By Rebecca Harrelson, Staff Writer

Published in print Oct.22, 2014

Conor Grennan, author of “Little Princes,” came to visit UNCG to speak about his book, Oct. 8.

Grennan, a seemingly normal man about to turn 30, took a year-long trip around the world. His first stop on a three-month volunteering expedition was in war-torn Nepal.

His initial reason for volunteering was to impress women. The reason this experience changed his life was the child trafficking and the immense guilt he would feel if he did nothing to help.

The resulting novel was chosen for this year’s Keker First Year Summer Read, a program matched with New Student & Spartan Family Programs in Student Affairs. 

There are many sponsors and partners who allow a program such as this to happen. The QEP/Global Engagement, Housing and Residence

Life, Lloyd International Honors College, Learning Communities, FFL, the UNCG Bookstore and the Lucy Spinks Keker Endowment all support the reading program.

Dr. Kim Sousa-Peoples, who is Director of the New Student and Spartan Family Programs, welcomed Grennan when he gave his light hearted and engagingly honest speech.

The auditorium itself was almost completely packed from floor to ceiling with students, who laughed along with Grennan’s jokes and seemed thoroughly interested when he spoke about being an unmotivated citizen when he was younger.

The acknowledgment between what the students in that auditorium are faced with on a daily basis, in parallel to the children of Nepal, hopefully resonated between the comments in the audience of lack of cell service and how hungry they were.

The general consensus seemed to be engaged and attentive from the start of Grennan’s lecture to the very end.

I was thoroughly surprised with how honest Grennan was when speaking about how he didn’t particularly like children in his early years, how he didn’t want to over dramatize the revolution that was happening around him in Nepal nor did he seem to stand behind all of the accolades given by most everyone he comes in contact with.

For someone so quickly thrown into the limelight, Grenna seems very humble and quick with wit.

During his presentation he mentioned his wife and children, and he connected ties from going between the US and Nepal.

In an email interview with Grennan I asked him what advice he would give to college students who seem very immersed in their own bubble.

“Definitely to find something they are interested in,” wrote Grennan. “It could be anything. Don’t let anyone tell you the parts of the world you should be interested in, read about everything and if its not your thing, keep looking. Something will grab you.”   

Grennan chose to end his lecture with a story, intertwined with a lesson.

Imagine you have a sick child and you are in a remote village far off the beaten path. You have very little money, and this college-aged kid comes into your village.

He has medicine and supplies, and a look about him that tells you he definitely doesn’t give a shit about being in that village.

He gives out the medicine and you see your child getting better.They grow up, they go to school, and you have precious moments with them.

I guarantee there is no moment that you ever think, “man I hope that guy was doing that for the right reasons, if he was just doing that for his resume then screw it, ‘cause if that’s the case then it wouldn’t have even been worth it.”

Which is completely inaccurate. It shouldn’t matter why you do these things, if it’s for yourself, your parents, getting good grades to get a better job, who cares?

If it gets you off your couch, it gets you off your couch. That’s all that matters. Don’t let anyone ever tell you different.