It’s hard to forget your first death threat. Mine came on the campus of Amherst College, where I am now a sophomore. I grew up in a family in Jacksonville, Fla., so conservative that I was named after Jeb Bush. I had long wanted to attend a hyper-leftist college, one where I could change academia’s perception of Republicans and Southerners. Amherst was where I decided to undertake this mission. Little did I know what I was in for. It has been a tumultuous year and a half at Amherst College for me: Apart from a death threat, I’ve been stalked, socially isolated, encouraged to transfer, and more.
All of this, however, has strengthened my belief that the only way academia can return to its intended purpose of fostering intellectual diversity, encouraging civil discourse, and preparing the world’s next generation of leaders is not for conservative students to abandon academia. Rather, we must step forward with courage and compassion to rebuild the civil discourse our campuses desperately need.
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