Fall Break with Park Scholarships

As an out-of-state student, fall break is often the first time during the school year that many of us go home to see our families. Last year, I remember the excitement and enthusiasm that October brought- I was so eager to go home to New Jersey and see my family and friends for the first time in two months. 

However, fall break this year was a little bit different for me. As a Park Scholar at NC State, we are extremely fortunate to go on several trips with our cohort of scholars throughout our 4 years. Last year, I attended Freshman Retreat in the Black Mountains as well as Learning Lab 1 in Greenville. This year, my Park class attended Learning Lab 2 in Washington, D.C. over fall break. Here’s how I navigated the experience of not going home to my family while attending a transformative trip with my Park class.

Although my parents are endlessly proud and supportive of all of my achievements, they were a little disappointed to hear that they wouldn’t see me until Thanksgiving break this year. The way I chose to navigate this was by giving them plenty of notice that I wouldn’t be coming home so that it did not come as a shock to them. The Park program also gives us months of notice for the dates of these trips so I was able to notify my parents last semester. 

Another way my parents and I navigated the disappointment caused by me not traveling home for fall break was by discussing a weekend when they could come down to Raleigh and visit me. Since I couldn’t travel home for fall break and my parents didn’t want to wait until Thanksgiving to see me, we communicated to find a weekend we were both free so they could come visit me at NC State. This alleviated a lot of the disappointment I felt because I knew I wouldn’t have to wait long to see my family.

Ultimately, I had an amazing experience traveling to D.C. with Park Scholarships over Fall Break. The topic of our Learning Lab was healthcare and I learned so much that surprised me. We met a variety of leaders working to increase access to healthcare, crossed paths with another group of NC State students on an Alternative Service Break, and spoke with leaders in both the House of Representatives and the Pentagon. Although it can be difficult to maintain strong relationships with friends and family as an out-of-state student, there are many ways to make the experience easier. 

Go Pack! 

Kiran Muttathil,

Parent Ally