This past month at the Guild has been full of amazing opportunities and wonderful people. It has been so exciting to have our first three weeks of programming and meet so many new people. The beauty of the Guild is the connections and community that forms over just a week. While many participants have been coming to the Guild for years, some participants, like myself are brand new. The community that forms between old-timers, newcomers, and staff, is truly a wonder to be a part of. The Guild is able to facilitate open and engaging conversations through art and our matins and vespers services that invite guests and staff to be open and vulnerable with one another. The best part of the Guild is getting to interact with and get to know so many incredible people from different walks of life. It is so wonderful to listen to people’s stories […]

In search of a project to undertake in my first couple of weeks, I was offered an opportunity that would prove to test my patience, endurance, and willingness to reflect and grow. I was given the project of running two market stands for farmer’s markets. It was an endeavor I had to build from the ground up, and I could feel the pressure increase day to day as I worked out numerous details and handled an array of tasks all at once. I had been given no formula, no formal training, and no real instruction other than: get it done. Despite this, the support I received from Kheprw members was infinitely comforting and motivating. Whether it be a supportive conversation, or a quick and helpful reply to a question I needed answered, everyone wanted the project to succeed, and that was integral to its success. The process did not come […]

Since my last blog post, my internship has picked up a lot–not that it wasn’t busy before, however I can officially say that my training period is over. Now, my work days are packed with meetings with participants that I am leading and my independent work has really taken off. Honestly, I love it. When the work day ends, I do not want to leave. Not only this, but sometimes I do not feel like I should–the work is never done and all of it is urgent. I think that this is the challenge of human rights work, that, among other things, you are entrusted with the pressing matters of many people to help them find solutions to the best of your ability and yet, somehow, hit pause at 5 pm. How can you attend to the rest of your life knowing that their needs continue?  Since getting to know […]

“The only consistent thing in this world is the presence of change.” My three years at Valpo have demonstrated the truth in this adage, which happens to be one of my grandfather’s favorites. I have seen how each new semester brings with it a host of changes: I encounter new concepts, new people, new experiences. Although I am grateful for the variety of each semester, I often find myself getting used to the pattern of change in college life. However, I’ll occasionally encounter an experience that I know from the beginning will alter me as a person in a major way. This summer, that experience was my CAPS internship at The Bridge Teen Center. I wasn’t sure what to expect from an internship, having never done one before, but I was looking forward to working as a Media and Program Intern at The Bridge. I love photography and in the […]