Global Connections: Discovering More Than Awe

Every year, the Office of Spiritual and Religious Life hosts a weeklong trip, funded by the Pierce Program in Religion, taking students to different parts of the world. This year, led by Chaplain Brent Huckaby and Associate Professor Sarah Higinbotham, students were taken to Utah to explore the transformative power of Awe within the beautiful landscape. A week filled with hiking, swimming, and conversation taught students more than finding awe in Utah; it taught them to find it within their own lives.

Especially for two students who found both awe and their own discoveries through an unexpected journey.  

Ashton Graham 26Ox and Claudia Fodor 26Ox, both recent graduates of Oxford, went on what was meant to be a simple hike before dinner, but ended up with a discovery that would change the way they see the world.

Earlier that day, the students visited the famous petroglyphs, images carved or pecked into rocks as a form of ancient rock art, which have been on display for many tourists to enjoy. Many of the pecked images are of goats, humans, and, in many beliefs, aliens. These images are more than just art; they were often used to convey cultural or spiritual meanings amongst communities during those times.

Learning that there were some near their place of stay, the two students set out that night to find the documented petroglyphs. Alongside their chaplain, they hiked to the petroglyphs, admiring them and taking pictures to show the rest of the students. Afterward, with time to spare before dinner, their curiosity kicked in. They wanted to hike more of the mountain to see how high they could go. What started as hiking turned into a steep climb as the mountain rose before them.

Taking a break on a plateau, Graham noticed the particular carvings that loomed behind them. After taking a closer look, they noticed small individual peck marks that, taken together, created the bigger picture; it couldn’t have been vandalism.

Looking around, there was more. A cluster of goats, figures holding hands, and carvings that could have been anything imaginable. These petroglyphs were not put on display for tourists to see but were hidden atop this mountain, waiting to be discovered.

After some research, Graham and Fodor found out that these Petroglyphs could be attributed to the Fremont or Ute people, an indigenous tribe whose descendants are attested to live amongst the same mountains. They reported their findings to the Bureau of Land Management and Utah’s state archeologist to protect the drawings from vandalism and preserve them.  

But for these students, it was more than just a discovery but a perception shift in their own lives. “It solidified a tangible connection to the past. We were there to study awe in nature but this brought in a human element in.” Fodor reflects upon the reality that humans spent hours on these drawings and stood in the same spot she was standing on that mountain. “It connected us over these hundreds of years”.

The students hope to continue their research with the petroglyphs, comparing them with others found in the past and in reference in that area. They anticipate returning to the same mountain to conduct further observations and research. 

Read more in their featured article in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution