Felipe Cofré Quezada
Contributing Writer
When I arrived in the United States from Chile, I never imagined that some of my learning experiences would take place in classrooms where I was neither pursuing a degree nor following a traditional academic path. As a construction engineer, my professional experience has taught me to think in terms of buildings, infrastructure, budgets and the spaces where people live. However, my experience as a community auditor at The College of Wooster has prompted me to look beyond the technical dimensions of my profession and consider the broader economic, social and political forces that shape our world.
The College of Wooster’s educational tradition encourages intellectual exploration and engagement with different perspectives. Its first president, Willis Lord, described the institution in 1870 as “a place of studies for all.” This vision speaks to an enduring principle: education should open doors to knowledge, invite people from different backgrounds to participate and create opportunities for intellectual growth.
In a world increasingly shaped by climate change, technological transformation, political polarization and cultural diversity, this approach is more relevant than ever. Knowledge matters, but so does the ability to question assumptions, evaluate evidence, listen to others and exercise independent judgment.
My experience in Climate Economics, taught by Professor Vedanshi Nevatia, and Urban Studies, taught by Professor Hamed Goharipour, has reinforced this understanding. Although Climate Economics and Urban Studies examine different dimensions of society, both explore how economic forces, public policy and human decisions shape the environments in which we live, revealing the interconnected systems that influence sustainability, inequality and quality of life.
Climate change, for example, is not exclusively an environmental problem. It involves economic incentives, public policy, social inequality and difficult decisions about how societies distribute costs and opportunities. Similarly, cities are not merely collections of buildings, roads and infrastructure. They reflect political choices, economic structures, cultural identities and competing visions of how people should live together.
For someone with a background in construction engineering, these perspectives have expanded the way I understand my own profession. Building infrastructure is not only a technical exercise; it also raises questions about who benefits, whose needs are prioritized and what kind of future our decisions create. These courses have encouraged me to connect technical knowledge with broader questions of sustainability, equity and public responsibility.
The importance of curiosity in this process brings to mind John Glenn, the Ohio-born astronaut and former U.S. senator, whose life embodied the pursuit of knowledge and discovery. As Glenn is often quoted as saying, “All progress is based on curiosity.” This idea captures something essential about education: progress begins when we are willing to ask questions, challenge familiar explanations and explore possibilities beyond what we already know.
The professors who guide these discussions have also reminded me that good teaching does not simply provide answers. It helps students ask better questions, examine evidence critically and recognize the complexity of problems that cannot be solved from a single perspective. These skills are essential for developing leaders with character and influence in an interconnected and diverse world. Leadership requires more than technical competence or professional success. It also requires intellectual humility, ethical judgment, creativity and the willingness to engage constructively with people whose experiences and opinions differ from our own.
My experience at Wooster has also been deeply personal. Living in a country different from my own and interacting with people from diverse cultural backgrounds has challenged me to reconsider assumptions I might otherwise have taken for granted. Intercultural dialogue is not simply about learning facts about other countries; it is about understanding how our perspectives are shaped by the places, histories and communities from which we come.
In democratic societies, this exchange matters. We need people who can disagree without dismissing one another, think independently without becoming indifferent to others and approach unfamiliar ideas with curiosity rather than fear. A diverse academic community offers a space in which these capacities can develop through everyday conversations, shared learning and the willingness to see the world through someone else’s eyes.
My time at The College of Wooster has therefore been more than an academic experience. It has been an opportunity for personal growth, professional reflection and a deeper appreciation of education’s role in building a more thoughtful and inclusive society.
Coming from Chile, I have been reminded that meaningful learning does not end at national borders, professional qualifications or the walls of a classroom. It grows wherever people are encouraged to ask questions, exchange ideas and imagine better ways of living together.
Perhaps one of the greatest contributions a liberal arts education can make today is helping us understand not only the world as it is, but also our responsibility to shape the world as it could be.
