On October 25^th, I visited the Funny Farm Rescue in Mays Landing with Stockton’s Animal Friendly Organization. The farm did live up to its name because the first thing I saw as we drove in, was huge flocks of birds in the middle of the road. Most of the animals were not gated, as far as I could tell from looking at the farm from my backseat window. I saw two dogs running and fetching bones and a young calf taking a nap on the side of a barn. I thought: What did I get myself into? I was awestruck by the setup of the farm- I have never experienced anything like this. Once we parked or tried to park, despite the birds pecking at the gravel in the parking area, we walked onto what seemed like a chaos. However, as we got to touch all of the animals and get a feel for the environment, we soon realized that it was only an organized mess. For example, while the birds do walk around the entire farm, they walk in an organized flock fashion. This same concept could be extended to the rest of the animals in the farm including the horses, cats, dogs, pigs, and cows.

This farm is not open to the public very often so I was fortunate enough to see all the rescued animals, feed them, and learn about their stories. My friends and I asked one of the workers for a tour around the farm. The worker told us the names and rescue stories of every animal on the farm (there had to have been over 50 rescue animals at the time). One story that really stood out to me was about one of their adopted rescue dogs. Veterinarians predicted this dog to live for only a few months because of a rare condition in his esophagus that makes him throw up all of his food. After hours of research, the owners were able to sustain his life by training him to eat blended dog food in a crate sitting upright. Looking at the dog eat and play during my visit was truly inspiring. It made me feel good knowing that I was baking and fundraising for a worthy cause that honestly cares about disadvantaged animals. I look forward to returning to Funny Farm Rescue again in the near future!

On September 20th, I attended the ‘Get Involved Fair’ hosted in the academic building, on campus. This event also took place the next day with the same clubs and greek societies. I was looking forward to joining many clubs, being active on campus, and meeting new people. I met up with my friends around 11:00 AM and we all walked to the start of what seemed like a chain of a thousand tables. Anime, quidditch, or neuroscience- I found these clubs particularly unique; however, the club I most connected with was the Global Health Team. The president, Francesca, was very friendly and explained the club’s mission. I enjoy helping others, and I aspire to travel to new places so this club really appealed to me. Other than this club, I also found the Animal Friendly Organization interesting. I have a passion for animals and the organization often volunteers at local animal shelters, so I wanted to be part of the fun! I noticed that they do fundraisers and donate to animal shelters as well, I look forward to making a noteworthy cause in this club. Another club that I signed up for was the Latin American Student Association. I joined this club not only because I’m Hispanic, but also because they have fun events and interesting meetings. In an upcoming meeting they will be discussing the Hispanic culture, such as parenting and growing up compared to other cultures. Throughout the Get Involved Fair session, I was able to meet leaders and other freshmen who were interested in clubs, like me.