• 1. The first extracurricular activity I participated in for my Lil120 class was the Bush luncheon. I, along with a few peers, was invited to meet Jean Becker, President Bush’s Chief of Staff. Nervously, I arrived half an hour early and found myself in an empty room. I decided to spend my spare time observing the exhibits at UNE’s Bush museum exhibit. Surprisingly, I looked up from Bush’s fishing supplies to come face to face with Mrs. Becker. I introduced myself, spoke with her about the exhibit, and watched her get ushered away by what I can only assume was security. The lunch itself was a delicious assortment of chicken, salmon, and vegan cucumber sandwiches. Nervously, I ate my lunch with my fellow classmates as we wanted for Mrs. Becker to return for the Q and A. The minute she arrived, everyone became collectively nervous and excited. She took her time to make a personal introduction to every table and discuss our majors and future career plans. Once the lunch turned over to the Q and A I could only help but sit in awe of her. Mrs. Becker spoke of her close, personal relationship with President Bush. She was asked about religion, military, and happily told personal anecdotes. Overall, I was inspired by her passion for her work and her background as a journalist. I hope to take an example from her, that it is ok to not always get the job you want right out of school, and that eventually, with enough effort, hard work gets you where you want to go. Below I have attached a group photo of every student who attended the event. 

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• 2. Last week I visited Ram Island with a group of peers. We spent almost two hours on this small island collecting trash, observing biodiversity, and learning about the land’s history. Collectively we removed rubber, metal, plastic, and more from the beaches. The island itself was donated to the University of New England after the owners were unable to sell the land and its accompanying home. Ever since the island was gifted, small teams have boated out to begin cleaning the home and land which appeared perfectly preserved and eerily untouched. The home still had fishing equipment leaned against the wall, a coffee pot plugged into the kitchen wall, and hats hung by the door. The home felt like a time capsule from another century. Unfortunately, the trip ended abruptly when the weather turned and my group was ushered off of the suddenly dangerous island. The overall experience was gratifying and exciting. I am ecstatic I was able to be part of the team to help restore Ram Island to its natural glory.

3. For my third extracurricular, a group of peers and I were led through forested paths along UNE’s property. We were taught about different landscape identities such as rock walls, burnt trees, barbed wire, and many more. The exhibition helped students determine past uses for land. At this particular location, there was a rock wall built of large stones, and three massive trees surrounded by many smaller ones. The large rocks indicate the land had been used as pasture in prior years. Had the rock wall been built of smaller rocks, there may have been a possibility of past agricultural uses. The three large trees are also indicators of pasture, as many herders would leave a select few trees for shade. The other trees in the forest were much younger, showing us the land had been cleared at one point many years ago. This activity was incredibly interesting, and has given me a new perspective of the land around me.

4. My fourth and final extracurricular this year was a trip to Boston. This is the only non academic extracurricular I participated in this semester. After midterms I decided that I needed a breather. So, on a whim, I bought two tickets to Boston for the following day. I woke up at 6 am and drove my Boyfriend and I to the train station. Coincidentally, I ended up running into a coworker who was taking the same trains to the same places we were. As a group, we took the train to Boston and then split up to meet later that evening. My boyfriend and I spent almost 10 hours walking Boston and people watching. Although this was not a school related extracurricular, taking the time for a mental break and to explore new places, is never a bad thing. I had an amazing time observing the workings of the big city and my boyfriend had a good time exploring the restaurants. Overall, it was an amazing day.