Spring Break Campus Bridging Initiative, Day One

The gentle breeze and vibrant atmosphere of spring, coupled with the radiant day of March 10th, 2025, welcomed the Civic Bridgers to the Urban/Rural Spring Break Immersion Program at the Hilton Garden Inn Shoreview. I arrived at the hotel at around 5:15 PM and was warmly welcomed by the organizers, Jill and Katie, at the lobby. After checking in, I was given a tote bag that contained a binder with handouts, program information, and the materials I would need for the next few days as a participant. I also answered a pre-program survey. All the organizers and facilitators knew all our names since the first day of the event, which made the experience special and personal.

Our welcome session was held in one of the conference rooms at the hotel. We went over the program’s flow for the next few days and were then officially introduced to the program organizers, Jill, Katie, and Libby, as well as the facilitators, Harry and Marie. We were given several dinner options such as salmon, pasta, cheeseburgers, and desserts. Overall, the food was amazing and getting a chance to know my fellow Civic Bridgers more at the dinner table was the cherry on top.

One of my favorite parts of the day was the icebreaker activity where we brought an object that we believe represents our culture. Every person’s interpretation of “culture” varied from ethnicity, the place they call “home”, and their passions. Some brought paintings, an album that compiled their race bibs from various cities, a New York City Metro Card, Minnesota State Fair award ribbons, a Goodwill price tag, and a lot more. I brought a hair clip that my grandmother gave me. It was made out of textile that had Japanese patterns called 和柄 (wagara), which was inspired by nature. The pattern resembled cherry blossoms, which are flowers that represent the springtime and new beginnings in Japanese culture. This activity was a great introduction to everybody’s diverse backgrounds and set the scene for the upcoming days of learning about how our community and the environment we grew up in, either urban, suburban, or rural, shaped our identities.