Donna Gentile O'Donnell: Education of an improbable columnist

Here runs the last column I'll write for The Daily Pennsylvanian as a Penn doctoral candidate. At long last, my dissertation is written, defended, and graduation beckons. The jokes about "Dr. Donna," and her soon-to-be radio talk show are in full tilt. And like all endings/beginnings, a look back at my academic life at Penn is predictable. There have been many terrific experiences, wonderful moments and some trying times, all of which have contributed mightily to the Education of (this) Poker Player. My life and times as a DP columnist have been filled with serendipitous pleasure, intellectual challenge and operational wonder. In summary: it's been a blast.

I have been overwhelmed by the intensity and generosity of this university community, which I have come to regard as my intellectual home. My DP colleagues, most of whom are years younger, have been an ongoing source of amazement and inspiration. They are people of great minds, with big thoughts and big hearts, and prodigious talent. They are diplomatic and deliberative, funny and facetious, pragmatic and prolific. They are the recorders of the present, and the architects of the future. They work hard, play hard and make a difference every day in the social fabric of Penn. I know that their contributions, in the years ahead, and across the disciplines and social strata, will be substantial and many.

And my readers ... first of all, I am delighted to have "readers" at all. It's a unique experience. I've had some tough, even harsh critics. I've had thoughtful commenters, who posted public reactions and e-mailed private observations. I've had detractors, too, some of whom "fought fair" by posting their names and/or e-mail addresses. And then there were the less-than-brave, who sent those anonymous or pen-named Web posts. Some were funny, some were inane ... some were just plain insane. But on balance, they were good exchanges, and contributed mightily to what a university can and should be about: the free exchange of ideas.

When I first took on the column, some of the people who matter most to me (like my dissertation chair) wondered how I would manage the obligations inherent in writing a regular column. I have to admit there were times when I wondered myself. But I had similar thoughts when I considered the challenges of a doctoral program.

First, you do it because you can. Although I had written occasional guest editorials for The Daily News and The Philadelphia Inquirer, I didn't really know, until I actually found myself doing it week after week, that I could. And for anyone who faces writing deadlines (as virtually everyone in a university community does, be it term paper, dissertation chapter, grant proposal or memorandum) it's always a relief when you meet a deadline. Learning experience, that.

Second, you do it to connect with, and contribute to, something bigger than your day-to-day academic life. The work of the DP is good, hard work, which creates and sustains an important forum for this community. It provides a valuable service, is independent and is uniquely self-sustaining. In operation for more than 100 years in various incarnations, the DP is a remarkable Penn tradition.

Third, you do it to avoid the isolation that can occur when you follow a "track" in your academic life. Penn is a big community, which is part of a much bigger world, in which interests and disciplines intersect and cross over all the time. But unless you venture outside your discipline, and off your "track," you're in danger of missing out on one of the best parts of university life: the capacity to learn things outside your comfort zone. And if you can't do it here, then where? And when?

Somewhere out there in Penn-land, an improbable potential DP columnist is reading this right now, wondering, "How about me? I'm not an English major, and don't really plan on grad school in journalism ... but I've written a few guest columns and/or long letters to the editor. I'm a grad student/doctoral candidate in (math, biology, engineering, nursing, medicine, business or other). I have a lot of obligations, academic and otherwise. But I'm a decent writer. I know I can meet deadlines. I have lots of opinions that my (girlfriend, boyfriend, husband, wife, s/o, neighbor, roommate) would be happy to have other people listen to ... maybe I could be a columnist for the DP?"

Answer: You could be. Just cozy up to that PC of yours with a cup of coffee, an opinion on something, and start writing. Then, apply. If you get selected, strap on your seat belt, thicken your skin a bit (those anonymous posts can get to you), and get ready for a great ride. Watch the rest of your fellow DPers. They'll teach you, by example, everything else you need to know.

In closing, I salute you, my DP colleagues, with special thanks to my editors, Eliot Sherman and Steve Brauntuch, and our editors-in-chief, Amy Potter and Chris George. I'll be tipping my morning coffee cup to all of you, as I read the DP in the years to come.

Donna Gentile O’Donnell is a Ph.D. candidate in health policy history from Philadelphia, Pa. vox populi... appears on alternate fridays.

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