Editor’s note: the following piece is freshman Vanessa Machin’s experience participating in her first Day of Silence.

Nerves eat away at me as I watch the clock; each passing moment seems like an eternity. Alone with only my thoughts, I begin to understand the purpose of a day of silence.

Each year SDA has a day of silence to honor those who are silenced by oppression. Initially, I thought being silent for those who cannot speak or are not heard in our society was a gesture of respect, but it’s more than that. As Atticus Finch famously said in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view . . . until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.”

As the hours ticked on, me and the many other SDA students who participated began to truly understand what it feels like to not have your voice heard, the weight of thoughts not spoken. Stuffy silence is sweltering like the scorching sun on days where all you want in the world is a cooling gust of wind to sweep you away. Jokes that can’t be shared. Opinions that are not communicable. Wanting to be included, but feeling as though I’m always on the outside looking in.

There were redeeming parts of the day. Watching my friends and classmates struggle to make conversation with me, and knowing that they value me enough to reach out even when I cannot reach back. Nodding at fellow participants, exchanging smiles and acknowledging their struggle. Walking with my friends in the halls feeling a sort of union bind us in silence, more connected than ever.

What I learned from this experience is that everyone deserves to feel that their voice is heard. I have gained so much gratitude for my ability to speak out for myself, and although I can’t wait to regain my voice, I am very happy I participated in the day of silence this year. It has inspired me to pay more attention to those who are forced into silence. Thank you the GSA for hosting this. Sometimes silence speaks volumes.

For my oldest friend Sage Quigley, who was silence by suicide just weeks before his 15th birthday on March 2, 2015, and to all those out there who feel that their voices are not heard.