Soleil Sykes ’18
I’m telling you because, the next time you wonder what happened to Antioch— you know, to the Antioch you went to—I have an answer for you. Nothing. Antioch remains what, I gather, it’s always been. It remains a school that, through the pluck, tenacity, and profound generosity of its community members, can make remarkable things happen. Here I am, after all: employed by a childhood hero, on the Coop of my dreams: living, working proof.
Tinier Than Yellow Springs
SOLEIL SYKES PHOTO COURTESY JULIA DONNELLY
By Noah Yasgur ’19
Antioch happened. Thanks to this peculiar little school in the heart of southwest Ohio—thanks, specifically, to its unparalleled Co-op program—I found myself in Washington, D.C. in January of this year, working for a communications firm and living in the guest room of Karen Mulhauser ’65. One night in March, I attended an Antioch College dinner on her suggestion and there I met—who else?— the Congresswoman herself. We spoke. I told her of my past experience working on U.S. Congressional campaigns across Ohio, and told her about watching her on C-SPAN as a kid. To which she said the damnedest thing: a response so felicitous, a response that cleaved so closely to those fantasies we all entertain about our futures before drifting off to sleep, it seemed almost hilarious to me. “I’ve been looking for some help,” she told me. It seemed hilarious, but it was no joke. Here I now am, sitting at Karen Mulhauser’s dining room table at 11:30 pm, eating mixed nuts and typing up drafts of fundraising emails for my employer, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton. I’m writing this now because I want you to know, at this crucial time in Antioch’s history, that it’s responsible for this. Without Coop, without the generosity and enthusiasm of Antioch’s alumni community, I’d never have landed this job.
My Co-op this past winter quarter was spent in Redwood-forested northern California. I lived and worked in the town of Hopland in Mendocino County. With a population of under 800, I could feel the difference between a small town (Yellow Springs) and a really small town. With no car and minimal access to infrequent public transit, I had the blessing and the curse of being stuck where I was. Although this intimidated me at first, I gradually settled into a work/life/relaxation balance that felt comfortable, quite the rarity thus far during my erratic Antioch career. My position at the Solar Living Institute was appropriately called “Intern.” They have an established internship program which has employed Antiochians in the past. While I was there, the number of participants (including me) fluctuated anywhere from three to five people. As we all lived together, worked together, and shared a communal kitchen space, the cohort got pretty close. We laughed, we argued, and definitely got to know each other. We did the oddest of jobs. There were a lot of firsts for me as well. I walked among Redwoods of such enormity that made anything happening below seem insignificant. I got to learn some theory and practice about solar panel installation, taking a complimentary 40-hour workshop and jumping in on a roof installation with a nonprofit called Grid Alternatives. I have learned from experiences on Co-op what I definitely want to continue pursuing and
what I don’t; there’s valuable knowledge to both. But luckily for me, this was a path I would love to continue post-Antioch!.
À Bruxelles! By Soleil Sykes ’18 Co-op has been a fantastic component of my Antioch education. For my fifth Co-op, I wanted to pursue a dream opportunity for a Political Economy major interested in transatlantic affairs and defense issues: working at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Through the State Department’s internship program, I interned with the Political Section of the U.S. Mission to NATO for 10 weeks, after representing Antioch as a member of the inaugural Global Liberal Arts Alliance delegation to the 2017 Athens Democracy Forum. Every day, I had the opportunity to see diplomats and leaders from around the world cooperating to achieve peace, prosperity, and security. My tasks ranged from attending and reporting out on committee meetings, drafting cables, controlling two visits to NATO, and supporting public affairs and other events, such as the Defense Ministerial. One of the most rewarding aspects of my work was getting to see collaboration between the State and Defense Department. The working relationship and support among the Mission staff made for a wonderful working environment and helped me settle into living on my own in Brussels. Brussels is lovely. It reminded me in many ways of a European DC, with better waffles and superb chocolate. The opportunity to live and work in such a beautiful, historic country was truly a dream. I practiced my French and based my language capstone about Belgium’s role as the battlefield of Europe on the experiences and insights I gained during Co-op. One of the interesting things I discovered during my travels in Belgium was that many towns outside of Brussels, such as Tongeren, Antwerp, and Bruges, are predominantly Flemish-speaking. Getting stuck on a country train platform after dark produced some interesting linguistic gymnastics and a great Thanksgiving story. I’ll save it for a Reunion. THE ANTIOCHIAN SPRING, 2018 19