Chapel Talk, 2013 May 8 / Pemberton Heath '08

In this talk, math teacher Pem Heath '08 reveals how her drive to succeed in college led to a loss of sense of self: "Soon enough, you start to rely on that excellence as a part of your identity. Conveniently, your intense focus on goals distracts you from the much more difficult questions life can pose, like 'who am I?' and 'what do I really care about' and 'what do I stand for?' It is much easier to instead listen to the outside world tell you who you are: a success. You become defined by being successful, and in the process your own sense of identity - your internal sense of self - erodes."