Hello again everyone!
I’m Sam Lubliner and I’m so excited to be in the 2017 Periclean class! As amazing as this summer was, it feels like home to come back to Elon and begin on this adventure. This summer I went on birthright with Elon (and met Kendra!!! Attached is a picture of us after climbing Masada in the Israeli desert) and then worked as a camp counselor at a day camp near my home in NYC.
I discovered the Periclean program approximately 11 days before the application was due. I called my mom and said “I don’t know much about this yet, but you know how our Elon tour guide said that Elon, for right now, is a hidden gem? That’s how I feel about this, I think this program is a hidden gem of Elon”. I couldn’t find a clear-cut definition of what it meant to be a Periclean Scholar but I went on applying anyway. I was really attracted to the idea of building something from the bottom and developing something we create. This angle toward service work is foreign to me. I have volunteered and worked at initiatives that were already well grounded. So far, I’m so pleasantly surprised by the freedom we have and the potential we all carry. For this semester I expect to learn more about everyone, Namibia, and Project Pericles. I think before we move forward it is so important to learn the strengths, weaknesses, context, talents, and experiences in our group. Just from listening and reading some introductions it sounds like combined our class has been all over the world (both figuratively and literally!). I would love to hear more about everyone’s travels, professional backgrounds, and service experiences. By learning about each other I think it will become easier to work with one another. I hope we all learn to balance our skills and come together to make something absolutely amazing, sustainable, and meaningful. Before we begin I think we should write a letter to ourselves to be opened at a later date. The next three years have enormous opportunities of growth and change. I think a great way for us to see that would be privately writing to ourselves and reading our expectations and thoughts a year later, two years later, during graduation etc. or whatever we decide. Working together long term gives us a really rare opportunity to get to know each other and encourage one another like a family. I want to be present and take advantage of our journey to not only have a learning experience but a fulfilling experience as well.
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