Common Experience Through the Years

The 2023-2024 Common Experience theme is Listening to Grow. Growing to Belong. Belonging to Empower Each Other which is supported by our Common Read, "Youre Not Listening: What Youre Missing and Why it Matters" by Kate Murphy.

About the 2023-2024 Common Read

Kate Murphy explains why, in a world of instantaneous communication, nobody is listening to one another—and even worse, no one really knows how. She explores this through the lens of neuroscience, psychology, civil discourse, and sociology with real-life examples of listening at work (or lack thereof). Murphy highlights that listening is essential in growing, learning, trusting, and helping one another. With this text, and our theme for the year, “Listening to Grow. Growing to Belong. Belonging to Empower Each Other.” We hope that the campus community will think critically about how they interact with each other and how well they listen to themselves. How will you work toward becoming an active listener to create community and empower yourself and others?

About the Authors

Kate Murphy is a Houston, Texas based journalist who has written for the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Economist, Agence France-Presse, and Texas Monthly. Her eclectic and widely shared pieces have explored an extraordinary range of topics including health, technology, science, design, art, aviation, business, finance, fashion, dining, travel, and real estate. Kate is known for her fresh and accessible way of explaining complex subjects, particularly the science behind human interactions, helping readers understand why people behave the way they do. She also holds a commercial pilots license, which she puts to good use when called upon to report from remote locations.

2023-2024 Common Experience Committee

The 2022-2023 Common Experience theme is Cultivating Me to Understand the Complexities of We which is supported by Tell Me Who you Are by Winona Guo and Priya Vulchi.

About the Authors

Winona Guo and Priya Vulchi are the authors of the book Tell Me Who You Are. The authors of Tell Me Who You Are traveled to all 50 states within the United States to learn the different stories and perspectives of individuals. Race and intersectionality are a common theme in the stories of theses Americans and how it impacted the outcomes of their lives. Praya Vulchi and Winona Guo's book take a huge step in the direction of informing the world on how to navigate racial literacy properly. The stories that people tell give an understanding of how others around the country live their lives differently even though we are all apart of the American Culture.

Common Experience Fall 2022 Events

2022-2023 Common Experience Committee

"Use Your Voice to Empower the Future"

The 2020-2021 Common Experience theme is "Using Your Voice to Empower the Future" which is supported by  Vote for US: How to Take Back Our Elections and Change the Future of Voting by Joshua A. Douglas.  The purpose of this text is to light a spark in you to want to become engaged within your community to make a change. Douglas, with his examples, shows that anyone can create change with even small everyday activities. What matters is that you speak up and fight for what you believe in. Imagine it being a few years from now, someone is discussing what is going on in the world today, and they ask you, what did you do during this time? What do you hope to tell them? Not everyone can vote, however, the one thing we can all do is use our voice! Join us on this journey of using our voices to create change.   

For more information on our events, please visit JagSync or contact the Office of First-Year Experience at (210) 784-1435.

Check out these resources to learn about different ways to become civically engaged!

• Vote 411: First Time Voter Checklist
• Move Texas: Move University
• How to Vote in Every State:  How To Vote In Texas 2020 (2:05)  
• CrashCourse:  Election Basics: Crash Course Government and Politics #36 (8:45)  
• Howcast:  How to Choose a Candidate to Vote For (1:49)  
• Wireless Philosophy:  PHILOSOPHY - Political: Why Vote? Reasons to Vote (10:42)  
• Tedx Talks:  The Power of the Youth Vote | Mindy Romero | TEDxUCDavis (15:23)  
• YouthDebates.org:  Why Should You Vote? (1:38)  
• Presidential Precinct:  What is Civic Engagement? (1:52)   

"The Pieces of You: Creating Your Masterpiece"

The 2019-2020 Common Experience theme is "The Pieces of You: Creating Your Masterpiece" which is supported by the book Piecing Me Together by Renée Watson. This book is the story of Jade Butler, a young African American girl who attends a predominantly white private school. She encounters different challenges and learns about herself as she journeys through high school, finding what pieces of her life she needs to complete her.

These are the events that our office will be hosting for the year. For more information on the events, please visit JagSync or contact the Office of First-Year Experience at (210) 784-1435.

"Daring: To Bravely Go Where Others Won't"

The 2018-2019 Common Experience theme is "Daring: To Bravely Go Where Others Won't" which is supported by the book "Spare Parts" by Joshua Davis. The book entails a story of 4 undocumented high school students who create a robotics team to build robots and compete against some of the best robotics teams in the nation. Their bravery is showcased throughout the entire book as they face new challenges and obstacles every day.

Below is a calendar of events. Events will be added as they are confirmed so be sure to stay updated by checking back frequently and don't forget to check JagSync!

"Exploring Intersections of Identity in Our Diverse World"

The 2017-2018 Common Experience Theme is "Exploring Intersections of Identity in Our Diverse World," which will be supported by the Common Read, Callings: The purpose and passion of work by Dave Isay. 

Events will be added to this calendar as they are confirmed.  Check back often for new event listings. 

"Every Interaction Matters: Choose, Act, Impact"

The 2016-2017 Common Experience theme is Every Interaction Matters: Choose, Act, Impact, which will be supported by the Common Reading text, The Butterfly Effect by Andy Andrews, and driven by an examination of civic responsibility.