Jesse’s Tivnu Highlights

This blog post was written by Jesse R., a Tivnu gap year participant from Atlanta, Georgia. He interns at IRCO and will attend Syracuse University for a major in Sports Management next fall. He loves to hike, rock climb, and go to the gym. He has learned a lot of useful skills from Tivnu that will help him in his future. 

Cool Museum in Fossil Oregon
On the way to OMSI Hancock Field Station, the Tivnu cohort stopped at the Museum at Warm Springs to learn about the Native American tribes in Oregon and their history with the land. There were many artifacts and paintings that we could explore and it was really cool to learn new things about what made the Native tribes so unique and their cultural practices. Despite already having knowledge about this subject through school and Tivnu Educational Explorations, I have found that I am always learning new information about the way of life for the Indigenous peoples and their relationships throughout time with European settlers. I believe it is just as important for us to understand what it is like for Indigenous people as compared to any other group in our country’s history because they have a story to tell.

Building in a Great Community
At Sunderland Village, a homeless community where the residents live in RVs, we spent weeks nailing wood, building windscreen walls, and putting them into place. It was amazing to see the reactions of the residents throughout the process and at the conclusion of it. I learned many new skills along the way and now feel confident with many of the skills I learned. We met some amazing people and gained insight into what it was like for them to be in their community. Everyone there was so supportive of the project despite us coming early most mornings and using loud power tools. This was the first big project we worked on. It was very memorable and I will remember this awesome experience in the future.

A quick trip to Eugene
One highlight of my time so far at Tivnu has been traveling with a few other Tivnuniks to Eugene to watch the Oregon Ducks football team play. This was something we were trying to plan weeks ahead and we finally found a weekend that worked, which was exciting. The stadium was packed with fans wearing yellow and the scenic walk to the stadium along with thousands of fans was truly a sight to see. It really felt like a game day as we went to the Wild Duck Cafe to eat some brunch and were surrounded by lots of people wearing Ducks jerseys. I got this really good omelet platter that was delicious. Despite the long bus travel we spent the time socializing with other passengers which made it worthwhile.  It was awesome to have the ability to do something like this as part of Tivnu.

Internship
I work at IRCO (Immigrant & Refugee Community Organization) New Beginnings Market, supplying refugees with the resources they need to live at home. Some of my daily tasks are counting inventory, organizing items, and lifting boxes. The people who work there are super nice and supportive. I am thoroughly enjoying my time there.