Once a month, Tech's Open Forum has someone present a tenet of their personal philosophy by reading a brief This I Believe essay. In conjunction with these presentations, Open Forum is hosting a campus-wide essay contest and encouraging all students to submit.

Students have until Monday, Oct. 31, to decide what they believe and submit essays for consideration. Submissions should use words and tone “that truly echo your belief and the way you speak,” as recommended by thisibelieve.org. Additional guidelines are available at thisibelieve.gatech.edu. Finalists’ essays will be posted online, and the winner will deliver his or her essay during the final Open Forum of the semester (though winners may opt out if they choose).

A nonprofit initiative that encourages youth and adults in “writing, sharing and discussing brief essays about the core values that guide their daily lives,” This I Believe began as a radio show during the 1950s. In recent years, the program has been rekindled through its inclusion as a series on National Public Radio (NPR). Some examples of essay topics from thisibelieve.org include “I Believe in the Power to Forget,” “I Believe in Laughter” and “I Believe in Being Cool to the Pizza Delivery Dude.”

So far this year, First Lady Valerie Peterson, undergraduate Student Government Association President Elle Creel and Dean Gary May of the College of Engineering have been speakers in Tech’s This I Believe series.

To learn more about Open Forum or This I Believe, attend an Open Forum on Tuesdays at 11 a.m. in the Office of Undergraduate Studies in the Clough Commons, or check future discussion topics.