acceptable way to do so would be to share that Dartmouth has taught me to approach writing with caution. The process itself is the purest expression, an epitome if you will, of the Western concept of “legitimate” thinking. That is, written materials are granted an importance that is not extended to the spoken word. In our day and age, everything must be written down to be remembered. But the emphasis on the printed word abstracts the spoken relationship that exists between people.

With that in mind, I have only a short reflection of my time at Dartmouth. I challenge everyone reading this article to stop, even for thirty seconds, to reconsider their Dartmouth experience. Perhaps each of us could learn and take away from our own experiences that yes, we have learned a tremendous amount during our years at Dartmouth. More importantly, each of our educational experiences here has shown us how much more we have to learn. We have gotten ahead because of the opportunities Dartmouth has offered us but also because of the sacrifices others have made on our behalf. More importantly, we need to remember that when we get ahead, somebody else gets left behind. Yes, the friends and acquaintances we’ve made at Dartmouth will remain important parts of our lives. Many will go on to assume powerful and influential positions. More importantly, we need to realize that the future leaders who will graduate from Dartmouth are the same in almost every aspect as the poor and neglected in the United States and worldwide—but we have the ability to lift one another up, no matter what the circumstances. And we’ll all make choices in our lives that challenge us beyond any struggle we thought possible. Accept these challenges, and stand strong—remember to not fear those we might classify as “mistakes.” There are none.

In closing, even though our Dartmouth education will teach each of us more than we could have ever hoped to learn about the world, we must never turn down an opportunity to learn. All knowledge is worth having, and we all have knowledge to share. Paramount to everything Dartmouth has taught us is the fact that we have so much to learn from others and to offer to others. As we move into an ever-increasing impersonal era, always remember the value of sharing knowledge with another. At a baseline, it’s the best we can offer one another. In fact, it’s all we can offer one another.