Planting Trees
After participating last year in an Arbor Day event, I was excited about learning how to plant trees with an organization on my campus, Hill Country Roots. This event was not only a workshop for transplanting trees, but also gave away trees to the event participants, so that they can plant them at their home backyards. I signed up to become a member of the Hill County Roots that day.
Hill Country Roots has several ongoing projects to support its purpose: grant writing for funding opportunities that help them plant more trees, recycling programs, tree planting workshops, and cultivating events in collaboration with Oxford and Lafayette school districts.
The event that I attended, planting trees on the Oxford High School campus, was perfectly organized. The event kicked off with a motivational speech from one of the organizers with some information about how many trees are planted through the event and how long it will take the trees to grow. Next, there was a demonstration on how to plant trees properly and what tools are needed! About thirty participants joined in the event, including students, families with their children, and experts in planting. I could see the children were the most enthusiastic about planting the trees, and they were eager to track the trees’ growth. I brought my neighbor along as well, as she has experience planting trees in her small village in Eastern Europe. Also, I thought it was fun to mark the trees we planted together and locate them later to see how valuable our contribution is in making Oxford greener!
I learned from the advisors about how important it is to measure the depth of the hole that we dig, how to remove the soil from the stem of the tree so that it looks like a doughnut with the tree in the middle, and how to mulch the tree after planting. Mulching is critical for maintaining moisture and for providing nitrogen to the newly planted trees.
I am thankful for Fulbright for reminding us periodically of seizing potential volunteering opportunities in our local communities. My professor at the University of Mississippi has taught us how volunteering helps us build connections, enhance our communication skills, and increase our leadership skills. During the event, participants were excited to find out I come from Egypt and learn more about the country. They asked me about the pyramids and places to visit in Egypt and how long I had been in the United States.
I am planning to join the Hill Country Roots organization again in other activities they are performing. The next event will involve growing plants at an Oxford elementary school, where my son attends school. My little boy will be thrilled to plant a tree on his school campus and watch it as it grows!
Rasha is a Fulbright student from Egypt. She is studying Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Mississippi.
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