Be Good. Be Orange.

By Monica Farrar

As a twenty year old, first time acquaintances ask me where I go to college to which I respond “None other than Oregon State University.”  A moment of recognition crosses their face as they form an opinion about who I am, what I know, and where I am headed with my life.  A couple sociology classes into this four year adventure have taught me that each person’s interpretation of my response is different.  To be fair, that is how it should be, but more importantly, I want one value to be self-evident when someone hears that I am an OSU Beaver.  I want them to know that I have enormous potential.

When I think of the slogan Be Orange, I think of it as a challenge that has been put forth to me by the university.  This idea of Being Orange encourages me to put my all into every piece of work I ever submit, every sporting event that I attend, every rally that I take part in, and every memory that I hope to make during my short amount of time here.  Being Orange serves as a reminder that the people I meet at OSU and the moments that I am a part of are forever changed because I made it so.  My favorite artist once wrote:

“You’ll meet people whose paths intersect
But you don’t know how long you’ll walk with them,
Cause’ the truth is, and it’s so hard, but you’ll never know
How long we’ll continue with our loved ones down this rugged road.”

These words preach to me that each and every person that makes up the ideal of Orange (students, professors, staff, administrators, alumni) also has a role to play in my life.  Each individual will become my teacher, my supporter, my inspiration, my entertainer, or my influencer.  As a total composition, they will provide me with the skills I need to succeed and be happy in this life.  This journey is not one I can fly solo, but rather blesses me with the people that sit in the same chair as me, just as hungry for knowledge and experience as I am.  Through these people, I have slowly discovered that Being Orange is not about being the best student, winning every game, or even getting an “A” in every course.  Being Orange means learning from the lives and actions of others, applying those lessons, and unleashing the true potential that is YOU.

When I say potential, I am talking about our deepest fear on a human level.  Author Marianne Williamson says it best:

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? … Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do… It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

This quote fully encapsulates my definition of potential as a description of what it means to Be Orange because it is true that we all try to conform to what should be “normal” or “acceptable.”  Newsflash: No one who is simply normal or just acceptable ever made history.  From my own perspective, my potential to do what no one else can makes me special.  It is time that Oregon State starts capitalizing on what makes each student unique rather than put our tuition dollars into a cookie cutter system that molds us to be identical. For me, Being Orange is about being someone that others do not expect you to be.  Being Orange is about being a forewarning of what is to come.  Being Orange is about proving that my biggest contribution is still in the making and that OSU was my supplier of necessary tools towards greatness.  When someone hears that I have a degree from Oregon State University two years from now, I want them to grab a seat so they can witness what will happen next.

On the classroom level, my peers and I have already demonstrated that we have the potential to surprise our Ethics professor.  We worked together as a group to put a puzzle together much faster than she anticipated and we improved drastically over the course of a few weeks in skills that make us effective ethicists.  If we can shock one, imagine the multitude we could astonish.

Having potential extends far beyond the realm of the OSU campus.  It is the most important value I can hold once I go out onto the job market, because it will be obvious to employers of what I have done in the past and what I am capable of.  These employers will want to know “what can she do next?”  As a person with potential, I will never stop growing, and therefore I will never stop bettering myself: this is what makes me truly happy.  I want new acquaintances to recognize a member of the Oregon State community, shake my hand when they meet me, and ask me “what’s next for you?”  Likewise, I want every OSU Beaver to experience the same encounter, and I want the world to know that we are the symbol of potential.