Rewind to four years ago. As a timid freshman from Talladega, a small town in east central Alabama, I came to the University to learn about science, but I learned much more about need and acceptance. Need is not something that lives outside the borders of the United States. It is in fact something that surrounds our campus and appears in the eyes of many individuals at the University that we pass each day. We are all caught up in ourselves – in the social media that transfixes us, the incessant texting that engrosses us and the pending social calendar that consumes us. Four years flew by, and my only regret is not meeting more of the needs of those around me. I wish I would have done more to support others, to help them feel accepted and to meet their needs. Many times, just a simple smile to a stranger on the Quad would have done it.
We pride ourselves on our Southern culture, a stereotype of hospitality and friendliness. For our generation, this may be considered a sham. We bring new students to the University on the basis of this place being a home away from home. However, many students get here and never feel accepted. I was one of those students my freshman year. I was searching for a place to belong. I was one of the lucky ones, of the students that found a place. But others aren’t so lucky. What if we looked up from the glowing screens of our iPhones and engaged each other more? Don’t you think more people would feel accepted, hopeful and included?
We have beaten the word “unity” to death over the past four years. We have talked circles around it. Don’t you think we could have done a lot more if we had put all that energy into thinking about each other, considering every person you pass on the Quad and wondering what they were going through? That’s when unity starts. I remember the unity that ensued after the tornado of April 27, 2011, a unity that arose from need. That need is still here, but it doesn’t look like a tornado-ravaged city. It looks like a girl who is yearning to be accepted or a boy who is confused and troubled. What if you could be the difference in that person’s life? We have heard the mental health, sexual assault and suicide statistics for college campuses. We can’t keep going down the path we’re on. I believe in The University of Alabama and I believe it is a wonderful place with amazing people. Together through individual acts of kindness, we can do incredible things.
So many of us have had similar transforming experiences in other countries, like mine in Haiti, but what’s the point if it doesn’t translate to your everyday life back home? Let’s meet the needs of those around us. Here and now.
Allison Montgomery was the president of Mortar Board and was the 2014 Homecoming Queen.
