May 2024 Graduate Assistant Insights: Amber Wendler
Amber Wendler
Amber Wendler is the Community Engagement Specialist for MAAV. She has organized community listening sessions and other outreach events, facilitated conversations with the public to document more mountain stories, reviewed project proposals, aided in project development to ensure anti-racism and community-led work, and even taught yoga classes to the MAAV community.
When I saw there was a MAAV graduate assistant position available I was very excited since it combined many things that I am passionate about: storytelling, community engagement, and advocating for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. Also, I met MAAV Co-director, Dr. Emily Satterwhite, shortly after starting my PhD program in Fall 2019 through climate justice work at the university and knew that we had similar values. I soon came to learn that I would get along just as well with the other MAAV team members and that our team would feel like a family.
The people of MAAV have been a highlight of my experience and have approached this work with extreme care and thoughtfulness. I admire how the MAAV team has frequent reflections, evaluates biases, listens to and considers everyone's opinions, admits when they may be wrong, ensures people feel fulfilled and not burnout from the tasks they are doing, and puts in the time and effort that is necessary for equitable, inclusive, community-led work. I have had the privilege to work with and learn from faculty, staff, and students from across the university, community activists, labor organizers, historians, and artists.
Through MAAV I have been able to gain knowledge about Appalachia and travel to new places like Norton, Galax, and Bluefield. Although I grew up in New York, I have been living in Appalachia for 5 years and it has become my home. I am committed to highlighting the diversity of this region and continuing to challenge Appalachian stereotypes.
It can be easy to judge a place and a group of people by what others have told you or what you see in the media, but I encourage you to dig deeper. Visit these places and talk to the people there. Ask them about themselves, their community, and their aspirations, and take time to consider why things are the way they are. I would be surprised if this did not change your perspective on the place and people.
I cannot wait for everyone to learn more about all the wonderful monument projects and mountain stories MAAV is helping bring to life. In the meantime, I invite you to think about what story you would choose to tell if given the opportunity and how you would want to tell it.
