Fall 2015 Re Cap For those of us who have experienced it, we always say that the Fall BiWeeklies are when things get “real” in Legacy-land. The topics of the meetings (Change, Passion, Humility and Failure) are tough and emotional topics for many. The conversations rarely end in a ‘bow’ but instead provoke more questions and more thought. This past year with Legacy 2015 was no different: Earlier this semester, we approached the topic of change, and challenged the Legacy-ers to see beyond their 5 year plans into the impact that real-life, unplanned events can have on them. Many of the students struggled with the possibility that their lives, which have been so prescribed up until now, may be affected by things beyond their control. We hope that those of you who are 3, 5, 7 years out of college are starting to see how the unanticipated and unexpected can impact your lives. Another favorite is the passion puzzle, where we asked the students to think of an accomplishment that they’re particularly proud of and the obstacles and barriers they’ve had to deal with so far that may prevent them from achieving all they want in life (self-doubt, lack of support, fear, change). To demonstrate and test the level of commitment needed to persevere in spite of those barriers, we then asked them to assemble a 3D puzzle that we created. After almost 1.5 hours, the cohort was unable to finish the challenging puzzle. Towards the end of the semester, we discussed the topic of humility and its importance to leadership and character. We had a big discussion on what humility is and isn’t, and came
toagreement on humility being a perspective about life and our accomplishments (ie: we didn’t get where we are alone; we have had implicit and explicit help, assistance, and luck). We all left thinking about how to maintain humility in the job search/grad school process and in the 24-7 social media culture. Just as in past years, the fall is also the time for many Legacy Traditions like White-Water Rafting and Homecoming. This year, the rapids were a bit cold and rainy, but we only had 1 unintentional swimmer (faculty mentor, Glenn Mitoma, Director of the Dodd Research Center). Overall, a highly successful trip for all of the rafters we had in Legacy. Back in October, we also hosted the annual Homecoming Reunion. It was a bit cold, but we loved seeing our Legacy family (which grows every year), catching up on life, and reminiscing about some of our favorite legacy moments. This Fall semester has also been a great one for the Legacy Speaker Series, and in September, Legacy hosted Policy Expert and Author, Aaron David Miller on campus to talk about his book The End of Greatness: Why America Can’t Have (and Doesn’t Want) another Great President as well as his policy work and experience with US/Middle East relations, past and present. In November, Legacy hosted the Environmental Defense Fund’s Chief Scientist, Steve Hamburg, for a discussion on the use of unconventional gas and oil, including its impact on the economy and environment and overall influence on the energy landscape of the future.