As I watched the Oscars from my hotel room in Cancun, I knew that this was a special year. Not only because the Oscars were being streamed in Cancun in English—but tonight was the night that Leonardo DiCaprio could finally win an Oscar after trying for his entire acting career. I was very excited for Leo and knew this was a big night for him, along with everyone else tuning into their televisions across the world. After the end of a long night, it was finally time to announce the winner of the “Actor in Leading Role” Oscar. After a few seconds of dragged out television anticipation, the announcers finally ripped open the envelope and read Leo’s name from the card. Everyone in the theater, as well as my friends and I in our Cancun hotel room, clapped and cheered. It was like a sigh of relief… finally! After all that time, the Academy has finally recognized Leo for all of his hard work.
After thinking about it, I realized I was about be the Leonardo DiCaprio of my own life Oscars in a way. After all the hard work I’ve put in the past four years at Temple, I was about to receive my Bachelor’s degree in May. As a second semester senior in college, I could compare myself to Leonardo DiCaprio for probably the only time in my life. These are few similar traits of Leo’s that I picked out from that night that truly describe my life right now:
- Perseverance: Leo never stopped acting even though he lost every Oscar nomination until the 2015 Oscars. Similarly, I never stopped pushing even when I thought my classes were going to literally kill me (capstone… this one’s for you). If Leo could continue to act after every perpetual disappointment and loss, you can push through whatever class is bogging you down. If you put in the hard work, you will make it out on top.
- Humility: Instead of getting up on stage and telling the Academy, “it’s about time!” Leo referenced global warming and how big of an impact it is having on our planet. He made his speech about a larger issue at hand instead of focusing on himself. This is a skill I’ve learned greatly through group projects here at Temple. Although I’ve been put in many situations where I’ve wanted to tell my group members “I told you so”, I tried to avoid doing that and put our differences aside to work towards our common goal. This has not only made me a better person, it will make me a better employee in my future jobs.
- Gratitude: Leo was extremely thankful to everyone from The Revenant who helped him achieve this milestone in his acting career, because he knew he could not have just accomplished that goal without their help and support. Similarly, I could not have gotten through the up’s and down’s of college without the support of my family, friends, colleagues, professors, advisors, and everyone else who was there along the way. Take advantage of the Kate Winslets of your life who are in your corner looking for you to succeed in life, they will help you go a long way.
Although my life is nowhere near comparable to that of a recent Oscar winning actor, Leo’s journey to success mirrors my four year journey here at Temple. At times, it was a long and difficult road- but at the end it is all worth it.
This guest blog post was written by PRowl account executive Rene Cosides.
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