We are college students; not just any college students. We are University of California, Berkeley students. I admire the student who completes all assignments on time and reads every page of the reader and aces every test without even trying. Sometimes I wish I could do that. But to be honest, that would mean I would have to study every waking hour and pull many all-nighters and sacrifice what I do beyond the books. I'm more about extra-curriculars.
I'm a peer advisor and an officer for the Cal Forestry Club and a student diversity ambassador for the Society of American Foresters. I tell you, these things take up a lot of time. I feel like I'm always running around campus to attend meetings. But these responsibilities are rewarding. It's a growing experience for me. And it is important to me that people benefit from the outcomes. Through these positions I'm helping to make C.N.R. even better and to increase diversity in the college and in natural resources in general. Because I value the environment so much, I want everybody to value it too.
I think students here today put too much emphasis on grades. But after graduation, what will you have accomplished at Cal? What would you have done to make you proud of yourself. I think we should all try to make a difference. Here's an idea to start with: Get your peers within your major to be enthusiastic about what they study and use that knowledge and enthusiasm to do some good.
Pull away from the books. Turn in an assignment late. We are a part of something great here at Cal. Be proud of it! Use your membership of the Cal/CNR community to make your field of study, or whatever, and yourself better.
