LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

ETHAN DYRLI EDITOR - IN - CHIEF

Dear friends,

In my last letter, I described the “Messiah Bubble” and its effects on the perspective of the average Messiah student. In this issue, we again pop this bubble, illustrating how the Messiah experience that one student knows may be wildly different from that of another student. This issue’s cover story, “Hardship and Hope: Understanding Racial Progress On Campus,” is one such illustration. Though Messiah may be comfortable and welcoming to white students, Messiah often falls short when it comes to serving students of color.

As a predominantly white institution, some of these pitfalls are on an individual level, while others come from the university. This piece aims to dissect where Messiah has grown and where it needs to improve according to students of color, past and present.

Stories like this hold Messiah accountable, but they also highlight the exceptionalism of our student body. While not perfect, Messiah is where it is now because of the work of leaders, students of color who moved their reality that much closer to their ideal.

Whether it be those students creating spaces for students of color in MCC, upperclassmen becoming mentors to underclassmen, or the kindness of strangers, I’ve often seen the greatest changes enacted by individuals. While their actions are personal, they grow into interconnected groups brimming with actionable plans for change.

That theme of exceptionalism does not just apply to our cover story, but to our whole issue. This February issue heralds the diverse giftings of each student here at Messiah.

We walk among talented musicians, powerful athletes, devoted volunteers, confident leaders and committed professionals, all exceeding the bar in their given field.

You may look at these individuals and be overwhelmed by the way in which they gracefully step beyond what is asked of them. Perhaps you say, “Well that’s them, I’m me, there is no way I could be seen on such a level.”

To that, I would again ask you to think about the way in which the Messiah community has been shaped by individuals. Their personal, intimate actions eventually grew into relationships and organizations that made for tangible change. Institutions like Messiah are not perfect, but we should not wait for them to be. Instead of looking up at those institutions and waiting for change, we should be looking around at our peers and realizing where change comes from.

Institutions do not have the power to change on their own. Without support from their people, they get stuck in a cyclical act of trying to fix their own problems. Instead, for change to come in a culture, we must look at ways in which exceptional individuals shape culture despite working with systems that do not have the ability to change on their own.

As always, I hope this issue inspires you to look up once you’re done with it. Look around and spot those brilliant individuals around you and realize the potential they have to shape your community right now.

Exceptionally,