Do something outrageous, kids.

Something really, really, flippin' outrageous: Live life in the way you always dreamed you would.

My freshman year at Penn State, I had the chance to not only hear the inspirational feminist, Gloria Steinem, deliver a speech at Eisenhower Auditorium, I had the chance to meet her. In fact, I was actually quoted in the Collegian's article on the event (yes, there was life before the Collegian).

And now for the purposes of this column, I have the chance to steal and modify her quotes in order to share her wisdom with you.

To this day her words of advice for everyday activism play over and over again in my head, challenging me to do greater things and become a better person.

But before your eyes glaze over and you start thinking that this is just another "crazy feminist" prima donna rant -- just simmer down and listen. Because feminist or not, Gloria has got it right.

Every single day of this awesome thing we call life is meant to be outrageous and extraordinary.

And I truly believe that we are meant to make the most of it -- not only for ourselves, but also in the process, for others.

But first, let us start with ourselves.

As I find myself facing graduation in two weeks, I'm wondering how I thought life would turn out once I "grew up" (a.k.a. graduated from college).

While somewhere in third grade, my plans of being an animator for the Animaniacs series were dashed due to the fact I discovered I couldn't draw worth a shit. But no worries folks, I have soldiered on.

Now I can look forward to a long and promising career in journalism and women's studies.

But the truth is, I simply don't know where I'll end up or what I'll end up doing.

And after 16 straight years of education (which were supposed to give us all the answers, right?) not having all the answers is kind of a scary thought. You know what I'm saying?

But one thing I've learned in the last four years is that part of living a life of outrageous acts is to live life without fear.

Carrying around a fear of the unknown is such a downer. It prevents you from taking the chances necessary to challenge yourself, and allow yourself to grow and to learn more about who you are.

My advice to achieve this extraordinary life: Do anything that scares you. Personally, I've done a lot of this within the past year.

First, I recommend moving halfway around the world. The farther the better. I lived within a few miles of the Indian Ocean in Perth, Australia, last spring while I studied abroad.

I was more than 24 hours away from home by air travel. There's nothing like two oceans between you and home to help you figure out who you are and what you want.

Second, I recommend throwing yourself out of a plane. But, with a chute of course. Before reaching Australia I had a chance to go traveling. I went backpacking for five weeks in New Zealand with a Penn State gal who I now count among my good friends.

Around week four, after three previous attempts to jump out of a plane (they were canceled due to inclement weather), I found myself free falling from 15,000 feet over the most gorgeous country in the world.

Third, try something completely different. Get involved in Penn State in as many different (obscure) organizations and activities as you are interested in -- even if you have no clue what they are or whether or not you can do it.

My one big regret from my time at Penn State was not hanging out with the spelunking club.

Fourth, get out of your cultural element. Penn State may not be the most diverse campus in the country, but we have a wealth of student organizations that put on fantastic cultural events. As a student groups reporter last semester, I had a chance to cover the Indian Graduate Students Organization's event, OMKAR 2004.

All I have to say is "Wow." So don't be afraid to learn about and participate in the celebrations and events of other cultures. That's why these students put on these events. They want you to go.

Fifth, tell that one person how you really feel. This is tough. No doubt about it. But at the very least, you'll have the satisfaction of knowing you were honest.

Life is so cool. Just know if you live life as a series of outrageous acts, as Gloria suggests, you're guaranteed to have a good time and a good conscience. Make a difference in your own life and you're bound to make differences in the lives of others.

Good luck, all. And thank you for making my time at Penn State some of the greatest moments of my life -- so far.