Called to serve?

I heard a CC graduate speak tonight to a group of promising high school seniors. CC pushed him to move beyond using the statement "I feel..." to using the statement "I think..." and supporting his thoughts with evidence. He left a profound legacy at CC by convincing the community nearly 15 years ago that there was a need for a multicultural residence hall that still serves our community today. He is now a voting rights lawyer for the NAACP legal defense fund. He spoke with ease, humor and humility. If every one of those high school students wasn't moved to find their purpose, be it at CC or elsewhere, then they weren't listening.

The speech made me think about my own calling and purpose for at least the second time in a week. Late last week I interviewed a young man who is an Afghani refuge. There is nothing in my life that will ever equate to his life experience which is 10 years shorter than my own. I was overwhelmed by the conversation, moved to tears, in fact as I tried to reflect on the conversation. What can I do, really, to make a difference in his life? I can admit him to CC - maybe or maybe not depending on his credentials, the competition and the financial aid available. I hope that I have the opportunity to make a small difference in the life of someone who will make a profound difference in the world. He was a translator for the US Army for a number of years and spoke passionately about the fact that we really do all want the same thing - peace - we just haven't figured out how to communicate with one another. Maybe I can help, he said, with a degree and the credentials to support my claim.

So what is my purpose? Am I really making a difference in this world? Maybe I am. I meet so many talented students and those conversations I have help me to know them and that helps me to make good decisions about who to admit to CC - a place that does teach students that they have the power to change the world. But sometimes I wish I had a more clear calling. Is this purpose enough? I know that we all can't be like the CC grad who spoke tonight, or the student I interviewed last week.

Is it enough to mentor young CC grads, as a colleague told me tonight? Maybe.

Is it enough to seek out and enroll the next generation of inspirational leaders? Maybe.

Tonight renewed my faith in a place that I believe in, but that has certainly challenged me especially lately. But it also makes me question my purpose. How have I really been called to serve?