"Find something that resonates," Professor David Horan told my class before we set off for our spring break in Italy.
While I packed my bags, I wondered when my moment would come. Would it come in Rome when we wandered through the Colosseum, the Roman Forum or the Baths of Caracalla? Or in Pisa as I looked up a tower that stands tall in spite of itself? Or in Vatican City, beneath the arches of the Sistine Chapel?
My moment came in the heart of Florence at the Duomo di Firenze.
It was over 400 steps to the top of the Duomo, and my legs were burning by the time I reached the top. Every ache and cramp was worth it, though, as I watched the city roll away from the basilica.
There was nothing but the Tuscan sky separating me from the stars, and I started to cry.
Hamlet once remarked, "What a piece of work is a man! How noble in reason, how infinite in faculty! In form and moving how express and admirable! In action how like an Angel! In apprehension how like a god!"
Standing on the dome that Brunelleschi designed and above the streets that Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo walked, I felt the weight of my faith in human innovation and creativity.
Although Hamlet found no joy in humanity, despite all our graces, I had never been more proud of what humanity has accomplished.
It's easy to be cynical and find fault in our fellow man. College graduates are especially susceptible to pessimism in the face of a world ready to say "No."
We have to overcome that, though. There's so much more to be made of this world and our lives, but we have to be willing to suspend our disbelief in ideas that seem crazy or irrational at first.
I was only one pair of eyes, one pair of feet and one pair of hands. But, then again, so was Brunelleschi when his careful hands designed the largest brick dome ever built.
We each are granted one chance to contribute the most we can in this life. Encourage each other to follow ideas to fruition. Refuse to let fear exile you from greatness. Pursue dreams, not dollars.
They may not amount to much. They could end up withering into the background noise of the universe. Or they could swell up over centuries and anchor cities still stretching into the horizon.
