With coffee in hand and arms swinging to the steady pace of an electronic device – you join the army of students marching their way off to academic war – the first classes of the Fall semester. To and fro the freshmen meander – words of ridicule and polite assistance are exchanged. With trendy attire and an million dollar affordable smile, another journey through our sliver of the CUNY system has begun.

We can all remember what being the little fish in the big sea was like.

Off the slick streets and into our clean kept mini city of QC, there are countless aspirations floating in the ether above us. The sunrise dawns the beginning of a hectic day not only for the 20,000 students but also the staff that work around the clock to provide us with conveniences. Chartwells’ workers stack the shelves of ready-made sandwiches; janitors saturate surfaces with cleaning products to keep the germs at bay.

Each day we awaken to our unique lifestyles is another progressive page turned.
Despite its faulty characteristics (of slipping, overstaying its welcome) time never ceases in altering the present, and while its effects on the future are unknown, we must be willing to accept the possibility of plans going awry. While our instructors are drafting lesson plans, we are naturally unable to plan our (life) lessons.

Are we living in a ‘dream world’?
Science majors will ask if the ground we walk upon is sustainable. Social science geeks will argue over whose land this is anyway as well as the motives behind the phenomenon of boundaries. Those aspiring to become an educator themselves will silently wonder if this setting is their home.

     How can these questions be addressed if we fail? With the pressure of making the grade, it’s vital to remember that failure begins and ends with our permission.
Biologically we are all made of the same stuff; socially we are enmeshed in the norms of CITY college life. It is here that our interactions can have vivid effects. It is here where  verbs sprout. It is altogether up to us, however, to allow this inevitable growth of a college education to take route elsewhere, in our communities and on our Earth.