Learning experiences are found in the strangest places.

I went to the Candlelight Vigil hosted by Mungano in the Clarice L. Osborne Memorial Chapel, believing I would only take pictures out of the experience.

However, I ended up with something much more.

What I gained was respect for a past generation, and a conversation diving deep into my own character. I was sitting inconspicuously in the back of the chapel, out of the way from everyone.

I was underdressed and wanting to get in and get out, but a former Baker University professor pulled me aside and asked for my own story.

I did not even get through my first sentence when I was interrupted for using sexist language and degrading myself. The reason? I called myself a freshman.

By doing so, I was giving men a power over me they didn’t deserve.

I should be proud of being a woman, proud of who I am.

I am a first-year student, not a freshman.

We are living in a society that has taken so many leaps forward, but it took a past generation to bring me down, making sure I knew it wasn’t perfect yet.

Jesse Milan only had a few moments to speak at the vigil, but he made those moments count, saying words that will be in my mind forever.

In the Bible, the words wisdom and beauty are qualities personified by she. I was told never to forget this, because I personify those qualities as well.

Every woman personifies these qualities if she shows self-confidence and believes in herself. It makes rumors powerless, words silent and brings respect from the ones who truly see you.

The world is not 100 percent free of sexist slander, but we have made leaps and bounds from the past. The key is to not allow it to stop and always move forward.

The professor left me with a handshake, making me promise not to forget his words, but who could possibly forget them?

These words made me look at my surroundings and realize the world we live in, and how it could be if we fixed only a few things. It was Jesse Milan’s generation that helped us to where we are today, but it is up to our generation to continue his work and to keep making steps to the future.

There is no better way to make a future than to share the stories that brought us to where we are today. Never forget those words your grandparents told you, they are already intertwined into your own life.