Day 1: Arrival Day by Shayna Hayden

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June 30th, 2019

Day 1: Arrival Day
by Shayna Hayden

Today was the first day of the GELS Washington D.C program and I was arriving from Portland, Oregon. The entire 2.5 hour flight I was deep in thought attempting to predict what this experience would hold for me. I know I have a passion for the environment and law, and typically take on these type of adventures away from home head-on with high spirits and an open mind. However, I was quite nervous to enroll in this program because I wasn’t sure if this topic was the right path for me. 
When I arrived at Argo Hall, I was greeted by our leaders Susan, Lauren, Daniel, and Josephine. They helped me settle into my room with my other roommates and led some icebreaker activities to help the group get to know each other. I learned that both Daniel and Jo are students at UCSD and Lauren was a student at UCSB. During the icebreakers, I also learned that they still were searching for their path even though they were well into their studies in their respective fields. This caught my attention because it showed me that I don’t need to have a definitive path following the GELS program. It shined a new light on this experience. I now saw this as a chance to find myself and discover my passions.

Seeing the leaders in their element when they gave us a tour of the campus even further reaffirmed this idea for me. As they described all the activities they were involved in such as clubs and sports in addition to this program, it showed me they are trying to find their path too, and this was part of their journey to finding what they want to do with their lives. Whether this ends up being what they pursue or if they discover they want to branch off somewhere else, ultimately this experience will be a part of my journey to finding out what I want to do with my passion for the Earth and the life living on it.

GELS Washington D.C. students touring the UCSD campus.


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