The Student Collective Volume VII Issue I

“I left as a freshman for college and never got to go home because there wasn’t a home or hometown
to return to,” Martin said. From her experience of tragedy and loss she felt that campus lacked
connection or resources to support her: “I remembered how I felt when it happened to me… it’s really
alienating and difficult.” However, she said her experiences provided her with the opportunity to “provide
for people who might go through the same thing.”
“This area doesn’t necessarily have such large scale fires … people here aren’t desensitized, whereas
when you’re from Northern California you have ‘fire season’ and you’re kind of used to that … but here
there’s an extra layer of ‘this can’t be happening to me,’” Martin said. As a result, she feels that students
should have space to connect with others who share similar experiences.
As such, Martin has worked to partner with Spiritual Life and the Social Work Program to create a
student-based, student-focused support group in which survivors of wildfires both past and present can
connect. She said, “I had a really difficult time talking about my experience because of the response …
people felt uncomfortable and burdened.” She hopes to create space where students can feel heard and
supported.
With a goal to begin meeting by mid-October, Martin intends to have small groups focus on “the
people who were there” and help students process the trauma that might come from such an experience.
Information about upcoming events and resources can be found on Instagram @fire_survivors_gfu.
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