When I was leaving my small Pennsylvania town, heading to the big city for college, my wise older brothers gave me one piece of advice. “Get involved,” they all told me. So I arrived at school excited and ready to get involved and carve out my own experience. I knew that I was the only person who had the power to tailor my five-year Northeastern routine into something fun and worthwhile.

We are the reason Northeastern exists, first and foremost. We, the students, have a responsibility to speak up. Let your voice be heard. When you think about your time here at Northeastern, consider your education and what you came here for.

You may decide it’s time to join a student group, or start a new one – and that is great. If you decide you would rather stick to your current ways and have an impact by filling out the surveys on the myNEU portal, then that is great, too. But you cannot limit yourself to just floating through your time at Northeastern. This university has so much to offer, and so many chances to really make your college experience a valuable and memorable one that you will happily look back on for years to come.

Two years after coming here as a freshman, I have personally seen the benefits of getting involved, of speaking up and taking advantage of the opportunities. And I have also seen the benefits presented to students who speak out when they feel their time here is not the best it could be.

By being involved, and voicing your ideas and opinions, you can also contribute to Northeastern’s future. If you have a problem and want it fixed, push yourself a little further and see if you can bring about a change in the university – your university. It really is not as difficult as you might think, and will save you, your friends and future students stress when dealing with the same matter. To make a long story short: speak up, students!

– Stephen J. Lavenberg is a middler medical laboratory science and Student Government Association vice president for academic affairs.