With Thanksgiving fast approaching, we are reminded of those mandatory “What are you thankful for?” assignments we encountered every November growing up. As much as we have bemoaned things like this over the years, we think it is still a worthwhile undertaking if done with originality and thought.
There are a lot of things to be thankful for as students at Fairfield University. Living on such a beautiful campus in the heart of one of the most affluent areas on the face of the earth, it is easy for us to lose sight of the fact that we are so fortunate. In fact, we are better off than the vast majority of young people in the world our age in most facets of life, and if we are not thankful for this, there is not much else we could be thankful for.
We should also be grateful for a number of things here, for instance, the faculty. Fairfield students benefit from the fact that Fairfield wants professors who are not only well-published in their field, but are first and foremost good teachers. We have never had to suffer through TAs. When we go to class, it’s usually taught by a person with a PhD. The professors are accessible and have connections in with area employers and institutions. Some are even good advisors.
Getting to know your professors on an individual basis has always paid off at Fairfield, so much so that connections made with professors now will probably last until some of us become professors ourselves and continue the tradition.
We interact with faculty members every day, so it’s easy to forget all the other people here working for our benefit, members of the administration and staff. People working in student services try to make our lives as easy as possible. The development office raises funds and makes connections with alumni to make Fairfield University a better place. Security officers and administrators are constantly working to make Fairfield safe. The list goes on and on, and the fact that we can’t possibly list all the people making Fairfield a better place for students here is a testament to how many people are doing just that.
So if you return home next week to family, friends and warm food, lamenting all the shortcomings of Fairfield, just remember how fortunate you are. Fairfield University is not the best place on earth, not by a long shot, but all things considered, it could be much worse, and we should all be thankful it’s not.
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