how I felt when I met a harvard lecturer @ a potluck
TLDR: meeting a harvard unicorn has proved that curiosity and love for learning are truly important factors of success
I went to a potluck hosted by my mom's orchestra group--beautiful and amazingly sweet people.
While making conversation with the group, one person stood out. An old man who looked like he was in his 70s.He had a humorous, magnetic energy and the most cartoony smile. He also seemed very educated and fostered the intellectual vitality of someone in his 20s. We went on a variety of topics: language, books, etc. Then, he mentioned that he had traveled to Africa.
I asked, "What brought you to Africa?"
He replied vaguely about the firm he worked for being in South Africa and doing some work there before his wife joked that she could give me a more straightforward answer.
Turns out, he was doing surgery in Africa and specialized in global health. My mom asked how he found an interest in medicine, and he said that he had an interest ever since he was young. As a child, he explored it by deconstructing and sewing up his stuffed animals. As an adult, he served in the army, earned a BA from Vanderbilt, an MD from Emory, and now lectures at Harvard in global health. Normally, you don't expect to ever meet anyone who lectures at Harvard. I feel like I have found a humble unicorn in the wild. He didn't even mention Harvard or any other prestigious university--I found out by searching for his LinkedIn.
As seniors in high school, my peers and I often dream of entering a prestigious school like he did. To be honest, many extracurricular activities my classmates and I partake in are (partly)in consideration of college applications. However, hearing about the Unicorn's honest inner curiosity and effortless passion was like a breath of fresh air amidst the performative college grind.
It has slightly changed my brain chemistry. Amongst all of the interesting and likely to be successful people I know, they share a few common attributes of being hardworking, charismatic, curious, and having a love for learning. There is a difference between people who are passionate about getting into college and those who are deeply passionate about pursuing their interests. The latter will likely do well and succeed regardless of which college they go to, and it is quite interesting to see.
I'm not saying that those who are passionate about entering a prestigious college will be more likely to fail. Personally, I hope to enter a semi-prestigious college as well. However, I just find that the most interesting people usually have those attributes.
There is truly a dichotomy between old men. There are ones who are funny, educated individuals and others who are arrogant and more close-minded. For example, there is a local Asian Auntie with a husband called D. My mother has been helping the Asian Auntie out with insurance, selling her fridge, managing finances, etc.
When she invited us over for dinner, I met D. His personality was a stark contrast to the Unicorn. D was extremely close-minded--despite having a Chinese immigrant wife, he did not tolerate many cultural foods.
When she plated slices of pig ears at the dinner table, he passive-aggressively joked, "I grew up on a farm and I don't eat pig ears." When no one laughed and smiled politely instead, he repeated two times over the next hour. Overall, he is a very arrogant and grumpy old man.
To be fully honest, I am not quite sure what I want to do. I'm passionate about succeeding in academics and entering an at least semi-prestigious college, but I don't have a fire inside that burns with passion for a certain area. Regardless, this experience has made me appreciate intellectual vitality and pursuit more. There is more to life than academics. Learning and appreciating the world and people around you will take you far, perhaps farther than a thirst for success by itself.