Dear Reader,
Three years ago, amidst a global pandemic, we – the former editors of the Symposium Journal – reunited over a Zoom call. The reason for the reunion was simple: we wanted to catch up and stay connected.
After graduating from Wright College, we embarked on different career journeys. Individually, we have worked on reducing suicide rates in the community, studied the nuts and bolts of becoming an audio-video technician, explored the science of cell regeneration, and gotten our foot in the door of the financial world. We have become world travelers by receiving a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities in New York City, researching mid-sixteenth-century architecture in England, and performing operas in Italy.
We vividly recalled being back at Wright College, attending the early morning Great Books meetings where we hustled to meet deadlines and participating in literary discussions where we savored Frankenstein, Wordsworth, and other works from around the world. Despite our differing life paths, we all agreed that our academic journeys started at Wright, with the Great Books Student Society and the Symposium Journal. The journal taught us the importance of collaboration and teamwork in an academic setting and nurtured our sense of identity and self-confidence. We took on roles that we did not think we could be – we were editors-in-chief, contributors, website designers, graphic artists, and most recently, one of us served on the faculty editorial panel. It felt special to us that we were publishing – and thereby advocating for – the works of our fellow students, a rare opportunity in the community college system. Importantly, the journal helped us cultivate lifelong friendships and establish a support system that transcends geographical and temporal boundaries.
As our discussions continued, we realized that we wanted to stay involved with the Great Books, though in a new way. We formed the Great Books Alumni Board, an entity that will focus on broadening the outreach of the Symposium Journal and providing mentorship to the next generations of editors and graphic designers. You will see us at Wright College sharing opportunities with prospective and incoming students. We will continue to establish relationships with other community colleges to further student and faculty involvement. Moreover, we are creating awards and scholarships dedicated to recognizing students who make significant contributions to the journal. As our ideas come to fruition, we will keep you informed of our progress via brief annual notes published in the journal. We hope our new contributions – big or small – can make a meaningful impact on community college students and those associated with two-year colleges.
As a final note, dear reader, we want to emphasize the non-linear nature of our life journeys, a consequence of the challenges of mostly being first-generation students, non-native English speakers, and, in many cases, from low socioeconomic status. Yet we persevered. We hope that despite the many inevitable twists and turns you may experience along the way, you will never get discouraged from pursuing your dreams and exploring your passions. Embrace the challenge of undertaking difficult tasks to discover your true potential. Persist in the face of adversity to build an unwavering belief in yourself. Discover the courage to venture into uncharted territories and welcome the possibility of failure. As T.S. Eliot noted, “If you aren’t in over your head, how do you know how tall you are?”
Best wishes,
Yaryna Dyakiv
Edgar Esparza
Amanda Jiang
Allen Loomis
Izaki Metropoulos
Miguel Orozco