Student Interviews Open Conversation about What it Means to Be a Student

Our first student interviews are underway and they are even more provocative than I could have imagined. We met Sean, who is a painter and at 31 is about to finish his undergraduate painting degree. Sean is covered in tattoos, has a wife and new baby girl. Sean is off for the summer because he refuses to take private loans and is having trouble finding work as a messenger. That probably calls up some pretty specific thoughts about how Sean might have treated his choices in life. But here is the thing about Sean, he is thoughtful and purposeful in his life. Sean has an unbelievable amount of compassion and care for the world and has followed a unique path. Sean dropped out of the "EMT school" his parents had insisted he attend at 18 and went "on the road." Sean knew that he was not ready for school and that the career his parents had wanted was not the one for him. He stood his ground and found his own way. When asked about his decisiveness here is what Sean had to say.

Why is it that the system treats us like we all want to be CEO's of a fortune 500 company? Education is about success, but it should be about your success. Sean was a pleasure to talk to and we will likely be checking back in with him to see how the summer is treating him.