David Oldham

Since graduating as an HAB in 2010, I've come to think the greatest testament to this program is that I've never met anyone who made it through and regretted it. Its practical benefits and rewards are obvious, from building research and communication skills to honing study tactics. Honestly, HAB grads could learn (or do) just about anything after graduation. Its less tangible benefits are unquantifiable, and grand.

I've held a lot of jobs from waiting tables to working for state government and law firms, big and small; I even worked at an international startup company. I'm currently a Latin teacher at the most diverse public school in the state of Tennessee, while finishing my second master's degree and taking night law school classes.

I'm very busy, but there is a lot to do in the world, and I am prepared for the challenge thanks to the strong base I formed as an HAB at Xavier University. I originally took on the program's challenge because I wanted to see if I had a shot at becoming a smarter and wiser person. I'm still working on that goal, but I would not have come half as far in its pursuit without the irreplaceable learning experience I gained as an HAB.

Life is a great deal about the knowledge you gain, but it's a lot about the experiences you have gaining it because those experiences decide what you will do with that knowledge. A student who, even with difficulty, can read Cicero and Sophocles, whose mind has been disciplined by the rigor and wisdom of their grammar and ideas, is ready to approach the difficulty of the real world.

The path was not a simple one, but with the help of good friends and amazing professors, I learned that I am capable of much more than I ever imagined. The unquantifiable benefits I have mentioned are what made me who I am. They have allowed me to approach the world with a critical, yet open, eye. I will always count my HAB days as some of the most important of my life.