Day 4: Building Trust by Hannah Griswold

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July 3rd, 2019

Day 4: Building Trust
by Hannah Griswold

Today we presented our data analysis to our peers and experienced a series of educational lectures. These lecture topics included ice cores and microplastics. In addition, we had the privilege of touring
Hannah touring the ice core lab at SIO.
the ice core freezer and held a 20,000 years old sample in our hands. The educational experiences throughout the day were extremely valuable, however the highlight of my day was the Trust Circle Activity. 

During the Trust Circle Activity, every group member shared a personal story as a demonstration of their willingness to be open. I loved this activity because everyone was so accepting, engaged, and supportive. Many people shared extremely sensitive experiences, while everyone else listened attentively. Personally, I am less inclined to share about my own life, which I was determined to change this year. During the GELS Biosphere 2 Program that I participated in last year, I was disappointed that I held back with my personal story. I failed to fully commit to the activity and failed to reciprocate the level of trust placed in me, which hurt the effectiveness of the activity. I let down the entire group, as well as the individual people who had been brave enough to openly share vulnerable moments. In this past year, I have made an active effort to constantly participate in activities that force myself to exit my comfort zone. Sharing about my painful struggles related to scoliosis was incredibly difficult for me. It is an issue that I have only been open about with my best friend, so at first I was uncomfortable describing the true impact the struggle had on me. I found it difficult to control my emotions as I began to consider the wound that I was opening for the entire GELS group to hear. As I continued, I became increasingly comfortable telling my almost excruciating story, although I struggled with my words a few times. I never discuss my pain openly, so it was a labored and shocking endeavor. However, I believe my openness was essential to achieving the best results from the Trust Circle Activity. 

The Trust Circle Activity allows me to have more serious and in-depth conversations with my peers, which has encouraged our friendships to grow. Trusting relationships with colleagues and peers are essential to collaboration and communication within a team, which make teamwork more effective. Relationships that are open and honest lead to more genuine and happy connections, which improve the overall quality of life within the program. The emotional and empathetic bonds we formed tonight are not only beneficial to the program and my growth as a student, but also my growth as an individual. The process of sharing the scariest personal story imaginable was a learning and transformational experience for me. I broke a boundary that I had created for myself in regards to speaking about my own tormenting struggles with scoliosis.  I am a huge advocate for teens with scoliosis, although I never mention my own. I believe that this break-through is the first step to becoming a stronger activist.

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