My Experience For My Academic Experience

In tenth grade, my English teacher posed the class with a question: what are you going to do for your community? She emphasized the importance of making a positive impact, even if it meant simply smiling as you hold the door open for someone. She prompted us to go out of our comfort zone and do something for our community. While I had been volunteering at Church and at school, I had never really taken a step out of my comfort zone. Instead of just helping out in, say, a soup kitchen, I decided that it was time

This past September, University of Miami staff, students and community came together to participate in spreading suicide awareness by taking part in the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s “Walk out of the Darkness.” According to the University of Miami’s webpage, with more than 39,500 lives lost to suicide this year, this walk is relevant to thousands of people in the University of Miami’s community and it’s clear that UM is eager to get the word

Good friendships gained in school will last long past graduation day. People never think it would be their friend they lose to suicide, it happens. Everyone likes to push it aside and not talk about it but communicating with others can make a difference. That is exactly how Ben Finnie felt when his cousin named Kaleigh Finnie ended her own life as a college student. A daily national morning talk show also known as The Today Show interviewed Ben about his way of spreading the word about suicide prevention. Ben is addressing this issue by working among more than two thousand high school and college students through the Direct Change program in California by creating sixty second public service announcements videos to raise awareness about mental illness and suicide. (Stump 2016) Jana Sczersputowski, the founder and project director for Directing Change Program told TODAY, “Over the past four years we have received countless stories from youth and teachers who have shared how our program has opened up conversations in the classroom, home and between friends.” (Stump 2016) Finnie shared with the talk show, “I do not care whether it is one person or thousands of people, the simple facts that is could save a life, that is all that really matters.” (Stump

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.

I finally started my first year of college at Miami Dade College in January 2014. During my adaptation to the new educational system, my Abnormal Psychology class professor mentioned how important it would be to participate in an Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training. I consider this to be very useful in today’s society where many individuals suffer from depression.

Politically, socially, environmentally or one person at a time, how will you give back to society? Day in and day out many citizens change the world, or they do just the opposite and make the world a worse place than when they woke up. The article I chose to review is, “Community Service” written by Robert Coles. The article tells a story of college students who make a difference in the world through peer tutoring, an act of community service, and have such an impact that they act as role models for Coles and he begins to do the same. Briefly in the beginning of the article, Coles states that, “students are likely to express their lofty political and social impulses and practical desires to change the world through community service, even if in limited or modest ways.”(Robert Coles, pg.93) We must make an ultimate decision about the world we live in, will we choose to make a difference in the lives of fellow citizens or discriminate and punish not only them but ourselves by not sharing the knowledge we have been taught.

The benefit of service learning for the student and community is again a better inform civic minded individual who may use his experience from service learning as a launching pad for career opportunities to better serve within that community. In an article published in the College Student Journal its author noted that with service learning “students gain further understanding of course content, a broader appreciation of the discipline, and an enhanced sense of civic responsibility" (Strange,

Taking time to volunteer at the many nonprofit organizations, homeless shelters, advocacy centers, philanthropic fundraisers, local schools and child care facilities in the inner city is not always at the forefront of young people’s minds while navigating through their college experiences. But, with a little push from student organizations, local nonprofits and passionate individuals, volunteerism and community change can start to take a front seat and become not just an opportunity, but also a priority in the lives of young people.

My family and friends don’t quite understand my motivations to become a mental health counselor. Personally, I can think of nothing more rewarding than helping people through dark times and giving hope for a brighter future. Deep down, I’m an idealist with enough life experience to pepper my expectations. There are countless possible research topics within the mental health field, but I’ve recently developed a deep appreciation of suicide prevention since volunteering for the Kern County Mental Health Hotline. I’ve also become acutely aware of the relationship between suicide and mood disorders, such as depression and bipolar disorder.

Encouraging students to engage in meaningful, sustained community service and get involved in causes that speak to

“Every successful individual knows that his or her achievement depends on a community of persons working together” (Ryan). These words said by Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, reflects the words my parents would always say to me when I was little. I would donate old clothes that did not fit, or toys I did not play with anymore. Every summer I would volunteer at my town’s public library, as well as at my church. However, as I got older, doing the simple tasks at the library felt tedious and uninteresting so I stopped volunteering for a while. There were times when I had spare time that could have and should have been put to use volunteering, but I did not have the motivation. However, after being inducted into my High School’s National Honors Society, I needed volunteer hours in order to remain in it. This was the motivation I needed to begin volunteering again.

As individuals we are only a small part of a bigger picture, however we all have the capability of making a huge impact. Two years ago I created a club named Blankets for Hope, an organization that provides warm blankets for the homeless. It began when I decided to volunteer at the Rose Parade. Scattered across the sidewalks and under makeshift tents, were an untold amount of curled up bodies. Although shocking to my eyes, the city’s residents walked past them as if they were just part of the daily scenery. Refusing to accept the site, I was moved to begin Blankets for Hope. While the club is small in size, the impact it had not only the community, but on myself is large.

For my volunteer experience I chose to go to YMCA which stands for Young Men’s Christian Association. Their mission is to make a healthy body, mind and spirit through their Christian principles. Their main focus in on youth development, healthy living and social responsibility. The reason I chose YMCA is because I try to live a healthy lifestyle and as that is their mission at YMCA it will be interesting to see what I will learn when I volunteer. Before the experience I thought I would volunteer by fundraising for a cause they support or help provide services in the gym. I also thought I might work with customers in the front desk. I was hoping to work with the children in the sports teams to help coach and teach them more about the sport.

American society values higher education. College provides many opportunities for developing a variety of social networks, both formal and informal. Obtaining a college degree will be such a valuable and

In my five years of active volunteer work with multiple non-profit organizations, I have seen firsthand the lack of attendance of my peers in times of great community need and support from its members. Although it has become more complicated to find time to give back to the community, with a full-time school and work schedule, there is always spare time to give back. The rapidly growing demand for volunteers in communities all across America is increasing and it is everyone’s duty, especially college students, to pay their dues to the