Personal Narrative: My Idyllic Childhood Home

Enrique’s journey from Honduras to the U.S. unveils the innate loyalty of a loving child to their mother and presents the dangers that a migrant faces on the road with consistent angst; nevertheless, it supports the idea that compassion shown by some strangers can boost the retreating confidence within a person. In Sonia Nazario’s “Enrique’s Journey,” he seeks the beacon of light that all migrants hope to encounter; “El Norte.” Like many children before him, it is the answer to the problems of a hard life. While being hunted down “like animals” leading to “seven futile attempts,” he is

At church, in addition to my participation in the worship services, I volunteered at our church’s soup kitchen, medical camps and elementary school for underprivileged children. These experiences opened my eyes to the deprivation of love and care in the world and a dire need of God’s grace for people at large so they could receive forgiveness, healing and restoration in their lives.

People in Central America especially, long to have their basic necessities met. Visiting Guatemala and Mexico at the age of ten was a hard site to see. Kids walking on the street barefoot not because they wanted to, but they had no money to buy shoes. Making their dirty feet ache at night. Wearing the same clothes full of filth because they could not afford to buy clothes and soap. Parents struggling to provide for their family. They would often sent their child to school without lunch, making it hard for the student to concentrate at school. Any little money counts and they would make it last. Yet they were so welcoming and loving to guest. They had nothing to offer but the little they had they would offer. Family’s full of frustration and no hope turn to the journey of going to “el Norte”. Hoping to have a better life and help their family improve their social status.

As a student, I have demonstrated many works of service to my community and school. Service opportunities have shaped me into the person I am today and these projects have made me realize how fortunate I am for all that I have. While I've been doing these service projects through the years, it has been a pleasure seeing the joy on the faces of people that aren't as fortunate as I am. Service projects that I have completed include managing the fish booth at the St. Leo's Parish Festival, being an altar server at St. Leo's Parish, helping cook dinner for the Ridgway Fire Department during carnival day setup, participating in the St. Marys Light Up Night by dancing, and Christmas caroling to local residents. I also participated in a zombie/princess

My community service experience at All Souls Friday Soup Kitchen taught me the impoverished population of New York City and myself. The volunteer work pushed me to better myself in several areas. Serving the diners helped me expand my social skills with fellow workers and customers by forcing me to communicate with others. Also, setting up and deconstructing the dining room helped grow my management skills by having me order where the plates, mugs, etc. should be placed. Most importantly, working at the kitchen helped humanize the poor population of New York City for me. Often on the subway and on the sidewalk, I try my hardest to avoid the homeless man or woman begging for money, acting like they didn’t exist. Gratefully, my experience at

One of the most recurring themes in Warren St John’s 2009 novel, Outcasts United: An American Town, A Refugee Team, and One Woman’s Quest to Make a Difference is community. Throughout the book, the protagonist, Luma Mufleh, creates a unique community amongst refugee boys living in Clarkston, Georgia. In the 1990s, Clarkston became a resettlement location for refugees and their families. The boys and their families were selected by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for resettlement in the United States. These families were forced to relocate after living in countries with war, persecution, natural disasters, environmental crises, and poverty.

I feel that after all of the sacrifices that have been made by the community for my benefit, I have an obligation to give back and re-pay what has been given and more, I have an immense amount of appreciation and gratitude toward my community and all they have done for my peers and I. Community service also plays a big role in my involvement in the youth group at First Baptist Church of Bryson City. each year, a group of teenagers, including myself, participate in multiple community service projects -- whether they are as close to home as the Hospital Hill Road clean-up, or a far away as mission work in Port-au-Prince, haiti. I have been involved in many community service projects, because giving back to my community is something that simply gets done without

In Sonia Nazario’s Enrique’s Journey, readers are able to view the undeserved hardships migrants, such as Enrique, undergo, all in search of one thing, freedom. Enrique is a 17 year old Honduran boy, whom was left lonesome when his mother decided to take on a dreadful journey to better her family. After many years without his mom, Enrique goes on a perilous mission in order to reunite with his mother, Lourdes. This expedition involved extremely challenging and life threatening missions, which many migrants face daily. Once they arrive to the United States they realize that leaving their culture and families behind was all for a hostile country in which survival is not definite. Little did they know that living in the U.S would not be stable

However, one surprising pleasant morning we were set up at an elementary school when we noticed a potential family festival nearby. The volunteers began buzzing with excitement as we realized the nice weather and festival were the perfect combination to draw a sizeable crowd. As expected we were hit with an unceasing stream of people from noon to take down. The entire day I bustled from one job to the next rummaging through an endless pile of clothing, restocking tables that emptied as soon as filled and counting heads all while conversing with the shoppers. The lull that came at the end of the day filled the air and we began packing up. As I jumped down from loading the last container I watched the counters face transform from a look of concentration to that of exuberance. “We were able to help seventy families today!” she cheered. We all crowded around in disbelief and shared triumphant shouts. Delight fills my heart when I think of all the lives that we impacted that day but for a long time after woe clouded the memory. We could give a million outfits to a million families and there would still be someone who went

Throughout high school, I have been lucky to have the opportunity to serve my community and school. I have been involved with service through my church, as a summer camp counselor, school ambassador, and the Cleveland Clinic. In the summer going into my sophomore year, I was a Junior Ambassador at Cleveland Clinic Main Campus. During this summer I spent six weeks serving patients and their families.

Community service has been part of my high school experience from the start of my junior year. Helping people had always been my passion. Although I was constantly assisting my peers with minor situations in school it wasn't until later that I had my very first eye opener on what I can truly accomplish. Chick-fil-a Leadership Academy helped me recognize how big of an impact I have on the community by giving me life lessons. When I pondered about community service before Chick-fil-a Leadership Academy it revolved around my local community, however after the completion of the Kick-Off Ceremony my point of view of the community included every person that I could help even if they are half way around the world. During the Kick-Off Ceremony I was able to assist packing over 1 million meals for children in need with the continuous effort of other members. This resulted in the realization that food is something thousands of people take for granted.

After landing in Mexico and meeting up with the people I would be working with during a three-day mission trip, we were crammed into a bus and spent the next two hours getting to know each other. We were there to build homes for a multitude of families in the town of Xochimilco, Mexico. When we arrived late in the afternoon, we were led to an empty school where we would spend our nights. Sleeping on the floor next to school lockers with bugs buzzing in my ears in a country I did not know well was an interesting experience to say the least—but that was just the beginning. At dawn, the real work began and so did a change in my thinking that had a dramatic effect on my perspectives about life.

One day I decided it was a perfect time to ask Johanna about her struggles and how her life has been by being an immigrant. I started off by asking something simple, yet deep. “How did your life change by coming to the U.S.?” I asked. With eager Johanna told me that by coming to the U.S. it

The Baptist Preparatory School has provided me the amazing opportunity to serve over 100 hours in community service. I have sorted clothes at the Compassion Center, packed frozen rice with the Rice Depot, raked leaves for the elderly, and renovated underfunded churches; however, I consider my individual volunteer work with the Central Arkansas Library System as my most valuable form of

Some of these children immigrated to the United States for political or religious reasons, while others – like Ushab – were granted asylum so they could escape the refugee camps. Though they were only eight years old, these children have faced more change and tragedy than I hope to encounter in my entire lifetime. Each day that I spent with these kids, I was able to contribute something that improved their lives, and each day, they contributed something that improved mine.