But How Has Carleton Changed You?

Hi everyone, it’s Jalen again! Before I start…

I’m not sure who made these little people, but they are absolutely precious! Especially the one with the little top hat!

IT’S WINTERRRRRR!!!!!!

Trust me, I’m more than aware that the winter solstice has not passed yet, neither has Turkey Day, so it is still technically fall — but there’s snow on the ground, which is always an amazing thing to experience!

It’s the beginning of the ninth week for us, with the term literally about to end in a little over a week. This week, I want to take a little time to reflect on how I have grown as a person over my first term in college.

Well, first, my hair color has changed. I first dyed my hair when I was in middle school, and when I moved into high school, being a part of the speech team meant that I had to conform to the standards and expectations they had for me — which included having my natural hair color. I strongly disliked having to cut my hair, but I will always enjoy the times I had on that team.

But after I graduated, I wanted something new, something different, something that would symbolize change for me. So I settled on dying my hair. It wasn’t my first choice for a color, but I soon discovered it was the color that I needed.

…Perhaps something like Carleton. To be quite honest with you all, Carleton was not my first choice, but it is a college that everyone I’ve talked to has agreed would be a place for me to flourish. It’s truly been an amazing time, and I can’t imagine going to another college.

In many ways, Carleton has affirmed parts of my identity, reaffirmed others, and challenged the last few. People here are inquisitive and unafraid to ask if they don’t understand something, or even debate with you if you have a differing point from you.

In my philosophy class, we are often encouraged to share our interpretations of certain questions, like what does it mean to be a human in a political community or what kinds of things should be banned in order to create a non-collapsible society, which often leads to understanding the underlying biases that push into a certain interpretation. And from there we respectfully and logically debate.

People are able to then either change their belief system or create stronger arguments for the beliefs they already hold. But I think one of the most interesting things about going to #QuirkyCarleton is the fact that everyone here has a niche thing that they have done.

I know someone that performed in a circus, someone who has interned with Discovery Corp, Microsoft, and Amazon, someone who has illustrated children’s books, someone who has studied in Mongolia, and someone who won a Medal of Honor for community service in his community. These people have really engaged life in a different way than I have, and I’m so happy soak up all of these experiences.

In a lot of ways, even though I think I did a pretty good job at it back at home, I think they have given me a much, much deeper understanding that the world is filled with so many different people. You have no clue what someone’s background is.

I’ve become a stronger debater, a more confident person, but I think the most important part is the fact that I have so much fun here. I don’t think this is specific to Carleton as opposed to college in general, but the amount of time I’ve had to be myself and enjoy the other people that go here is great. A lot more than I had back in high school.

Well that’s all for this week. Thank you all so much for reading this, and I will see you all next week!

Jalen

Jalen is a bright-eyed, bushy-tailed freshman with the intention of becoming a psychology major. Jalen is going home soon, and one of his plans are to speak about his Carleton experience with the students of his school. He can’t wait to answer all their questions, and he can’t wait for the future of admissions that he is more than excited to get involved with! Meet the other bloggers!