Introduction Post

Hi, my name is Jon Miranda and I am a 3rd year in Warren College majoring in Mechanical Engineering with a specialization in controls and robotics. Fun fact is that is that my great grandmother is Okinawan which is why I had interest in this course. After reading Solnit’s and Cooke’s articles about responses to disaster, I think what resonated with me most is that disaster is a battle that we must fight together and the only way we truly overcome it is if we come together and lift each other up in the face of adversity. Growing up in San Diego, I went to a high school with a lot of students that crossed the border everyday to come to school. As a result, our school had generated programs for students that would give them opportunities to gain exposure to college, scholarships, or even leisure time such as going kayaking or having events where students could play games after school. While I didn’t cross the border everyday, I could see how closely knit the communities were and how everyone related to each other and shared experiences. On top of that, the teachers themselves were immigrants who understood how difficult it was so they generated a community where even those who couldn’t speak English still felt at home while at school. While the situation at my high school wasn’t a disaster, as I was reading the articles by Solnit and Cooke, seeing how the communities they ran into were very heartfelt and genuine, it reminded me of the communities that my teachers created at my high school and that’s what resonated with me most. An experience more catered to me was joining NJROTC. Again, this wasn’t a disaster, but the community developed in NJROTC gave me a home and helped me feel more valued and it’s because of that community that my high school experience was significantly better. To connect everything together, disaster/adversity isn’t what defines anyone, but how we respond to it is what does. Finding those that respond the same and creating that community is very important and it allows us to inspire others to follow. Looking at the biggest figures in history, they didn’t do it alone, they forged a community that shared the same desires and in the face of disaster, oppression, or hardship, they were able to overcome it and change the world for the better.