Aku suka baca mamat ni punya column kat PSU Daily Collegian

Kris Ankarlo ni bekas ahli dalam Undergrad Student Government kat Penn State University, university yang aku belajar skang ni. Mamat ni punyer style of thinking memang mencabar la bagi aku. DIa punyer provoking thoughts tu kekadang memang berjaya provoke my own mind. Nonetheless, aku selalu enjoy baca column dia kat suratkabar The Daily Collegian and I just want to share his piece of writing with you people.

No regrets from Penn State experience, just self-discovery and change
Kris Ankarlo

One generally realizes that he has been in college far too long when friends begin every introduction with, "This is my friend Van Wilder... I mean, Kris." While I have yet to reach the seven-year mark as an undergraduate, I'm damn close.

I really do want to graduate and get a real job -- believe me, I REALLY want to graduate -- but I'm poor and out-of-state tuition costs a couple bucks at this university. Despite my financial impediments, I wouldn't change the path of my life for one second, especially my years at Penn State. I'm always asked if I regret being in State College for so long, and my response is always the same: Regret is the denial of character. The choices that we make and the situations that we find ourselves in define our character and, subsequently, our existence. I regret nothing.

I may be embarrassed or uncomfortable about some of my actions and decisions; however, I embrace those more lackluster memories as much as my proudest moments because of what they have taught me.

This university has taught me much. I've spent the past year trying to communicate many of those lessons through this medium, and I have consequently learned a lot.

I have discovered that the French don't like me for some reason. I have learned that USG has little to nothing to say for itself, which is unfortunate for the sake of those who work so hard for the betterment of everyone within that organization. I have realized that no one outside 2nd floor HUB cares about secret societies. I have come to understand that the student body is often underestimated by the administration and many in leadership circles. Most importantly, I have come to appreciate how special this place is.

I believe that Penn State is turning out some of the most amazing individuals that this commonwealth and this country have seen in a long time. I've met people through my experiences in student leadership and student living that excite and energize me because I know they are going to do great things in this world.

There are so many people at this university that just get it. They understand why they are here and what they will conquer. We are riding the crest of a tsunami that will take this world by storm, and this great wave is sweeping universities across the country, not just here. Our generation is waking up, for the first time in history, to the realization that we control our own destiny. We realize that our environments play a large part in the formation of our persona; therefore, these environments must be manipulated to offer everyone a fair chance. We are understanding that through equality comes progress, and that freedom is not so when our freedoms come at the expense of another's slavery. We are taking back what was sold away from us by our parents' generation.

Pardon me for being an enigma. For those who have read my work and don't know me, you probably think I'm a cynical buffoon who gets little joy out of life. That's a fair assumption, albeit not true in the least. I am indeed an optimist. I believe that humanity has yet to reach its greatest moment, but I also believe that we must be consciously aware of the injustices and mistakes of the past. We should not continue on in a state of regret, but we should transfer that frustration into solution. The only way to live without regret is to learn and to solve and grow stronger in the process.

This is my last column for The Daily Collegian, and it has been one of the more fulfilling experiences of my life. There is nothing better than formulating a belief structure and then testing it out every day. If there is any lesson I hope to pass on, it's this:

Challenge your assumptions and your facts, they will change. Adaptation is a natural course of life.

Unfortunately, many are too stubborn to realize this; even more unfortunately, they will miss an important piece in the puzzle that reveals the meaning of life. Not that I have a clue as to the meaning of life, aside from what Monty Python has taught me. This meaning is for everyone to discover on his or her own terms.

Nonetheless, I wish everyone the best of luck in the lifelong mission of self-discovery. I know that we are the best of the best. Penn State will have an even greater name in the future because of us. I'm sure there are many reading this, thinking that you owe Penn State nothing and that this school was merely a stopping point -- so it goes. Just realize that it has played a part in the construction of your character. Not necessarily the institution, but the people who comprise this institution.

May we all be guardians of the gates of old Penn State. May we all be the pride of our friends and our institution. May we all change this world into what it has the potential to be.

May it ever rest.