#UMassDBelieves + The National “This I Believe” Project

#UMassDBelieves was inspired by the acclaimed 2004-2009 National Public Radio (NPR) series “This I Believe,” which featured essays from diverse contributors, including novelist Amy Tan and boxing hero Muhammad Ali. You are joining a long tradition, one that we adopted at UMassD back in 2015!

NPR’s This I Believe engaged listeners in a discussion of the core beliefs that guide their daily lives. We heard from people of all walks of life — the very young and the very old, the famous and the previously unknown, Nobel laureates, teachers, prison inmates, students, politicians, farmers, poets, entrepreneurs, activists and executives.¹

#UMASSDBELIEVES | An Introduction to the college conversation

In college you will be writing more than you ever have before. You will write for classes both in and out of your major– not just in your English classes.  As a college student, you will not only learn to write, but you will write to learn.

Through writing, you will become a part of the UMassD Community.

Holding onto, developing, changing and questioning your values is an important part of your university education; these experiences will inform many of the choices you make here, including your major, extra-curricular activities, time management—even your friendships. The #UMassDBelieves project is an opportunity to explore and examine the values and experiences that make you, you! And in four years, you’ll be able to look back at what you’ve posted here.

  • Visit the Directions for Writing page when you’re ready to begin.
  • Check out the contributions by famous figures highlighted below.
THIS I BELIEVE NEW ENGLAND– TRUTHS ABOUT RACISM | April 6th, 2021

“There is no denying that the subject of race is in the air. Black Lives Matter. Police-community relations. Racial tension. Race is now at the center of both public and private discourse. Robert Greer shares his poignant first-person reflections on the meaning of race in our lives.

Robert Greer comes to us from Fall River Massachusetts. He works in New Bedford with children on the spectrum for autism.”

Listen Here

SAYING THANKS TO MY GHOSTS | AMY TAN | April 26th, 2009

“Novelist Amy Tan hasn’t always believed in ghosts, but as a writer she’s had too many inspirations that she can’t fully explain. Now, Tan embraces her belief in ghosts and the messages of joy, love and peace they bring her.” 

“I AM STILL THE GREATEST” | MUHAMMAD ALI | APRIL 6TH, 2009

“To be the “Greatest of All Time,” boxing legend Muhammad Ali says you have to believe in yourself. It’s a lesson his parents taught him and it has helped him in fighting Parkinson’s disease.”

Acknowledgements:

With thanks to NPR.org and Pat Boyd Photography

¹https://www.npr.org/2009/04/27/103427272/celebrating-four-years-of-this-i-believe