Civic Dispatch: Summer in hometown fuels passion for rural communities

Jean O’Connor-Snyder intern Jessica Criswell recounts her summer in her hometown of Chatom, where she was able to reconnect with her community and childhood with a new perspective.

My journey with the Living Democracy program began on Nov. 9, 2022, when I sent an email to the Living Democracy Program director stating, “I think that this is the perfect opportunity for me next summer.”

I was so excited to be able to spend the summer of 2023 in my childhood home and at Washington County Public Library, the place I’ve considered my second home since riding my purple powered scooter to the Summer Reading Program as a child.

While I fell in love with Auburn the first time I stepped on campus, I was looking forward to a summer full of comfort in my hometown. When I arrived back home in May, I was welcomed with open arms and quickly fell in love with the mundane, but it was not the comfort that I am most grateful for this summer. It was the experiences outside of the familiar that changed me for the better.

In November, I thought comfort was going to be a cornerstone of my time with Living Democracy, but, man, did I have it coming. The first week I met the Living Democracy cohort, we traveled to Montgomery together to meet the David Mathews Center’s staff and the other Jean O’Conner Snyder interns from all over the state.

Not only did I establish relationships with my cohort, program directors, and other great people from around the state, I learned the importance of civic engagement and the true meaning of democracy.

I learned the Greek root words of democracy are ‘demos’ meaning a person living in a city and ‘kratos’ meaning power–meaning the people living in a city hold the power. It changed my entire thought process. I, like most, thought that someone like me could not make a meaningful impact.

The opportunities and experiences I gained from JOIP and Living Democracy changed the course of my life. I discovered new passions and broke through the limitations I had set for myself. I would have never considered myself a writer, and I definitely would not have imagined that my name would be on articles that made a statewide impact.

My position as an intern allowed me to have a little more insight into the inner workings of the great things going on in Chatom. The WCPL staff, city council, mayor, event planners, and many more are constantly working on perfecting old traditions and incorporating new ones. It is quite impressive how the people in service positions in Washington County use the limited resources they are offered to make such an impact.

I bought into the idea as a child that the grass was greener outside of the city limits of my hometown. However, it was my experience outside of Chatom that made me realize the uniqueness of my town. I discovered a passion for protecting the rural way of life.

I think the way to preserve rural life is to encourage young adults to put down roots in their hometowns. It should not be frowned upon to want to stay and invest in what built you. Also, when you find the areas in your hometown where resources or services are lacking, it’s equally important to become passionate in efforts to fill the gap.

Finding areas in need of improvement is often no challenge. The greater challenge lies in how to be a solution using the talents and resources we have at our disposal.

My life truly changed when I understood that life didn’t have to simply ‘happen to me,’ but rather I could happen to the world. Power truly is within the people. Use it for good.

Thank you to the Washington County Public Library staff for being a second family to me. From a kid to a high school summer intern and finally this summer’s Living Democracy intern, you have always found a way to support me in each season of life. There is not anyone in the world that could do your jobs better than each of you do.

Thank you to the David Mathews Center for Civic Life for investing in me this summer and opening up the scope of my world. I could not begin to explain how I have developed as a person this year.

Thank you to Nan, Dr. Wilson, and Brittany for making me feel like I could do or be anything. The work you are doing changes lives, and I am so glad that I got to be one of your students.

Thank you to fellow Living Democracy students Mikalie, Kaitlin, and Payton for being so kind and welcoming. I honestly could not imagine the last eight months without having the three of you by my side. I am so proud of the life-changing work you have done this summer. I will forever cherish the memories we made together.

Lastly, thank you to the citizens of Chatom. You have molded me into the person I am today, and I am very grateful to have the opportunity this summer to be able to give back a fraction of the service my hometown gave to me.

Jessica Criswell is a sophomore studying Biomedical Sciences with a Pre-Med concentration. This summer she returned to her hometown, Chatom, Alabama. Jessica utilized the knowledge she had gained from her year at Auburn to give back to the community that molded her into the person she is today.