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The Real Impact of a Costume

By Jamie Rae Parker, Coordinator of Harm Reduction Services (Beta Nu Chapter alumna)

When we think of theme parties or Halloween, we think about picking out the best costume, taking a cute picture and writing the perfect Instagram caption to complete the event. What we don’t always think about is how our costume choice may impact another person. Cultural appropriation is imitating something from a culture that is not one’s own. From our own perspectives, it may seem like no big deal, but to others, it can be hurtful and as though we are making fun of their lives, situation or culture. Rarely is a theme or costume selected out of hate for a group or person or with the intention of hurting a group or person. It does not matter the intention behind the theme or costume, however, but rather the impact it has on others.

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The best workplace proximity associates. Getting ready to hit the road to our first chapter visits in a few days!

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La vida verde

Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, 2017.

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That’s what I do; I wear one-pieces and I go places.

Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, 2017.

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A pretty place to sleep for a full week after college graduation.

Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic

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Find a best friend with whom you don’t have any good pictures, because chances are you’re too busy doing better (or just infinitely stupider) things than to take them. To me, Lindsey “takes the L” Lineberger is that best friend. And yes, I already know that we are the worst.  

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I am everything I’ve learned and more. 

Appalachian State University, Class of 2017.

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Mother of Doggos

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I concentrated my geology minor in marine science, so naturally I love snorkeling and observing reefs and underwater ecosystems. While any opportunity to snorkel makes me giddy, I took this photo after I swam directly over a large barracuda off the coast of St. John and lived to tell the story, ergo the huge smile.

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I wanna see the world the way I see a world with you.

Rough Ridge, Boone, N.C., 2017.

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My element.

Bear Lake, RMNP, Colorado.

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And what I love most, Chi had so much soul.

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This picture was taken from a small, uninhabited island off the coast of St. John in the Virgin Islands. Just a few hundred years ago, slave-owning plantationers destroyed an indigenous forest on the island, leaving it relatively barren of the life found on surrounding islands. In 2016, students from Appalachian State University partnered with the Friends of the Virgin Islands National Park and the NPS to plant trees and reintroduce the native species to the island.

I was fortunate enough to be able to go on this service program and contribute to the efforts to conserve Virgin Islands National Park. As a part of ASU’s Alternative Service Experience through the Appalachian & Community Together Office, the program provided me and my peers with an opportunity to practice environmental stewardship and be more critical of environmentalist practices and voluntourism. 

The program impacted me wholly- from the friends that I made, to how I travel and  the way I shape my advocacy. As one of my peers stated, we must always make sure that our activism is accessible.   

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Part of my passion for the environment comes from my collegiate study of geology. Paired with my degree in technical writing, my geology minor has given me a clearer perspective of earth science systems of the past, present, and future. In my own career path, I hope to use this knowledge to perform graduate research and to work as an environmental or science writer.

St. John, USVI, 2016

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There’s a Hamilton quote for this, I swear it.

Biltmore House, 2016.

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I thrive in parks, museums, and all places where people share the passion for conservation.

Blitmore House, 2016.

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Keep Asheville Weird (and aesthetically pleasing).

Asheville, N.C., 2016