Photograph by Amaury Bargioni
Colorado College’s annual New Student Orientation Priddy trips have come to a close as Block 1 is just beginning. For first-year students, these trips were a chance to bond and forge relationships in a smaller group setting than the first days of orientation, as well as make a difference in the community. On over 70 trips, more than 11,000 hours of community service were served. Groups traveled to New Mexico, Texas, Utah, Wyoming, and various parts of Colorado. Activities ranged from trail construction and maintenance to solar panel installation to fire mitigation.
While the groups spent most of the day performing community service, it didn’t always have to be mundane. Alex Sanchez, who worked at the Trinidad Nursing Home in Trinidad, Colorado, describes his time spent with the people in the home as his favorite part of the trip. His group held a “Senior Olympics,” which involved activities like “grabbing flowers out of a kiddie pool or building blocks while blindfolded,” which “everyone participating and watching enjoyed.” And while the Senior Olympics sounds quite entertaining, students were also able to find satisfaction in the less glamorous projects. One freshman, whose daily activities consisted of planting trees and pulling down old fences, described the work as one of the highlights of the trip. “It was so satisfying to see how much we could do with ten people.”
However, some of the service projects left students wishing they could have done more. Harrison Selle, who worked on a landscaping project for a Native American charter school in New Mexico, felt “the work we did was mainly cosmetic. It would have been nice to actually work with kids, or interact with the school in a more meaningful way.”
A vital part of this trip was the NSO leaders. They served as organizers, motivators, advisors, and friends The leaders “really made the trip. Their combined leadership and humor allowed for our group to have an incredible first experience. They were also extremely knowledgeable and were willing to honestly answer any question that we asked, no matter how awkward or stupid it may have been.” Selle echoed this statement, adding that they were “fundamental in creating discussions and making us feel welcome and comfortable.” Chris Brower, who worked on landscaping an outdoor classroom for schoolchildren in Taos, New Mexico, was able to capitalize on other benefits provided by the leaders, adding that “they will also drive you places if you ask.”
While service projects and leadership were critical to the Priddy experience, other aspects of the trip played important roles in students’ enjoyment. To Adam Holliday, one of the most important parts of the trip was the campsite. His group was “fortunate enough to have set up our camp directly next to a lake, so we kayaked, paddle boarded, canoed and swam whenever the opportunity arose.” Other students had similar experiences. On one trip, the host let the volunteers “camp on her beautiful land and cooked a traditional Navajo meal for the whole group.” Brower had similar luck with camping cuisine. “We were fortunate enough to have a great chef, Vic Wang, to cook all our meals. He would always add a little something-something extra to the food.” Another meaningful aspect of the trips was the Culture Day. On Saturday, after three days of service, group leaders led students on excursions aimed at exploring the unique ways of life and characteristics of the communities they worked in. Yaolin Yang, who worked cleaning up a farm in Boulder, lists this as his favorite part of the trip. He recalls “hiking in the morning in a beautiful mountain near boulder. On one side is the beautiful mountains, and on the other is the beautiful city.”
One recurring theme expressed by all students interviewed was the pleasure of getting to meet and bond with new people. Spending three days working together on service projects, in conjunction with NSO Leader-led evening discussions, provided a great deal of entertainment as well as a chance to truly get to know other first year students. Molly Merkert, who worked at the Koshare Museum in La Junta, Colorado, says “At the beginning of the trip, everyone in my group was a stranger to me. By the end, I had made several friends and I hope to see them around CC throughout the year.” Brower expressed a similar sentiment. “It started off fairly awkward with frequent silences but as the trip progressed those grew fewer and further between”. For many, time spent with peers was the best part of the experience. After spending the previous four days trying to navigate NSO along with 585 other freshman and meet new people, many found it a relief to be able to focus on getting to know a much smaller group of people, which in some cases led to more open and candid conversations.