Furman Engaged 2025 Deep Reflect
Alexandria Walgren

When reflecting on Furman Engaged, I initially believed I would be most impacted by the findings of a research project. However, what resonated most with me was a presentation of poetry. The poet shared her creative process, explaining that she creates her work one line at a time, inputting a special code. When she revisits her poem later this code enables her to communicate with her past self.
As someone who identifies as a poet too, this concept struck me deeply. Poetry, for me, is quick and emotional, more like a rant than a conversation. This comparison serves as an analogy for who we are as Furman Students and how Furman Engaged operates. As Paladins, we are my style of writing -- always striving for the gold, moving quickly from one thing to the next. Furman Engaged encourages us to slow down like the poet’s method – pausing to reflect on what we have accomplished, who we are, and our future endeavors.
The most challenging part of Furman Engaged is exploring the abundance of opportunities that Furman and its loving community has to offer us. The most inspiring part is discovering the various talents and things we can offer in return.