"The men at the bar were my father by committee," he said. "I was Charmin-soft as a kid, and they were like sandpaper."
Along with the men at the bar, two eccentric bookstore owners, Bill and Budd, instilled in Moehringer a love for reading and books and fed his love for language. With their encouragement, Moehringer applied to Yale, the university of his dreams, and was admitted.
"College is a dream that I cannot stop remembering," he said. "Four years of it seemed massive when I was 18. In high school, you have to figure out how to get into college, but in college, you have to figure out how to fit into the real world."
Getting into Yale meant access to a first-class education, something that Moehringer never thought he would receive. "I came from nothing, we were on food stamps and were abjectly poor," he said. "College is paradise - you should feel out of place." Anyone who is too complacent in their ability to get a liberal arts education, he said, should be awakened to the privilege they have. "Disillusionment is the greatest danger that lies ahead," he said.
"I remember the emotional importance of this stage [going off to college]," he said. "Your family's hopes and dreams are at college with you."
While he encouraged students to be ready for change and to embrace it during their college years, he cautioned students against "thinking that everything is perfect."
"These are suggestions that can make you fireproof," he said, as students embark on their quest to 'set the world aflame.' "You must have a place within yourself that is safe from the fire, a place of hope and calm."
Moehringer then laid out several points of advice for students beginning their college years. "Everyday, do one thing you do not want to do. This will lead to other good things. Start fast. Don't wait - shyness hardens quicker than cement. Push yourself out of your comfort zone. Have faith in yourself - you cannot wait to feel good about yourself. Real confidence precedes proof."
Spring Break
