Excursion 2023

"I was sick and tired of being sick and tired." 

- Dr. Gwendolyn Zoharah Simmons

As part of my position as the new student director for Path to Purpose in the upcoming year, I was tasked with putting together an excursion in March of 2023 for the P2P Fellows, Dr. Kevin Bird's Gainesville Community Fellows, as well as Dr. Aimée Bourassa's Beyond 120 students. The goal was to create an evening where students were able to network with others who are also creating sustainable change in Gainesville and provide an environment for discussion and dialogue. I connected with Dr. Simmons, a civil rights veteran who has spent her career creating racial justice and equity through her line of work as a community partner and former UF professor. She was our guest speaker at the excursion and kept it Q&A style to create an informal comfortable environment. Many students engaged in questions about how to stay motivated and focused in social justice work and how to exert your power as a student when it is easy to feel so powerless. Dr. Simmons reminded us of how powerful youth can be in numbers, and how important it is to persevere through thick and thin, and how the best things aren't the easiest to obtain. We ended our excursion by collaborating with other students and reflecting on the words Dr. Simmons left us with. My experience putting together this excursion gave me preparation for my role as P2P student director and taught me the importance of collaboration.