Postcard from the Field: STFS – Morgane Pérez-Huet ’17
April 2, 2017
Pérez-Huet interviews Lumbee tribe member Kim Pavia about what it means to be Lumbee and how the proposed Atlantic Coast Pipeline could affect her community.
What is your name: Morgane Pérez-Huet
Major: Environmental Studies
Expected graduation date: July 2017
Why did you want to go to the STFS?
I wanted real-life experience. I wanted to use what I learned in class and apply it to a real life situation.
What specifically are you doing in STFS?
I am working with the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City schools systems in transforming school land into a living learning opportunity. We are currently implementing a pollinator garden at an elementary school and will be having a bee hive installed there later this year. We are also looking into transforming another elementary school area into a wildlife refuge. We expect to complete all this at the end of April.
What has been the most impactful experience you’ve had while in STFS?
Seeing how my work has influenced others or has had an impact. It’s easy do learn how things work from a textbook, but to actually do it in real life is absolutely different. You can see the impact you’ve made and you are challenged by things that are not taught to you in a classroom or textbook.
What is the biggest lesson you’ve taken away from your experience in STFS?
That not everything goes your way. There are so many factors that play into getting a project done that sometimes don’t allow you to get what you want. And no matter how hard you try, it’s just not going to work. That is the most valuable lesson, is knowing when to stop fighting for what you want and reevaluating the situation and going a different path, even if you don’t like it. If it gets the project done, do it.
Do you have any advice for other students who are considering going to the STFS?
Be prepared to do a lot of work. I was very surprised by how much work was required of me. And it’s not that you are assigned a lot of work, it’s that you become so involved and so passionate about what you are doing, you assign yourself tasks that in reality are too much for you to do. My recommendation would be to know your limits and pace yourself.