{"id":56362,"date":"2026-08-05T20:04:44","date_gmt":"2026-08-05T20:04:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/college-recovery-program\/?page_id=56362"},"modified":"2026-08-05T20:04:44","modified_gmt":"2026-08-05T20:04:44","slug":"be-a-villager","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/college-recovery-program\/stepup-program-student-stories-and-voices\/student-blog\/be-a-villager\/","title":{"rendered":"Be a Villager"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"StepUP<\/div><\/div>

Welcome to the August edition of our blog!<\/h3>\n
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Our monthly blog is a student-run platform that allows different scholars within the StepUP program to share their personal experiences with the greater community. Everything written, designed and curated was by StepUP students! Delivered straight to your inbox every \ufb01rst week of the month.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Event Updates!<\/h2>\n

MNYPAA and 4 of July!<\/span><\/h4>\n

The Minnesota Conference for Young People in AA was over the 4<\/span>th<\/span> of July weekend! It was an epic couple of days<\/span>\ufb01lled with \ufb01reworks, friends, and <\/span>recovery.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

\"StepUP<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
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Final week of softball!<\/span><\/h3>\n

It was the sober softball league \ufb01nals, and we are proud to announce that StepUP came in 3<\/span>rd<\/span> place! AND we made it to the playoffs \ud83d\ude42<\/span><\/p>\n

Thanks everyone for another great season!!<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

\"StepUP<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
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Be a Villager<\/h3>\n
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Written by Moss<\/span><\/h3>\n

July 2026<\/h4>\n

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Be a Villager<\/h3>\n
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Hi my name is Moss. I spent four years in the StepUP program. All of those years I lived on campus, and three of those years I had the honor to work for the program as a StepUP Peer Advisor, or SPA. The job duties of a SPA are similar to that of a regular college resident assistant. However there is a much heavier emphasis on building and maintaining a really stellar community, and it\u2019s a lot harder than one might think. Don\u2019t get me wrong, the program is awesome and \ufb01lled with amazing people, but living together isn\u2019t always harmonious. Con\ufb02ict, in\ufb01ghting, and some drama are unfortunately inevitable aspects of a choosing to be in a tighknit community such as StepUP, but in my opinion, totally worth it. Here are a few things I\u2019ve learned during my time in the program that I would advise all current and <\/span>prospective StepUP students to keep in mind:<\/span><\/p>\n

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1. Be a Villager<\/p>\n

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If you want a village, you\u2019re gonna have to be a villager. That sounds super obvious, but you would be surprised at how hard it can be. Everyone who knows anything about community will give you the same advice: just show up. Showing up is half the battle, and, yes, sometimes it takes some sacri\ufb01ce, but the rewards are priceless.<\/p>\n

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2. It\u2019s not that deep.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

In times of turmoil, sometimes I\u2019d go complain to Shane, one of our lovely counselors, and often he would tell me to \u201clet it go\u201d. Like I said before, StepUP is a tightknit community, we spend a lot of time together, and the majority of us live in the same building. Resentments are de\ufb01nitely a thing, and not everyone is always gonna get along. We all have our own ideas about how we should act, live, and what the moral thing to do is, and sometimes we unfairly project them onto others. In AA it\u2019s called taking someone\u2019s inventory. I guess what I am trying to say is, while unhygienic and annoying, your roommate's dirty dishes aren\u2019t a moral failing. Don\u2019t let those little differences ruin your perception of them. It\u2019s really not that deep, and at the end of the day things are what you make of them.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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3. Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery and today is a gift; that\u2019s why it\u2019s called the present.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

You might recognize that saying from the \ufb01rst Kung Fu Panda movie. These were the late Master Oogway's final words of wisdom before turning into cherry blossom petals and passing onto the next life. <\/span>I have always loved that quote, as cheesy as it is. I\u2019ve realized that all I ever really have is the present moment. I think it\u2019s important to remember that, like all things, your time in this program will come to an end. If I could go back in time and tell freshmen year me anything, I\u2019d say \u201cmake the most of it\u201d.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Blue-Grey Tanager in Dota, Costa Rica<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/div>
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Nature photography by Ben<\/h4>\n

Please<\/span> don\u2019t<\/span> take<\/span> his<\/span> pictures <\/span><\/em>\ud83d\ude42<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Minneapolis Skyline<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/div>
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Rocky Mountain National Park<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
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Thank you so much to Moss and Ben for your contributions towards this month's blog!!! Happy August everyone and we\u2019ll see you in the next one!\ud83e\udd14<\/h4>\n

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\"\"<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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