To Thine Own Self Be... Accountable

As I sat on the periphery of the round table - Alumni of Color on one side, Students of Color on the other - I reminisced over my last four years at SPS. There were hardships, there were low points, there were catastrophes, disasters and defining moments; yet, out of this heap of all of this, call it... shit... blossomed Flowers of Opportunity, whose pedals continue to mature and ripen so as to be plucked (or ceased - recognize here that Carpe Diem most literally means "pluck the day") at that most beneficial time.

More interestingly, while listening to their stories and simultaneously reflecting on my own, I noticed that all of these successful alumni not only achieved here at St. Paul's and at the institutions to which they matriculated, but also that the blueprint of they're stories followed more or less my own: Highs, lows, accomplishments, failures, and success ultimately at the end. In the moment, I felt somewhat disappointed that I would be unable to claim the courageous feat of overcoming disappointments to reach goals; that could just be the selfish, conceited, soloist in me. I flirted with the idea that this is not just about me; or about what I can gain from another via nepotism (which I fully support), or about how quickly I will be able to grow my bottom line. 

But now, as I write, or as I begun to write, about my earlier reflections I stumbled across a realization! (Can you believe that, two in 1 hour?)

It is about me.

It's about what I can do to ensure that generations before and after mine feel connected; it's about what I can do to maintain the trends of success I have established for myself and my peers; it's about what I can do for this school that has seen me through so much. I believe that too often, we concern ourselves with another's agenda: "Is he/she doing everything he/she can to ensure that he/she graduates from this school with results reflective of the high standards that he/she failed to meet?" is just one example. We, speaking in terms of my generation, have been fortunate enough to live in a time period where we've had to worry less about the perils of racial and ethnic discrimination. To acknowledge that, we need to be more concerned with our own individual success living up to that standard that was set for us generations before. The realization and sustainment of success begins with Accountability.

JbP

p.s. Any alumni viewing this blog looking for a charismatic, gregarious, intellectual intern please comment in the "comments" section.