By Marissa Counts
Wrapping up the spring semester, students at NC State prepare to scatter around the world and make memories of one form or another. A typical college student’s summer may be spent completing an internship, studying abroad, or lounging by a beach — all glamorous options, compared to Ethan Thompson’s escapades. He spent his summer waist deep in mud, drowning in sweat, plowing through a southeastern North Carolina swamp armed with only a power auger. The best part is, he signed up for this.
Thompson helped train teammates on how to use the power auger to bore holes in the mud. “It was really heavy, but it was always a lot of fun to use,” he said.
Thompson is a junior at NC State majoring in communication with a concentration in public relations. Last spring, he utilized ePACK, one of NC State’s best tools available to those searching for employment, volunteer work or internships. He noticed a full summer opportunity offered by the North Carolina Youth Conservation Corps and sent in an application, not entirely aware what he was getting into.
The NCYCC was originally founded by the Vermont Conservation Corps, and accepts volunteers ages 16-22. It is a youth development program that prides itself on teaching environmental stewardship, leadership, community service, and responsibility while working to expand access to some of North Carolina’s most beautiful protected natural areas. In the past, Thompson has considered going into the Peace Corps, so this experience with the NCYCC served in many ways as a “testing of the waters” for him.
He was stationed at Lake Waccamaw for three weeks of the six-week endeavor. During the day, the task he and his team were charged with was building a half-mile long boardwalk in order to connect two parts of a trail, making it handicap accessible. At night, they slept in tents at a distance that can only be described as way too close to alligator infested swampy waters. There was no TV, no Wi-Fi, no refrigerator, no washer or dryer, and not even a bathroom. Minimalistic would be exaggerating NCYCC living conditions. Yet, Ethan and his crew wouldn’t have rather spent their summer any other way.
Part of the boardwalk Thompson and his teammates built through the swamp.
Building a boardwalk is not as simple as sawing some wood and nailing it together. Not in the swamp. Holes had to be dug in order to place the footing for the boardwalk. Tree roots had to be cut out of the bottom of the mucky swamp to make room for the footing, which was dug using a power auger nearly as tall as Thompson himself. This wasn’t the clear blue water of the Caribbean. When the workers drove the power auger underwater to dig, they could only hope it was being steered in the right direction, making the job all the more difficult. But, at the end of the NCYCC’s stint at Lake Waccamaw, Thompson and his crew had built 150 feet of boardwalk, greatly surpassing their supervisor’s expectations and proving that a determined group of teenagers and young adults should not be doubted, no matter the task and the obstacles thrown in their path.
Thompson returned to NC State in the fall with a newfound appreciation for his comfortable dorm room and a whole lot of perspective. He is still considering joining the Peace Corps, and now understands just how much he is capable of both physically and mentally. The most rewarding part of his experience was, as Thompson recalled, “finally being able to lead in a way that mattered.
“You have no choice but to give it your all for the people you are with and for yourself.” Most students would say their summer was memorable; however, thanks to his time with the NCYCC, Thompson now belongs in the honorable category of students who gave their leisurely summer for the betterment of others, yet feel as though they are the ones who gained.