Hi! Thank you for taking the time out of your day to read my reflection 🙂 My name is Amanda Galarza and these were my favorite parts about my STEP trip!

My STEP project was transformative experience, I met so many new friends and mentors for the future. My step group and I were immersed in a weeklong, off grid endeavor where we learned about sustainable agriculture, hiked, and had thought provoking conversations about what we wanted to take away from the experience and our plans for the future. We also made food from ingredients made from not only local produce but, from fruit and vegetables that were grown right there on the Wyatt Farm.

My time at the Wyatt Run Farm exceeded every expectation that I had going into the trip. Before going on the trip I understood myself to be passionate about sustainability and protecting the environment. I tried all that I could to make sure that I was being a leader in accumulating lass waste, using less plastic, and being mindful of the places that I bought my food. About a couple of years ago, I decided to have keep a capsule wardrobe which is how I am decrease my clothing consumption and increase the longevity of the items in my closet. All of the decisions that I make I make sure that that they are sustainable and productive for the health of our earth.

After the week that I spent at the farm I realized that sustainability looks so different to everyone and there is no right way to live a healthy and self-sufficient lifestyle. I met ten wonderful students who were as passionate about sustainable living as I was, and yet they all had their own stories. Meeting all of them taught me that I should never have to sacrifice my own morals for mainstream aspirations. Meaning that through social media, television, and even music, we are presented with a lifestyle that we are supposed to want. We are taught to buy so that we can make our friends jealous. We are taught to stick with the trends instead of buying what makes us happy. We are taught to have a pack mentality instead of having our own individual vison. The most important piece of advice that I took from this trip is that this is truly my life, and I should live it to my standard regardless of if it goes beyond what others are expecting from me because having expectations for my lifestyle is kind of boring.

The lightbulb really went off in my mind when as a group we went just down the road to one of Mark Cohen’s neighbors. The way that the Wyatt Run Farm is set up is that long ago before I was born, Mark and a few of his friends decided to buy a large piece of land together. They sectioned off the land and each person had their own space that they could do essentially whatever they chose. One of Mark’s favorite part about living there was, if he wanted to, he could go weeks without seeing anyone, or he could hold evening potlucks with all of his neighbors. I always thought that was funny whenever he would bring it up. Regardless, as a group, we drove just five minutes down the street and met one of Mark’s neighbors, her name was Cynthia Hart-Button, she, her husband, their two dogs, and baby cat lived in this gorgeous red home built by hand. It had a beautiful garden in the back and an enormous piece of land outlooking the front of the property. You may be wondering what ever could two people do with all that land? Well I have your answer! Cynthia and her husband were the parents to over ten wild bison.

Meeting Cynthia was one of the most wonderful experiences of my life, one that I will cherish for a very long time. She encouraged me to live a life that I am proud of and to never let anyone dim my light. She was the picture of happiness that I need in order to push me towards reaching my goals. All she needed was her home, her husband, and her small farm. After we left Cynthia’s home, we headed back to Mark’s where we made homemade tortillas we the second influential person that I met while away. His name was Jim. He is a musician and handles all of the reparative problems on the farm. The main goal of his was to stress to us the importance of fixing our everyday essentials. Not only is this more sustainable, it’s also an overall important skill to have when trying to live a truly self sufficient lifestyle. Other than this, Jim was also just an inspirational man with a beautiful story. He and his wife went back and forth from Florida to Ohio, saving up to build their forever home. They worked off jobs, lived in poor neighborhoods, and yet they still never lost sight of what they truly wanted. Today they live in home that they built completely by themselves, with their chickens, their two dogs, and they even have their own produce farm. The most inspirational part about their story is that the life that they dreamt up came full circle.

As an engineering major, it can be discouraging when you feel like the students in your class are understanding the material at a faster pace than you. I have never been the best at not comparing myself to others. Life can get overwhelmingly competitive and I may not know how to deal with those insecurities. Jim made me realize that comparison is our way of justifying our lack of wanting to fail, so in turn we try our hardest to take the easiest way out. What I learned while on this STEP trip and from the numerous people that I met is that I need a purpose in order to make my dreams happen. I need to find my passion and have that be the driving force to my goals because it is easy to just give up and move on. Success takes more than that. If I want to be successful I need to do the unexpected and have that drive to keep going.

Ever since coming back from the trip, I have taken a substantial amount of time reflecting on how I want to live my life moving forward. I want the best for my future and I want to be able to help my family in the way that they helped me. I also want to prioritize my health in any way that I can. I lastly want to focus on my relationships and building strong connections with a community of people. Some of the best memories in life are those that you have with the people around you, the people that you can count on for support. Mark and his closets family bought this land and created their own community and that is something that I will always appreciate. I also value health more than I had before going on my STEP trip. Caring about what I put in my body and how I am taking car of myself should be at the forefront. The amazing thing about farming your own food is that you know exactly where it is coming from. You will appreciate your meals more so than if you just ordered takeout.

My STEP trip experience was the representation that I needed to understand what is necessary. Mark is the type of person who is passionate about what he is doing on his farm and he wants to share that with everyone that will listen. He is educated, he has studied these techniques his entire life. Though people thought he was crazy, he did not listen. There were people that stood by him. Ultimately all that mattered was what was in his heart and what he felt the right thing was to do. I am so grateful to have even gotten the chance to go on this trip and learn this much about myself in a short period of time. I really can do anything that I set my mind to and that is the most valuable lesson that I take out of this experience!

I also included a few photos to sum up some of my highlights from my trip 🙂