THE TEAM MEMBERS

AND WHAT THEY HAD TO SAY

TIFFANY ALLEN

Tiffany is a Sociology major with a concentration in Social Work & Social Policy with minors in Music and Psychology. Class of 2010.

I thought I knew a pretty good amount about the Appalachian people and culture going into the week. But once we got there, met the people, and saw their situations, I realized that I still had no idea how hard their lives are. This project made me realize how ignorant I still am about my own country's poor economic and community situations.

I have changed my views from this experience. I honestly had most of those stereotypical ideas about Appalachia and its people going into the class. Even after our pre-trip learning I thought that we were going to a community that was destitute and none of the inhabitants had any hope. But once we got there, and met Marsha and the Muncy's, I realized that I was just projecting onto their situations. Sure, they don't have a lot of money, and higher education, but they have a loving family and a tight community, so they are pretty happy with their lives. It made me re-evaluate what I thought brings happiness and what my goals and hopes for the future are.

ALISON FRASER 

Alison is a English major and Art History minor. Class of 2008.

I learned that whatever little action I commit makes a difference. For example, we spent perhaps only two hours at a retirement community in Welch, but I'm confident that we made a lasting impression on them. None of them wanted us to go, and all of them wanted us to promise that we'd be back next year.

Flat-footing was a cultural experience that really stands out for me. This experience combined both regional music and regional dance, but most importantly, we were active participants in it, and not observers. No, we weren't very good at it, but our antics broke the ice and even got us cup cakes.
 

PHUONG PHAM

Phuong is a Communication Studies and Business major, minoring in French. Class of 2010.

The situation at War reminded me of some region in Vietnam. According to some stereotypes, all that War has are mountains and the coal mines. Sometimes, when people think about Vietnam, they only think about the Vietnam War even though our country has gone through that and has been recovering for thirty years. Marsha talked about the flood in War two years ago, about how bad it was. There is a flood every single year in the center of Vietnam! And the people in that region recover after every “flood season”. Just like War, you could not tell that they had been through a serious flood.

I feel very lucky that I had a priceless opportunity to go to look more carefully at those mountain communities that I had read and learned about. First, I will put up a good presentation for the J-Term Extravaganza night to give other students a picture about our class. I am also very interested in the economic problem that has been struggled in those communities. I will do more research about this and hopefully I can come to West Virginia sometimes with a satisfactory solution.

This is a wonderful experience! It helped me not only to learn about a new community but also about myself. I got a chance to do a variety of activities with kids in elementary school, high school students and also the elders at a retirement community. I was warmly welcomed by Marsha at Big Creek People in Action Center, the Muncy family and also the ladies at the Diner. During a week in Appalachia, I really felt like being part of this mountain community. My first J-Term at Hollins will always be for me the most cherished time of my freshmen year. 

View Appalachia through Service Learning is a priceless opportunity to learn about a region full of respected and treasured traditions and yet sadness. The program is well organized with a lot of activities but also flexible.