Abdul: Graduating seniors should pursue their passion

It was the last day of a well-known neuroscience class. Students were brimming with curiosity,… It was the last day of a well-known neuroscience class. Students were brimming with curiosity, as they had the entire semester. Near 4 p.m., the professor became still, his eyes surveying the audience. Like a Pavlovian response, the students quieted instantly. Today we would not learn about neural circuits or the control of food intake. Today we would reflect on ourselves.

What the professor said in those 75 minutes is something I’ll never forget. He offered words that were pure music to the auditory cortex, demanding that we always try our best, that we attain our fullest potential and truly enjoy whatever it is we pursue in life. He urged us to go beyond necessity, to nurture a passion and thrive on it.

Never in my experience had a professor dedicated an entire class to espousing such a sentiment. It was different. And yet, had he not, my education would be incomplete.

As I look ahead, ready to graduate and pursue other interests, I simultaneously reflect on how my time at Pitt has transformed me.

Generally, there are two types of students that enroll in college. There are those that see it as a means — the next rung in the ladder, be it economic or social. And then there are those that see it as an experience in itself. They pursue education for education’s sake. For them, college is a time to nurture’s one’s interests and explore one’s potential.

I didn’t understand the latter perspective when I was a freshman. I had a working excel sheet of all the courses I needed to take to graduate in eight perfect semesters. I planned to be a molecular biology major, and I would have followed that excel sheet like marching orders had not one chance event occurred.

That event was becoming a columnist for The Pitt News. I didn’t dream of writing for my school paper when I was in high school. In those days, I preferred solving equations and puzzles over writing essays. Bring on the physics, hold the poems.

However, I became a columnist. And that would alter my behavior for the rest of my college career.

After a few attempts, I realized I liked to write. Neurons and DNA are captivating to learn about, but writing challenged me in a different way. It demanded that I stop, think and reflect. Writing required that I know exactly how I feel about a topic so I could express myself clearly.

These opinions would have been left undeveloped had I not needed to express them. Being a columnist has forced me to cultivate new ideas, to look at a subject with curiosity and scrutiny. It has changed the way I perceive the world.

This summer I will be applying to medical school. The tentative plan is to become a physician. Interestingly, when I tell my pre-med friends about my interest in writing, they give me inquisitive looks.

In a way, their reaction is unsurprising. Technically, writing is unnecessary. I could have never published my writing and still wound up in the same place. But that’s the beauty of it: With writing, I’m going beyond necessity. I’m pursuing a passion.

Writing removes me from my daily studies. I’m glad I discovered writing:? a craft with no material value for me, but a necessary craft nonetheless. I never would have known I enjoyed it had I not given myself a chance.

You too might have an interest or talent you’re unaware of. Like a dormant seed under the spring’s last frost, it’s waiting to burst forth and grow into a beautiful flower. Find that seed and nurture it. For me it was writing. For you it might be anything: Music, art, skateboarding, rock-climbing or even public speaking.

Whatever it is you may be trying to achieve at Pitt, please give yourself a chance to discover that hidden interest or talent. Challenge yourself to test new skills, to leave the comfort zone that’s carried over from high school. Certainly, you should devote effort to those goals with which you entered college. But ask for more from yourself, because I guarantee you there’s always more.

This is my last regular column for The Pitt News. The past three years have been a transformative experience, to say the least. If I had to choose only one thing to say to you, it would be to stay true to yourself.

Hopefully, you will find — as I’ve found — that if you ever hope to go beyond necessity, to thrive and to reach your fullest potential, you must pursue what you love. Find it and pursue it.

Good luck with finals, and farewell.

Hail to Pitt!

Contact Abdul at ABA24@pitt.edu