Thursday, March 8

Kristen Foley:

Today was a great day. Actually an incredible day. Our group had the incredible opportunity to go a local school to explain Level’s mission to students as well as work with some of the students with various disabilities in the school. I worked with a teenager named Benji and helped him to decorate a kindness rock to put on the Discovery Trail that we have been working on all week. The purpose of painting these rocks was to place many positive messages along the trail to help those who travel to know they are supported by a larger community and that they are not alone. 

In my conversations with Benji, I asked him what he planned to do when he graduated from school. His answer was “Well, I have autism, so I dont know.” Immediatly three teachers surrounding us jumped in reminding him that the autism does not restrict his future and that he already has many opportunities available to him as he already has an internship. This conversation had an impact on me in two major ways. To start, Benjis quick response really opened my eyes. It showed me the impact the stigma that society has created about autism and other disabilities can have on these children. The thought that Benji's autism is disabling was not an original thought. This is what he has been told or has seen happen repeatedly throughout society. This shows how important our mission is: to advocate for those with various disabilities as well as encourage those who have disabilities that there are still many opportunities in their future. The second impact the conversation had on me was that I was super inspired by the teachers. They were so quick to catch on to his doubt and were able to respond with so much confidence. They knew that Benji could move forward and be successful in his life. During the school year I work as a behavioral therapist with a young kid who has severe autism every morning. I saw many parallels between Benji and the child I work with including their different behaviors and their unique personalities. Watching this reminded me how important it is to continue to support the kid I work and never forget that success is definitely possible. I am excited to go back and bring back the optimism the teachers had to the preschool where I work and continue to make positive changes in his life.

After we left the school we went back to the discovery trail. I got to see some ducks, which, for the fifth day straight, successfully brought a smile to my face. We also finished our projects. It is extremely apparent to me how our group has grown in so many ways. Beyond the service, we have all opened up so much and have learned to understand each other in so many different ways. I have learned so much about what Level means to people and the difference I can make beyond this trip. I am excited to learn about other ways these types of communities can be advocated for and I know that the mission does not stop as this week comes to an end. The future is so exciting and big things will be happening soon!

Ryan Vaughn:

We had the opportunity to discuss LEVEL’s mission with the Community School of Davidson. The Community School of Davidson is a school that has the appearance of a high school straight from the movies. Between second and third period there is a school wide, “Jump Start” where there is a goal to regain focus by getting the blood pumping by moving around for fifteen minutes. Students have the choice to play kickball, dance, or simply walk around and socialize. I decided to show off my moves and join the dance party in the library. After “Jump Start” our group split into two groups. One group creating kindness rocks with students the others explaining LEVEL to students and faculty. I was in the panel going over how we are “leveling the playing field” between disabled and able bodied people. I had the opportunity to receive a tour of the school from, Ally, one of the students. The school is absolutely amazing. We went to Char Grill for lunch to get our grease on...burgers, hotdogs, milkshakes. After lunch we went back to Rocky Creek where we completed and installed the various projects we have been working on for the discovery trail. Even though it was cold and windy day everyone buckled down and got our work done.

Today was international women’s day which meant to the us that we can honor women through only playing songs sung by women. Certainly making the karaoke in the car interesting. We ended the day the best way possible as Tracy Byrnes invited us to her home to enjoy watching the Big East Tournament where the Wildcats dismantled the Golden Eagles. 

We completed the day as we always do with a reflection. Our reflection centered around ability, a key aspect of our trip. We had a really good conversation it’s amazing how close and comfortable everyone on the trip is becoming with one another. I’m looking forward to seeing all of our completed projects tomorrow and hopefully making strides in concurring my fear of animals.

Colleen Fitzpatrick:

Today was an incredible day! We started off our morning visiting the Community School of Davidson, a charter high school with a focus on inclusion. We split up into two groups, with me being a part of a panel discussion with some students and parents. I was really impressed by how many students used their free period to come learn about LEVEL. The students were all very engaged and seemed to really appreciate LEVEL’s mission. One student, after the discussion, said that she wants to start a club like LEVEL at the college she will be attending this fall if there is not already one! I also really enjoyed hearing my friends tell their personal stories about how they came to be involved with LEVEL. One theme that has carried over throughout the week is that there is always so much more to learn about one another, which will only bring us closer together.

After leaving the school, we spent our afternoon finishing projects at Rocky Creek. It is nice to see that our hard work is leaving an impact on the ranch and its visitors. I got to observe the start of the kaleidoscopes being installed, and although I did not work on them, it was cool to see the fruition of my friends’ hard work. Later, I had the opportunity to spend some quality time with the horses, and as someone who has ridden for years, that is always a highlight of the day. I especially enjoyed observing how everyone else reacted to them. It is amazing to watch people who have previously never had contact with these large animals, slowly gain confidence around them and connect with them. I think you can learn so much about yourself through your interactions with animals.

We spent the evening at Tracy’s house, hanging out, eating good food, and watching the Villanova basketball game. Although there are many great memories and takeaways from this trip (many involving cute animals), I think what has touched me the most is how everyone has shared their lives with us, including how we have shared our lives with one another. Sharing a passion is one thing, but it takes a relationship to another and much deeper level when we share our lives and stories.