After capturing her local park’s decline through photography, a summer internship helped Jacinta reconnect with and rebuild a once-cherished space.
Tucked within the heart of my town, Brockton, MA, was D.W. Field Park, a place where I found much comfort during my childhood. The 650 acres of fields, woodlands, and water bodies that I used to stroll through almost every weekend served as a sanctuary for me and my mom. No matter what we disagreed on, we would go on a walk in the trees and all was immediately forgiven.
Fast forward to the spring of my sophomore year in high school, the park had become a different place. As I’d grown older, schoolwork and other responsibilities had taken up more of my time, and I didn’t visit D.W. as often as I used to. During my occasional, infrequent visits I began to notice that the park had slowly started to decline and was no longer the beautiful, clean area it was for me growing up. Alongside the long, flowy rivers and the once-glorious fields I used to wander through with my mom, I started to see signs of neglect in the litter and in the benches, now displaying chipped paint and vandalism.
However, at the end of the year, when my photography teacher announced our final project, I saw an opportunity to revisit this special spot. My initial approach was straightforward. Using my camera, I began documenting the scattered remnants of human activity: cigarette butts beside my favorite bench, shot bottles hidden away in the bushes, forgotten snack bags in the meadow by the lake, and more. Each photograph told the story of a once-vibrant place now suffering from neglect. Despite my best efforts to remain impartial, the project became deeply personal and emotionally overwhelming. Walking through the park, I often recalled my childhood and felt a deep sadness at how it had changed.
“Each day of work felt like a step back into my past, an opportunity to restore both the physical space and the joy it had once brought me.”
Jacinta Wangari
Then, by chance, I was offered a summer internship with the Wildlands Trust Green Team, a program engaging high school students in environmental work and service learning by cleaning up local parks and doing water quality tests. For about a month, along with around 10 other kids from the Brockton area, I spent five hours every Tuesday and Thursday at the park. The internship became more than just a job; it was a way to reconnect with the park and help restore its beauty. Seeing the park transform over the course of the summer from a trash-filled mess to a place resembling the one from my childhood was immensely rewarding. Each day of work felt like a step back into my past, an opportunity to restore both the physical space and the joy it had once brought me.
My photographs of D.W. Field Park captured a moment in its decline, but my work with the Green Team helped me become part of its recovery. This experience has shaped my understanding of environmental advocacy. It symbolizes the power of individual action in affecting change and the importance of giving back to the spaces that have given us so much.
Jacinta Wangari wrote this piece as part of the Bluedot Living Writing Program. Read another student piece, about how climate change is affecting life on Cape Cod.
