海角社区

The blustery winter weather and a few flurries didn鈥檛 deter the more than 1,400 visitors, students and employees from attending 海角社区鈥檚 annual Presidential Symposium on Diversity featuring Tara Westover, the author of  the NY Times bestseller, 鈥淓ducated鈥� on Nov. 12.

Due to the overwhelming interest, the Symposium, which was free and open to the community, was moved to 海角社区鈥檚 gymnasium in the Health Sciences Center at the Central Campus in Blue Bell to accommodate as many people as possible. Additionally, the presentation was livestreamed to 海角社区鈥檚 West Campus in Pottstown and The Culinary Arts Institute in Lansdale where more than 65 people watched remotely.

In the months leading up to the Symposium, 海角社区 held several activities on campus, including a short essay contest for students and employees in which participants were asked to write about a specific experience that shaped them as individuals. There also was an Instagram photo contest for which everyone was invited to post photos of images that motivated them to pursue their education. Additionally, several book discussions were held for employees and community members.

The participants of the essay and Instagram contests attended a luncheon with Westover immediately prior to the Symposium. The five student essay contest winners 鈥� Ava Pendelbury, Alexandra Hewitt, Sam Rapine, Delila Matara and Katherine Howard 鈥� shared excerpts from their essays.

Following the luncheon, Westover spoke in the packed gymnasium, sharing stories from her youth and describing how her education changed her life.

鈥淓ducation has a big effect on our lives, but we don鈥檛 always see it because it is so gradual,鈥� she said.

Westover was born to Mormon survivalist parents who were opposed to public education and therefore she did not attend any formal school. She spent her days working in her father鈥檚 junkyard or stewing herbs for her mother, who was a midwife and healer, until she decided to get an education and experience the world outside of her community.

To attend college, Westover taught herself enough mathematics, grammar, and science to take the ACT and was admitted to Brigham Young University. She was seventeen the first time she set foot in a classroom and continued learning for a decade, graduating magna cum laude from Brigham Young University in 2008 and subsequently winning a Gates Cambridge Scholarship. She earned an MPhil from Trinity College, Cambridge in 2009, and in 2010 was a visiting fellow at Harvard University. She returned to Cambridge, where she was awarded a Ph.D. in history in 2014.

During her presentation, she described how her isolated upbringing affected her when she started college. She didn鈥檛 know about the Holocaust or why Rosa Parks would be arrested for a taking a seat on a bus. Her lack of history and worldly knowledge presented challenges, but she did not give up.

鈥淒on鈥檛 mistake the middle part of your story for the end,鈥� she said. 鈥淲hen you experience failure, remember to ask yourself what part of the story are you in.鈥�

During the question and answer session, she answered a question about how to go about writing a memoir.

鈥淵ou should write daily and read, not a lot of books, just a few that you like and read them many times,鈥� she said.

Following the event, 海角社区 student Nicoletta Pelchat said she enjoyed the luncheon and the presentation.

鈥淚 thought she was relatable, and I enjoyed her use of humor throughout,鈥� she said.

In addition to 海角社区 students, three schools attended the symposium 鈥� Agnes Irwin School, Rosemont; C.B. Community School, Manayunk; and Dock Mennonite Academy, Lansdale.

鈥淪he had so many amazing quotes, and I wrote them down,鈥� said Carlie Cocco, a senior from Dock Mennonite Academy. 鈥淥ne of my favorites was 鈥榚ducation should not make you arrogant; it should make you curious and empathetic.鈥欌��

鈥淢y favorite quote was 鈥榶ou don鈥檛 know where your passions will take you but having no passion will take you nowhere,鈥欌�� said Hannah Landis, also a senior at Dock. 鈥淭his will help me think about what I want to do as I make decisions about college.鈥�

海角社区鈥檚 annual Presidential Symposium is a capstone event that advances and facilitates ongoing public dialogue on diversity and inclusiveness among students, employees and community members. Past keynote speakers have included Rinku Sen, Derrick Pitts, Wes Moore, Richard Blanco, Charles Johnson, Jacqueline Woodson-Brown and Judy Shephard. 

Westover鈥檚 book, 鈥淓ducated,鈥� was long-listed for the 2019 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence and has spent more than 83 weeks on The New York Times Best-Sellers list. Former U.S. President Barack Obama named 鈥淓ducated鈥� as one of the books on his summer reading list of 2018.