I don’t know exactly what I’m supposed to have accomplished in college. I came to Ames and Iowa State to get an education, to study engineering. I came to Iowa State to make something of myself, to become something, to be somebody. I came to Iowa State to meet new people, to have new experiences, to become “well-rounded.”

What does that mean – “well-rounded?” I’ll admit that I weigh a more than I did when I came to Ames, but adding 40 pounds to a 6′ 2″, 120-pound frame is far from becoming round. I think it only means that I don’t look like a stick figure any more – OK, I don’t look as much like a stick figure any more. But the fact of the matter is that even if I looked like the Michelin tire guy, that still wouldn’t make me well-rounded.

So I guess I’ve established that “well-rounded” isn’t a physical distinction. But my exploration of this subject is not for the faint of heart; it’s going to be a little corny, but I guess that’s one of the side effects of closing a chapter of my life that has taken almost five years to write.

I’ve spent the last ten semesters studying for a degree in electrical engineering. I’ve taken over 120 credit hours worth of classes, and I’ve studied everything from electrical power system analysis to ballroom dancing. I’ve had to sit through seemingly endless physics lectures, and had to work through laboratory sessions that have been mostly interesting, often tedious and sometimes perilous. I’ve used enough paper to level a small forest, and I’ve sat in more classroom chairs than I care to remember.

I’ve spent countless hours in front of computer screens. And yet, the things that I will remember forever are the times I spent studying, doing homework problems and working on class projects with classmates. I might not remember the work I did or when I did it, but I’ll always remember the people.

I’ve also spent the last ten semesters studying Tae kwon do under Iowa State’s very own Master Yong Chin Pak. I’ve spent numerous hours working on techniques and practicing terminology. I’ve been to over 20 tournaments and participated at more belt testing events and demonstrations than I can recall unaided. Usually, while we train for the annual Collegiate National Championships in the first two months of the fall semester, it feels like I spend every spare minute wearing those “white pajamas” – kicking, punching and yelling.

I’ll never remember the particulars of most of that stuff, but I will remember the times I bonded with my teammates during the 6 a.m. training runs, or the times I got help with my techniques from senior ranks. I may never remember the length of the runs, or the particular technique I worked on, but I’ll always remember who was there, and who helped.

The rest of the time I’ve been here, I’ve done a lot of different things. I’ve played all kinds of recreational sports, organized and not, from broomball to basketball. I’ve gone to basketball, football and hockey games to cheer for the Cyclones. I’ve worked the foodservice lines in the dorms, and as a student fund raiser for the ISU Foundation and as an academic tutor.

I’ve been on two different internships at two different companies. I’ve visited a wider variety of towns and cities in the last five years than I had in the previous 17 years of my life. There’s so much of that stuff that I will never remember, but the people I was with or those I met during those events will be what I recall.

So what does it mean to be “well-rounded?” We have all heard it used to indicate that one has experienced, learned and taken part in a variety of different things, in a wide variety of areas. And that’s exactly what it is. But I also think that being well-rounded means taking parts and pieces of all the people you interact with to fill out to spaces in your life, your personality – in yourself.

My gratitude goes to everyone who allowed me to take from them, in order to fill out the spaces in myself. This column says so much about what “I’ve” done, but in truth it should be corrected to reflect that all this is what “We’ve” done.

My biological family, my Tae kwon do family, my professors, my friends, my classmates . so many people have been a part of this whole journey for me, and I’ll always be in their debt. And interestingly enough, I like to think we’re pretty “well-rounded.”

Emeka Anyanwu is a senior in electrical engineering from Brooklyn, NY.