The Perks of Trying Something New

Maybe this isn’t the newest thing to others but it’s new to me. Last Friday, January 22, 2016, SPA (Student Programming Association) took over the HUB and hosted its first official SPA day. Often times the name can throw people but the goal of SPA is to bring free entertainment to the student body here at Penn State. The day kicked off and noon with a performance by Waverunner. Throughout the day popcorn was served and lucky bamboo was passed out. And to top it all off, SPA day ended with a performance from Logic, a rapper from Maryland. But all that is beside the point, the part that I want to focus on was a lecture. I’ve never been to a lecture, especially one from someone I admire. SPA brought in Stephen Chbosky, also known as the author and director of The Perks of Being a Wallflower.

I’ve never actually read The Perks of Being a Wallflower but I’ve seen the movie multiple times. Usually I read books and ignore movies but I was introduced to the movie before the book. At the lecture I bought the book so soon I’ll sit down and read it because I love the story. 

Chbosky started with speaking about his personal life. The decision as to why his mom decided to go to Penn State, he even explained why he chose not to attend Penn State. Throughout the book, there were many references to Penn State and it is evident that the university plays a major role in his life. He then went on to speak more about the skills he gained throughout crafting this story. To end his lecture Chbosky read a letter that made almost everyone in Heritage Hall tear up. The letter was from a young girl who had lost her dad a year before and was feeling very lost in her life. She explained that she had already written out her goodbye letters and that she planned to take her life the next day. But the day before The Perks of Being a Wallflower somehow floated into her hands and she read the book in one night. Immediately I thought that one night and that one book saved her life. But Chbosky opened my eyes to another light. Was it REALLY his book that saved her life? Was it the characters of the book? Or was it the English teachers that taught her how to read analyze that saved her life?

We took a moment of silence for the girl and I couldn’t help to wonder how she is doing now and if things got better for her. As soon as those thoughts crossed my mind, Chbosky answered.

“Wherever you want to go, you can go there. As long as you see it, you can become it.” Stephen Chbosky said. He reassured my thoughts that she was doing better as she went on to go to college and live out her dreams.

Though this may not be the most interesting “new thing” that I’ve done, I think it came with a valuable lesson. Going to this lecture allowed me to see how a speaker can move their audience with their words. It amazed me how he was able to take a room of listeners from laughter to tears and back to laughter again all within a few minutes. I thought my admiration for Stephen Chbosky was already high, but as he took the time to sign my book and spoke with me for a little, my admiration for him is on another level. 

Thanks for reading. 

All photos by me :)