Challenge Day Reflection: Toda Today

The most powerful learning experience I had was in second grade when I was acting out in school over not having a family structure. My teacher kept talking to me about making better decisions and finally she submitted my name for the VIP of the month and I was able to eat lunch at a special table with her and the principal. I don't remember her name but from that moment on I knew I mattered enough for someone to notice; so I should make good decisions and from them on I was a model student.

I walked away from this experience, not only with a bunch of new friends, but with a whole new outlook on life and the way in which I look at and treat other people. I realized how important it is to simply be kind to others, no matter how cliché it seems, and that just by saying hello to someone or showing you care about them, you can make their day or maybe even save their life. This is an attitude that I will carry into adulthood and use in my everyday life. It is an attitude that will be valuable to me in college and in my career when I encounter an even larger and more diverse group of people than what I am used to at the moment. In a world that is filled with such negative people, it is important to not fall into a pessimistic way of viewing the world and other people and instead be a friend to those who feel as if they don’t have any or be a helping hand to those who are

Learning about the LGBTQ population was an interesting experience for me. I have many family members as well as friends who identify as homosexual. Understanding the difficulties associated with being a homosexual are always so astounding to me. I realized during last week’s class, that, it must truly be difficult to be a minority and then on top of that be an out casted homosexual. I began to truly feel that there were so many disparities in this world and that if you do not fit in to a box within society, you are somehow not worthy. Many LGBTQ people are homeless, without support, and depressed. It is quite sad.

This semester I participated in a service learning partnership with two other students. Through the semester I spent a little over ten hours with each of my partners. Most of the activities we participated in were activities in which we were able to get to know one other on more of a personal level. The thing that made this partnership interesting was the fact we were all from different parts of the world. Which means the way we had grown up was very different for each of us.

For as long as I can remember I’ve had the same group of friends, but coming into high school I met a lot of new people. I met some of my best friends here and my boyfriend.I’ve reached out to a lot of different people I didn’t really expect to be friends with. I learned that you really can’t judge a book by a cover and that probably sounds cliche, but some of the people I thought I’d never get along with became some of my really good friends.

Despite only being in high school for two years, the friends that I have made have greatly impacted who I am as a person. Whenever I am struggling, my friends are the first people I turn to for advice. I learned from them that I always put others first even when it may cause a large amount of stress later on, am very talkative about the things I am

New friendships kindled and I began to learn the way of the group, how they dressed, the must have brands, and the lingo used throughout the school. Again I made sure that I knew all the right things to fit in with the crowd to prevent myself from being “different” and judged.

I went to a new school with new people. I felt like an outsider. But these people, they didn’t understand my situation; they just thought I was quiet and shy on the first day because that was my

After we found each other we introduce ourselves to the leader who was at the main desk and proceed to sit down and participate in the meeting. A few people approached and greeted us, it was a friendly environment, but it did not mitigate my anxiety for the unknown. I was concerned that I could make someone uncomfortable by being there with my badge from Miami University like an outsider performing a study of human beings so I tried to be as quiet as possible and just being a spectator who tries to understand the struggles that many people like the members of the meeting go through day after day. It was interesting to see that when the leader open the room for discussion only one person raise his hand to participate, but after it many more feel open to share their concerns and worries, it was like the necessity to get what press them out of their chest so they can feel some relief. I was amazed to see the amount of support and caring that people of the group express to each other, it was like a big family where all members support and carry each other during the harder times. Many spoke of how they do not want to come back to be users and how hard it is to live their life being

I felt intimidated and uneasy while I was introducing myself to the group because I did not get a reaction from them, thus, I was unsure if they were uncomfortable with my presence. Although, I perceived that they seemed to be a quiet group because when I initially entered no one was mingling,

I walked in the school and was feeling much better than the day before. I went on with my day and then I met another kid named Brandon Johnson. And so we became like best friends and got to know each other very well and we are still friends to this day! So I guess the moral of the story is, don’t be afraid to meet new people, even if you don’t think you will be able to be their friend. Never be afraid to do something even if you think it won’t go the way you expect, because who knows, maybe it just might work

At the end of sophomore year my friend invited me to a group he had started called Friends of Haiti. Initially I had no clue what I was getting involved in, but after the first meeting I started to realize how immense a task the group was planning.

Being made to go through the whole process of becoming friends was not what I wanted. I had a lot of friends at Galena and had been friends with these kids since kindergarten. We had grown up together and I didn’t want to leave them so soon. My mom told me Baxter was only about 10 minutes away so that took the ease off a little. I had two really good friends who I did everything with. I remember wondering if they would be sad, or if I would get to see them anymore. The feeling of going to a new place and possibly not making any new friends frightened me. How long would it take me to make new friends, if I made any? All the worrying was for nothing though. I remember exactly what happened when I made my first friend at Baxter. I call to mind being anxious as I walked into my new classroom, feeling the glances of all my classmates. Thinking how uncomfortable I felt as all the kids talked about their summers with their friends and all the fun they had, when suddenly I heard someone say hi. I turned towards the voice and saw a small brown haired girl, who I would soon learn was Mallory. After learning each other’s names, she then asked me “Do you want to be friends?” and that’s how my first friendship started. I made many new friends that day and felt all my worries soon drift away. Though I didn’t know how well making new friends would go, at the time it was a frightening thought for me. With

I interacted with so many different counselors with different personalities, which made me think about my own perception of the world and my own values , which I find very rewarding. I also made new friends, which is huge for me because I have some social anxiety.

Thus far in the program I have had the opportunity to experience the process of group therapy. Luckily, I have had the opportunity to run group sessions at my practicum site, so I have gained