Guest column: Taking a dream year | Washington Times Communities

As some of you know from following “Young, Willing and Able” on Facebook, the column is coming to a close this fall to make time for a new pursuit here at the Washington Times Communities. But, before that happens, guest contributors will be providing tales of service and descriptions of how being on the receiving end of it has affected them. If you’re interested in contributing a piece, please e-mail a proposal to youngwillingandable@yahoo.com. 

This week, Nick Troiano, who was a rising senior at Georgetown University, encourages young people to take a year off from school to follow a dream. Troiano, now communications manager at a political reform organization, has focused his work and studies at the intersection of technology and democracy. A co-founder of myImpact.org, Troiano has worked with several organizations to leverage social media and networking to engage Millennials on various issues, such as the national debt. Troiano finished his third documentary, which took him across the country to interview more than 300 people about Washington politics, this summer. Follow Troiano on Twitter.

Taking a dream year

By Nick Troiano

Thanks to good advice and a gut feeling, I recently learned what it means to drop everything and chase a dream. I wonder what would happen if more young people did the same.

A few weeks ago, I was offered a full-time job at a new organization that plans to launch a national political reform movement early next year. My soon-to-be boss told me, “Nick, you plan on writing your senior thesis on this very kind of political movement. Why not be a part of one, from the ground up, and go back to school next year to write a book instead?”

A job? A book? Does this crazy man not know I had my first happy hour last week? I have one more year of college left -- two semesters, nine courses, 27 credits. My graduation year is 2011 -- not 2012. What does he think he’s doing messing with these numbers that have slowly been ticking themselves down since I entered kindergarten?

Every part of me that has become predisposed to the assembly-line-style education model we have in the United States was trying to resist the temptation. Yet every fiber in my bones that is passionate about the cause, and cognizant of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, was pushing in the exact opposite direction. It wasn’t long (in fact, just a trip back home to convince my parents) before the latter won out. I shared the news online shortly after and was moved by two messages I received.

“I admire your bravery to make a decision that defies the conventional life path of our generation,” wrote one friend.

“I'm a big believer in more people our age doing stuff like this and get excited anytime I see anyone actually do it,” wrote a young nonprofit leader.  

Two more friends told me they did something similar during college, and it was the best decision they made. This got me thinking. Although my situation is not a unique one, what would our society look like if it instead became the norm?

Imagine if every student -- between high school and college, or while in college itself -- took a year to follow a dream. Perhaps you want serve as a mentor in an inner-city school or help rebuild a disaster area. Maybe you want travel abroad to explore the arts in different cultures. Or volunteer on a campaign to learn about the political process firsthand. Or anything else that you might never get a chance to do once you graduate and a steady income and a secure job become necessities.

Mark Twain said, “I’ve never let my school interfere with my education.” The distinction is an important one. After all, education is a life journey and not something to put a check mark next to. The brick-and-mortar buildings we know as college will always be there. On the other hand, truly great opportunities to learn and make a difference come and go, according to that fleeting nexus of time and place.

That’s why, when opportunities come, young people should not hesitate to seize them. In fact, young people should not hesitate to go out and create them. We have a lot of new skills, raw energy and uninhibited idealism to offer. And we have a lot of knowledge and experience to gain. The traditional four walls of classroom and four years of college should not necessarily stand in the way.

Millennials are innovators, and innovation doesn’t come when we’re confined. We know this. That’s why we’re breaking down barriers that have prevented progress in the past -- race, religion, political affiliation, etc. -- maybe it’s time to start treating institutional barriers the same way.

If we all took a dream year before completing school, imagine how our perspectives on the world would change, our interests and career pursuits evolve, and our appreciation for traditional education grow. Imagine what we’d be able to experience and accomplish -- not just individually, but collectively.

Imagine if we identified ourselves not by what year we graduated and what institution gave us that framed piece of paper, but rather by what year we decided to follow a dream and what we were able to do.

2011 is my year. I’ll get back to you on how it goes.

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Do you know someone amazing who should be featured? Your story ideas are welcome. Contact me at youngwillingandable@yahoo.com. 

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Angela is a professional writer, editor and designer. She has served as a news copy editor at the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette and the Houston Chronicle; a journalism instructor and media relations officer at the University of Houston; and managing editor at the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, which publishes the Journal of Biological Chemistry, Molecular and Cellular Proteomics and the Journal of Lipid Research. You can follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/angelahopp or become a fan of this column at http://www.facebook.com/young.willing.able.

 

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