Reflecting on My Junior Year…
Nich Vunn is a rising senior at Gettysburg College double majoring in international affairs and economics.
Studying abroad during the pandemic has not been easy. However, by staying connected with friends and family, focusing on the small things that bring me joy, I’ve gotten through my junior year at Gettysburg College. I have learned that like it or not, things will evolve, but it is up to us to decide how to respond.
During this challenging time, I am very proud of my commitment in prioritizing my mental health while getting involved with meaningful social justice conversations around campus. In addition, I’m also proud of myself for taking on more leadership roles, whether that be leading volunteer shifts at the Painted Turtle farm or promoting voting registration on campus for the 2020 election.
With remote learning, I found myself feeling more lonely and isolated than any other year. The uncertainty of the pandemic presented many challenges. Despite them, I am grateful to have great friends, family, and mentors who give me the strength to continue when things are hard. I wholeheartedly appreciate the text messages and phone calls from my loved ones.
To further improve my mental health, I created a new morning routine for myself that includes activities such as yoga, meditation, and running. I particularly love running around the battlefield of Gettysburg in the morning, listening to Brené Brown’s podcast.
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In addition to those things, I continue to play ukulele, sing for fun with my apartment mates, and penny board around campus. Another method I’ve used to improve my mental health is making use of the free counseling services at my school. My counselor has been so great in guiding me and providing me great advice on ways to take care of my mental health. Together, these activities make me happy and bring meaning to my life.
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Through the Center for Public Service, a program that promotes social justice at Gettysburg, I am presented with possibilities to learn about social advocacy and other meaningful projects. During the fall of 2020, I was hired to be the program coordinator at the Painted Turtle Farm, a community garden and training center meeting the need for food justice in Adams County. This experience has allowed me to learn more about food justice and the challenges faced by local immigrant families. |
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Working at the farm gives me purpose. I was able to introduce other students to our farm and reconnect with the earth through harvesting. The farm brings us all together, giving us an opportunity to learn from one another while giving back to the community. I shared knowledge with the students about agriculture back home in Cambodia and received knowledge about agriculture in their own communities. I am grateful to have been chosen to lead the volunteer shifts, which has allowed me to facilitate these pertinent discussions about farming.
During the spring semester, I was able to read Braiding Sweetgrass as part of our Center for Public Service staff book club. This book contains indigenous teaching and scientific knowledge of teaching plants. To be quite honest, I did not know much about the Native Americans’ culture or history prior to coming to the college here in the States. This book has taught me so much about their relationship with nature and sustainable practices. One of my favorite quotes from the book is: “The land knows you, even when you feel lost.” We, as humans, have the responsibility to collectively find solutions to protect our earth because she is giving so much to us. I plan to send this book to one of my SHE CAN sisters soon to pass the knowledge on.
Another valuable project that I got to experience with the Center for Public Service was my involvement with the advocacy and activism working group. The group focused on promoting voter registration for the election of 2020. We’d host workshops every other week to answer students’ questions about registration. My role was to create flyers for our events for advertisement on social media platforms.
I was very excited for this task because as an international student, I got to learn firsthand what the U.S election system looked like. I learned about the electoral system and how important elections are in demanding change. This moment has allowed me to compare and contrast between American and Cambodian electoral systems. I am very grateful for this experience.
All in all, I can’t believe I am a year away from graduating, but I am excited for my senior year and the many opportunities for growth that lie ahead.