This trip has inspired me in numerous ways. I was very inspired by the will power of the people to educate themselves and act on what they know will benefit their communities. I didn’t fear going to the island with the risk of the earthquakes because that is not my home. I was more concerned about making an impact while there to help their current situation, which we did and I’m extremely happy that we were able to do that. This trip taught me that exposing people to these types of environments and education is powerful. Many kids are unmotivated because they don’t know what’s out there. Schools make budget cuts to art programs, but don’t realize the impact that could have on a child’s learning. Last semester, I got to experience part of the implementation of a drug and alcohol abuse prevention plan for youth. Many youth in inner city communities are unengaged due to a plethora of reasons, but they need more exposure to their options after school to spark that motivation. Service learning is a powerful tool that can expose youth to many different things including environmentalism, construction, the arts, medicine, computer science, etc. This trip forced me to think outside of the box on how to apply some of that to what I’m currently seeing at the Department of Health and Human Services in Trenton.
I also have never been so engaged ecological studies. It was fascinating to me. I wish that we could somehow educate everyone about how to be more environmentally friendly. I went to a conference last summer hosted by Clean Water Action and I learned a lot about how to be more environmentally friendly in my own home by decreasing personal waste. This trip took that to another level. I learned that you can make an ecological bathroom, you can use salt water to power batteries/generators, how solar panels really work. It was a lot to learn but very beneficial. I will definitely be exploring more of my environmental options in the public health field.
