Be Good. Be Orange.

Be YOU. Be Orange.

By Katelyn Miller

Oregon State is a community that values diversity, so how do we identify a common value within a community with so many different individuals? I think the value that all Oregon State students share is the ability to be undoubtedly themselves. Being Orange is being YOU!

Oregon State University has over two hundred different degree programs and a student body from one hundred different countries. These two statistics exemplify just how diverse our community is! An Oregon State student is an individual who tries to be the best version of themself, whether that be the best engineering student they can be or the best business student they can be. It’s about being YOU and taking care of yourself!

Not all of us are going to be the next President or Nobel Prize winner or be the very best in our respective fields. It’s ok not to be “number one” – being the very best doesn’t always entail happiness for everyone. Being the very best often includes extreme amounts of pressure and expectation. Just because you aren’t “number one” doesn’t mean you are a failure, rather what matters is that you are the best you can be.

Being the best version of yourself means that you not only embrace your strengths but your weaknesses too! An authentic person is one who is undoubtedly themselves, flaws and all. Oregon State students are authentic and real!

How do we identify “Orange” on campus? We see “Orange” when that one student raises their hand in a lecture hall of five hundred students. We see “Orange” when we watch students chase each other around campus playing the quarterly “Zombie” game. We see “Orange” when someone holds open a door for someone. “Orange” is being YOU – it can be weird, normal, average, or extraordinary.

The way we promote “Orange” is by creating a welcoming social environment on and off campus.  Creating this welcoming environment starts with each individual. We first must respect ourselves in order to demand respect from others. “Orange” students respect themselves and others. With this respect we allow others to be themselves without the fear of being judged.  

The way I express my  “Orange” is when I’m playing volleyball. As a member of the Oregon State Women’s Club Volleyball team, I find myself undoubtedly being me when I am on a volleyball court with my teammates. I express so many of my values and personality traits when I’m playing, such as passion, dedication, hustle, excitement, and happiness. I’m truly happy when I am doing what I love and I think that’s what being “Orange” is all about: doing what makes you happy.

Being “Orange” is also a mindset – one that’s about being confident in who you are. We don’t all come to Oregon State University knowing fully who we are, but that’s the great part about our community is that we help each other find our “Orange.” College and life are about creating ourselves and finding what makes us happiest. The best version of ourselves is a happy version – find what makes you happy, find what makes you “Orange” and that’s the best version of YOU!