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Living Life on Another Level Article by Catherine Fink This story contains editorial content regarding the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. You never know when life will “shut down” and close you off from opportunities. I never expected my high school experience to be almost nonexistent. Fast forward to my first year at Marquette University, I have learned it is important to take advantage of opportunities and live presently as the world can change without notice. This year I have engaged in living presently to not only make up for lost time from the pandemic, but to experience life on another level. I traveled to Berlin for a German class over spring break, traveled to Nogales, Mexico to serve in the Kino Border Initiative with
Campus Ministry and upon my return, flew to Hawaii to travel with my family. Travel and understanding other cultures fills me with a sense of how interwoven the world really is today. I have been immersed in the German language and culture since I was four years old. When I was in Berlin, the Russo-Ukrainian War had just started, but already we could see immigrants crossing over and traveling through the city. I was able to use my German along with Google Translate to help translate signs into Ukrainian to help refugees navigate to the bus stations, which made me feel helpful in a helpless situation. I wanted to further understand what is happening on Photos courtesy of Catherine Fink
the southern border with immigration to the United States from Latin America. In my opinion, the more handson you are when it comes to issues, the more you are able to develop a narrative about them. To me, those firsthand experiences are the ones that may change the way you live your life. The most impactful part of the Campus Ministry trip to Nogales, Mexico was hearing the testimonies of people in the immigration shelter. One that stood out to me was a Guatemalan man seeking asylum with his wife and two children. When we first met him, he was terrified and emotional which poured out over me as he described the horrifying experiences he endured. On the final day, my group and I were overwhelmed with joy and hope as we were able to meet him and his family on the U.S. side of the border. My final trip of the summer may seem trivial in relation to the other cultural experiences I had in the months and weeks prior, but this family trip to Hawaii was special in its own ways. My dad turned 60, and to celebrate my family attend-
