Written by Laura Perilla

Patterned after the animated television series Avatar: The Last Airbender, OrComSoc’s first ever virtual acquaintance party entitled “Break the Walls” made a lot of noise! Keeping up with our three fundamental values—unity, camaraderie, and leadership—this year’s akwe served as an opportunity to bond as one family and to acquaint ourselves with one another in the expectation that we will submerge ourselves enough with the proximity we’ve created to combat the existing stressors in our lives.

Unity

The group was divided into six groups—Team Katara, Team Suki, Team Toph, Team Cabbage Man, Team Sokka, Team Teo. Though the event required the separation of participants, the harmonious nature of the party was still present.

Camaraderie

Communication was an imperative facet in completing every task we had to execute in breakout rooms. This was seen in prominence during the Choose Your Avatar game, in which each group was asked to pick a fictional character that would emerge victoriously in a battle against the Fire Nation, and the task where each group had to create a unique edited image that best represents their group.

Leadership

The Junior Executive members guided and welcomed the participants, joining group chats to give updates and warm greetings to everyone. The act of leadership was deemed to be contagious as it was also present in the participants themselves.

Everyone involved in the Acquaintance Party verifies the notion that this organization consistently practices unity, camaraderie, and leadership—all of which are characteristics mirrored in ATLA. Together, we broke the walls! Breaking the walls means so much more than seeking value in one’s identity—it is also braving the endeavor of devoting openness with one another, much like The Last Airbender who established valuable relationships that became useful in constructing the best version of himself.