As the summer comes to an end, it comes time to begin a new school year at UMass Amherst. For many of us, it will be the first (possibly the best). The first year of college is a special time when everything you already know meets everything you want to learn. While this is not a gap to be bridged, to many it feels like a leap. It is a significant moment nonetheless and, while so many of us are here, on the verge of this transition, this could be the best moment to consider what we know, what we want to learn, and what is the purpose of all of this? Why did we ask you to stop and read The True American at such an occupied and meaningful moment in your lives?
As incoming first years you have all decided to pursue a higher degree of education, an opportunity not everyone is granted. Among you will be people not just from around Massachusetts, but around the world, studying in a variety of fields, and aiming to develop new technologies, save the world, or trying to figure it out. In these pursuits, it is critical to understand the world around you and the people in it. This is where the Common Read hopes to aid in this transition. Pursuing a higher education is eye-opening, it often takes you to new ground and puts you in positions in which you otherwise may have never been. These types of experiences are benefitted by another type of eye-opening: empathy for fellow humans and an understanding of the greater world around us. The True American tells the story of a collision of two worlds and a path to enlightenment about life and the welfare of others. Along this path we see how virtuous behavior can be used while one makes their way through life.
In The True American, we see the value of diversity and compassion for those around us, which are ideas that UMass values as well and hopes to make prominent parts of everyone’s college experience. The point of college is not to be isolated and focus on yourself and your studies in a bubble, but to engage with a community of people from all walks of life and realize the benefits of entering a place with an array of new perspectives and ideas. In The True American, we saw Mark Stroman, a bigoted criminal, realize his potential for good and the error of his ways, upon being given a chance to read about the world, reflect on negative lifestyle choices, and opening up to people who he may have previously held prejudices against. On the other hand, Rais Bhuiyan finds his purpose after coming to America, enduring multiple traumatic events, and finding that his pursuit to start a family was not his destiny, but rather it was to help people.
Your college experience will not be a story quite like those of Rais Bhuiyan and Mark Stroman, but hopefully, you will be enlightened in the same ways that they were. There is more to learn and do at college than one could even imagine or than one could ever cover in their time here. It is a vast expanse of opportunities to see the world and its inhabitants in a new light, meaning there is no reason to restrict oneself to a single field of study, a single dream, or a single perspective. The Common Read reminds us that there are many problems in the world and there is much to learn, which is not meant to disrupt your peace of mind, but to encourage you to keep learning and keep an open mind. The True American is a reminder that all that you know now is a mere fraction of all the knowledge you will gather and that all the people you have met make up a small amount of the total unique individuals and their experiences. Your time at UMass will be made up of major life events and we hope this Common Read has inspired you all to persevere, think, and be compassionate. Good luck, you all have an extraordinary experience ahead!
Written by Daniel Beckley, a senior at Umass Amherst, studying English, Communication, and Public Policy.