Working with Hedaya this semester, alongside Aubrey, became one of the most grounding and meaningful parts of my community engagement experience. Our meetings felt less like structured obligations and more like shared spaces of conversation, curiosity, and mutual care. Having Aubrey present added an important layer to our dynamic, as our different backgrounds and experiences created opportunities for richer reflection and comparison rather than a single narrative.
Across our meetings, I admired Hedaya’s growing engagement on campus and the relationships she was building with mentors and professors. Hearing her speak about these connections reminded me how community is not something automatically granted, but something formed through trust, vulnerability, and sustained effort. Aubrey and I often found ourselves learning just as much as we were sharing, whether through casual check-ins or deeper discussions about identity, belonging, and navigating new spaces.
Our final “giving back” session felt truly reciprocal. Rather than offering solutions or advice, we showed up with presence, attentiveness, and care. This experience reinforced for me that meaningful community engagement is rooted in listening and humility, not in trying to fix or instruct. I will carry forward the lessons of shared reflection, cultural awareness, and relational care that shaped my time with Hedaya and Aubrey, and I hope to remain connected beyond this course.
