Liam’s farewell, and the value of discussion and diversity
I’m really sorry that Liam’s two years as a student blogger (and at Fletcher in general) have come to an end. He has been a great partner in this project. He will soon return to his career with the Army, which supported his studies to develop him as an officer. Today, he shares reflections from his grad school experience.
One of the most valuable characteristics of my Fletcher experience has been discussion, both in and out of the classroom, especially when it builds on the diversity of the student body. As I look back on my two years here, I can’t help but think that many of my most significant takeaways came from classroom exchanges with such an amazing collection of people. From them, I’ve learned an immense amount about the world, and along the way, I also have made some life-long memories.
One classroom example I would highlight is Prof. Khan’s course, The Historian’s Art. Regardless of your academic and professional background, if you take one course at Fletcher, this should be it. The timeless skills I acquired to interpret history through the lens of contemporary affairs are amongst the most important I gained at Fletcher. Moreover, Prof. Khan’s teaching style, forcing you to take a side on a historical issue, to not waver, and to use empathy, detachment, and relentless skepticism in looking at anything, will inevitably help you become a better thinker. In addition, and the point of this post, is that the variety of students in this class, from journalists to MIBs to military officers to Peace Corps volunteers, made discussions vibrant, insightful, contentious, memorable, and effective. The unique nature of my fellow students ensured that, while there was always something to be learned, there were also multiple occasions where Harry Potter or Jurassic Park entered the discussions. That’s just Fletcher.
As I sit here and reflect, I am filled with a wave of emotions and memories from the past two years. While the class discussions I described above are an important part of the Fletcher experience, so, too, are the projects and papers you turn in, the lessons you learn from readings and in class, and the advice you get from sitting down with professors during office hours. Everything that comprises the academic side of the Fletcher experience makes you a stronger professional, capable of returning to your old line of work or starting in a new career field, and better equipped to handle the challenges of the 21st century. Learning at Fletcher embodies a remarkable combination of academic skills with real world perspective that is unmatched.
But I cannot overemphasize the importance of the Fletcher community. The students and professors are what enable these meaningful classroom-based discussions. Simply put, Fletcher attracts the most amazingly diverse cross-section of intelligent, caring, compassionate, and humorous people imaginable. When I look back to when I was applying to Fletcher from Afghanistan in the fall of 2012, I remember reading through course catalogs and the CVs of professors whose interests matched mine, and I was hooked. As important as that was to my enrollment choice, it wasn’t until I met my classmates at Orientation that I realized how glad I was that I made the decision to come to Fletcher. Relationships are key to success in life, and after Fletcher, I am certain that I will go forward with a wide network of connections — throughout virtually any imaginable profession and region — that I could not have acquired in any other place. If you’re reading this blog and thinking about applying to Fletcher, I can tell you that, if I had to make the choice one hundred times, I would make the same choice one hundred times.
And, so, as I look back on what has been one of the most transformative experiences of my life, what I will remember are the people. The people are what makes Fletcher what it is, and I wouldn’t trade the experience of our shared discussions for anything in the world.