Sept. 21, 2016
Ever been on a scavenger hunt? You know, the kind of game where you run around to look for clues, find things or take photos? I absolutely love this kind of game. I’m a little bit competitive (OK, more than a bit…stop laughing) and scavenger hunts are right up my alley. I even auditioned for the Amazing Race with my daughter. (I’m still a little bitter we didn’t get picked.) I created a pretty intense scavenger hunt for my colleagues a few years ago. It was so popular, I was asked to create another one this year. Here’s the secret — I love putting them together as much as I love competing in them.
In order to create a complex game, I’ve scoured the northern part of campus (it’s an on-foot event) to create clues, find hidden pictures, look for trivia and more. It forces me to see things I’ve never seen, go to places I’ve never been and notice the small things about MSU that I might have passed by. I’ve learned things, found beautiful spots and soaked in the incredible history campus has to offer.
My days are often crazy busy but planning this forces me to slow down and appreciate things. As I wander dusty halls I think of all the Spartans who have been there before me. As I read plaques or look at photos, I wonder how many lives were changed in that very spot. I appreciate being part of a history bigger than myself.
My Spartan pride swells as I realize how lucky I am to share a common bond with incredible scientists, artists, history-makers, game-changers, leaders and lifesavers. I may not have made a major scientific discovery, but I am a Spartan nonetheless. All Spartans leave their mark on this world. I like to think I’m leaving mine.
Christopher P. Long, dean of the College of Arts and Letters, notices the little things too. Scratched into an old window at Linton Hall is the name of a student who graduated in 1891. Dean Long did a little digging and found that C.F. Baker didn’t just leave his mark on the window, but on the world of entomology and education. Baker believed in never giving up — a true trademark of a Spartan. Read the FACULTY VOICE: Finding your place, leaving a mark, to learn more about Baker and read the dean’s advice to the class of 2020.
Second year College of Osteopathic Medicine student Angela Amaniampong is already leaving her mark. Recently, she traveled to Peru as part of an outreach program that delivered health care to those who had gone without. She says, “Whatever we were able to give them, they were forever grateful.” Read her STUDENT VIEW: Providing hope, to learn more about what she calls, “an eye-opening experience.”
You don’t have to hunt for incredible Spartans, they can be found everywhere you look. Spartans throughout the ages have found their place, provided hope and left their marks. In the game of life, Spartans are tenacious competitors and the world comes out the ultimate winner.
Spartans Will.
Lisa Mulcrone
Editor, MSUToday
@LMulcrone