I remember this as one of those days when nobody wanted to leave. We had spent so much time together by then that everything felt easy — the conversations, the jokes, even the quiet moments in between. I don’t remember exactly what happened right before this photo was taken, but I remember how it felt to be there. That feeling has stayed with me much longer than I expected.

Nancy Brooks · 1990

I think this was when I first understood how quickly people from completely different places could become important to one another. We arrived with different backgrounds, habits, and ideas about the world, but somehow found common ground. I’ve carried that openness with me ever since. Some of the friendships that started around this time are still part of my life today.

Susan M. · 2010

Before this experience, I don’t think I realized how much you can learn just by being around people whose lives are different from your own. There were so many conversations that made me question things I had always taken for granted. I became more curious, and probably a little less certain that my way of seeing things was the only one. That has stayed with me in the years since.

Michael Turner · 1960

I remember how easy it was to feel connected in moments like this. We didn’t all have the same stories or even always speak the same language, but somehow that mattered less than I had expected. Years later, I still think about that whenever I meet someone whose world looks very different from mine.

David C · 1970

I wish I could remember exactly what everyone was laughing about here. What I do remember is how close we had all become by this point. A few months earlier, most of us had been strangers. By the time this photo was taken, it was hard to imagine that we hadn’t always known one another.

Karen Mitchell · 2005