Shoge on Liberal Arts
Published in Kent County News | Dorian Mitchell | March 11, 2015
Sam Shoge’s presentation, “Liberal Arts Transcending,” focused on how a powerful education is lifelong and can show someone how to best give back to the community.
The talk took place Tuesday, March 10, at Chestertown RiverArts, and was part of the ongoing “Creative Lives” lecture series.
The youngest member on the Chestertown town council, the assistant director of admissions at Washington College and now a volunteer firefighter in training, Shoge said being involved in liberal arts is part of his drive to serve Kent County and to accomplish his goals.
“I’ve found that the liberal arts model applies to aspects of life outside of education and the classroom” he said.
Shoge said his journey began at an early age, due to both his parents being college professors. They instilled their children with the importance of education and how hard work can truly show what someone is capable of.
“It was a mantra in my family,” he said.
A Kent County native, Shoge said the teachers at Kent County High School taught the same principles. However, he said, it wasn’t until he attended Elon University in North Carolina and was immersed fully into an environment where people performed community service because they wanted to that he came to appreciate the liberal arts approach.
“The professors there told us that it’s not just about the degree or the major, it’s about graduating with fundamental skills,” Shoge said. “Then, it’s about taking those skills back to your community and using them to improve it.”
He said initially after graduation, he wanted to work in a city such as Baltimore, in the urban planning field. Once he came back to Chestertown, he realized the love he had for his hometown and the people who live here.
“Chestertown is what I know, it’s who I am,” Shoge said. “What I’ve learned about myself and how to be a better person stems from this town and Kent County.”
He said after he was hired at Washington College, he felt something was missing from his life, as if there was a lack of purpose. He recalled the liberal arts model of channeling one’s gifts in a constructive manner and decided to use the passion he had for his hometown to help better it as a whole.
Shoge said serving on the Chestertown Planning and Zoning Commission was a step in the right direction, but it was only after being elected councilman for the Third Ward that he felt able to begin making a difference.
“I finally am in a position where I feel like I’m making a difference in the community,” he said.
Shoge tied his accomplishments thus far, such as his involvement in the town’s new website and the creation of a young professionals network, to the liberal arts approach of never being afraid to learn new things and applying them to life.
“You really have to have the courage to delve into the unknown,” he said. “That’s something my education has stressed and something I’ve come to understand.”
Shoge said that was why he decided to join the Chestertown Volunteer Fire Company, to have a new experience and to further serve his town.
“I see it as a firm commitment to how much I love this town,” he said.
Shoge said he uses his path in life as an example to his peers and to the high-schoolers who apply to Washington College, because he had been in their shoes before.
“We all have a void in our lives somewhere,” he said. “I’ve found it can be filled by performing community service and I encourage others to do the same.”
Shoge said he has discovered that a liberal arts education not only provides essential skills and promotes the quest of obtaining new knowledge, but it also leads to a path of serving others and sharing one’s talents with not only their community, but with the world itself.
“It’s much more than an education,” he said in closing. “It’s about giving back, committing to lifelong learning and making a difference. It affects your whole life and once you’re fully committed, it’s very powerful and can help shape your future into its potential.”
