Global Engagement

May 23 2021

Going to a place where you have never been before and doing things that are unfamiliar can be quite scary. But besides this feeling, there is also something else that you look forward to and that is excitement. This is...

May 23 2021

Upon arriving in Marianna, Florida we were greeted by the long term Mennonite Disaster Service volunteers. After being introduced to crew leaders, cooks, and an office manager we were given a rundown of what a typical work day looked like....

May 23 2021

Every experience on this trip has been extraordinary. Adapting to a new environment has been a challenge and I have never relied on my faith more than the test of this trip. Mennonite Disaster Service kindly offered us housing during...

May 19 2021

  The author of this post is Naomi Ross Richer, a first-year Deaf Studies major from Goshen, Indiana: The southern shore of lake Michigan is home to Mnomen, known as wild rice in English. This staple in the traditional Potawatomi...

May 17 2021

Monday May 17, 2021 Today students presented preliminary analysis of their data collection to test their senior thesis protocols, which they will implement this coming fall during the Marine Biology Semester. We celebrated with a trip to the beach and...

May 17 2021

After two long weeks of doing service work with MDS we headed to Ellijay, Georgia. Over the past two weeks we worked hard every day getting up at 6 am and eating breakfast at 7 then heading to the work...

May 17 2021

The weeks leading up to our trip to Florida consisted of long routine days with piles of assignments and studying. The weather was also fairly gloomy and fluctuated between the low 40s to 60s. A break from Indiana was definitely...

May 17 2021

One of the goals of this course is to understand social responsibility and analyze from the place of empathy. We volunteered for two weeks to build houses for families that need help to recover after Hurricane Michael. Meeting with leaders of...

May 17 2021

The author of this post, Oskar Sunderland, is a junior Graphic Design major from Seattle, Washington: Our group’s tour to the Bailly Homestead and Chellberg Farm at Indiana Dunes National Park was a unique and compelling window into the past....

May 17 2021

Simon Graber Miller, a senior Biology major from Goshen, Indiana, shares his perspective on one of our outdoor activities: After a captivating talk from Billie Warren on indigenous perspectives of ecology and economy, we had a delicious lunch of hummus...

May 17 2021

Ariana Perez Diener is the author of this post.  A senior Environmental and Marine Science major from Goshen, Indiana, Ariana reflects on our time with a member of the Pokagon Band Potawatomi while at Indiana Dunes: On Tuesday morning our...

May 17 2021

Sunday May 16, 2021 This morning there was no lecture, so we were all able to sleep in a little more than usual, if we chose to do so. We also had the option of attending church. As our trip...

May 16 2021

Saturday May 15, 2021 Today started off with a lecture at city hall about micro plastics in the ocean. The ocean is currently littered with plastic and trash, but some people don’t know that plastic breaks down into tiny microplastic...

May 16 2021

As a 5’10, 150 pound, 19 year old whose hips are as about as messed up as they can get outside of giving birth due to sports injuries, I couldn’t imagine myself doing anything deemed “heroic.” That was until Thursday...

May 16 2021

At MDS in Marianna, Florida, volunteers can actually help out in more ways than just constructing houses. The kitchen is in need of hands just like the job site is, and is equally as labor intensive. Where those on the...

May 16 2021

After a full week of house building and volunteer work, the group took a weekend trip to unwind and relax. Many of the student’s favorite part of the weekend was getting the opportunity to sleep in. For lunch, we enjoyed...

May 15 2021

Self-care. It’s one of the first things you learn in nursing school, but what exactly is it? It’s the ability and power to take necessary time to tend to your physical, mental, and spiritual health and wellbeing. What it all...

May 15 2021

  Liam Elias shares his thoughts about a ranger-led hike near Lake Michigan.  Liam is a senior Environmental and Marine Science major from Bothell, Washington: To start off our second full week of May term, we traveled to Indiana Dunes...

May 14 2021

Friday May 14, 2021 This was one of the most anticipated days and one of the most dreaded days (for reasons explained later) of the whole trip. This was the day that we all got to see the coral reef,...

May 14 2021

Elias Baer is a senior Exercise Science major from Tucson, Arizona.  Here are his reflections on a guest presentation from an internationally-recognized expert on Native American spirituality and worldviews: Following a brief yet refreshing camping trip, our group was back...

May 14 2021

Thursday May 13, 2021 Like every other typical day here in the Florida Keys, it began with sunshine peeking through the curtains. One of my favorite things to do in the morning before hopping on the bus for lecture is...

May 13 2021

Before you read, go ahead and take a seat. … Take a deep breath. … Clear your mind. …. Picture yourself where you are right now. I, for one, am sitting on the carpet floor reflecting on the past week...

May 12 2021

Wednesday May 12, 2021 Today’s schedule began again at Layton City Hall with lecture, this time paired with a message of hope for the potential role of Marine Protected Areas (MPA) and Marine Reserves in restoring marine ecosystems. Despite their...

May 12 2021

A piece of being human is entering a space or situation with prior conceived assumptions. Assumptions about who people are and what they believe as well as more general assumptions about where we will stay and what we will spend...