My name is Maren Orchard, and I am a double major in public history and women and gender studies. As a Muncie resident, participating in the Everyday Life in Middletown project has been an important experience for me to develop a better understanding of my hometown. I had the opportunity to serve on the recruit informant and history committees as well as and the website and data committees. Outside of the VBC, I am the Director of Online Promotions for Student Honors Council and a peer mentor for the Honors College.
In my day diaries, I tended to focus on my emotional responses to the events around me and was frequently concerned about the thoughts and emotions of others and how they might relate to me. I caught myself feeling worried for the man who couldn’t cross Bethel and for the other patients at my doctor’s office. My favorite daily ritual is pausing outside my front door at sunrise to take a deep breath and look around me, grounding myself in nature before walking to work.