At Penn State we are encouraged to get involved. Try this club, apply for this internship, go to these office hours. It is important to get involved because we go to such a big school, but why did you chose Penn State? I chose it because it was such a huge school with a community feel that I wanted. The arboretum encompassed that larger community feel that I was searching for. I saw students, mothers with their kids, elderly couples, professors, and for thirty minutes I felt like I was really part of this larger civic community. I felt like I was at home going to the park like I did growing up. The only thing snapping me back to reality was the sight of a crane and the hum of construction in the distance. But what else would you expect.
I could tell how much effort was put into making and keeping up such a beautiful place. From the fountain to the hundreds of labeled flowers it was nice to see the amount of care people were putting into a public place that is just meant for enjoyment. As soon as I sat down I realized I couldn’t remember the last time I hadn’t seen a building looming over me. As someone from the suburbs being in the middle of campus can sometimes feel like a city.
It’s important to civic life that people understand and support nature. I think that nature is something we take very much for granted because we trust it will always exist in the same state that it does today when studies show that is not necessarily the case. Having places like the arboretum at Penn State to encourage people to want to spend more time in nature will hopefully translate into us living more sustainable lives.