Tuesday, March 5th

Anthony Critelli: Hi everyone, my name is Anthony Critelli and I am a junior Economics major at Villanova University.

I started off my day at the Community School of Davidson (CSD) and I met a lot of incredible people who were a part of their Life Skills program. This class is specially designed to help students with mental illnesses prepare for college. To start my day, I helped wash buses with some of the students and teachers from the Life Skills class and I was able to form some really nice relationships with them. Following lunch, I transitioned to moving mulch and adding new broccoli plants to the garden. This continued until the end of the school day and by then we had finished the garden and it looks incredible!

Following my day at CSD, I traveled down to Rocky Creek Ranch and had an incredible dinner courtesy of Greg’s mother-in-law Scarlett. After some downtime, which included a hotly contested game of jackpot (which I won), we had our daily group reflection. The topic for tonight was centered around insecurities and how they can have a negative impact on a person’s self-worth and potentially push them towards bullying.

On my ride back to the hotel, I struck up a conversation with the members of my van and we talked about the reflection topic in more depth. We came to a similar conclusion that people are not born evil, but their environment affects their view of their self and as a result, it could push them to become bullies as a defense mechanism. This conversation was really enlightening and I really appreciate that we were able to have this meaningful conversation outside of our usual group reflection.

Overall, today was great and I am so excited to continue this trip and work with the members of CSD and Rocky Creek tomorrow!

Ryan Keller: Everything from the work we have done, to the people we have met, and the places we have been on this trip have been a dream come true. Despite this there has been one experience that has been above all else and that is reflection. Few moments in my life have been as meaningful and connective as our nightly reflections. In an all too fast paced world we rarely facilitate the kind of fulfilling conversation that takes place during these sessions.

In these reflections we circle up for around an hour to an hour and a half to discuss how we felt about the work we did that day and also questions pertinent not only to our mission here in Statesville but also to our organization as a whole. These topics generally revolve around topics like inclusion, assumption, and, of course, leveling the playing field. Within these topics we delve into deeper, harder questions that really get the brain’s gears turning.

As a result of the critical thinking involved many of our reflections are charged with deep emotional connection that shows a genuine and vulnerable side to our group members. There is something truly special in allowing yourself to be completely vulnerable and also in embracing others vulnerability that has allowed my group members as well as myself to grow as people.

These conversations stem far from just reflection. Tonight, on our ride home from Rocky Creek Ranch a few of my group mates and I had a very deep talk. The conversation we had involved some topics about our past that we rarely open up about as well as our own personal philosophies on relating subjects. It allowed us to open up and share our true selves which stimulated our growth as people and the bond we have with each other.

Personally, these reflections have put me in a really good place. They have allowed me to connect on a whole new level to those around me and see every one here for who they truly are. They have allowed my group mates and I to breakdown the walls we put around ourselves on a daily basis and bond in an extremely unique fashion. These reflections have taught me how vulnerability is one of the greatest strengths one can have and is a catalyst for personal growth.