Personal Narrative: What Matters To Me Is Giving Back

I came to America from Vietnam when I was just three years old. I spent a majority of my life with my grandma, who has always taught me the importance of helping others. She always told me to have; you must give, and if you have nothing to give, you can always give your time. This phase has been a huge guide in my life, and it has truly shaped me into who I am. At a young age, I always felt that my purpose in life was to help people. After attending many doctor visits with my grandma for her health check-ups, I was confident my future occupation would be in the medical field. During these frequent doctor visits, I had the chance to watch the interactions and cooperation among different healthcare professionals in different settings. Being in this inspiring environment, I hoped one day I could mirror them and make a difference in people’s lives and the community. Although I have always wanted to help those in need, I was uncertain of what specific career role would allow me to fulfill my passion for helping others.

They have, over the years, become a cornerstone of my community, and their creed has become my cornerstone. I am perpetually working with people as individuals: I am talking to them in the workshops I run, hearing their stories at conferences, learning their lives and struggles tabling at the town fair. It is all too easy for me to distance myself from the people I work with, but it takes something else to recognize that each person deserves his or her own recognition—they are worth my time. I have carried this forward in my current involvement volunteering for my university’s hospital in my free time, a means of paying it forward and affording others the means given to my parents.

Through the many trips that my family has taken to the hospital due to various reasons, I have become fond of the hospital and its many wonders. After all the things that the medical field has done for me and my family, I decided to contribute to my local hospital to volunteer and help out those who pay visits to the hospital. Through my exposure to various clinical populations, I want to improve my ability to serve others in this capacity that can guide me towards the medical profession in the future.

Volunteering at Texas Health Presbyterian Plano is my way of giving back to the community while developing critical social skills, and gaining important medical field exposure along the way. It’s an opportunity to change a person’s life, including my own. I volunteered at two hospitals last summer and I’m well acquainted with what volunteering entails and would more than love to do it again. Through this hospital volunteer program, I hope to discover my own passions and talents, while also developing skills that I will utilize throughout my entire high school and college experience.

Serving these populations is much more than serving food but also considering each individual’s unique story in its entirety. Some may have a dark past, some suffer from addiction, and others lose faith. As a hospital volunteer, I also served patients by spending quality time and assisting their needs. By simply understanding their viewpoint, I influenced them to believe in hope for a greater future. I learned that to effectively provide care for others, it is necessary to consider all the small scenes that combine to produce each person’s story. Compassion and service toward my patients are the sole ingredients for effective

Over my years of school, one big influence on me has always been sports. Ever since a young age, I have always enjoyed playing and watching sports. In my four years in high school, I have fell in love with the sport of lacrosse.

I woke up and took one bite out of my pop tart but that one bite was all I could eat. My legs were shaking, and my heart was pounding. My dad told me, “It is a true honor to even make it this far so go out there and have some fun.” Once I heard this statement, I knew I was ready to go. I arrived at school and boarded the bus. The car ride was an hour and fifteen minutes of hearing the squeaking of the wheel on the bus. My teammates were getting their heads ready for the big game.

I began volunteering at the Hospital for Special Surgery, to get an overview of what is is like to work at a hospital. Volunteering at a hospital was an eye opening experience, because I got to encounter how physicians, and medical staff communicate, and listen to their patients. These two skills are essential to understand patient needs, and therefore make the right decisions in diagnosing diseases. My role at the hospital was to provide snacks, beverages, and aid kits to patients, families, and medical staff. I have witnessed families that stayed up long nights, because they had loved ones undergo surgery. Any person that has a loved one undergo surgery becomes worried and scared, because of the uncertainty that lies ahead. However, the imperative skills that I have learned and exceeded on was my communication skills. Communicating with these families, and patients was exceedingly important, because you have to place yourself in their shoes to understand the situation they are in. I met young patients, as young as 5 years old, that were in the hospital for days recovering from surgery, or undergoing

I have been volunteering at the University of Maryland Medical Center since the summer of my freshman year. As a volunteer at the Cardiac Surgery Intensive Care Unit at the hospital, I am committed to provide excellence in service, work independently and efficiently, and exhibit patient interaction skills. Ever since I have started volunteering at the hospital, I have learned to become more patient and understanding toward the people who I interact with, and consequently, I have become a more sympathetic and compassionate person.

After my first year at Skyline College, I ventured out to find ways I can volunteer in my community, in hopes to find interest in a field I would like to study one day. When I first started volunteering at Mills Peninsula Hospital, I thought it would be like those medical drama shows such as House, or Grey's Anatomy. Where I would meet the real life versions of Dr. House and Meredith Grey and get to be shadowed by them and learn the ins and outs of hospital and the secrets of medicine. However, when I first stepped into Mills Peninsula, I knew meeting Dr. House and Meredith Grey were very unlikely. Right when I entered the hospital I see the rushes of turquoise colored scrubs passing by me, hearing the clanks of the walking sticks from the elderly, and often times the squeaks from the wheels of the wheelchair. Yet, through these passing moments, there was always that lingering of emotions evoked in the air; moments passing between a mother and her newborn baby, the anxious faces of families pacing back and forth, and the

Everyone on earth is defined by their core beliefs. It’s what makes us all individuals, what separates us from the others. It wasn’t until I was talking with my friend Sean in 8th grade that I started to realize that one of my core beliefs, something I was taught growing up, may not be my own belief.

Hi iam Edgardo Flores i was born in casa grande, az not that far away from our state capital,Phoenix, Az.theres nothing better to do in a hot summer than going out with the friends to a lake and have a blast riding jet skis boats and my favorite, swimming!My activites of the day are shooting,riding horses,and my favorite one is quad riding.Thats right! ive been doing these fun exciting hobbies since i was 9 years old.pretty young huh?

I volunteered at Marianjoy Rehabilitation Hospital, a nonprofit organization in the dietary department, patient transport and clinics to help the adult and pediatric patients recovering from acute and chronic conditions and require intensive therapy.

My mentor Yesenia Ordaz has been a volunteer in the pediatrics department of Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital for six years. I have never met a more dedicated person who exemplifies what it means to serve and support a community. No matter what the situation was, Yesenia was always staying up to date with what the hospital needed, and how we could make the project serve those needs effectively. By observing Yesenia, I have learned that the best way to be a part of the hospital community, is to prioritize and serve the needs of the others before yourself. It seems obvious, but getting into the mindset of a hospitalized child can be complicated sometimes and remembering that every person has a slightly different perspective can also be hard to keep in

The single most powerful and impactful week in my life coincides with the week that I allowed myself to be more vulnerable than ever before. Through my journey in vulnerability, I found a massive support system, connection, and my Ohana. Vulnerability is critical in creating connections, promoting understanding, and fostering a community of belonging. Over the summer I went to RYLA, Rotary Youth Leadership Awards, where I was placed with a group of 10 peers and we were put through various activities designed to designed to foster leadership and cultivate friendships. The second night, we did an activity called, “We Are All in This Together”. A series of statements were read such as, “come to the stage if you or someone you know has ever