With Students' Commitment to Service, The Future Looks Bright

Georgetown University is the best college in the world. There is something special about the spirit of this place that engulfs me with pride as the band trumpets the chorus of our alma mater: “Wave her colors ever, Furl her standards never, But raise it high, And proudly cry, May Georgetown live forever!”

As a student keenly interested in American history and government, it excites me to walk the same Old North staircase as George Washington did in 1797. We have two Civil War cannons framing the entrance of Healy Hall, a historic monument dedicated to Patrick Healy, the first black president of a major research university. Yet I believe in my heart that our charge to hold true the promise of our founders means more than just being a beautiful campus nestled alongside the banks of the Potomac River.

It is much more than the historical significance of our architecture that makes this place what it is. Instead, I marvel at the people who embody the Georgetown family. Our professors, staff and administrators, as well as my peers and even my good friend Maria Vargas, a campus custodian — all these people have enriched my curiosity to understand and fulfill a tradition that is often immersed in conflict and triumph.

You all have challenged me to help alleviate the grave adversities of today and prepare me for the emerging problems of our shared future. I admire my friends in the cause committed to ending the Darfur genocide, eradicating cancer, supporting students who have lost loved ones, and providing direct humanitarian relief to the folks displaced by Hurricane Katrina. Thus, the spirit of Georgetown is renewed by our action of service to others.

As a social justice advocate, I also get excited when I participate in the Red Square demonstrations calling us to support our troops, implement a living wage for custodial employees and to seek broader religious and racial tolerance. Essentially, we have been armed to transform thought and reaction into the sound solutions that will win the war on injustice. In some fashion, what we do with our time defines who we are. I have spent my time at Georgetown strengthening my faith, serving the poor, building personal relationships and reflecting on my place in this global community.

Most notably, in the midst of all those experiences and perhaps because of them, my time here has taught me to transcend the abusive and psychological adversity I confronted as a child in the foster care system on the South Side of Chicago — with a biological mother addicted to drugs and an absent biological father who was shot to death. I came to Georgetown in the pursuit of a high quality college education, but what I got in return was much more important: lessons for life. I went to class and got a great education. But I also learned a lot about myself as a person on the way to class.

I also found a safe home among a group of caring people — my friends.

Georgetown has changed my life. I leave this Hilltop a more solid man, more cognizant of my past, our past, and our ethical responsibility to those in need.

I know the future is in good hands, that our generation has and will continue to stand up for what we believe in, and that we understand the value of service, sacrifice and selflessness. And as we confront the imminent ills of society — I feel more comfortable knowing that my Georgetown family is ready to lead the world.

Happy Johnson is a senior in the College.