Personal Narrative: Every Typical High School Monk

As a child, I used to wait in the St. Scholastica Catholic Infirmary as my sister attended her morning study sessions. While awaiting her return, I would carry food trays to bedrooms, feed the parakeets, and play Gofish with the nuns. Being so young, I vaguely remember the details of my time there, but through this experience I learned the importance of service and grace.

Growing up in public school until freshman year, my first day of Sophomore year at a private Christian school was very different. I was used to a diverse class of over 400 people and now my class consisted of thirty, all white students with the exception of one asian male. Everyone also had the same religious beliefs. The switch was shocking, but did not seem like it would be too challenging. For the most part I fit in, except for one thing: almost everyone’s parents had a happy marriage where their dad’s made money and their mom’s stayed home.

Throughout my four years of high school I have been apart of many school activities. I have been apart of basketball for one year, volleyball for two years, and tennis for four years. I have also been apart of spanish club for two years. During freshman and sophomore year I fundraised by selling butter braids and cookie dough to many of the members in my community. I also put many hours into working the concessions during the basketball and football games. During the summer I worked at the concessions at the pool. I also helped Mrs. Lonner paint the Concessions stand. After two years I had finally raised enough money to go on trip to Costa Rica with a few of my classmates. During homecoming I'm also apart of all the activities. I have dressed

In preschool, I knew the letters of my name but did not quite understand that their order mattered. “Who’s Yam?” my grandpa puzzled after reading his birthday card. One day I would be “Yma,” the next “May,” and on a good day “Amy.” As I walked the halls in middle school, my classmates playfully shouted, “Hey Yam Yam!” Fortunately, my association with a type of potato ended in high school, that is, until my junior year.

When I moved to Cape Girardeau from California to attend SEMO, I knew that I would need a job and that it had to be something simple and part-time. Only a week after moving here, my step-cousin Melissa, the director of the after school program at the St. Mary’s Cathedral, mentioned to me over a family dinner that there was a position open. She then continued by asking me, “Would you be interested? You would work with kids and it’s only from three to six on the weekdays.”

A defining experience in my life occurred during the summer following my first year of high school. I had the opportunity to travel with several members of my church youth group to the city of San Salvador, El Salvador. Our purpose was to serve the community and the orphanage at which we were staying. I did not realize at the time that what I learned on that missions trip would change me. It would change everything about me, and it would affect me for the rest of my life. This monumental experience is the experience which I believe will have the greatest impact on my academic work and goals at CCU, and there are several reasons why. Every morning of the trip, we designated approximately an hour to spend reading the bible and communing with

I'm pacing on the hardwood floors, the music is blaring to block out the city noise, and the aroma of coffee fills my small two bedroom apartment. My clothes smell like they just came from the dry cleaners and the lightly starched blouse clings to my skin as I rush to beat the clock. Briefcase in one hand and the cup coffee in the other as I shut the door and zip down the stairs. Six months have passed since I've graduated from high school and life couldn't get any better. However, there's only one problem...that 's not how I picture my post-high school graduation self anymore.

Throughout my high school and collegiate life, or what little I’ve had so far, I honestly haven’t done anything one could really consider notable. I spent the majority of my time over the past several year working on my own personal projects, avoiding joining clubs or getting ‘involved’. The only thing I can think of off the top of my head was the internship offer I received from AT&T this past December, which I gladly accepted. May I mention that I took the initiative to apply early and went through great lengths to receive the internship, so I was quite proud of this accomplishment. And good grades, of course.

I took this class, College Seminar because my counselor recommended it. She said it would be good to take as a student to learn strategies, but would also help me understand my students if I become a teacher. I do not remember her exact words to describe the course, but she said it would be an easy A. She was correct in regards to the class being beneficial for me but wrong in her assumption it was an “easy” course. It is never easy to look at your faults and even harder to change. Another challenge was learning to do the assignments online, and unfortunately, I did not get the hang of it until the class was almost over. When I was able to overcome those two problems was when I started learning in the class, and I feel that I learned quite

During my high school experience I’ve experienced many challenges and hardships. The things that have helped me the most is knowing that I am not alone and how my past experiences have strengthened me to be able to overcome these new challenges that I am faced with.

Midway between the summer before last, I had the opportunity to take a trip not as a vacation, but rather a missionary outreach. Before this chance I had never exactly been given a chance to travel to somewhere very different from my residence in Lincoln, Nebraska. This outreach was held at the YWAM(youth with a mission) Los Angeles, California chapter. When it had been announced that the youth would be taking this trip to L.A. I had gone over to converse with my youth pastor Michael.

It was definitely past the dormitory’s lights out, but there I was, walking across the hallway into the dimly lit room, in the dead of twilight. Harrison and Thomas were busy with their noses buried in books when I burst in.

It was during that visit to the school that I had an experience that I walked away from with such a strong appreciation for and that truly served to foster and enhance the faith community. The school had hallways that were filled with representations of how they celebrate the Catholic faith, however the one that stood out for me was one that I noticed the first day, in the front hall when you first walk in the doors. Walking into the school, I glanced at what looked to be colored tablecloths or quilts displayed on tables in the hallways. Each table had signs on them that had short prayer and a name of a single individual or group of people. I thought it was just a nice welcome for our team, a thoughtful touch. As the day continued and I spent time wandering around the school noticed students of different ages, stopping at the tables. I initially decided that they were just reading the signs or enjoying looking at the tablecloths, but later I would learn what they were really

For this fall semester, the school requires each students to be a volunteer or participate in helping children, I choose to help the kids in Saint Joan of Arc catholic church. I feeling proud of myself for being helpful to this community by working in the youth room. Working with children seems easy but actually it’s not. By working with them I have gained many necessary skill that would be important later on in my life. The journey isn’t long but I have learned a lot.

This year, I was able to be both my dorm’s Senator and Spirituality and Fellowship Commissioner. These roles have allowed me to have a greater influence on the entire student body through Student Government and get a better idea of the issues that an organization can face and how it deals with them. One of the most rewarding experiences I had as Spirituality and Fellowship Commissioner was planning my hall’s retreat in the Fall of 2015. Both of the retreats in the past two years had been cancelled due to lack of attendance, so my fellow commissioner and I made it our goal to not have the same thing happen a third year in a row. We implemented new marketing strategies, designed an entire retreat from scratch, and successfully held our dorm’s first retreat in two years with twenty girls in attendance. That endeavor alone was one of my greatest Notre Dame accomplishments because I was able to strengthen my own role in the Notre Dame community as well as make a difference in the experiences of others in this