A Letter to the Graduates of the University of Central Oklahoma (2022)

I really should not be allowed to watch documentary films. I can think of countless films that forced me to climb a new soapbox and preach. From human trafficking to protecting dolphins in Japan, these films have a way of exciting a dormant passion living within me. This passion has translated into signing petitions, emailing my elected officials, and even a few protests. Then, my energy wanes. The flame that made me want to change the world slowly flickers and dies without an organization to harness my passion.

Entering my senior year of college at the University of Central Oklahoma, I watched An Inconvenient Truth by Al Gore. As the credits rolled, I found myself angry, shocked, and in desperate need of something to do. Over the summer, I launched a Facebook group for other concerned students and reached out to members of the Young Democrats. I also began looking at my own life and considering personal decisions I could make to improve the health of the planet.

Then the flame flickered.

In my senior year of college, I had a simple goal for myself. At the annual Broncho Leadership Awards, I wanted to be recognized as Senior of the Year (spoiler alert; I wasn’t). To achieve this goal, I knew I had to be more involved on campus. I threw myself into my major and countless…