I am thrilled to share my experience as a new student at STCC, where I recently had the pleasure of attending the Sustainathon event. I chose STCC due to its elaborate student majors and programs. As a first-semester student with an interest in dental hygiene, I have been eager to engage with the campus community outside of my classes, and let me tell you, this event exceeded all of my expectations!
At the STCC Sustainathon Earth Day event, I had the opportunity to meet so many amazing people, work collaboratively with others, and get involved with the community outside of my studies. I teamed up with a classmate to work on a poster, and the experience allowed us to develop communication and research skills that will be invaluable as we progress through our academic careers. One of the things that stood out to me was the wide range of interactive environmental science booths and the presenters at the event. It was amazing to see all the research and ideas presented by the passionate individuals who were eager to help make the world a better place. The booth presenters gave a little preview of their presentations at the beginning, which helped manage the time I wanted to spend and prioritize which booths I really wanted to see first.
Engaging exhibitions at Sustainathon
One booth that truly caught my attention was Laura Figuero. Her research, passion, interest in bee and their importance to our world’s function was amazing.There was a live exhibition of bees and lots of them on display for us to interact with. Having the bees on display allowed me to learn more about the different types and each of their jobs to help our world. One fact I did not know before was that there are blue bees. I thought there were only 3-4 different species of bees but I was amazingly proven wrong. We can all come together to help save the bees by planting a bee garden, use less chemicals, and stop disrupting their homes. Bees are so important for our daily lives, they work so hard for us to live and have a healthy life.
As a greeter for high school students, a poster presenter, and as an organizer of the event, I loved seeing the excitement on the faces of the young students when they learned new ideas. I was also grateful for the chance to connect with the booth presenters and share ideas about our research. To really highlight the meaning of the event, we even handed out green T-shirts that read “I Sustain.” It was amazing to see everyone come together to support the work we had done and bring awareness to our planet.
The games and competitions towards the end of the event were an absolute blast, although I was content to watch and enjoy the lively energy. And what better way to wrap up the festivities than with a live mariachi band and some delicious pizza, enjoyed as a community!
As a new student, it was a delight to be a part of this event and help out wherever I could. I feel so lucky to have interacted with my classmates outside of the classroom and to have learned how to work together and help each other to make the event run smoothly.
I had such an amazing time, and I would love to participate in future events like this one. In fact, I was so proud of my accomplishments that I invited six guests to come and celebrate with me, along with my classmates and professors. Everyone had a wonderful time and expressed their appreciation for learning new things they could do to make small changes in their lifestyle that will impact our world greatly. We all felt like a part of the community and were able to escape work and be in a fun and rewarding environment. I can’t wait to see what the future holds!
