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Building leadership skills
Reflection about Pay It Forward
Building leadership skills
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"Paying it forward" is a difficult concept for any high school freshman to comprehend. I have tried to live my faith, honor my gifts, and excel academically, but I don't know if that is all "paying it forward" really means. There was a movie in 2000, by the same name, and it referenced the changing of lives and the effect each of us have on someone else. I, as a future Mighty Mac, strive to show leadership, independence, and self awareness, but these are goals that cannot be reached without the people that have come before me or that come after. I need to be an example for future Mother McAuley students by showing strong conviction in my beliefs through leadership and application of these beliefs. Applying all of myself, without reservation, …show more content…
There is not one identifying factor for each individual. It is all the minute challenges and differences each of us face in life that make us stronger and a better rounded individual. I think that one way for me to "pay it forward" is to lead by example, tutoring, helping classmates with projects, playing basketball, running track, playing violin in the orchestra, and taking a leadership role here at McAuley. I will act as an ambassador to future McAuley students, speaking about the spectacular learning and leadership environment which empowers every McAuley student and graduate. This is a school that teaches me as a woman, I can control my own destiny and the future is securely in my hands. I want young women to know that everyone struggles with different thing and everyone has different strengths. As McAuley no one stands alone, we are all sisters. McAuley is about pride in oneself and the school that I attend everyday, and this message needs to be given to future
Growing up, my parents and other influential figures around me modelled the importance of community service through their continual volunteer work and dedication to improving the world around them. Whether it be participation in a well-attended project or persistent contribution to a helpful organization, those aforementioned individuals were formative in guiding me towards a path filled with opportunities for having an impact on my community.
Later that year, I was accepted into Spanish Honors Society, a volunteer based program to help out the Spanish communities near my school along with volunteering to help raise money for organizations that help less developed countries. One particular project that I helped raise money for through Spanish Honors Society, was Project Running Waters. The money raised for this event was donated to help people living in Guatemala receive fresh water through pipe systems that would be built. We raised over one thousand dollars to donate to this cause. Knowing that I can positively impact individuals in my community and in other countries makes me feel like I have grown maturely and am able to understand what needs to be done to make a difference to
I am dedicated to helping out our community and school, because it warms my heart and soul. Seneca said in about 40 to 60 A.D. that you should “be silent as to services you have rendered, but speak of favors you have received.” In other words you should not boast about the numerous projects you have accomplished and how much physical work you executed, but rather pride yourself on how you helped people in community and school, and how you have affected their lives with positive means. I feel life is joyous and it should be the feeling everyone illustrates, and this is exactly what keeps me functioning in the stressful world today. I find comfort in helping others to make their lives a little more like heaven and this comfort motivates me to perform copious service projects to the best of my capability whenever I find the time. Time is fair to the rich, the poor, and to every race, because time is equal and gives everyone 24 hours daily to accomplish their required tasks. Because time is so valuable and I am occupied by difficult advanced placement and honor classes and juggle school, clubs, sports, and friends, I joined Key Club, a high school division of the adult service club, Kiwanis. Key Club opened new doors to make every extra minute count towards helping others.
When deciding on which non-profit organization to give resources to, a person must think of a number of questions that need to be answered in which to choose a certain one. The most pertinent of these questions is the one that asks which cause the person cares about the most. The problem, for a majority of the population, is that they just do not know what they truly care about. That is why the United Way is the best option for donations. The United way does not focus on one specific, but instead works for a variety of different causes focused on fixing some of the different problems inside of the United States. The United Way is an organization, which envisions a world where all individuals and families achieve their human potential through education, income stability and healthy lives. It plans to do this by improving lives by mobilizing the caring power of communities around the world to advance the common good. The United Way needs money and time in order to achieve some of these goals. This essay will explain why the United Way is the best organization to give ones resources to.
Being in a school that brought students from various counties and cities with different backgrounds, beliefs, and perspectives, opened my eyes to seeing just how diverse humanity is. In a time when everyone is struggling with personal problems, I know how monumental a simple volunteer act can be. One of my favorite acts of service is tutoring. I tutored an elementary-aged girl for two years in Fort Lee and I will always remember those two years as the most fulfilling. Education is so precious, and children are the most open to it. Not only was I able to teach her math and reading comprehension skills, but how to carry herself as a smart and extraordinarily capable young lady. In return, she taught me patience and how sometimes you just need to approach a problem differently to see the
After watching Pay It Forward, it was easy to parallel elements from the movie to communication in general. Similarities between the cycle of paying it forward and communication can be easily discussed through all of the definitions of communication. For the purpose of this paper, I will link one of the oldest definitions of communication and paying to forward, to show the parallelism. The ancient definition of communication defines communication as: the act of mutual giving and receiving. This act of mutual giving and receiving is very apparent in the story told in the movie.
This relates to the person I am today because I tend to keep helping other students rethink their decisions and make better judgment calls. This quality makes me proud because I know that no matter what happens, I can be a positive influence to those around me which is a great thing, in my opinion, the reason why is because if a new student see me doing what I need to do it well probably influence them to do the same thing and graduate on time.
Through hard work and commitment I have become a well-rounded leader beyond my age. I set goals and take pride in achieving them. This is evident in my involvement in the lives of my friends, community, school, and church. I serve through volunteer service, community outreach, and school involvement. I have been an audio and light technician for 9 years mixing audio for various school concerts, musicals, dramas, and other performances. I have donated more than 1,000 hours of community service into local organizations in the treasure valley since I was in middle school. I am currently a part of the National Honor Society chapter at my high school. I want to inspire others to serve without wanting to be recognized. I put into my classes what
As a senior at Woodside High School, it is my goal to stay focused so that I will graduate in June, the year of 2015. My grades have always been superior; I have been on the honor roll every marking period since my freshmen year in high school. I am involved in many extracurricular activities that I love participating in to help others. I have previously volunteered at Greenwood Elementary school, and also at my church. Furthermore, I have been involved in certain clubs, cheerleading, as well as the dance magnet for my four years at Woodside High.
One example of a teen who made a difference is is Adin Lykken. Adin made woofin and hoofin which was a 5k race for people and their pets. It was made to gain money to be donated to pet shelters and to stop animal cruelty. Adin always loved pets and hated animal cruelty too, so he put both of them together to try to stop cats, dogs, and other animals from being abused. It is $25 for runners and $20 for people running with their pets. The event has raised $16,000 dollars for Friends of Dupage county animal care and control. This shows that you can make a community better just by doing little things which might grow big in the future! (Hanc).
“Everybody can be great...because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul motivated by love.”
I can also make a difference in the community where I live. Last year my class held a car wash to raise money for the Animal Shelter. We went to visit the dogs there and I realized that the money we raised made a difference for some of them.
My plan after college is to become a Sociologist or a Social Worker. With a college degree in one of these areas, I hope to impact my community in various ways. First, with the knowledge obtained from college, I hope to counsel with young people who are on the verge of going astray. In today's society, there are so many negative factors that influence young people. I want to help them understand the importance of setting goals and striving to become productive citizens. I also want to give them a sense of hope that with perseverance, they can become great role models for other young people.
"Pay it Forward" is a movie that tells of an assignment a seventh grade social studies class, the assignment being to change the world around them. In the beginning the teacher, Eugene Simonet, asks his class how the world effects them, to which most of them feel they have no effect on the world because they are only eleven while not thinking of the world as what they interact with (teachers, parents, friends, and everyone they encounter) and think more of things like jobs and government. Trevor, on the other hand, believes he can change the world through a trust system called paying it forward. Paying it forward is a system that Trevor devised for his assignment on changing the world. It is a trust based system that involves one person that performs a task to help three random strangers, like helping them overcome debts or simply making their day, to which the three people help three more themselves.
The very first time I read the topic of the essay, it reminded me of a movie I watched when I was around 13. “When someone does you a big favour don’t pay it back, pay it forward” is what little Trevor says in the movie “Pay it forward”. Being at the age of 13 I took it as a lesson of life and it gave me additional incentives to help who the most needed me. Most of the times I received the satisfaction of seeing a smile in the face of someone else, and half of the times I was let down realizing that I was just used by someone else. But I decided not to care; I wanted to do something that would have changed that conservative community I lived in.