As I near the end of my undergraduate career, lots of young people — I guess “young-er people” would be more accurate — have come to me asking for advice.
“What should I do to get the most out of my time here at UF? Can you just give me some guidance?”
On the one hand, I’m flattered these young people would misplace their confidence with an opinions columnist. On the other hand, I’m rather annoyed at their inquiries. People on their deathbeds are asked these kinds of questions, not a spry, intelligent, good-looking, energetic young man hoping for “world domination” and trying to “rule everything.”
I tell these youngsters to go out, prowl about campus and search for a mentor. Just try to look for someone to inspire you, push you and believe in you. Find someone wiser than you. With that criteria, I bet you have a lot of options.
It doesn’t have to be a tenured professor. More often than not, it isn’t. And it doesn’t have to be a coach, either. I doubt peanut butter and jelly parables can be used in many different contexts.
But go out, be fruitful and look. It’s going to be hard. I know this because I’ve tried myself. I’ve been to my fair share of awkward office hours. I had professors look inconvenienced when I appeared in their office just wanting to chat. One professor rolled his eyes when I said I had a few non-curriculum-related questions for him.
This happens more than you realize. But when you find that person, it makes it all the more worth the struggle.
For me, that person was Dr. Emma Humphries from the Bob Graham Center for Public Service. In brief, Dr. Humphries opened my eyes, inspired me and believed in me. I know this may seem a little gushy coming from a grizzled, crotchety newspaper conservative; it may seem that way, but I mean it with the utmost sincerity.
Before I worked with Dr. Humphries, I thought I knew a lot about politics.
I was very mistaken.
Under her purview, my knowledge about civics and civic engagement broadened and deepened — and for that matter, so did my love of the field. Because of her, I appreciate civic life and public service that much more. My education was enriched because of the projects I worked on with her, such as voter registration, studying food insecurity and encouraging millennials to actually vote. She opened my eyes not only to what politics already is, but what it can and ought to strive to be.
Dr. Humphries also inspired me: During her farewell luncheon, she presented her lunch cohorts with a pin in the shape of a ladder. She told us when we reach the top of that ladder — she’s very confident we will — we should make sure we hold it for others. True success isn’t measured in scaling that ladder, it’s about how many people you help up. She gave us not one, but two pins: one for us and one for someone we helped.
Dr. Humphries believed in me. She was kind enough to write my letter of recommendation for law school. That’s a pretty brave task considering, one, it’s for yours truly, and, two, we definitely don’t need more lawyers in American society.
Remember all of those inconvenienced professors during office hours? I really don’t think they cared that much for me and certainly would not have done anything for me. But my mentor did. She was even overly gracious about my accomplishments — especially my columns — when she didn’t need to be complimentary. But that’s just who she is. And after years of rejection from faculty, that meant a lot to me — still does.
The moral of this column is undergraduates should try to find such figures of their own. It’s worth it.
Dr. Humphries will forever be inextricably linked to my undergraduate career. She made my time here memorable, more enjoyable and that much richer. And as a token of my thanks, I’m going to try to hold up a few ladders of my own. I definitely learned from the best; she held one up for me.
Michael Beato is a UF political science senior. His column appears on Mondays.
