When President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were inaugurated on Jan. 20, it was as though the dark and tumultuous clouds cast over America had finally parted. Suddenly, a better future was not just a dream, a wish or a hope on the horizon, but a reality before us. The inauguration was historical, yes, but also emotionally moving in multiple aspects. Some moments were obvious, such as watching the first Black, South-Asian woman become vice president or listening to the youngest inaugural poet articulate the promise of America. Others were more subtle, such as watching Ashley Biden, daughter of the president, smile and hold back tears as she stood next to her mother, watching her father be sworn into the highest office in the United States after a lifetime dedicated to public service. 

Recently, after hearing a great deal about President Biden, I’ve come to realize that he is also a notable modern Democratic president in how he is a non-Ivy League graduate. 

It does not come as a surprise that many of the most successful professionals within our political and legal fields have graduated from Ivy League institutions or those of equal standing. They are considered to be some of our brightest minds and are, therefore, most suited in guiding our country through positions of leadership, from congressmen to Supreme Court justices. This belief, though not incorrect, can easily become narrow-minded. To assume that, with an Ivy League degree, one is destined to do good and commendable work is presumptuous, at best, and a guide to corruption, at worst. 

At this point, you may be wondering why I have a vendetta against Ivy League schools or if I am simply envious that I don’t get to experience an extreme level of imposter syndrome. To answer this upfront: I have a great respect for such esteemed institutions, and if you attend Yale then I am, in fact, jealous that you are living out my Rory Gilmore dreams. 

I find that Joe Biden receiving his undergraduate degree from the University of Delaware, a state school, and his J.D. from the College of Law at Syracuse University to be notable simply because it widens the path of opportunity in modern society.

An unsurprising amount of individuals who come from generational wealth and financial privilege go on to Ivy League colleges before beginning their inevitable career in politics. This is not to say that every person who attends one of these schools comes from privilege of some kind. This would be an inaccurate assumption because there is no single shared story, and the circumstances of one individual can largely differ from that of another.

What I am saying is that I would not be surprised if someone with a degree from an institution like the ones mentioned above ran for public office of any sort. Especially one where they’d end up in the Oval Office. 

Perhaps Joe Biden graduating from a state school similar to the one I currently attend resonates with because it makes me dream bigger. It reinforces my belief in the value of my education here at NC State. It reminds me that while it is innately expected to be well educated to serve in our highest offices, it might even be more valuable to simply be an ordinary citizen. Someone who looks at their community and sees injustices taking place and issues that need solving. Someone who reflects on their own life traced with lines of grief and hardship and thinks to themselves “How can I use this to help others?” If there is any reason as to why Joe Biden will be a good president, it is because of how he has dedicated his life to helping others. 

I am reminded of a day last autumn in an upper-level political science class when we went through introductions explaining who we were, why we were in our major and what we hoped to learn. Every person described an issue they were passionate about, a purpose they felt called to fulfill in making this world better than it is. All I could think to myself was how lucky I felt to be surrounded by intelligent people who would inevitably go on to do such remarkable work.

If there is a day when I watch a fellow NC State alum be sworn in as the president of the United States, I will be incredibly proud. 

But I won’t be surprised. After all, this is the place where we think and do the extraordinary.