Eric Palma, 19, psychology major
“As a child, people don’t take you seriously and I would just stay stuck without knowing what people are thinking. I would just stay wondering. I’ve always asked the question, ‘Why? Why did this person do this?’ Even to this day, I look at the news and see the terrorist attacks or shootings and the first question I always ask is, ‘Why would this person do something like that?’ That’s the question I always want to know how to answer. When I know that, I feel more comfortable dealing with the situation. It’s my drive to know more about what a person is thinking [that influences me]. As a child, I would think to myself. Now I feel like I have a lot of sympathy and empathy, so it wouldn’t be hard for me to put myself in someone else’s shoes. Even though I haven’t been in [a certain] situation, I feel like I can understand and have an open mind.”
