Word: spites
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...hardest lessons of Harvard, or maybe any college, is learning that institutions, credos, and people can and will fail you. But from that disappointment comes the great satisfaction of discovering happiness in spite of shortcomings and pride in individual actions. I still believe in the Catholic faith and the principles of social justice even if I disagreed with their proponents at Harvard; I am not waving the feminist banner or joining any newspaper masthead because I am uncomfortable with organizational flaws, but I still want to support individuals working for Hillary or the Gray Lady...
...Suddenly it seems that everything can be divided into Summas, Phi Beta Kappas, Hoopes prizes, and prestigious fellowships. But this is not the entire Harvard experience. The Harvard experience entails understanding and experiencing failure. It is comprised of students rising from that failure, overcoming that fear, and excelling in spite of it. That environment—made up of students who experienced few failures before college and have been humbled by Harvard—makes this school the amazing place that it is. I only hope that, in a place where excellence abounds, Harvard College never loses sight...
...same time, he celebrates the teachers who foster a love of learning in underprivileged students in spite of dilapidated buildings, crowded classrooms, and tattered books that hinder learning. Kozol’s dedication, born in the civil rights era, still resonates with students...
...named Ross Perot don't propose fuel-tax hikes. Interestingly, though, to fight global warming, Clinton, McCain and Obama are all in favor of a carbon-cap-and-trade regimen, which would raise the price of fossil fuels just as surely as a direct tax would. Almost in spite of ourselves, we may end up with a semi-rational long-term energy policy. It won't make gas cheaper anytime soon - or perhaps ever - but in the long run, it could strengthen the country's economic prospects...
...good news is that, in spite of ourselves, most of us already are. We all know the musical prodigies with no social skills and the social butterflies with awful grades, but the large mass of us are pretty smart, pretty social, pretty adaptable, and pretty driven. And, as the Syeshas of the world, we’re bound to win. Or at least wind up in the finals...