Semester For Impact: Suzie's Experience, Learning's and Impact!

Writing this piece is my last assignment of my undergraduate career here at the University of New Hampshire. This is my last opportunity to share my knowledge with my fellow peers and community members. I have done so much I am proud of this semester. I finished my thesis, received a Certificate of Excellence for my presentation at the Undergraduate Research Conference, and was awarded the President’s Leadership Award for 2024. While those accomplishments will stick with me throughout my life, I will always think of the Freedom Cafe when I think of my last semester at UNH. 

Participating in Semester for Impact gave me real world experience that I would not have gained otherwise. I learned professional development skills that helped me land a job I will start in June. I learned about the intricacies of human trafficking and what it can look like. I learned each week how to give better presentations through my “Learn and Leak” talks I would give at Perform for Freedom. I even learned how to present ideas and thoughts to a nonprofit board. Knowledge I gained this semester is something that will come with me in everything I do.

I was actually just talking with my parents the other night about human trafficking, as they saw me sporting my freedom cafe shirt after work. I was able to share with them information they had never known. I told them about how there have been cases of human trafficking in every county of NH, and how there was even a case here in Durham, NH when building the cottages. After hearing this news, they asked if I could share with them brands and companies that they can support that are doing the right thing- being sustainable and ethical. I told them about the Good On You app and Sweat and Toil- both can tell them where to avoid getting products from. My stepmother expressed her lament at the fact that it's so hard as a toy store owner to not source toys made in china- as we learned is an area to avoid when looking at Sweat and Toil. Her and many others express these feelings when talking about shopping or sourcing sustainably and ethically. 

It can become nearly impossible to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Slave labor has been going on for thousands of years- how can we make it stop? This feeling of dread and helplessness is not unlike what so many people feel about the climate crisis. It is such a big problem, what can I do to stop it? 

Well, as I was talking with my parents, I shared with them that hopefully soon they will know where in Durham to shop consciously. In 5 years, maybe that will be the entire seacoast NH area. My work this semester has been creating an assessment tool to grade local businesses on how ethical and sustainable they are in their practices and sourcing. I believe it has laid the groundwork for future guides to be made that will make it easier for our consumers to know where to go to shop consciously. In my semester here, I have been able to create the guide and actually grade a few businesses. I graded the cafe, New Moon consignment shop, Dunkin’ and one restaurant that will remain unnamed until they complete their audit. But, they have already scored immensely better than I expected. They are just an average restaurant, but they are being sustainable in their practices. Hopefully, the assessment I made and the future guide will foster this culture even more in Durham and expand it to the greater seacoast area. 

I think we often feel that the times we are living in now are semi-apocalyptic with climate change and grave injustices happening all over the globe. However, I like to think that my project can be a light at the end of the tunnel. We can see where we are headed, and what we can do along the way. We can finally picture a world where people and our planet are free to prosper. When we feel this sense of dystopia, remember the quote that is hanging on the wall by the door in the cafe. “If not now, when? If not us, who?” 

Thank you Bryan, and all of those who I worked with at the cafe and beyond. You and your mission will stay with me in all my future endeavors.