Our service day with the West Atlanta Watershed Alliance really got me thinking.  I was excited to be greeted by the mountain. As soon as we got there I was already facing the outgoing paths. A big part of me wanted to wander off and lose myself in them, but that was not what we…

I  signed up for this course  because I am passionate about the material. I was honestly content with just learning about Black ecology in my free time and through my research, and it was a happy surprise to find this listed in Emory’s course atlas. For the past year I have been absolutely fascinated by…

I was born in Panama, as were my parents, my brother, and every other living relative I am aware of. I only lived there for two years before the four of us moved to Houston, but I was raised on stories about the beaches and rivers, mountains and forests, pueblos and cities. My parents’ stories…

When I was enrolling for classes this semester, I was thrilled to see an African American Studies course that included ecology. It seemed like the perfect course to align with my interests, and it felt like a sign for it to be offered my last semester in college. This course taught me so much, and…

I firmly believe that having access to green spaces and connecting with the Earth is a fundamental human right. However, as we continue to grow and develop our cities, we are left with more concrete than grasses and trees. There is something very special about forgetting the responsibilities of your life while you focus on…

I arrived at this service event late, but when I walked up to the West End train station, it was clear that the combination of sun, coloring, and music made the atmosphere. We worked with some kids to make newspaper pots, which brought out my inner child as well. We colored together, and it was…

Since coming to Emory, this WAWA service event was the first off campus volunteering I did since high school. This was significant because after coming to this, I realized just how little I was involved with my community outside of Emory. When Professor Chapman initiated making a circle to introduce oneself, there I learned that…

This was a semester of two “firsts” for me. I decided to take a philosophy class and an ecology class for the first time in my college career. I came in with an open mind about both and was pleasantly surprised by both of them and the overlaps they created. Being in this Black Ecology…

At this service event, I learned a lot about adapting. Both the nature of community work and of outdoor organizing is that unexpected situations are to be expected. When we went into this event, we did not expect to adapt our educational games to college students, or to do work outside like pulling English Ivy….

Our time with the Willie North Institute was one of the most meaningful things I think I’ve done in a long time. It was an honor to be there and experience the space, especially to be able to contribute to the event as well. I would love to help out again in the future.  When…