If I had to describe my experience at the AYA program thus far, in one word, I would choose to say inspiring. As cliche as it sounds it remains true, as I have been thoroughly impressed beyond my expectations in just one week. Honestly, I was a little nervous upon my arrival to the program on Monday. I love talking to people and making new connections, but the pressure of spending a whole month together with people I have never met, did make me a bit anxious. But, I had no need to worry, since that morning went quite smoothly!
I arrived on campus with no problems, and found the Annenberg building very quickly, which I was proud of myself for (I am terrible with directions so this was quite the accomplishment). When I entered the building I was immediately met with a sign welcoming other students and I to the program. Just that one projection made me feel rather important, like I had truly earned my place in this space. I walked into the conference room, buzzing with activity, and I became eager to meet everyone with my newfound confidence. There were so many people that I could barely find an open seat, but I sat down in one of the few ones left and awaited the official start of the program. After, the first day flew by and honestly is a blur of fast-paced excitement.
The second day was most notable not for what happened during the program but after. Don’t get me wrong, I have definitely now learned that every day at Annenberg is an exciting one, but I was going to go interview people right after the program ended for the day. As I mustered up the courage to go up to people who don’t know me and I don’t know myself, I was met with various responses. Some people were happy to help me with my project, and others wanted nothing to do with it. I, of course, recognize how strange it may be for a stranger to come up and ask to record your answer to an even stranger question. However, I feel like some people had very extreme responses. The most rude reply I got was someone cutting me off mid-explanation, plainly saying no, and then giving me a most nasty look. But, that was followed by a very sweet student after, helping me recruit their friends to be part of my project too. I guess the lesson in this is you never know what you’ll encounter next.
Following that, we had two very exciting field trips. The first was to CAAM where we explored three different exhibits. I was most fond of Paula Wilson’s, as it was the most interactive exhibit I have ever seen in a museum. But, unfortunately, since I was so occupied with the interactive part, I only got two pictures of that exhibit.
Then, we went to JANM, which educated us on Japanese-American History. It was very insightful to hear from the volunteers and their experiences. All of them had such wonderful stories that I also lost track of time and didn’t take any photos.
Overall, my first week in the AYA program was unbelievably eventful. At this rate, I can’t wait to see what other experiences the program has in store for me!
Same time next week?
–Katrin
Communicating Change 