We, as people, tend to have a negative perception of other people. We have little to no faith in humanity because we believe people are bound to disappoint us. Now, sometimes that may be true. In my experience, however, if you open up and give people a chance, you are bound to be pleasantly surprised.

Going into college I had a very judgmental view of fraternities and sororities, believing that they were superficial and the members were drunk party animals who didn’t care about their education. So, imagine my dismay when in my Spanish class in Spring 2023, I was assigned to be in a group with a member of a Hofstra University fraternity, which shall remain nameless. I’m not omitting the name to protect the innocent, I’m omitting the name because I forgot what it was.

Anyways, the professor wanted the groups to participate and share their responses with the class. Of course, awkward silence ensued – no one wanted to break the ice. I assumed that if I were to raise my hand, the frat guy next to me would be telling all his brothers about the nerdy teacher’s pet that he was assigned to work with in class.

Sure enough, it was the fraternity brother next to me who courageously raised his hand first and broke the ice. My hypothesis was proven false. Looking back, it’s easy to see why. After all, I used preconceived notions to judge a person I never spoke to. In theory, isn’t that insane?

So, how about instead of judging people we’ve never spoken to, we open our minds, mouths and hearts to engage with them. If you’re like me, the outcome may be a pleasant surprise, and in the long run, a real gift: a little more faith in humanity.