EDUCATIONAL COURAGE in the Eyes of Tristran

Student Speech from the Board of Directors, Faculty and Staff Core Values Summit

In the fall, Mercy’s Board of Directors, faculty, staff, and student leaders gathered for a training and presentation on the Core Values of Mercy’s Education System of the Americas. Senior Tristan Lamina Lee shared this powerful testimonial.

Mercy students welcome the challenge of pursuing their full potential in a culture of excellence, critical thinking, and curiosity. Their multifaceted journey builds character while it builds essential skills. Our holistic program expects engagement, a thirst for knowledge, and personal responsibility, while preparing students to thrive for a lifetime.

When I first came to Mercy, I hadn’t realized what a place school could be. I had spent the last two years at my old high school merely going through the various motions of schoolwork with no real motive behind it all, completely lacking in inspiration or knowing where I was headed. I lived in this endless cycle of checking boxes and watching as new ones filled their places. Nobody there really cared about anything. I wanted to care so badly, and to a certain degree I did when I was alone, but in practice I found myself much like the rest of the school: gray and sad, and feeling trapped. For a while I didn’t go at all, but that only made me feel worse. So when I transferred to Mercy, and I was initiated into this pleasing crowd of welcoming faces and united attitudes, I began to see myself change. Perhaps it was the novelty of the new and beautiful place I was in, but perhaps it was that I had entered a new threshold for a different kind of learning.

To me, being educationally courageous means pursuing one's passions. Knowing that your voice is valued is a very comforting prospect. And I’ve felt that here, however different we all might be from one another. Once you feel that your ideas are important and worthy of the conversation, it becomes a lot less daunting to say something you might think to be crazy. Being crazy is one of the best decisions you can make. Finding what you love to do - if you don’t know - can also be scary, but when you value your voice you tend to listen to yourself more. That's how I found that I loved reading. Not only did I love reading, but I loved characters. Being in theatre all my life, I had been living through the same characters the whole time without realizing it. I loved the characters and their innerworkings. I loved their motives, and fears, and history. One day I looked around and saw that all of us are characters ourselves. That got me thinking.

I wondered if there was a way to see people for who we really are. Life lacks an omniscient narrator to tell you what everyone's thinking, feeling, and doing at all times. What makes us tick? Why are we the way we are? How do our beliefs affect each other? I wanted to know the people around me, and not only know them, but see what the inside of their brains looked like. I said, “There's got to be a word for that…”

Once I found the word, I didn’t stop thinking about it until I figured out what to do with it. And when I did, I founded the Philosopher’s Club. A few years ago I wouldn’t have even dreamed of making my own club, but Mercy made it feel so accessible. I felt like I could really do anything I wanted to, and so I did. Without this educational courage, I could have never started something beautiful like the Philosopher’s Club. Now at every one of our meetings I learn something new about our members and myself, which is something to be proud of.

Tristran Lamina Lee ’23