Firstly, let me affirm that I don't mean to be disparaging when I describe Owen O'Connor as a "drop-out." Not in the least! I and countless others admire Owen for choosing to leave Wesleyan. In fact, by all accounts, Owen is very likely one of Wesleyan's favorite recent drop-outs. If we had a Drop-Out Hall of Fame, he'd be there. As far as I know, we don't have such a distinctive group yet, but we do have the Wesleyan homepage. The homepage typically recycles pictures of happy, engaged students. This year's set of shots includes a picture of Owen. It's heartening to see that he's there, still a recognized part of the "Wesleyan community," despite the fact that he chose to walk away from it.

Having known Owen, I can say with some certainty that he is likely to greet the term "drop-out" with pride rather than discomfort or embarrassment. Owen would have graduated in May of 2007 if he had not dropped out to eventually realize a new life as an organic farmer in upstate New York. He founded Awesome Farm in Tivoli, NY and works with a single partner, KayCee Wimbish, in sustaining the small, but successful endeavor.

Before officially leaving Wesleyan, Owen distributed a letter to friends, acquaintances, and professors explaining in detail his reasons for dropping out of school. I jokingly called it 'more manifesto than good-bye letter' and shared my treasured copy with several professors and friends. In my remaining years at Wesleyan, unbeknownst to Owen, I had some excellent discussions inspired by his letter. As it is stored away somewhere safe, I'll have to rely on my memory of its contents. In the letter, Owen referenced the movement to "un-school" or "de-school" and quoted some major thinkers in the field of alternative education. If I recall correctly, Owen also offered a critique of elitism and elite educational institutions, of which Wesleyan figures quite prominently in these United States. In the end, the letter drew back to his desire to act on his beliefs and to confront the apparent hypocrisy in his life. In other words, his note was personal and political, combining his intellectual interests with his conscience and personal values. Owen chose to think critically about his place in the social and educational hierarchy. Everyone's experience in college should demand as much of them.

The truth is that many of us do get as far as that crucial questioning stage, but few of us decide, as Owen did, that we do not want to reap the kinds of privileges that a degree bestows upon its holders. When I read over my diploma from Wesleyan after graduating this May, I couldn't help but to think of Owen's letter. The lines from the diploma reiterate the status of an elite: "with all the Rights, Privileges, Honors and Insignia which here or elsewhere pertain to this degree." The Bachelor's degree, particularly that of an elite institution, is a passport. When you use it, your travels of social mobility help regulate and maintain the division of classes in society. Granted. And what of it? A rather brilliant friend of mine (and another recent drop-out from Wesleyan), Sam Hyson, told me that he felt the desire to leave school partly because he did not want to become, in his words, "a careerist." Sam sought to reject an encroaching elite status by dropping the degree, in some ways choosing to burn his passport to enter into the 'upper echelons.' He didn't give a whit for climbing the career ladder and probably never will. Sam, as many of his friends and former fellow students know, is extremely thoughtful, kind, helpful, intellectually curious, and plays the violin like a madman. Like Owen, Sam is a remarkably talented person and was a very hardworking student and yet found that the best his society had to offer him intellectually and socially was faulty and questionable, to say the least. For me, that is something to weigh and consider.

It has been a valuable and refreshing experience for me to know people who act on their principles, trusting their intellect and reasoning. At the end of the day, I feel proud to have friends from Wesleyan (drop-outs and graduates included) who don't just talk about doing good, but make ambitious attempts to actually do some in the areas in which they are personally invested.

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By the way, it sounds like Owen's decision to drop out and become a farmer wasn't such a crazy idea after all. Awesome Farm has been featured in the New York Times, Poughkeepsie Journal, and Valley Table.

From Awesome Farm's website: "Visitors are welcome on our farm. By supporting Awesome Farm, you are supporting sustainable land stewardship and our local economy. Most importantly, you are choosing food that is local, fresh, and nutritious."

Learn more about Awesome Farm:
http://awesomefarmny.com/

Learn more about Unschooling:

Wikipedia on Unschooling
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unschooling

Life Without School
http://lifewithoutschool.typepad.com/lifewithoutschool/