Terrain V01 - Journal - Page 36
34 | Sterling College
From other, more brief experiences of a similar nature to the field based semester, I knew I could find an unparalleled purity of existence and depth-of-self in the wild. Sterling had already provided excellent experiential
education and connection to the natural world. My advisors and I both felt the field semester would spur me on
to a deeper understanding of this world and the human connection with it. I found gracious flexibility with the
Dean of Academics, and soon I was signed up as the only graduating senior in the program. I had instant sense
of meaning as I made a commitment to a place, a group of friends, and an adventure. Ultimately, joining the field
semester was the most important educational decision I have ever made.
Although I had high hopes, the quality of the program far surpassed my expectations. Life was very real for the
70-day excursion. I call upon the lessons of that chapter of my life on a daily basis. My time with the field semester
program has spurred me on and qualified me for meaningful work in environmental research, consulting, and education. My ability to navigate and foster human relationships found a spring board in the small group dynamics
and processing that occurred on a daily basis in both structured and unstructured formats. And perhaps most
sincerely, my connection to the earth, and the perspective I have for my life and existence in its living network,
was forever grounded.