College students in America are known for their high levels of stress, and these students interviewed have a solution to combat the stress associated with rigorous coursework. Some students shared that they enjoy biking, hiking, going on walks and sightseeing at various locations near and far from the Trinity campus.
Wesley Wasserburger, junior economics and mathematics double-major, observed that Trinity University is home to a lot of hard workers. However, as a hardworking student himself, he finds that he cannot go out into nature as much. For that reason, he makes it a priority to explore nature when he finds free time, something that he regards as a “luxury.”
“When I am at school it’s a bit harder — maybe once or twice a semester I’ll get some friends and we will go somewhere really cool. During the week I am doing class and all my extracurriculars, and then during the weekend I am catching up on work. So I don’t get to do that as much as I’d like to,” Wasserburger said.
Wasserburger explained that Eisenhower Park, a 20-minute drive from campus, is a great destination for a hike through Texas Hill Country. He added that this trail has a viewing pole you can climb after a mile of walking to enjoy a unique view of the Hill Country. He also described other possibilities for adventure: Brackenridge Park, Olmos Park, Canyon Lake and New Braunfels.
“I find hiking to be the most engaging,” Wasserburger said. “These places by design are meant to be hiking. If you can make that a priority, you might benefit from it. If you know you want to go on a hike and do something fun on the weekend and you have a lot going on in the week, you just have to plan and take care of everything, or maybe miss one club meeting just to make it happen.”
Ethan Wasserman, sophomore biology major, recalled his past relationship with the outdoors, although he explained that he does not have as much time to go out this semester. Nevertheless, he reflected on his pleasant experiences at Olmos Park.
“I think around Devine Road there is a neat little cave, but obviously do not go into a cave on your own — it is not a good idea. Because I had to get iNaturalist observations, that is where I would go. There is a lot of interesting stuff out there,” Wasserman said.
Wasserman recounted that his favorite aspects of Olmos Park are that it offers a historic neighborhood, big houses and forest trails. He highlighted that it is interesting to explore new places because you never know what to expect. Through his interactions with nature, he said he achieved a sense of peace.
“It’s really easy to get disconnected here. When you live in the city you think that humans have everything — that we have complete mastery over our own domain, that we’ve tamed the whole Earth,” Wasserman said. “But then you go on a drive, you have to go on a road trip back home through the countryside, and then you realize that we are really just little hubs, little nodes, in a network of a very vast wilderness. That can inspire terror or that can inspire optimism.”
Wasserman emphasized that students at Trinity should ensure their basic needs are taken care of before anything else, explaining that one can find introspection inside and outside of nature.
“Being in nature can help you get a new perspective outside of the very manufactured and constructed realm of human affairs,” Wasserman said. “Nature will help you to guide you back to where you need to go.”
Josiah Kusnadi, first-year business major, acknowledged that he does not feel connected with San Antonio. He believes he should be doing a better job of getting acquainted with the people and surroundings. Yet, he explained that he had kickstarted his journey through his discovery of the Japanese Tea Garden.
“It was early on in my first semester here. I didn’t really know too many people. I had a weekend where I wanted to get boba, and I tried to find places to get boba and this was the closest place,” Kusnadi said. “When I went there I did not expect there to be a tea garden. I was pleasantly surprised. Especially since in my FYE, which was Being Young in Asia, we talked about the Japanese Tea Gardens. That was a nice way to connect my learning with real experiences.”