Ten Years After Moravian...

This past weekend was graduation day for the class of 2016 at Moravian College. This past Friday was the tenth anniversary of my graduation day as a Greyhound. That almost doesn't feel possible, but it is. On May 13th, 2006, I walked across that stage and was done with my undergraduate life after four long, interesting years. I think that after a decade, I can look back with a fair degree of honesty on my time.

I had a great run at Moravian. I served as the junior and senior class Vice-President of the Class of 2006. I joined Omicron Gamma Omega, where I made some great friends who are a part of my life to this day. I served as the "News Section" editor for the Comenian. I met people like Paul Begala, interned on lots of campaigns, got to know some amazing administrators, and really got my start in the political realm. I grew up both as a thinker and as a person thanks to some amazing professors. I can say to this day that my advisors and key professors in the political science, history, and economics departments got me through a period in my life where frankly, I could have screwed up. Moravian was beyond good to me, and prepared me for life.

There is hindsight to all decisions though, especially after a decade. I was not mature enough for a tough academic school at that time, and that certainly showed there. In fact, I wasn't really mature enough for college in general at that time, and in a smaller setting like that, that kind of character flaw shows up big-time. I was a total enigma to anyone around me at that time, capable of some really great things, and some really dumb things.

Moravian almost didn't happen for me. I did like the school, but it was an after thought yet when I got accepted in March of 2002. I was dead set on going to the University of Maryland, and had my acceptance letter, but my final overnight visit was terrible- I felt like a number, it was very hot, they put me with hosts that didn't want to really show me anything, and I actually was told bad things by people I knew there. Then Moravian felt warm, welcoming, personal, and like a family, and I was very into the professors I met, which made the final decision easier than I expected. Even after acceptance and admission though, I almost left during a terrible first semester where I got mono and quit playing sports. I socially struggled and considered transferring, most seriously looking at schools in New York City. I loved my time at Moravian, but it wasn't all roses.

Fortunately though, I stayed. My second semester was a little more fun and my sophomore and junior years were some of the most fun times I've ever had. I was introduced to influential alums like former Bethlehem Mayor John Callahan, trustees and leaders in the school, and influential leaders in my industry like Dee Dee Myers. From that, my future career path opened up. While I was a poor student at times, my professors stuck with my lack of effort, and actually turned me into a decent student by my final semester. I made professional connections, personal friendships, and learned life lessons that I would not have learned at any other school. I'd be really remiss if I didn't mention my affiliation as a brother in Omicron Gamma Omega here again, as it not only got me over the social awkwardness of being in a new place, but also was a huge factor in the fact that I got through school. The people I met in that brotherhood did a lot more for me at that time than I did for them. I could say that about my whole Moravian experience though, and many of the people I met there.

I'll always wonder what would have happened on a different path. By turning down the big state schools or four years inside of the Beltway, I took a far different path in life. While I have since lived in different places, I turned down an easy chance to try living somewhere different. While anyone can ask "what if" ten years later, I'm actually very comfortable with my choice. Moravian was exactly the kind of school that I needed as a young adult. It was exactly the kind of personalized atmosphere that someone like me had to have at that age. I got a great education, I met people that remain an important part of my life, and I feel still like I am at home there. It's entirely possible that if I went somewhere else, I'd be making hundreds of thousands of dollars right now. I do know this though- if I hadn't gone to Moravian, I'd be much more poor in many other ways. I definitely went to the right school for me.