Loading ...
`On September 9th, roughly 20 students attended the first session of the Reflect and Connect event series.
This collection of group meetings is designed to help people get involved in their community as well as connect them with others who share the same interest.
The event largely consisted of a group discussion on Langston Hughes’ piece, “Theme for English B” lead by Dr. Timothy Shea. In the discussion, Shea asked attendees to share how they helped others, and how they felt when others needed help.
In doing so, he showed students how they lived amongst each other, and how they each learned to live in relation to other people. This message was tied into Hughes’ piece in which the narrator explained in someways, how he was not so different from anyone else.
Participation went well during the event. Students shared their viewpoints as Shea lead discussion on different key topics. He touched on how people can sometimes feel misunderstood, both when a crisis happens, and when people try to serve one another.
He was also able to bring some distinctive insight to the conversation by showing students how, in his travels to other countries, he was able to enrich his own experiences by speaking to people different than himself.
The discussion closed with important messages on how tension is unavoidable in situations where people are different, and the first step to building rewarding relationships is overcoming the fear of being in a foreign culture or society.
The Reflect and Connect series meets one Wednesday per month for a total of four times a semester. If interested, students can contact Lori Leanman at (717) 872-3049 or email at community.engagement@millersville.edu.