College was good for me in 1986. I was a grad student living the good life in L.A, I was enjoying my work in college education, and I bought a brand new Toyota truck. I loved that truck, it never failed me, never had any problems, and it went with me on a great many adventures.

In my group of friends, several of us had mountain bikes and a few of us had trucks as well. One of our favorite things to do was to hit a couple of yard sales on a Saturday where we’d pick-up the toys that families no longer wanted. Then early on Sunday morning we would throw bikes and toys in the back of our trucks and head to Mexico for the day. Just across the border there were a couple of orphanages where we would stop to drop off the toys for the kids and then head down the road for some great riding.

I also took my truck across country on a few different occasions, always with a willing friend who shared in the driving. I never had a shell on the back but it didn’t matter. For each cross-country trip I’d convert the bed of the truck into an open sleeping space and we’d take turns through the night, one of us driving and one of us sleeping. I still remember one particular night when I was sleeping in the back. I woke up around 3:00 am while we were cruising through the middle of Kansas. Nothing but cornfields on both sides of me, no other cars on the road and a sky full of a billion stars above. It was a uniquely glorious moment.

Now that I’m much older I marvel at the naiveté of my youth. Had we gotten in even a minor accident one of us likely would have ended up with a serious head injury. However, in that moment, I had no fear. I saw all of those stars and I felt like I could reach up and touch them, I felt like I could go anywhere in life, and for a while my Toyota took me there. I loved that truck so much I kept it for 15 years until my wife told me it was either her or the truck. My first inclination was to tell her I’d miss her. I decided she wouldn’t appreciate the joke and I eventually sold it. I cried when the guy drove off with it.  

Despite the strangely spiritual connection to my 1986 Toyota, it never crossed my mind to return to the dealership where I bought it and donate money as an expression of my appreciation for all that my beloved truck gave to me. Who would do that sort of thing? That would be crazy, right? Who in the world would make a big purchase, take several years to pay it off, and still want to make more payments because you’re that thankful for the experience?

College alumni, that is who. How many experiences are there in the world where people dedicate four years of their lives, in many cases receiving loans that take far too long to pay off, and still want to give more money to the cause? Why does this happen?

Because a college education can and should be transformational .

I tend to ignore the critics who want us to believe our educational institutions are failing us. It is true that at every school one could find 1,000 things that are wrong. However, look around and you can also find 5,000 things that are right. I still find many reasons for optimism at all levels of the educational process. When a student walks across the stage at graduation, they haven’t just consumed information, they are a different person than they were when they started. Students learn how to think for themselves, they discover futures they didn’t know were possible, they find their own path forward , they explore their potential and they act on it, they believe that in a world full of need, they can make a difference.

Inspiration and creativity abound, albeit often times in clumsy ways, at times even in dangerous ways. Some students lose their way. Increasingly schools have to grapple with the crushing financial and social costs present in the ultimate goal of educating students to be successful in a future that is still being defined. Students learn how to move from clumsy to confident to ready for the unforeseen challenges that lie ahead.

A colleague once told me, “education is what’s left over after you have forgotten everything you’ve learned.” Learning is not a transactional experience, it is a transformational experience. It gives us something so mysteriously valuable that many of us feel compelled to contribute in selfless ways to those around us, to our communities, to a world that calls us to service, and even to our alma mater.

_____________________________________________