On February 10th I attended my first ever Rose scholar event, a delightful buzz talk with Professor Samuels (American Studies) and Professor Schwarz (English) that left me much to think about. I was taken by their remark on curiosity as the most guiding force in the shape of their lives: from back in their college days, musing over ideas and works that stirred their minds, to the teaching experience that has since unfurled and been relished through the decades. They described their interactions with students, impressionable young people, as an immense source of learning and stimulation for themselves, that the fruitful and fulfilling nature of which is prime if not plenty enough motivation for making a collegiate bubble their home. This touched me in particular because I glimpsed in them something I wish for myself— a convergence of intellectual and personal desire. When I asked whether there was any part to the college experience they wished to see reimagined, Professor Schwarz spoke on the understated luxury of exploring for exploring’s sake alone that is rare to come by again in life. He reflected on the poignancy of students overlooking and suppressing their inquisitive impulses for a frenzied and fear-driven plunge into pre-professionalism. Curiosity is a commitment that takes as much courage as abandon: it doesn’t construct the most tangible, anticipated path but is surprised-filled and expands our minds in directions unimagined. Thanks to the talk, in times of angst I ask myself to place trust in my curiosity and welcome where it takes me.