Dear Doane,
I have to admit, I have participated in my fair share of bashing about how expensive Doane is, the ridiculous fines, or even how bad the food tasted. I’ve complained about the lack of AC after winter and the inflexibility of the now previous meal plan, but now that my four years here is all said and done… I could not be more thankful.
Without a shadow of a doubt, I would not be the man I am today if it were not for Doane. I’ve learned how to not be passive. I’ve learned how to overcome. I’ve learned how to relentlessly pursue my passions.
Recently, you made the jump from college to university. As a tribute, I want to say what Doane College meant to me.
The college of faculty who go the extra mile. Something that made Doane special was how genuine and intentional the professors and faculty were. I (and many other math majors) have had both dinners and game nights at our professor’s houses. It was a running joke not to go into our professors offices unless we had hours to spare because even though we would talk about math for a little bit, we would always end up talking about life. Looking back, that’s what I’m going to remember most about my professors; not what they did, but how much I knew they cared.
The college of high expectations. My professors knew my potential and they never allowed me settle for less. They constantly pushed me and made me work harder than I ever thought I could. One of them had a quote hanging in her office that read, “the greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it,” and I swear they lived by that quote.
The college of second chances. One moment will forever be ingrained in my head of being a recipient of a second chance while at Doane. I had put myself in a position where Doane had every right to drop me from the education program, or even expel me. Thankfully, neither happened. They gave me a second chance and allowed me to continue to pursue my passion of teaching.
The college of lasting friendships and memories. Doane is a small school and there is benefit to seeing the same people everyday, mainly you develop close relationships. When I first started college, I never would have imagined a scenario where I stayed in Nebraska after graduation. Ultimately, it was my friendships that I made that convinced me to stay.
The college of a home away from home. Even though home was 10 hours away and I rarely got to see my family, I was always excited to return to Doane following a break. Someone once told me, “if you’re not excited to go back to college, you’re going to the wrong college.” Luckily, I never had that problem.
The college of opportunities. Part of the culture at Doane is being involved in many activities. If it was not for this, I would never have developed a passion for dancing.
Simply put, Doane is the college of changing lives. #GoDoane
