This past weekend I was privileged to be able to attend the fifth annual Symposium on Advancing the New Evangelization. This time of thought provoking presentations and stimulating conversations made me stop and think about the many opportunities we as college students have at our fingertips, but many times don't take full advantage of them.
During our collegiate years we have numerous opportunities to step out of our comfort zone and expand our horizon. I clearly saw this at this years symposium that was held at my school. We had three keynote addresses as well as dozens of presentations on
"Mercy and the Revolution: The Church’s Mission after the Sexual Revolution." In between these sessions we had the opportunity to dialogue with many of the scholars and really dive into some of these topics that are so relevant to our society.
These are valuable opportunities to meet and interact with world renown thinkers that challenge you and provoke you to go beyond the norm and really form opinions and ideas on a subject. The world and the Church are bigger than our little world and it is at gathering like this that inspires you along your quest for truth, especially as young college students.
The only way we are going to be successful and effective is if we are challenged. Challenged in the way we think as well as the way we present our thoughts. Don't be afraid to be challenged. All these established scholars that I met are where they are today because they accepted challenges and learned from them.
These are wonderful occasions to gain advice and new ideas from those you look up to or those that hold your dream occupation. This was the case for me during these two days of the symposium. I have previously heard of Dr. Pia de Solenni, Associate Dean of the Augustine Institute but was never aware of what she did and her mission. After our short encounter she now holds the position as a role model in my life because she is someone that I can aspire to. She is not a role model in the sense that I need to become a Dr. Pia copy but rather I can learn from what she's done and look at where she has been.
I am always extremely grateful for these opportunities to learn from great minds like Dr. Pia, Molly Judd, Ryan Anderson, and Timothy O'Malley. Opening yourself up to once in a lifetime moments like these could determine your future. Imagine the connections you could make or the ideas that would take place just through exposing yourself to great minds and truth.
If you want to make any amount of difference in this world you first have to be different. That may be in just attending a symposium at your school that hosts 47 presenters from 20 different institutions. Or maybe it's joining a club that will challenge you and force you to step outside your box. Nothing worthwhile is ever easy. If you want success and opportunities you have to go outside yourself and search those opportunities out.
The ability to seek out opportunities and grow from the experience plays a large part in the work of evangelization. Realize that there are many options that could be right, even if you may never have thought of it. This reminds me of what Dr. Pia mentioned:
"Don't assume the world is your enemy. Build relationships.
You will get further than you think."
-Pia de Solenni
