Category: Ruby Harrington (page 4 of 4)

The Fellow Life is for Me

“Fellows.”  Incoming UDHP freshmen hear this term all the time.  If they’re anything like I was two and a half years ago, they will wonder the real difference between Freshman Fellows, Russell Fellows, Senior Fellows, and Writing Fellows; what their interaction with these Fellows would be; and if they’d like to be involved in a Fellow program in the future.

My year thus far as a Russell Fellow has honestly been the best leadership experience I have ever had.  “RFs” are upperclassman Honors students who live on a floor along with about 30 Honors freshmen, and serve as resources for all things Honors, and then some.  We plan fun programs for our respective mentees and the broader Russell community; answer any questions or concerns about academics, Honors events, social life, etc.; build a cohesive community; and generally help freshmen acclimate to college.

This years Russell Fellows do the Usain Bolt pose!

Serving as an RF has been a wonderful opportunity. In fact, I regret not applying to be an RF my sophomore year as well.  My mentees are intelligent, hilarious, incredibly supportive of one another, and overall a bunch of terrific personalities I feel lucky to know.  I’m glad they became comfortable with me quickly, and I’ve enjoyed being able to help them get used to college life, register for classes for the first time, or plan out their Honors Degree.  They are a constant source of both support and amusement.  Some of my favorite moments as an RF have been when mentees just stop by my room to share something funny or embarrassing that happened to them that day.  As an RF, I have not only practiced my mentoring skills and planned fun programs; I have gained amazing friends in my mentees and the rest of the 2012-2013 RF crew.

Junior Maggie Stohler chose to be an RF because she wanted to become more involved with the UDHP.  She has also enjoyed the strong friendships the RF experience builds, saying, “my floor has instilled in me a sense of camaraderie that I hope to take with me whenever I encounter new groups of people”, and that “the tough love and persistent encouragement of my fellow Russell Fellows” helped her to learn about herself and grow as a “student, leader, and person”.  (Maggie, the feeling is mutual!)

Another great program is the Freshman Fellows: a group of about 35 Honors freshmen that are selected every year to work alongside the RFs, as well as plan out some programs themselves.  Emma Doney, (full disclosure:  she’s one of my mentees!) spoke about how Freshman Fellows has become a supportive place for her to meet “some great people”, a parallel to her positive experiences with high school band.  For Emma, Freshman Fellows “has been a wonderful group to get involved in, and was exactly what I was looking for.” It made her interested in serving as a RF or Senior Fellow next year.

The different Fellowships that Honors students can hold are great benefits of the UDHP.  It’s hard to believe I only have a few months left with my mentees, but I’m looking forward to working with Honors freshmen in a different capacity next year as a Writing Fellow.  What has been your experience as a Fellow?  Comment below!

~Ruby Harrington

Ruby’s Wes Moore Recap

This past Wednesday, Wes Moore spoke to the University of Delaware community at the invitation of the UD Honors Program.  The 34-year-old man graduated from Valley Forge Military College, Johns Hopkins University, and Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar.  He served with the U.S. Army in Afghanistan, worked with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice as a White House Fellow, and authored the New York Times bestseller The Other Wes Moore.  If I had heard just this litany of achievements, I would probably assume that Wes’s intellect and ambition had been apparent and nurtured from birth by a financially comfortable family.

Honors Students wait to get their posters and books signed by Wes Moore.

But I would be wrong.  The reality is that Wes spent much of his childhood in poverty on the tough streets of inner-city Baltimore and the Bronx, skipping school and being surrounded by the illegal drug trade.  He was arrested even before he became a teenager.  Wes did attend the top-notch Riverdale Country School, but had to carefully manage his identity during those few years, as his attendance at Riverdale made him the neighborhood social pariah while his wealthy classmates shunned him for his poverty.

Somewhere along the way, Wes turned his life around.  But another Wes Moore was raised just a few blocks away in Baltimore, one that will spend the rest of his life in prison for his role in a jewelry store robbery that killed a police officer.  The Other Wes Moore is the mesmerizing story of these two men.

Wes managed to impress me even more in person as he spoke of the value of personal responsibility and community service.  Scribbling notes, I realized that he is incredibly quotable, but I think the best line of the night actually came from the Wes who is a convicted murderer:  “I think we’re products of our expectations”, not our environments.

That comment really resonated with Wes, who described his shock at the articulateness of the convict’s first letter to him.  Even he had low expectations of Wes.  As I mentioned earlier, just by looking at his early environment, most people probably wouldn’t predict that the author would achieve so much.  But aren’t we all supposed to have faith in the American Dream, that anyone, no matter where they come from, can rise to success?  I thought I believed, until Wes made me realize the power of expectations.

There is no doubt that there are enormous structural problems in Baltimore, and all American inner cities.  While unfortunately on an individual level it is unlikely any one person will cure poverty and the subsequent issues of pervasive violence, inferior schools, and high teen pregnancy rates, we can change our expectations of those born into such unlucky situations.  Wes Moore proves that difficult circumstances need not dictate outcomes.  I could not agree more with his statement, “Potential in this country is universal, but opportunity is not.”  It is not enough to be grateful that our parents and teachers believed in us. When we recognize that individual and societal expectations can hold people back just as easily as they can push others forward, we learn that a key component of community service is instilling high hopes for those whom not much is expected of.

~Ruby Harrington

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