The other day while cleaning my room, to avoid I.S. and the outside world, I was listening to a podcast called Reply All. On this particular episode, comedian Jason Mantzoukas was talking about his embarrassing, and I dare say, endearing love for Harry Potter. He went on to say how the books bring him comfort and, of course, joy and maybe even a sense of belonging. As I was folding my clothes I began to really think about what it means to love something as much as Jason Mantzoukas loves Harry Potter. Now, we’ve all heard that Wooster is Hogwarts: Bolton might be Dumbledore’s niece and Lowry the dungeon where the troll emerges. But those are all just rumors not really grounded in reality. Even so, there is some magic flowing through these grounds that I feel compelled to address.
When I went to the Tartan Talks on Saturday, I started to really believe in the mystic nature of our experience here. Kïrsten Blake ’00 talked about the feeling of physically belonging here when she came back to campus after years away. She discussed the ways in which her education here gave her confidence, and a sensitivity that let her explore the world. She was passionate about her work with Chapter BE, and her words filled me with such a tender feeling of gratitude that — yeah! Whatever! I cried a little.
Harry Potter is about a boy who goes off and has this wild academic experience with friends that care for and challenge him, faculty that support him (except, you know, Prof. Quirell …) and a beautiful castle that he resides in, similar to Bissman. Then, it’s his last year there that Voldemort is seriously out to get him, and what is that not symbolic of other than our blessed Independent Study! Taking in my love and affection that I feel for this school, I am all too aware of the wild and wonderful ways in which it has challenged me, and forced me to go after the evil forces that challenge this earth.
Like Potter, I will say that I am scared of what the future will bring and I find myself walking the paths of this school wondering what will happen next. Then I circle back to Mantzoukas and how when he gets disheartened he puts on the Harry Potter audio books and argues with kids about what the best house is. I know that within the confines of extreme stress here at Wooster I can find a true sense of magic, which I am — down to my wayward core — very thankful for. Listening to alumni this weekend, they kept harping on this idea that Wooster shapes you, makes you grab at joy and not be fearful of challenges. As I attempt to unpack what it means to leave, I am trying my very hardest to be mindful that memories that we create on this campus are ones that shape us. I am making a promise to myself now that when I get bogged down I will pull up those images of classes, clubs or random conversations in the library and be filled with relief in knowing that it all mattered. Thank you for coming to my Tartan Talk.
Bekah Smith, a Contributing Writer for the Voice, can be reached for comment at RSmith19@wooster.edu.