When I attended the University of Central Oklahoma, I was focused on earning a degree in broadcast journalism. At the time, I really wanted to be a political reporter for one of the major networks. To strengthen my understanding of national and international government, I pursued a minor in political science. In one particular class, we spent a lot of time debating the issues of the day while trying to understand their relationship to the functions of government. Sometimes these debates got heated. Even with all the passion, we maintained a high level of respect for each other.  

Fourteen years removed from my time at UCO, I sit in awe of this experience. I grew up in Frederick, Oklahoma. Frederick is a tiny, farm community 10 or so miles from the Red River. Frederick was rural. It was conservative. It was Christian. I was clamoring for life in the big city. I possessed a liberal worldview. I found myself unsure about the existence of a higher power.  

In high school, right around the 2000 presidential election between Vice President Al Gore and Texas Governor George W. Bush, I became intensely interested in politics. My best friend at the time and I pretty much agreed on politics. We would debate anyone at any time. Young or old, it made no difference to us. Being Frederick, we often found ourselves holding the minority view or debating several people at once. At first, I didn’t care. After the Supreme Court decided the outcome of that election and national politics faded into the doldrums of a new president attempting to govern, I found myself tired of being the odd man out all the time.  

In college, I no longer belonged to a high school graduating class of 61 souls. Now, I was one of 15,000+. My classmates at UCO were from all over the state, country, and the world. Each one of them brought a different point of view and lives shaped by unique experiences. Many of these experiences I would never fully understand. In the lecture hall, in our student organizations, at parties, or casually strolling across campus, I would hear their stories. My eyes would be opened to a new way of experiencing the world. I would be forced into a new way of seeing the world. I would be forced to understand and wrestle with empathy for the first time. I didn’t know it then, but these experiences were changing me.  

When I graduated from UCO, I felt more confident about what I believed. I held stronger beliefs about politics, religion, and humanity, but I also left UCO with a sense of empathy for my fellow human beings and how they viewed the world.  

I often think about that American Government class. In the end, I chose to pursue work in the nonprofit sector, but those debates and the respect we maintained for each other stick with me to this day. Of all the gifts UCO gave me, empathy may be my favorite. While I will always passionately defend my beliefs, my goal is understanding. I don’t debate to score points or change minds. I debate to learn and grow. Everything else is secondary to me.  

Be good to each other,  

Nathan  

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