Returning to Keystone College for the All-College Honors Convocation this year was meaningful and deeply personal. I came back to campus to accept the Edward G. Boehm, Jr. Award for Service Learning on behalf of O.P.E.N., an organization that has always represented something larger than a student group. O.P.E.N. (Opposing Prejudice, Ending Negativity) has represented belonging, courage, advocacy, and the simple but powerful idea that every student deserves to feel seen, respected, and supported.
Standing again in Brooks Theatre, surrounded by students, faculty, staff, families, and members of the campus community, reminded me why O.P.E.N. mattered when it began and why it still matters today. Colleges aren’t only places where students earn degrees. They are places where students discover who they are, build confidence, find their voice, and learn how to stand with others. O.P.E.N. became part of that work.
Receiving the Edward G. Boehm, Jr. Award for Service Learning for O.P.E.N. was humbling. The award recognizes service, and service has always been at the center of O.P.E.N.’s mission. O.P.E.N. was never just about meetings or events. It was about people and students supporting students. It was about creating safer conversations, building bridges, and reminding the campus community that inclusion requires action.
What makes the recognition especially meaningful is that O.P.E.N.’s story is also Keystone’s story, making Progress Through Effort. It reflects what can happen when students are given room to lead, when faculty and staff believe in them, and when a college community chooses to care. The organization began with a small group of people who saw a need and decided to respond. Over time, that response became part of the campus culture.
As we accepted the award, I felt gratitude for everyone who helped O.P.E.N. grow, from the earliest supporters to the students who carried the mission forward after us. Organizations like O.P.E.N. survive because each generation decides that the work still matters. Each student who shows up, speaks out, listens with care, or helps someone feel less alone becomes part of that legacy.
The visit reminded me that service learning isn’t only about what we do for others. It’s also about what we learn from the act of serving. O.P.E.N. taught me that leadership often begins quietly. It begins when someone notices that others are hurting or excluded and decides that silence isn’t enough. It begins when people come together and say, “We can make this better.”
That lesson has stayed with me far beyond my time at Keystone. It shaped how I think about leadership, community, advocacy, and responsibility. O.P.E.N. began as a student-led effort, but its meaning has continued to grow. Its value is found in every conversation it made possible, every student it supported, and every reminder that inclusion isn’t passive. It has to be practiced.
I am grateful to Keystone College for this recognition and for the opportunity to return to campus for such a meaningful event. I’m also grateful to everyone who believed in O.P.E.N. from the beginning and to those who continue to carry its mission forward. Big thanks to Jeff Brauer for finding me and reaching out to make sure I was there for the event!
O.P.E.N. began with courage, care, and a need for community. Twenty years later, those values still matter, and now more than ever.
Remarks I delivered after we accepted the award.
Twenty two years ago, a simple idea, and a lot of courage, started something life changing for so many.
In 2004, we started a Gay/Straight Alliance here at Keystone College. We never did it looking for recognition. We wanted to make sure that no student felt alone.At the time, most LGBT students didn’t have support systems. Some struggled with their identity. Others, were afraid to speak openly. Many, just needed a place to exist. We wanted to create that space. A place where they could talk, breathe, and be accepted.
In 2006, that organization became what we know today as O.P.E.N. That name reflected a broader mission. Not just support. but to build understanding and respect.
Over the past twenty years. O.P.E.N. has fulfilled that mission. It has supported students. Built meaningful friendships, and, Encouraged honest conversations. In ways, both seen and unseen, it has saved lives.
Saving one life would have been enough. and, in some ways, that life was mine. The realization that hundreds of lives have been impacted by O.P.E.N. is something pretty fucking extraordinary.
When people feel seen and supported. everything changes. For some, O.P.E.N. was the first place they heard “You belong here.” For others, it gave them the courage to live their best lives.
Today, O.P.E.N.’s impact extends far beyond this campus. Those who found community here, have gone on to become leaders, professionals, advocates, teachers, and lifelong friends. They carry forward the understanding that acceptance is an active choice.
This moment isn’t just about the past twenty years, but about the responsibility for the next twenty. There will always be students searching for belonging. Always people needing encouragement. And always opportunities to replace fear with compassion.
That’s how change happens. Not in a single moment, but through consistent acts of kindness. By choosing acceptance over indifference.
To each of you that helped build this organization. thank you! What we created here matters more than you may realize.
And to those carrying O.P.E.N. forward today. remember this. Your voices matter. Your work matters. And your support matters.
Because sometimes. the most powerful thing we can do is simple. We make space. We listen. We stand beside each other, and. We, keep the door, O.P.E.N.
