USD Magazine Fall 2009

JRRG ZRUN rigorous days

[ w i s d o m s t a y s ]

Pure joy comes in many different flavors, but the elation of using every tool at your disposal is among the most delicious. Striving for the highest pinnacle that your brain can reach is exhilarating. When you’re working at the top of your game, reveling in the joy of firing on all cylinders, in perfect synchronicity, there’s no thrill quite like it.

And at its best, at its truest, that is precisely what higher education is for.

Sure, some might say that seeking out teachers and mentors who demand the highest standards is a foolish sacrifice. After all, who goes out of their way to work harder than they have to? But without academic rigor, what’s the point of going to college at all? It’s all about that hum of synapses sparking, of connections being made, of ideas sparking one after another after another. Each of the six USD alumni you’ll meet in these pages know all about the elation of pushing past their limits; not one of them ever considered “good enough” an option. It’s inspiring to see how these real-life examples have played out in the years since graduation. When your education is based on stretching to the utmost, the journey from there feels a lot like flying.

Stretch your wings and come along.

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USD MAGAZINE