Utopia Management Scholars Fund Winner 2020

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines a Utopia as “a place of ideal perfection especially in laws, government, and social conditions.” Today, we often view a utopian world as a fantasy; an imaginary place where everything is perfect. We perceive a utopian world as an unattainable desire, especially considering our imperfect society today. One finger taps onto the news app of our smartphones, and we see a crippling world: one of war, famine, conflict, divisiveness, and polarization. It seems like achieving a utopian world the dictionary describes is impossible. However, upon further thought I realize that a utopian world is actually right in our grasp, and I believe that the transition to a society of this “idea perfection” in terms of the government and societal aspects begins with higher education.

See, higher education is the acquisition of higher knowledge, through learning skills in specialized areas. My education here at a degree-granting institution will teach me the knowledge and provide me with the skills to succeed in the real-world. However, it does not stop there. My education, like all higher education, will foster free thinking. It will allow me to not only have the skills, but the confidence to question societal norms, challenge our current standards in government, and truly engage in though-provoking discussion of change. The change I am referring to is that of progress, and societal advancement. These all are the characteristics necessary for a utopian world. See, it is this combination of obtaining skills in specialized areas and the ability to think freely that education induces out of an individual that truly puts a utopian world as something not only attainable; we actually possess what we need to construct it into a reality.

It was a series of rather tough questions that led me to such a conclusion. Why does a utopian world seem so far, where we live in a world that educates individuals to produce the most innovative technologies, the most groundbreaking progress in medicine, and the most efficient and environmentally friendly ways of agricultural production? It transformed into not asking myself if creating a utopian society is possible, but rather asking myself why we have not reached it yet. I believe that as a new generation is educated, including myself, we can oversee major steps toward a utopian world. However, it must start with what I believe to be a simple, but time-consuming process in the next four years of my education. As I begin to engage with others in the community, while developing skills toward my specialization, my education will first make me continue to ask those tough questions, and more of them. Then, it will allow me to seek answers through learning, experience, and eventually increase my awareness of the issues that face society. Next, my education will provide me with the skills it takes to begin facing the real world. As this occurs, I will turn my head toward this concept of a utopian world and begin to develop my own ideas. Finally, as I emerge out of my education, I will then possess what I need to challenge the very norms, and overcome the obstacles that block the way for a society that rids of war, famine, and corruption. See, we already possess the resources it takes to build a utopian world. We just need the people that will rise up to utilize them, and become the forefront of change, progress, and a push toward a world of peace, organization, and love in an attempt to reach this “perfectness.” My education will provide me with the ability to be one of those individuals. Thus, my education will indeed contribute to a utopian world by providing the exact foundation our society needs in order to achieve those steps, and my education as an individual will be part of a generation of many who collectively will possess the key to unlock the very ideal world we all once saw as imaginary.