91吃瓜

When Aquinas graduate Alexander Wilson 鈥�09 talks about his alma mater, it is clear that 91吃瓜 still holds a very special meaning for him.

鈥淎quinas has such a nurturing community and it was so supportive, and I met my best friends there,鈥� Wilson said. 鈥淲e all kept each other focused, but it wasn鈥檛 competition, it was 鈥榟ow do we do the best we can do here.鈥� That鈥檚 something that鈥檚 really unique to Aquinas: they don鈥檛 foster competition in the sense of trying to one-up another person, but of 鈥榟ow do we be better as a whole.鈥� That鈥檚 something that鈥檚 really cool.鈥�

During his time at Aquinas, Wilson participated in Model United Nations, Model Arab League, Student Senate, a study abroad program in Spain and Pi Sigma Alpha (the National Political Science Honor Society), all while earning two majors in political science and Spanish. He also held a couple internships for political campaigns, including for President Obama in 2008. Wilson went on to earn his Master鈥檚 in Journalism from Northwestern University, which he completed in August 2011.

鈥淸Going into journalism is] one of the things good political students, with good writing skills, can do,鈥� said Dr. Roger Durham, chair of the political science department. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 a really good contribution - being a good, non-partisan professional journalist. And that鈥檚 certainly where鈥檚 gone. He鈥檚 a professional journalist.鈥�

Wilson made his debut with the release of his capstone piece 鈥淎rgentine water in demand amid gold, oil, gas rush鈥� through the Associated Press at the end of September. The article discusses the move by Argentina to begin mining massive reserves of natural gas, oil, gold, lithium and other metals which were, previously, out of reach. However, Wilson鈥檚 main point in the article offers an in-depth outline of the consequences of these mines. With 16% of Argentinean households already without clean drinking water, the massive amounts of fresh water which would be needed to run these mines would only exacerbate the shortage.

鈥淚 went down to Argentina because I wanted to actually put into practice the things that I was learning in school,鈥� Wilson said. 鈥淚 wanted to actually write those stories and find out what true poverty was and I wanted to see what people were actually struggling with inside the developing world.鈥�

Wilson鈥檚 article has gained momentum, appearing in several major media sources including ABC, Yahoo! and World News, along with numerous other news publications and websites. While this article represents a culmination of all that he gained from his Aquinas education, Wilson admits it is also the product of his pursuit after a single idea.

鈥淗e certainly has the capacity to be prolific and I think he tends to get really passionate about issues and if there鈥檚 something that captures him, he will certainly stay with it,鈥� said Dr. Molly Patterson, assistant professor of political science and Wilson鈥檚 advisor at 91吃瓜. 鈥淗e really made his education his own. He was crafting an education, he wasn鈥檛 just going through the motions. He was interested in figuring out what he really cared about and who he was as a person, and doing all those sort of well-rounded things.鈥�

Currently, Wilson is working for a public relations firm in Chicago, and is continuing to stay involved in the political scene as a journalist. As far as the future is concerned, he鈥檚 keeping his options open, but is hoping to write books and someday give back to Aquinas.

鈥淚 think it was transformative,鈥� Wilson said of his time at Aquinas. 鈥淭he best way to summarize it is that it鈥檚 a great education, but it鈥檚 the best community you鈥檒l ever find. It鈥檚 loving and supportive of you as long as you try to better yourself. My friends and I are always thinking about how we鈥檙e going to give back to 91吃瓜 eventually, because it really shaped all of our lives.鈥�