Just about everyone knows that May is Graduation Month here in the US. A lot of graduations take place across the nation in this single month, including high school, college, post-graduate degree graduations. And if you didn't know, well now you do.
Now that you have graduated, you can officially put that additional (or first) degree on your resume (or CV). For example:
University of XYZ, May 20XX
Bachelor of Arts, Yoruba (You better not be laughing) ... Someone has to teach Yoruba for a living. How else will your kids learn it in school?
Anyway, after graduation, you may start getting those emails and letters telling you to "give back" to your school. How many times have you deleted that email and trashed that letter? For me, countless times.
I have come to realize that there is an emotional connection between you and the school you choose to fondly refer to as your "Alma Mater." Just graduating from a school is not enough. You must have felt a real connection to that school in some way (friends you made, lessons you learnt, experiences you had, etc) to make you decide to give back.
That means that no matter how awesome the school's mascot is (or how much it sucks) or how many games the football / basketball team won (Yup! Those are about the only two that count) if you don't feel connected to the school or you don't feel like the school impacted your life in a profound way, you will not feel the need to give back. And if there's no emotional connection and you decide to give back anyway, maybe you're just "cool like that."
That emotional connection is what is called school spirit. I believe that is the singular most important factor which decides whether or not you support your alma mater financially or otherwise.
For me, when the time comes, I would rather give back to the schools I attended in Nigeria, not the ones I attended here in the US, simply because I believe the schools in Nigeria could use all the help they can get.
Your turn: Would you give back to your alma mater? Why or Why not?
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