Being a student at Wake Forest has many perks but also disadvantages. Students are so busy and caught up in their work that we are stuck in the “Wake Forest Bubble.”

Every single day is filled with class, homework and other extracurricular activities so it is hard to find the time for much else.

The “Wake Forest Bubble” lends itself to students not being as aware of what is going on outside of Wake Forest. Sure, we see things on the news and on our Facebook newsfeeds, but many of the events going on in the world aren’t pressing issues in our day-to-day lives. We tend to focus on that big test coming up as opposed to reading an article about current events or taking the time to watch the Vice Presidential Debate.

It is important for us to focus on our studies, but sometimes students, myself definitely included, ignore or do not think about what is happening outside of Wake Forest because of the lack of time that we can dedicate to current events and the lack of awareness surrounding those events on campus.

The year 2016 has proven to be historic with this presidential election and with the enormous amounts of unrest and protests around the country.

Between the many election updates, the countless mass shootings and protests occurring this year, there is so much information and events to stay up up to date on, and for college students, it is seemingly impossible.

However, it is still important for not just Wake Forest students, but college students across the country to dedicate some time to current events and to learn about what is happening around the country.

It is important to escape the Wake Forest bubble and to delve in to the real world. 

Regardless if they impact our day-to-day lives, these are pressing and important issues that we should understand, especially when voting for the President of the United States next month.

We have a responsibility to be aware of current events in the country and even internationally.

The environment at Wake Forest is busy and stressful, but changing the culture will allow students to be more invested in current events. I think we can do a better job of being more aware as a community and talk about the issues not only as a reaction to events but think about why these issues are present.

I’m not saying that we need to create an entire new movement on campus — the most important way to change this is on the individual level.

Personally, I know that I can make a better effort to go look at the news or visit the websites of news outlets so that I am staying up to date.

This attitude of awareness begins at the individual level, but can grow to become the norm and culture on campus if we want it to be.

Wake Forest can integrate current events into classes, into campus discussions on campus, guest speakers and events on campus.

Between the workload and the business of Wake Forest, we can all do better in fostering an environment that actively listens to and pays attention to the world outside of Wake Forest.