When the reader first meets Lizet in Make Your Home Among Strangers she is 10 years out of college, professionally testing water from canals on the West Coast, far from her Miami origins or uncertainty about what she wanted to study. It must be hard to imagine what those of you reading the Common Read now will be doing in 10 years. Perhaps some of you will be testing canal water in California and loving it. Not knowing where you will end up is okay, most people have no idea! That is what college is for, aiding students in structuring their future. At UMass you will learn to think innovatively and plan for the future. As Make Your Home Among Strangers indicates, this will be a journey that is neither plain nor simple, but formative and exciting.
Lizet initially chose to pursue a degree in Biology because she thought it might be easy and, of course, it was not. College is not supposed to be easy; it’s supposed to be an ambitious and challenging adventure. By leaving everything she knew to attend an elite school across the country, Lizet accepted the challenge, just as all of you have for enrolling at UMass. College is where people find their niche, while also opening their eyes to the many fields of study and ideas in the world. This year’s Common Read aims to create an understanding of the way this opportunity can be life-changing. You may have issues in your life or be uncertain about what you want to do, but that is okay because, as Lizet demonstrated, all you really need is passion. She persevered in Biology even when her life was full of conflict and sources of stress. Pressing onward with optimism and being eager to learn will bring you to your goals no matter what.
The social atmosphere of college also contributes to the building of character and the empowerment of students that allows them to follow their dreams. As Lizet began to find her niche in college, it was clear that she was also developing as a person and academic. She opened her mind to all of the possibilities in front of her and utilized the resources her campus had to offer. College is a time for exploration; you have the opportunity to try countless new things through clubs, events, and a mind-blowingly large catalogue of classes. You certainly do not have to be ready for the world after college yet, but the Common Read is meant to ready you for the new and wonderful things you will experience as you figure out just exactly what path you will follow.