Resilience Rooted in Community: Like the Weeping Willow, We Bend but Never Break
Zoe Gurney
1st Year MPH Global Health Epidemiology Student
Firstly, I would like to start by expressing my sincere gratitude to South Central AHEC for hosting us this week and offering an in-depth insight into frontline public health and community work. I also deeply appreciate the East Side community members who filled out our surveys or participated in our focus groups to share their invaluable insights.
In March 2025, I joined PHAST to travel to Bexar County, Texas, to conduct a community health needs assessment. Considering that we were only there for a week, I am truly amazed at how much I learned from this experience. From entering and interacting with a community, conducting meaningful qualitative public health research, and learning the basics of salsa, cumbia, and bachata at a local salsa club, all of these experiences will be so valuable to me as I embark on the second year of my MPH and beyond –even though my dancing skills still need more practice.
One memorable quote with a focus group participant emphasized the strength and resiliency of the community: “That’s what family is about, visualize a weeping willow tree…regardless of rain, hail and hard winds it’ll bend but it won’t break, it’ll just keep on bending back further and it’ll come back on you and bounce back at you…it's constantly leaning but its leaning towards you and it never gives up and I think that’s what community is saying, they want resources that never give up, like [us], and never give in.” This quote beautifully highlights that the strongest resource in the community is the community itself, and that its strength lies in its ability to adapt, support, and remain united even in the face of adversity.
My time in Bexar County was a powerful reminder of the deep strength found within communities. The experiences I gained, from conducting research to connecting with the local culture, will stay with me as I continue my public health studies. The resilience of the community, as symbolized by the weeping willow tree, reinforced the importance of support, unity, and adaptability in overcoming challenges.