Connection Beyond the Classroom

Ella Shutze

To me, engaged and transformative learning is about connection and collaboration. People transform people; we engage one another and learn from each other. This is the essence of FU Engaged: to listen and learn from others and to support one another in exploring people’s unique projects and dreams. One presentation I attended was a Senior Art Exhibit. This particular senior shared a creative video as a form of a visual and auditory journal. The foundation of this video was the notion that we are all connected—four of her good friends are all connected in some way, yet do not know each other. Even more, everyone whom we meet and interact with impacts us in some shape or form. In turn, we influence and impact others. This video had the qualities of an engaging learning environment because the audience could see themselves represented in the people shown in the video but also in the person presenting. We can appreciate the time put into these projects as well as all the trials it may have taken to reach this final product. In sharing her process of creating her video, this senior revealed that everything was not always easy, yet she continued on with the help of those around her.

We don’t always have to actively learn from textbooks and lectures. After all, learning from the people we care about has the potential to be more impactful than the words we read on pages. As her video displayed, we carry pieces of people around with us everywhere we go. We are built out of our family’s love, our peers’ comradery and laughter, and our professors’ support and dedication to helping us expand our minds and hearts. This senior also expressed her intention to share her friends’ stories in the video. Thus, this video further demonstrates the foundation of FU Engaged in the means of telling and listening to one another’s stories— whether their stories are internships, travel experiences, senior capstones, psychological experiments, etc. Engaged learning is this type of connection, this unveiling of human truth and emotion through stories—a pinprick of inspiration and a wave of comfort, connection, and intention in the form of celebration.

Her video also focused on the importance of self-reflection and asking ourselves questions to discover hidden pieces of ourselves. We must question what we see, then question what we see after that, because sometimes the questions matter as much as the answers. Therefore, the question portion after the presentations is so important as well. When we have the opportunity to ask questions, we are engaging ourselves in one of the most transformative parts of learning: to want to know more and connect more, but also be okay with not understanding everything presented to us. Similarly, the most important lessons we are taught in school go beyond answering the questions on a test correctly. This is why FU Engaged is so great—there is no one right answer, and there is no singular focus of study or type of presentation. All of us are different, going about unique pathways and studying and teaching different subjects, but we are all connected. We are all trying our best; we are all learning and helping one another in the process. FU Engaged embodies this idea of connection: we attend one another’s presentations to support them and learn. In turn, someone else will attend our own presentations and learn from us. It’s a magical cycle of support, teamwork, and companionship of which Furman spends much time highlighting on campus.

As I returned to my dorm that night, I couldn’t help but feel that a little part of the presentations that I saw earlier in the day were still with me. The girl’s portrayal of connection inspired me to pay more attention to how others impact me and how I impact other people. Another senior’s art exhibit, which showed his love for his mom, made me want to tell others more often that I appreciate them. And a poster about the influence of pop art led me to watch a documentary on pop art. What’s so amazing about transformative and engaged learning is that we take what we learn and carry it with us. What we learn does not just go on pieces of paper filled out in classrooms, but carries us onward and helps us in so many more events, lessons, and situations in life. Ultimately, FU Engaged is a snowstorm of fascination and opportunities which is growth which is hope which is Furman.