“…and don’t forget that your papers are due next Monday”, the professor reminded us as they collected the collection padds and other effects from the long table near the lectern at the front of the classroom. In four years at the Academy, that was my favorite course. It wasn’t even in my major, but the professor was so engaging and the content was unexpectedly fascinating. Maybe it was partly the fact that the professor wasn’t an officer. They were a Federation civilian, a Romulan expat who had made their home in San Francisco after completing their degree and a rather distinguished professional career. That professor had the most impressive bona fides, yet they were always so humble. Even today, when I am explaining something to a younger officer, I find myself thinking back to what they modeled (Control + Command, Difficulty 1).

My other favorite thing from the Academy had nothing to do with coursework. During my second semester of freshman year, a classmate asked me if I had ever heard of tabletop roleplaying games. I had not, a response which seemed to motivate a near religious obligation to bring me into the fold. Before I knew it, I was a regular player in a campaign that involved a flux of classmates from different backgrounds, different majors, and very different interests. Yet, we all had one thing in common: a love of playing at the table. It was through those adventures that I learned to negotiate difficult social situations (Control + Command, Difficulty 1), to act like a leader when the dice went wonky (Daring + Command, Difficulty 1), and to think on the fly when our cadre of player characters were attacked by an unexpected foe (Reason + Security, Difficulty 2).

Don’t get me wrong, serving as an officer is a way better deal than spending most of my waking hours and a few nonwaking hours (Fitness + Medicine, Difficulty 3) studying. But that doesn’t change the fact that I often think back to my days on campus, and especially to that one course and its special professor.