EECS Resiliency Project
“I think that life is a lot of the times about learning how to be unafraid of failure, and I have definitely failed a good amount–especially at Cal, especially in Computer Science. But Cal Boxing gave me the strengths to be unafraid of failure…In Boxing, you will have to accept that you can’t always win, and it is when you accept that, that you will be a lot stronger.” –Jacqueline Garcia, CS major and President of Cal Boxing
“It is fine to celebrate success, but it is more important to heed the lessons of failure.” – Bill Gates
According to the American Psychological Association, “Resilience is the process of adapting well in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats or significant sources of stress — such as family and relationship problems, serious health problems or workplace and financial stressors. It means “bouncing back” from difficult experiences. Being resilient does not mean that a person doesn’t experience difficulty or distress. In fact, the road to resilience is likely to involve considerable emotional distress…Resilience is not a trait that people either have or do not have. It involves behaviors, thoughts and actions that can be learned and developed in anyone.”
To really experience Berkeley is to take risks and try something new, which means opening up to the possibility of failure. We need to learn how to bounce back and view that challenge as part of the Berkeley experience.
Interested in Getting Involved?
We welcome participation from undergraduates, graduate students, faculty and staff. If you would like to talk with us about rejection, failure, setbacks, or definitions of success, please contact: Carol Marshall carolmarshall@berkeley.edu