As an avid runner, I was horrified when I arrived at Scripps College and discovered there was no running group in place. I founded Scripps Running Club during my second semester of college as a way to meet new people and help spread the underappreciated joy of running. In our club, we emphasize body positivity and healthy living; many college-aged women struggle to enjoy exercise and suffer from poor body image. Our club demonstrates that running doesn’t need to feel like a punishment and can even be a fun, social activity. We host events every few weeks, such as volleyball games and hikes, and we also register for races, including the Run Seal Beach 10K.
Over the summer, I participate in a group called the Edgewood Weed Warriors. This group meets weekly to remove the invasive plant species that inhabit Edgewood Park. I grew up running on Edgewood’s trails and so it’s very important to me that the park is preserved as best as it can be. While removing yellow star-thistle and other weeds, I have learned a lot about Edgewood’s ecosystem from other volunteers. I’ve observed lynx spiders protecting their young and have learned which meadows the local mountain lions hunt in! I’ve also gained a lot of optimism about humankind’s impact on the world: though it seems like an impossible feat to completely eradicate an invasive species from the park, older members constantly remind the group of weeders’ progress in just the past ten years.
My college has a community garden that grows many varieties of fruits, vegetables, and herbs for students to pick and use. The Scripps Garden Club plants, weeds, and tends to this garden every weekend. As a member of this club, I have helped prepare a dinner made almost entirely out of our produce, built a planter bed for peas, and planted different flowers and vegetables. Garden Club is one of my favorite aspects of college and it’s helped me get more involved in Scripps’ community.
During the 2018-19 academic school year, I will be living in Scripps’ Spanish Language Corridor. This hall is designed to unite Spanish-speakers and Spanish students in an immersive learning opportunity. We speak in Spanish together while learning about Latin-American and Spanish cultures.