Honestly when first given the opportunity to share my own story of curiosity and wonder, I struggled to immediately pinpoint an area of my life, a subject, or even a moment recently where I had felt that sense of fascination and wonder that so many other people had described in their stories. And for a brief moment, I pondered whether or not I had lost that child-like curiosity that leads to such loving preoccupations with various matters. Finally, I landed on topics or ideas that people had already shared stories about such as my love for reading, my passion for basketball, or the individuality that makes each person who they are. But after giving it increasingly more thought, I settled on an aspect of my life that I believe has truly been the biggest area where curiosity and wonder has displayed itself in the last few years and that area is: friendship. In the past 2 and half years, I have come to know so many amazing people and it is my experiences with those people that have caused me to feel the same wonder and amazement that people have felt in other areas of their lives. From camping beneath the stars in Big Bend National Park my freshman year with 3 guys I barely knew at the time, to experiencing the power that is the rapidly rushing waters of Niagara Falls with two close friends, and even small or seemingly negligible things like insightful talks over lunch with someone so much more different than you; it all makes me admire the capacity of friendship to bring us all together, even amidst the disparities between our individual identities, and it made me realize that I have marveled at so many other things through my interactions with people. Friendship is something I find awe-inspiring because it means to understand who others are and to be understood in kind. To overcome your own obstacles and fears in order to share what makes you who you are with others, and to have that outpouring of yourself reciprocated. Ultimately, my experiences with friendship that have left me full of wonder and amazement, I think have played a big role in shaping who I am and I am sure that if everyone really thought about it they would realize that this is true for them too!
Khalaeb Richardson, North Carolina
Student
Khalaeb Richardson, North Carolina
Student