When I first set foot on Grounds in the fall of 2005, I had two goals: to join Student Council and to write for The Cavalier Daily. Unfortunately, I missed the House Council elections, which seemed to me like the likeliest stepping-stone to Student Council. To make matters worse, my tryout columns for The Cavalier Daily Opinion page were summarily rejected. Although it took me three full years to recognize it, these developments, which seemed like unambiguous failures at the time, were just as valuable as any of my (significantly less numerous) successes.
It would take a potent case of polydactylism before I could count on two hands the number of awards, scholarships, positions, and honors I have sought unsuccessfully during my time at the University. Still, I have accomplished far more than my two initial goals by following wherever the next opportunity led and staying flexible.
As a result of my early setbacks, I dedicated the next two years of my University experience to other clubs and activities, primarily Men’s Water Polo and the University Democrats. I was having a blast, meeting new friends and making waves in the pool and the political world alike. Student Council and The Cavalier Daily were the furthest things from my mind. Only after three years did I return back to my previous goals. Looking back, I achieved both goals, albeit with varying degrees of success.
To accomplish the first, I applied to be a co-chair of a Student Council committee. After a few months on that committee, I even ran for Student Council president. Although that effort landed in the “failure” column, it was, once again, one of the most valuable pieces of my University experience. I met groups I never would have otherwise and made lasting friends across Grounds. I also got the sense that I made an impact on the University by spurring conversations about “socioeconomic diversity” and “educational affordability,” which was my focus during the campaign.
After the loss, I was urged to apply to for an executive board position on Student Council for the next year. I thought it over and it seemed like a good fit, but I asked one of my closest mentors at the University. He urged me to reconsider, saying, “Don’t try to force open doors that have already been closed.” After mulling it over, I realized that it would probably better just to move on instead of playing second fiddle on the bill I had wanted to headline. It was a smart decision based on sound advice (advice that Joe Biden must have never heard).
Instead of grasping at the wisps of my old dream, I dreamt up a new one. Well, not entirely new. Once again, I wanted to be a Cavalier Daily opinion columnist. The big difference in my tryout columns the second time around was that I knew a lot more about the University and about myself. My first-year tryout pieces were on the topics of Observatory Hill Dining Hall and Iraq. In the intervening two and a half years, I learned a lot more about the University than just its dining options and I learned how little I actually knew about Iraq. Not only was I smarter about University issues, but I was smart enough to leave the national ones alone.
As you might have guessed, I was accepted as a columnist, which is why I have the pleasure and indulgence of penning this farewell column. As a columnist I strove to focus on crucial issues of student self-governance, whether in the realm of honor, Student Council, athletics, or student life more generally. I wanted my columns to provide accurate information and an experienced student’s perspective on what was really going on and what course should be pursued. I hope future columnists will follow a similar creed and I hope all students will realize that your opinion does not have to be written in print to matter.
Ultimately, I will not judge my time at the University by my successes or setbacks. I will look back and fondly recall each experience for what I learned and whom I met. I will be proudest, not of a grade or a column, but of the friends I made and the impact I had. I am grateful that I have had so many, and such varied, opportunities and that I have had the time to sample them all.
That is my message to my fellow students: do not assume that your college experience will be one straight line. If a door is closed to you, find another door. There are hundreds of equally great opportunities for you to make a lasting impact on this University. I have thoroughly enjoyed all of the activities I have undertaken, from the water polo team to the University Democrats, and from Student Council to The Cavalier Daily. Still, I know there were many other paths I could have taken, which would have brought me different joys. This, I imagine, is true for all students. There are limitless ways to enjoy your time at the University and seemingly limitless numbers of organizations you can join, each as worthy as the next. Do not lament the doors that are closed to you, as it is inevitable that not every extracurricular attempt will meet with success. Instead be open to the pleasant surprises that await behind the door you choose next. That is the advice I would like to pass on.
Well, that and eat at Wayside Chicken, Café Europa, the Local, and Christian’s Pizza. And spend at least one summer in Charlottesville. Of course, I couldn’t leave without offering what I hope will be my greatest contribution of all. Over the past four years I have diligently tasted dozens of Charlottesville restaurant’s steak and cheese offerings, to compare them and find the greatest cheesesteak in town. The results are in: Pacino’s wins.
Isaac Wood’s column appeared Mondays in The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at i.wood@cavalierdaily.com.
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