I had never considered joining an honor society in college and had never heard of KTA when I received an email from my college telling me that, because I ranked in the top 10 percent of students in my class in the College of Communication, I was eligible to join. I'll admit, I decided to pay the $30 to join mainly because there were no meetings and I could put it on a resume. When I went to the initiation, however, I saw the real value in joining KTA.
After having a nice chat with the chapter adviser about China (I always seem to find someone who's been there), a few classmates and I were given our certificates and keys. It was a very simple ceremony, but the chapter adviser emphasized intellectual pursuits as he told us what the honor society was about. He told us to never stop seeking knowledge and to keep an open mind. He asserted that Kappa Tau Alpha was about more than just professional success; it was also about succeeding intellectually.
That advice could not have come at a better time for me. I've been stressed lately about not having the "right" goals or dreams, that I'm not ambitious enough or that the talents I've been blessed with will end up as wasted potential because I'm not looking for the most prestigious job that will offer me the most money or fame. I needed to hear that simply wanting to know more, to keep learning, is a valid goal. Obviously, I want to have a successful professional life, but that's not the only thing I'm going to work toward. I'd like to take a balanced, holistic approach to living my life.
Yes, I'm busy. We all are. But I'm happy to spread out my time among many pursuits instead of focusing on just one passion. I'm glad that I like the environment and music and foreign languages and Jesus and fashion and photography. So I'm going to spend my life soaking up as much as I can about everything that interests me, because the world has so much more to offer than just a nice paycheck.
