by Marion Asi ‘20

It was a typical school day where I learned the new concepts of biology while simultaneously learning how to apply it to real life applications. The school day’s end was near, and I was called down for an announcement; to my astonishment, it was the assistant principal of academics, our very own Mrs. Labrutto. Mrs. Labrutto spoke about an upcoming field trip, that was not meant for the betterment of oneself but for the entirety of Union County, something I was completely honored and happy to be a part of. Though the field trip was weeks away, I was still thrilled about it.

   The day of the trip came sooner than expected, and I was genuinely shocked at how many people were there. Brilliance and gleaming smiles were seen with every turn of my head. I was intimidated of course, since this was a competition. At the start of the trip, my friends and I were given colors depicting which team we were on. Subsequently, we were shown our groups and the traditions of playing icebreakers were underway. By nature, I am extremely friendly towards new people, and because of that, I became good friends with a good portion of my group. Some of them were particularly nice to me, and I appreciated that. I began to see that group as my second family as we supported each other physically and emotionally towards and through every issue, problem, and project that was thrown at us.

   The day was nearing, and the fruition of the field trip itself was upon us. The trip’s purpose was to create an extensive county project which would enable us to help everyone and anyone who is suicidal and suffering from any emotional pain and distress. Everyone’s group created their own version, and of course, we did our best to fulfill the criteria given to us. The final portion of the trip was to present our project, though we struggled at first we did a great job at conveying our project’s purpose to everyone. Although we did not make it in the top three, I love every moment, every second of spending it with my UC Step Red team, also known as my Union County Family.