Attention students: You ‘represent millions of students who are deprived of education,’ so it is up to you to take advantage of your opportunities and be a voice for those millions.
Greg Mortenson, the author of ‘Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace,’ had this one basic message as the keynote speaker at the University’s annual Fall Convocation on Friday, Sept. 5.
Both members of the University community and guests from the outside community attended the Convocation.
According to Dean of Freshmen Debnam Chappell, requests for tickets started coming in February 2008, and about 1,200 tickets were distributed to guests not affiliated with the University community.
In order to accommodate the vast number of people who wanted to see Mortenson and hear his message, the event was simulcast in the Quick Center for the Arts, according to Director of Media Relations Nancy Habetz.
Mortenson began his speech directly addressing the freshmen who were present, encouraging them to ask for help during their first year of college, as he did after he earned a 1.89 GPA his first semester of college. He then went on to speak about his renowned book, which has spent 82 weeks as The New York Times best-seller.
The title -‘ ‘Three Cups of Tea’ – comes from a conversation he once had with an old friend. The first cup is a stranger, the second a friend, and the third family, an idea used to describe the process of building a relationship. One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace, the subtitle of the book, is one Mortenson chose himself.
The idea of promoting peace, he said, is ‘based in hope.’
Originally, his publisher named the subtitle One Man’s Mission to Fight Terrorism, which he was heavily opposed to because, as a U.S. Army veteran, he preferred to promote peace rather than fighting. ‘Ignorance,’ Mortenson claimed, is the real enemy our world faces.’
He said our country is ‘a little self-centered and arrogant,’ and suggest that as a nation, we ‘could use some humility.’
Chappell stressed that Mortenson ‘spoke from the heart’ and really made an impression on everyone who attended.’
The commencement included a special introduction by University President Fr. Jeffrey von Arx, in which he referred to Mortenson as being an individual who is able to ‘integrate expertise into a life of service.’ He alluded to Mortenson’s mission of building a school in Afghanistan, which Mortenson spoke in depth about in his own speech.
‘College years are a time to grow in understanding, sympathy, and compassion for people who are different from us,’ said Fr. von Arx in a press release. ‘Greg Mortenson and this book can serve as a bridge to coming to terms with ‘the other.”
In 1993, Mortenson went to the Korphe Village and set out on a mission to build a school for the village children. He faced many challenges in raising money for this school, but received many messages for hope as well. A fourth-grade class at a Wisconsin school, where his mother was principal, raised over 62,000 pennies, roughly $623, for the mission, which came to be known as Pennies for Peace.
It took three years, but the school in Pakistan was finally built in 1996. Today, he is responsible for the building of 78 schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Throughout his address, Mortenson stressed the importance of education, and how ‘without education, nothing will change.’
Mortenson, attempted and failed to climb the world’s second tallest mountain, K2. His attempt in 1993 left him dangerously ill and a small Pakistani village nursed him back to health for seven weeks.
In order to repay the villagers for their kindness, he built the town’s first school.
‘Mortenson’s story should remind us that education is a privilege that we so often take for granted,’ said Chappell. ‘To make education a reality is to change lives and communities at the core of the existence.’
Mortenson ended his speech with a plea to the Fairfield students. He urged them to ‘have three cups of tea’ and live a life of service to others.
Many students were also moved by Mortenson’s speech, and the sacrifices he made during his journey.
‘He went there wanting to change their culture and promote peace,’ said Joyce Dos Santos ’12.
‘It was amazing to see what one person could do.’
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