Personal Narrative: Parks And Recreation Youth Representative

I was born into a family of oldest children and a middle brother. I grew up feeling that everyone was controlling me and telling me what to do. Decision making proved to difficult, but I was content with living the life my parents and older sister told me to live. However, my parents and the experiences I've had are the reason I have high expectations for myself today. I always try to rise to the occasion now. During the last few months of my junior year, my mom heard about a position with the city of Reedley that I would be eligible for. The position was Parks and Recreation Youth Representative. When my mom first told me about the position, I was not interested and hoped that if I ignored it for long enough, she wouldn't make me

Even though I wasn't motivated, I still worked diligently on that application. A few weeks after I turned in the application, I got a phone call calling me in for a group interview. Suddenly, I became nervous, and I realized that I really did want this position. In order to get it though, I had to prepare. I had a summer job, so I had to find a substitute to take my place for the afternoon so that I could get ready and attend the meeting. While I was getting ready, I realized I didn't have anything professional to wear so that I could give a good first impression. Panicked, I went to my mom and asked for help. Thankfully, she had just the thing for me to wear, and on my way out the door, she wished me luck and told she was proud of me. I walked into that interview with conflicting emotions of confidence and nervousness. There was no one to tell me what to say or to give me advice now, but I was able to make it through. The weeks after the interview were stressful as I waited for an answer on whether I did well enough or not. The phone call finally came, and the news was good. Even though I

I discovered this while on a service trip that I chose to go on to the Fresno Rescue Mission. Even though I was excited to go on this trip, hesitance and confidence were once again juxtaposed in my emotions. During the trip, there was an opportunity for us to pick up trash on the streets and interact with the homeless community. I was terrified. I didn't know how to interact and relate with these people as they were so different from me. Only when I started branching out and talking to these people though, did I realize that they aren't so different from me. We all have dreams and goals and struggles. My struggle might not be an addiction, but we all deal with our own struggles, and because I realized this, I was able to empathize with these people who had names and faces, just like me. Sitting on the curb of the sidewalk talking with these people, I realized the power of listening to and empathizing with humanity. Not only does it humble me and shows them that I, too struggle, it lifts me up and empowers