In leadership, fifty volunteer hours were required per semester. When I learned of this requirement, I was ready to bail on the class because all my spare time was consumed with sports and friends. Mrs. Barham encouraged me to start participating in “Walking Wednesday”. “Walking Wednesday” is a program where high school students get teamed up with an elementary school. On Wednesday mornings we would meet at a place about 1 mile from the school and walk to school with the elementary students. This program encouraged physical fitness and also gave the younger students time with older students they could look up to. I’m not going to lie, I had mixed feelings about it in the beginning, but by Christmas break I loved it and was the unofficial
leader of our group. I had developed a great relationship with the kids and looked forward to seeing them each Wednesday. By the end of the year we had around 90 kids walking with us. It really made me see how giving just a small amount of my time to others can make a huge difference. Without Mrs. Barham’s encouragement to volunteer, I would never have thought to be a mentor to kids. This experience was about to open some amazing opportunities for me.
During the first two years of high school, I volunteered for various clubs to discover my interests. At the time, clubs seemed similar to hobbies that American teenagers enjoy to pursue rather than develop practical skills. Reaching my second year, I joined the Kaiser Junior volunteering program after unexpectedly running into volunteers during a visit at Kaiser, and it left a warming impression that inspired me to sign up for the program. I vowed to work as hard as my peers and past volunteers, who achieved many recognitions and honorable pins. For the first time, I challenged myself to initiate conversations with anyone while pushing my introversion beyond the cozy comfort zone, even when my inner voice tells me I will never succeed. Although I actively participate in competitive clubs, such as MESA and
I began by tutoring at the Boys and Girls Club (BGC) and eventually became a teacher at the boys and girls club. The focus of my continued volunteer work was to enrich the children’s after school experience whether they needed help with homework or busy work. During my volunteer work the issue that stuck out in my mid continuously was social class or classism. The BGC emphasizes many different issues and points such as “creating aspirations for the future,” “Helping youth become responsible, caring citizens and acquire skills for participating in the democratic process is the main thrust of these programs and also to develop leadership skills and provide opportunities for planning, decision-making.” BGC encourages kids to engage in healthy and positive behavior as well as to help the youth build and discover creativity in the arts “Club programs help develop fitness, a positive use of leisure time, reduction of stress, appreciation for the environment and social and interpersonal skills.” (bgca.org)
With the help of the Me To We team at Queen Street Public School, I volunteered at a local food bank. The experience was quite educational and fascinating. We encouraged staff and students to donate non-perishable food items for the "We Scare Hunger" campaign. This was definitely a highlight of my grade five year because I felt very humble and warm-hearted by doing a simple act of kindness. In addition, I was chosen to participate in the "Intergenerational" program. This was created so that grade five students can learn more from the elders of the Burton Manor senior home. We had the privilege to learn about their history and interact with them through several educational and fun activities. If accepted, I will indeed join several clubs and teams to contribute my time and talents to make the school an exciting learning
Kim, in the United States, grades are not the only factor in evaluating school applicants and job candidates. From Rhodes Scholar selections to college applications, excellence in other areas such as leadership, volunteer activities, sports and arts is equally important (p82-90). In American schools, students are encouraged to do volunteer work. So much so that many schools have guidelines for how much time students are expected to spend serving in the community. Children learn the value of giving from an early age. Volunteer activities is one way Americans feel a part of things and share the goal of serving and contributing to build their communities. From neighborhood watch programs to environmental issues, Americans do not wait for the government to initiate action: they take action to bring about the changes they desire. Therefore, Americans view volunteer work as a way to teach children and young adults values such as cooperation and teamwork, dedication and work ethics, equality and social justice, leadership, generosity and compassion for
My Legacy Leader is LTC Brian A. Coppersmith, USA, Ret. LTC Coppersmith exemplified Army leadership from his character, presence, and intellect to his ability to lead, develop and achieve. LTC Coppersmith’s leadership ability directly affected me as a Human Intelligence Collection Sergeant operating under his command in garrison pre-deployment, and while deployed forward to Iraq. The example that LTC Coppersmith set for me is the foundation that I have used to guide each of my actions on as a leader. It is my hope that I will be able to positively influence and inspire at least one Soldier in the same manner that LTC Coppersmith inspired and influenced me.
A few leadership experiences that I have had come from athletics. I started playing athletics when I was in the fifth grade and I still continue to play as a senior. Over the years I have had the ability to be one of the leaders of both the softball and basketball teams for my school. Being a leader has taught me to use leadership skills that I will need later in the future.
As seniors we are given a capstone project that is tied into our community service hours as well. I have chosen a place to work that does have something to do with my academic background. I am working every Friday at Beatrice Mayes Institute Charter School with a few of my peers. In coincidence we all attended and graduated from this school together. We chose to work here not only because it is a familiar place, but also because we wanted to see what changes and positive influences that we can make on this school. When we first started we had no clue upon the topic of what the project would be. After our first day and observations, we came up with the notion that these students will not take part in the exercises or any activities for that matter. We want to help change that mentality to be lazy into an active and positive one. As students we have concluded that we can help turn this negative feedback into positive feedback.
In the past four years of my life, volunteer work has left an indelible mark on my heart and mind. When I became a volunteer, I had a very vague notion of leadership. As my high school days come to an end, I am left with the feeling that I have finally come into my own shoes, discovering the things that are important to me and those that are not. I have found my personal leadership style, and I now pay attention to the leaders I come across each day. For this reason, volunteering has been both an enlightening and inspiring experience, for I am surrounded by peers, mentors, and the volunteer program director, all of whom are leaders with creative visions of their own.
In college, I joined the Leadership Academy, which involves twenty hours of community service to complete the
Summer vacation, and school ends for about three months, and then you have as much fun as you can, then back to school… right? Well I had to go to summer school, but it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. Everything was going fine, I had a job after summer school, and that was going fine as well. They say that summer is supposed to be fun and exciting, and it usually is for me and my family. However in July my father started coughing up blood. My father usually doesn’t make it his top priority to go to the doctors, so he waited about four weeks until he really didn’t feel good.
There is a point in everyone’s life when they step back and realize “I can’t do this anymore, it’s ruining my life”. Many of my friends have started smoking cigarettes while drinking at a very young age, and continue to use this drug currently and don’t realize the affect it has on their future. While I have been smart enough to avoid smoking, I haven’t been as wise at making decisions when it comes to drinking. The amount of partying I’ve done in college has taken over my life, and has had a huge impact on my grades. Changing my drinking habits and continuing to avoid cigarettes will enable me to be the best I can be for the rest of my college experience.
Scenario One: I was a leader and had at least one follower who was different from you in some important or salient way.
I was raised in the island of Puerto Rico, which helped to be raised oblivious of segregation based on skin color, religious preference, political division, race background and with a great sense of respect to my elders. The Caribbean is a big pot of interracial mix, which makes a fun place to raise your children. No matter if you are from Dominican Republic, Haiti, Cuba, Jamaica, or Virgin Islands we all are Caribbean’s. Every island ensures to create a sense of respect and idealization to their little piece of the Caribbean, but also a lot of respect to the neighbor island at the same time. Your elders make sure that you understand your place in the pyramid in your family, and the only way to go up on it is as your get older. I got raised
While volunteering at St. Monica school, I motivated discouraged students who were reluctant to participate
Narrative Essay There are numerous events that come to my mind when I think of learning lessons. Some are simple, such as not playing by the stairs, thinking twice about putting a frozen Capri Sun in the microwave, and refraining from touching the tiny cacti at Lowes. These are immensely beneficial lessons that I have acquired, but none of them have a powerful moral to the tale. Yes, the morals of those stories include not injuring yourself, but what about a moral dealing with yourself personally?