APSU Mondays: Student guides Dunbar Cave tours, 'Rings' interactive quest

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Graduate student brings history to life through Dunbar Cave tours

Graduate student Ifunanya Ejimofor has always been fascinated with the past, and this summer, she was able to step back in time thousands of years through an internship as a tour guide for Dunbar Cave State Park.

Ifunanya led nearly 80 guided tours through the park, interpreting Mississippian Native American artifacts and cave paintings dating back to the 14th century. She also learned how to lead hiking, kayaking and boating tours for groups focused on exploring the cave system.

“From my childhood back in Nigeria, I’ve always had an interest in anything that has history,” she said. “There’s something about the past, getting to know more about things that have existed long before now and why things happened the way they have. Apart from that, I have a passion for teaching and preserving history, so that’s why I’m here.”

Ifunanya has previous experience leading cave tours in Nigeria, but the internship took her skills as an interpreter to the next level through a weeklong training program at Chickasaw State Park.

“[Dunbar Cave is] more broad and advanced, so I really had to come out of my shell to be able to do this,” she said. “It’s very interesting to get to meet people from different cultures and backgrounds. I’m able to get to know them, communicate with them and feel like we’re all one people.”

Learning more about Dunbar Cave’s history was a standout experience for Ifunanya, and she said sharing those stories with the community was just as enjoyable.

Ifunanya previously graduated with a law degree from the National Open University of Nigeria, but said it was a natural progression for her to move to the U.S. and study history.

Living and Learning students welcomed with interactive 'quest'

Students from the Living and Learning Community, Engage, recently kicked off the fall semester by undertaking an immersive quest designed to help them build friendships and explore the campus environment.

Engage consists entirely of incoming freshmen, who share a dormitory and form a close-knit communal cohort. Meagan Potts, the coordinator of Community Engagement and Sustainability, designed the event to welcome the group to campus during move-in week.

Several campus organizations teamed up to bring the “Lord of the Rings” themed quest to life, including Health and Counseling Services, Career Services, the Felix G. Woodward Library and the Foy Fitness Center.

To progress through their journey, students had to follow clues to discover a series of waypoints and complete challenges themed around each location. Ultimately, they were tasked with scaling the Foy’s climbing wall to retrieve a symbolic ring without being deceived by an array of decoys.

Potts said the event was a resounding success, drawing enthusiasm from students, faculty and staff who participated. As a result, she plans to design another quest next year – and the community can look forward to a “Harry Potter” inspired challenge based on the franchise’s iconic Triwizard Tournament.

APSU Mondays content is provided by submissions from APSU News and Communications department.

This article originally appeared on Clarksville Leaf-Chronicle: APSU Mondays: Student-led Dunbar Cave tours, 'Rings' interactive quest