Spotted: DE students starting to pack their things for their trips home. It seems like just yesterday they arrived in the City of Roses. I can’t wait to see what they have planned for their return to North Carolina…
It’s hard to believe that the end of my DukeEngage journey is actually here. The past eight weeks have been an experience like no other. I am so grateful for this opportunity. In just one summer here in Portland, I’ve learned a great deal, both about the environment and about myself.
Working at SOLVE has been a lot of fun. When I first arrived, I was nervous about leading student groups and educating them on watershed restoration. Just a couple of weeks into the program, I found myself easily able to discuss the many different aspects of a watershed in the Portland metropolitan area. I could even identify the native plants around the various streams; something I thought I would never get the hang of when I first arrived.
I am so lucky to have had three great teachers this summer: Nicole, the Green Team coordinator at SOLVE, and Dane and Becca, the two Jesuit Volunteer Corps members this past year. I have learned so much from the three of them, and for that I couldn’t say thank you enough. I never thought that in eight weeks I could know so much about a variety of different areas around Portland.
Though my journey was focused on working with SOLVE, I am also grateful for the numerous chances I was given to explore not only Portland, but other parts of Oregon as well. Our enrichment trips gave me the chance to really enjoy the outdoors away from work. Visiting both Mount Hood and Mount St. Helens in Washington are two trips I will never forget. The DukeEngage Portland group had a lot of great times together on these trips.
This brings me to thanking all of the people that were here with me this summer. The ten students on this trip could not be more different. We have diverse interests and come from different groups on campus. But oddly enough, we work together. I’m so glad I got to share my experiences with them; I could not have asked for a better DukeEngage group. From exploring downtown to eating enormous pieces of cake in a park, we’ve totally killed it. #winning
As I start to prepare myself for departure, I think about Portland and all that I have seen while living here. Coming from a suburb in New Jersey, Portland is a city unlike any that I have ever seen. I have had so many great times just walking through the city after work and during free time on the weekends. Although this city has provided me with many happy memories, I am ready to return home to the East Coast (beast coast). Concrete jungle, I’m coming for you.
xoxo GG
Annie Maass ‘16
It’s hard to believe that the end of my DukeEngage journey is actually here. The past eight weeks have been an experience like no other. I am so grateful for this opportunity. In just one summer here in Portland, I’ve learned a great deal, both about the environment and about myself.
Working at SOLVE has been a lot of fun. When I first arrived, I was nervous about leading student groups and educating them on watershed restoration. Just a couple of weeks into the program, I found myself easily able to discuss the many different aspects of a watershed in the Portland metropolitan area. I could even identify the native plants around the various streams; something I thought I would never get the hang of when I first arrived.
I am so lucky to have had three great teachers this summer: Nicole, the Green Team coordinator at SOLVE, and Dane and Becca, the two Jesuit Volunteer Corps members this past year. I have learned so much from the three of them, and for that I couldn’t say thank you enough. I never thought that in eight weeks I could know so much about a variety of different areas around Portland.
Though my journey was focused on working with SOLVE, I am also grateful for the numerous chances I was given to explore not only Portland, but other parts of Oregon as well. Our enrichment trips gave me the chance to really enjoy the outdoors away from work. Visiting both Mount Hood and Mount St. Helens in Washington are two trips I will never forget. The DukeEngage Portland group had a lot of great times together on these trips.
This brings me to thanking all of the people that were here with me this summer. The ten students on this trip could not be more different. We have diverse interests and come from different groups on campus. But oddly enough, we work together. I’m so glad I got to share my experiences with them; I could not have asked for a better DukeEngage group. From exploring downtown to eating enormous pieces of cake in a park, we’ve totally killed it. #winning
As I start to prepare myself for departure, I think about Portland and all that I have seen while living here. Coming from a suburb in New Jersey, Portland is a city unlike any that I have ever seen. I have had so many great times just walking through the city after work and during free time on the weekends. Although this city has provided me with many happy memories, I am ready to return home to the East Coast (beast coast). Concrete jungle, I’m coming for you.
xoxo GG
Annie Maass ‘16