SDSU Homecoming is a special time of the year for Aztecs, both young and old. It’s not quite like high school when the goal was to score a date for the dance. Instead, it’s a time that bonds students and alumni alike to a common experience and a common identity (and a common team to root for!). It doesn’t matter if this is your first year at State or if you’re coming back after 50 years; we are all Aztecs and that’s something that runs deeper than going to the same university.

Last year, I was honored to be crowned the Homecoming King. Now, unlike high school the process doesn’t involve voting or popularity. Instead, it’s chosen by a special committee that looks for the qualities they think best represents San Diego State: leadership, service, and dedication to your fellow students and your community, to name a few. The entire court is made of the best that SDSU has to offer and, believe me, we have some amazing students walking around the campus every day. It came as quite the shock to me when I heard my name announced as that year’s King and it got me to reflect on all of my experiences throughout college.

I was lucky enough to take advantage of every opportunity that SDSU has to offer. I was highly involved in Associated Students, Greek life, student clubs, I got to study abroad and I even threw in a few surfing classes. Each of these experiences shaped my college career and, without even realizing it, shaped what kind of person I would be upon graduation. I learned how to act in a professional environment, how to interact with and learn from different people of different backgrounds, how to manage my time, how to deal with chaos, and how to get through the obstacles life tends to throw at you.

For me, Homecoming was the time I saw everything I had done and who I had become culminate into one moment. It’s a unique opportunity when that happens, and when it does you should really take the time to think about it. What have you done to help someone else recently? Have you made the most of the opportunities you’ve been presented? Is there anything you want to do but haven’t done yet? What can you do to make sure others get the same chances you have had? How can you make SDSU a better place than when you arrived?

These are not simple questions and I’ve found that they apply to life outside of the campus. They can be about your community, your friends or family, your career or anything else. It’s always good to stop every once in a while to ask yourself these kinds of questions, and it’s ok if the answers don’t come right away. It’s not about knowing the answer it’s about asking the questions in the first place and making sure that whatever it is you are doing, it’s leading you down the path you feel is right and that you are helping others do the same.

This is what makes us Aztecs. This is the common identity that we all share, and this is what SDSU Homecoming is all about. So be proud, flaunt the red & black, and always remember what a great university we get to call ours.

Tom Rivera graduated magna cum laude in May 2013 with a BA in political science and a minor in classical languages (Latin).  Rivera currently lives in Washington, D.C. and works as a Staff Assistant for Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA)