Response #2

Anna Kleis

Professor Zabalbeascoa

FYSH: Text and the City

17 April 2015

The End of an Era

            There is a quote from Jack Kerouac’s On the Road that is particularly touching, and one that I wanted to start my final response for my Lowell excursions with: “There was nowhere to go but everywhere, so just keep on rolling under the stars.” I have been feeling a bit nostalgic lately, so this sentence really spoke to me as my final semester of freshman year is wrapping up. Being at Lowell for the better part of a year has compelled me to think of all the good is does for so many people. The past six excursions I have attended have only proved this point further. People here at this University and outside of it possess an innate and generous need to better themselves and more evidently, those around them. In the three excursions I attended in this second half of the semester, I attended one required and two of my choice. The required excursion was the play “Oceanside” performed at the Merrimack Repertory Theater and directed by Nick Gandiello. My first optional excursion was Meghan L’s Honors Thesis defense in the library that we attended as a class. My second optional excursion was a Foster Care Awareness Day at the Plummer House Foster Care facility in Lowell. Despite the dissimilarity of these three events, a common idea runs through them. The play, the thesis defense, and the foster care event all took place for the betterment of Lowell and it’s inhabitants. The individuals who put on these events all have an altruistic mindset, striving to do good for the people surrounding them. Ultimately, these three excursions are tied together by the altruism that they portray.

            When I heard that we would be attending a play for our required excursion this time around, I was optimistic but hesitant. I have always enjoyed watching movies and other forms of entertainment, but I had never enjoyed watching live plays. This fear could have stemmed from when I was little and saw “A Christmas Carol” live in Boston, uncontrollably crying because I was terrified of the portrayal of Jacob Marley’s ghost (which still scares me to this day). Anyways, I have to admit that I was skeptical about seeing “Oceanside.” I knew that the Merrimack Repertory Theater is an established facility in the city of Lowell and that some great work has been performed there. After a bus ride to the Inn and Conference Center and a walk through downtown Lowell, my friends and I arrived at the theater with time to spare. We got almost front row seats to the show, benefitting my play-watching experience. After the play ended, my friends and I walked back to the bus stop, discussing the play in its entirety and reflecting on the discussion that is to come.

I was pleasantly surprised with “Oceanside.” I thought the actors played their parts in a believable way and put on a great show. I am no theater expert, but I was very impressed with the overall performance and the themes throughout the play. It was somewhat dark but had moments of comedic relief that both the rest of the audience and I thoroughly enjoyed. What I loved most about this excursion was the end of the play when the actors bowed and acknowledged the audience. The amount of pride on their face was uplifting. Their proud expressions spoke for themselves. I could truly see the diligence and immense effort that these actors put in for months to put on this production for those loyal to the Merrimack Repertory Theater. They are doing what they love for the sake of what every t
heatergoer loves. They are contributing to the artistic aspect of Lowell, spreading awareness for the arts and enhancing them simply by doing what they enjoy most.

            The first optional excursion that I went to was Meghan’s Honors Thesis defense in O’Leary Library as an integral part of class. Our class was among the numerous family members, honors faculty and advisors in the audience who assisted Meghan along the way with her honors project on video production. Meghan will graduate in May with a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry and go on to graduate school to study education to eventually become a teacher. With the help of her honors mentor, Meghan constructed a near twenty-minute video detailing the video production process and its benefits, particularly in education. Throughout her video, Meghan reiterated that video production could be utilized in classrooms to encourage group projects, foster creativeness, and build the knowledge that is needed in our technologically advancing world.

            Not only did Meghan’s presentation directly benefit me by serving as one of my excursions, it indirectly worked in my favor because it was an example of what I will have to do in three years and therefore it was a valuable experience. I admired the way that Meghan conducted herself, presented her project and answered questions at the end. I hope that I possess that same confidence when I present my thesis as Meghan did. Additionally, I revered her motivations behind this video project, the idea that she is developing her tools that she will utilize when she is a teacher to better her students’ knowledge of all concepts. Merely her willingness to become a teacher and provide education to children is a true act of altruism. I believe that she will go on to do great things in the world of education because of her inherent ability to teach, be taught, and enhance her skills whenever possible. Meghan is indicative of a selfless person who will go on to improve the lives of many of her students. She is a by-product of the city and all the benevolence that it has to offer.

            The third and final excursion that I partook in was an event for Foster Care Awareness Day on April 8^th. My Child and Adolescent Development teacher suggested the event because she is the advisor for the Foster Care Awareness organization here on campus. It was held at the Plummer House in Lowell, a foster care facility located on Broadway Street. The event was kicked off by a thank you from the club advisors and an introduction of a spokesperson and volunteer for the home, Kathleen Truscot. She described the mission statement of the Plummer House and the services they provide. In essence, they encourage for those who seek help to get that help at their facility for as long as they need it. After Kathleen spoke, a foster parent (whose name I do not remember) told her story about raising her now adopted daughter whom she met through the foster care system at the Plummer House. She praised the entire experience as the most rewarding thing she has ever done and something she would not “have traded for the world.” After she professed her love for both her daughter and the foster home she came from, Kim, a student at UMass Lowell, told her story of growing up under foster care parents in homes that were never really hers. She described the struggle growing up and how she has overcome it today. Nevertheless, the foster care system has provided her with the tools to yield her a successful college experience. They pay for her college tuition and offer monthly visits in order to check up on her progress. Although she is reminded every day that she is a product of foster care, she is grateful that it has served her in the best way possible.

            All of those who conducted and had the courage to speak at this event on Foster Care Awareness Day are the epitome of this city’s philanthropy. They have nothing to lose and everything to give. The Plummer House, it’s volunteers, it’s parents and its children serve to better the society that we live in, beginning with the Lowell area. As Kathleen described the foster mother who spoke: “She is an ordinary women who does extraordinary things.” Indeed, these kinds of people have the warmest hearts in the darkest of circumstances. They are destined to live in places where they will make a difference, and Lowell happens to be the perfect place.

            As my freshman year comes to an end at UMass Lowell, I am able to reflect on not just the benevolence of the faculty, staff and students here, but also of those all throughout this city. I have branched out from my residence of Sheehy Hall on South Campus to diversified and historic locations all around the vibrant city of Lowell, Massachusetts. I cannot seem to fathom the helpfulness and pure kindness that stems from every building, every office and every street corner. “Oceanside” signified those from the arts and their true passion for entertaining people. Meghan’s presentation of her Honors project represented the impact that simply one person can make in a particular field, hers being her future influence in the worlds of chemistry and education. Lastly, those at the Plummer House who advertised foster care and all of its benefits showed me the devotion that one person can have to other without having someone devoted to them. The best kinds of people inhabit this city. I love that I have made this place my home, and referring back to Jack Kerouac’s quote, I am just going to keep rolling under the stars, appreciative of all that I have and all that is to come.

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