I was slightly surprised to hear the thoughts of Dr. Kenneth Roberts and Dr. Ryan Lombardi align so closely with my own, and ended up spending several minutes after the discussion reflecting on what community means both on a small scale among my friends and on a larger scale throughout the university and county. Perhaps because I never had a close knit neighborhood growing up, I’ve always wanted to feel part of something larger and know that I am contributing something to some small part of the world. Maybe this feeling is compounded by months of social distancing, and maybe I’m not the only one feeling this way. Dr. Kenneth Roberts’ comment on how we have had recent record breaking social protests and heightened social activism, in no small part due to social media, makes me wonder if people would have had the same drive to be a part of change without first being isolated from the world.

I also had the opportunity to reflect on how I was interacting with and contributing to society now, and how I planned to continue doing so in the future. In such a polarized world, I think it is easy to become caught up in a “mob mentality” and start applying stereotypes, if only to feel like you fit in somewhere and are part of a group. I know it is important to establish my own morals and figure out my own path in life. These past few months have been a good reminder of this, and while finding new opportunities to become involved both within and outside of the university is a good start, I am truly looking forward to someday being able to say I am proud of the work I do every week.