Alternate Break Immersion Trip

Last May, I traveled with Alternative Breaks to New York for community service. During this service, I worked with Meals on Wheels who dedicate their time to provide food for the elderly of Manhattan. As I delivered the food to the seniors, I got a sense of fulfillment because I made them smile by providing them with food. Thus, I chose MDC’s Single Stop because I wanted to make a difference in my home campus by providing and assuring nourishment to those that do not have it just like I did in New York. As my first two years of college comes to an end, I wanted to leave a mark of my own here at home at Miami Dade College North Campus. During the month of September, I decided to partner up with a few of my peers to serve at MDC’s Single Stop.

Once I became a student at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, I continued my work with local Boys & Girls Club here in Champaign. This is when my relationship with Don Moyer began. I was a part of an organization on campus called Men of Impact. This organization was founded and is known for minority men making an impact in all ways possible of campus. Well through Men of Impact, a partnership with Don Moyer Boys & Girls Club to do a program titled Passport to Manhood was created. I was appointed the head facilitator position. Three members as well as myself would visit the club every Monday and mentor the students as well as engage in activities for about to two hours. The Don Moyer club had a huge impact on me because I was learning things about students who weren’t from the same place as me but were facing the same conditions, if not worse, as those from Chicago. The students would always say they feel that their home is viewed as a party location for college students and they feel that the area is only beneficial for those attending the university. A proud moment I had while volunteering at Don Moyer was when a student stated our group coming every week to spend time with the club has made them want to work hard and pursue a college education after high

For years, it had been my goal to work at a nonprofit. I slowly worked toward this goal by obtaining my Master of Accountancy at Truman State University and doing a variety of volunteer work along the way. I won the Sister Ann Kessler annual community service scholarship my junior year of undergraduate school for volunteer and leadership work and continued to assist through the SERVE Center during graduate school.

During my high school career, I have immersed myself in numerous clubs and committees, empowering my development as an avid leader. I have been involved in my school’s poverty club for four years. Currently as club president, I direct meetings and the implementation of our events and fundraisers for local homeless youth. Additionally, I am co-president for the organization of Moscrop Human Library, a school-wide event that breaks down stereotypes through dialogue. Being involved in the planning since 2015, I was in charge of finding speakers, gaining sponsors, and more. This year, I will be leading the event, delegating tasks, coordinating volunteers, and more. Furthermore, I have been an active member in graduation council for two years and

My career of service has led me to different projects, including informing HIV-positive individuals of the different community resources available as a peer educator for a sex positive peer education program at my university, creating awareness of well-balanced diets around residents in communities along the U.S.-Mexico border, also known as colonias. Reaching out to our Congressman Beto O’Rourke about policy change ending extreme poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa, and promoting gender equality around the world. Being bilingual originating from a border city between the U.S. and Mexico made me realize the importance of language and how communication can have an impact on a community.

While volunteering at Discovery Challenger I have exclusively worked with a blind man named Geno. My service to the Discovery Challenger Program has positively affected the community in that the athletes that required a helper were able to have me as one despite the limited number of volunteers who helped the athletes. Another community service I committed myself to while in high school was the club Life is Delicious. Life is Delicious is a club that between two and three times Year members of the club cook a warm meal at the high school, and then some go to the St. Vincent DePaul Homeless Shelter in Waterbury. At the end of my sophomore year I was named Co-President of the club. As a member of the club I went to all of the cooking and serving activities and was able to help the homeless of Waterbury by giving them a warm meal. The most impactful service I performed in my opinion was during my junior year when I was the organizer for the Penguin Plunge. During my junior year I thought that it would be a good idea for the basketball team to do the Penguin Plunge in order to raise money for Special Olympics Connecticut as I had done so in the previous two years. So, I approached the athletic director

Over the course of my academic career, I have volunteered with Key Club at my school and other various places, such as the Poe Center for Health Education and WakeMed Health and Hospitals. Involvement with each organization has had a tremendous impact on my character. Often, while at the Poe Center, I had hours alone to create educational tools, file papers, and enter data into spreadsheets which taught me responsibility and integrity. I always strived for the best when I completed tasks at the Poe Center and at WakeMed. Each organization has been impacted through my volunteer services. With Key Club, we had monthly trips to the senior home. Each time I visited the senior home, the elder’s faces would light up because many of them did not have

Throughout the past four years of high school, I have done my best to try and stay actively involved in the community. I have been presented with some amazing volunteer opportunities such as Huron Safety Town, STAR Leadership Camp, American Red Cross, and Huron High School Girl’s Basketball Biddy Program. I spent over 24 hours at Huron Safety Town where I was able to help young students, mainly those going into Kindergarten, learn how to stay safe while on the road. I was also able to spend over 24 hours at STAR Leadership Camp where I was a councilor to those going into the sixth grade. I made sure that each student understood the importance of being a leader in today's society and how important they are to Huron’s community. Through National Honor Society I have been able to maintain in constant contact, approximately 10 hours, with the American Red Cross by volunteering in monthly blood drives. I have also dedicated 16 hours of my time to those young girls interested in someday being a varsity basketball player through the Biddy Basketball Program.

During my time at Villanova I had the opportunity to participate in the school’s service & justice experiences. These were week long trips where you served with people and partner organizations that work daily to improve the lives of those less fortunate. The trips were popular among students at Villanova and required you to apply and be selected to participate. I had heard of how amazing the experiences were from some of my fellow students but I was skeptical of applying because the trips took place during school breaks. As a college student, these breaks were cherished, normally they were a time to either treat homesickness or travel with friends. After some internal deliberation, I made a commitment to give back to the community and applied. I told myself I was going to accomplish something worthwhile during my break, and perhaps learn something about myself.

In the course of my time at Union County College, I was able to participate in measures that aided my community and those in need. I took part in the donation and creation of care bags which were donated to the Salvation Army. This initiative was made by AESNJ as part of their statewide drive to help those who lack the resources needed to obtain day to day necessities such as hygienic supplies, socks, tissues and other essentials. Additionally, I made a financial contribution which went towards aiding Syrian children. Helping individuals in need encouraged me to participate in Strides against Breast Cancer a walkathon which generated money for women whose lives were impacted by cancer. The financial donations assisted women who were unable

Due to my involvement in my school, I have a plethora of opportunities that affect my community. As a member of the National Honor Society, we stay involved in activities that benefit our chapter and Walkerton itself. For instance, we annually undergo a food drive at our school in order to supply food for the people in the community. Then we transport the food to the food pantry and once every month we take turns to distribute the food to the people who need it. This distribution we do for the community aids the people in need as most people receiving the food are unable to transport the food themselves. Alongside the food drives, I spend hours of volunteering for concessions, tutoring students after school, and aiding for the band teacher.

The summer before high school, I decided it was time to get involved in the community. A close family friend who attended my church offered a volunteer position with her organization called Clothes to You that supplies low-income families with free attire. The non-profit organization resonated closely with me as my tribe, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, suffers from severe financial hardships, and realizing how life changing an organization such as this could be I promptly accepted her offer. On designated days we drove the mobile van to predetermined locations and transformed the desolate parking lot to a bustling shopping center. People of all ages filled the aisles and I assisted shoppers searching for outfits as varied as interview

I am a member of the Teacher PREP Club and the NSU Chapter of NAACP. I am an actively involved member of both organization, attending all scheduled meetings, offering my ideas and input, and giving of my time whenever I can. In Teacher Prep, I helped volunteer for the Children’s Theatre performance, helping to set up, clean up, and serve refreshments afterward. Additionally, I have helped organize the Black History presentation given to the preschool children. In the NAACP, I have helped organize presentations, support fundraising initiatives, and design the organization’s T-shirt design. I also take advantage of various community service opportunities on campus such as the Red Cross Blood Drive, Youth Day, and Color Run. In my free time, I

Even as a young child, I knew I wanted to pursue a career that would allow me to interact with people on a daily basis. This deep-rooted love for others originated from the values instilled in me as a child; values of loyalty, dedication, and compassion. Throughout my undergraduate career, I have discovered what is truly important in life and the impact I want to make in my community. I have found I have a strong desire to serve others, to help them and to make a tangible difference in their lives. Over the past four years, I have had the opportunity to serve those in need in my community. Each year, I am involved in numerous service projects that bring food and clothing to low income families, as well as assist in the rebuilding and restoring of homes. Each Thanksgiving, I help collect food, organize donations, and distribute Thanksgiving meals to families who, otherwise, would go without. These service opportunities have taught me how to connect with individuals on a personal level, regardless of our differences in life experiences. I have learned the importance of service, human interaction, and most importantly, listening. My compassion for others, servant attitude, and ability to communicate with individuals from diverse backgrounds will help me to succeed in graduate school, as well as allow me to become an exceptional

Following college, I moved to Portland, Oregon and looked for ways to continue developing my skills and fostering my passion for social responsibility. I started at Impact NW as an AmeriCorps member, where I served two terms helping run the AKA Science program. In my role, I managed hundreds of volunteers, wrote curriculum, and trained instructors; but above all, I learned how to work with corporate partners. Aided by corporate volunteers, our program served thousands of students each year. I quickly realized the importance of establishing meaningful, long-term relationships. Companies gave back to our community and in return we provided them a chance to hold an engaging experience for their employees. Every committed corporate team we cultivated helped us build capacity and redirect vital resources back into our program. We also encouraged volunteers to share their skills and as a result they would provide us with amazing insights. For example, one group of volunteers from Nike world headquarters helped streamline our processes by sharing ideas from their work in lean manufacturing. These experiences sparked something for me and I realized that my strengths as a creative thinker and a leader and my passion for giving back unite.