<st week, The Carletonian profiled Katie Visco, a Carleton alum who is trying to become the youngest woman to ever run across the United States. Since Visco set off from Boston, Massachusetts last month, her story has caught on with media outlets throughout the nation, and her story – though far from finished – has already begun to serve as an inspiration for young women, and young people, everywhere.
Not to echo a point of last week’s editorial, but conditions are tough. The world is not a good one right now, and more than ever before, American’s daily lives are feeling the hurt. Every day, jobs are lost, and workers already laid off lose just a little bit more hope as they continue to find rejection where they want to find relief.
Several months ago, NBC news looked at the possibility of ending their daily newscasts with a story of optimism, and a story that highlights the good that often goes unnoticed, rather than the normal pessimistic news story. The response that NBC received to the idea was overwhelming, and now, every day, the news cast ends with a story of good, of people going out of their way to help others. This example of NBC’s decision to alter their newscast emphasizes the need for something that inspires optimism in our daily lives, because in the wars, the deaths, and the economic recession that has affected so many of us, we can not find it.
Whether Visco realized it when she set off to cross the country back in March, this is what her run has come to represent: it is a symbol of inspiration – something that does not come often in the world in which we know. Visco is clearly doing a wonderful thing, and she has the support of The Carletonian in reaching her goal.
In Tuesday’s blog entry on her website, Visco highlighted only a handful of the many messages of good luck and goodwill that she has been receiving. In the blog post, Visco writes that her run is “much more than a run. It is something that so many people NEED and have been looking for in their lives – an action and example that can show them that it is possible to do big things, do GOOD things, and to take on a challenge. It has hit me more and more over the last 20 days that this run is not for me. This run is not for the known. This run is for people who need the message this run brings. This run is for the people who believe and for those who NEED inspiration – youth, middle-aged, elders, everyone. There can never be enough inspiration in the world.” The Carletonian applauds Visco for her initiative and her desire.