Reflection Paper

When I first decided to expand my education, it had been so long since I had been to school, and I was very hesitant. I talked at length about my decision with my husband and with his encouragement, decided to enroll but still was not quite sure which degree program to enroll in. I knew that this was something that I had always wanted to do since I obtained my Associates Degree in Nursing, but I did not have the courage, nor did I want to give up the time with my family and children. I second guessed my abilities and my knowledge because it had been so long since I had been in college. Now that my children are about to graduate high school and

As a wide-eyed seventh grader, thirty of my peers and I gathered together and went to Akron, Ohio, to help the immigrants and people who were living in poverty. We rebuilt fences and helped families with odd-jobs they needed done. This experience was eye opening to see that people living only thirty minutes away were struggling to keep food on their plates and that I, doing so

On one sunny day, I was helping my mom doing chores when she pulled me over to talk to me about something important. I was confused why my mom would want to me about something important, but I listened to what she said and followed her. What she told me was what her life was like back in Vietnam. She did not have much of an education. Instead, she stayed home with her mom to sell Vietnamese yogurt every day for a living. Since I was born in America, I never thought of life was like for others in developing countries like Vietnam. Hearing from my mom's experience, it stuck with me. I learned the importance of being grateful for what I have since they are a lot of people who do not have what we have in America and it made me want to help those who are in need. I was also inspired to do whatever I

In fifth grade I was told I was going to Mexico for spring break, little did I know this vacation would be one of the most life changing experiences I have ever had. I have always been told to do thing for others and to put the less fortunate before myself. I live in a very Catholic household and my family is constantly going to serve at homeless dinners and work at local shelters but I was never truly changed by these experiences until my trip to Mexico. Through this experience I learned that sometimes giving to others benefits me more than I expected.

During our brief trip, we were able to accomplish much. We led a camp for teens and twenty-somethings. There, we gave bibles, socks and hats to everyone who attended (it gets surprisingly cool there). One of the campers was in a worn-out wheelchair, and we were able to replace that for him.

Sometimes in life you don't understand what you have until you see others who don't. I was with my family in Honduras, which is a very poor country. As we drove to my abuela's house on the side of the road hundreds of people were living in tiny huts even what appeared to be cardboard boxes. I learned that I benefit from giving back.

Going to Guatemala I only expected for me to be the one to make a change, I had no intention of them being the ones to change me. I achieved a fresh perspective on life, obtained more self-awareness, and sharpened my personal-insight because of this trip, and there is nothing more I could have asked

I helped build a house for a needy family in Haiti. While there, I realized the impact one action could have on others. When I returned home from the trip, I carried out this realization through volunteer work in a nursing home- something I never thought I would be doing.

I traveled to Mexico to visit my Mom’s hometown. Guadalajara is beautiful and its historical landmarks are breathtaking. I was walking around the city’s main cathedral when a little poor girl came up to me to ask for a Popsicle that I was eating. I gave her the Popsicle and she ran back to her mother and siblings who were begging for money. It broke my heart to see such poverty.

My trip to Guatemala helped me realize how great my life really is,and showed me how strong I really am.Many people around the world take Missions Trip every year to the nations of the world. A mission’s trip is mainly meant for missionaries to reach out to the people of other nations and not only share “the truth” but also help them with their struggles in life. Some ways missionaries reach out are building homes, churches, getting clean drinking water, volunteering in orphanages, donating secondhand clothing, giving health screening and checkups, etc. All these not only help the people but in the end give the missionaries a good feeling inside. It takes a special kind of person to go out and serve the people of the world as well as a lot

The first time I saw a child the same age as me, malnourished and with no clean clothes, it really shook me. That moment still resonates with me today. Seeing the extreme poverty in Africa firsthand changed my perspective on the world and my life as well. It made me appreciate how privileged I am to be eating three meals a day, sleeping on a comfortable bed with a roof over my head every night. It made me realize how lucky I am to be living in America, the land of opportunity. Pursuing the American dream, where success and prosperity are attainable through hard work and determination. People living in Africa and third world countries do not have the same opportunity as I do. In some third world countries, education is even a privilege while it is a right in America. Of course at nine I did not fully understand all of this, but as I looked back at my experiences, I started to see the lessons learned from each one. Before, I thought all my friends had more pleasant things than I did. After my trip to Africa my whole outlook on privilege changed, and it made me appreciate everything I had while not taking things for

In 2013, I got the chance to go on my first mission trip to Washington, D.C. with my church youth group. This was the first time I was really exposed to the difficulties people face America. On this mission trip we got the chance to serve at soup kitchens,

Summer of 2015, my father made the decision for me to go to a mission trip to one of the most undeveloped cities in Central America, Managua, Nicaragua, without my input. This idea gradually started to grow on me as weeks of endless hours of training and prepping went by. On July 29th, the plane finally landed, and our crew of 15 teenagers went straight to work. We stayed in an air conditioned home with running water, flushing toilets, wifi, floors, windows, and a roof. To most people, this may seem like no big deal. To many, this is luxury. We spent 10 days building playgrounds for the kids, holding classes for students, providing food and water for families, and so much more. The kids and teens living here didn’t have the basic units of life, but were living each day of their lives with genuine smiles and positive attitudes. This experience changed my way of living by becoming more mature, knowledgeable, much more aware of my surroundings and realizing how truly blessed my family

I went to Haiti for a missions trip so that I might make a change but Haiti ended up changing me. I had known about poverty and hunger but never truly experienced it myself. In my life, I had never held a child so small and delicate that I was afraid I might break them with just my touch. I never knew what it was to see hope in a way as simple as a brother feeding a sister. I never knew how well I had it until that moment. It was that moment that helped me change my life. This event has helped me see clearer. I now have a deeper appreciation for all I have been blessed with. I now see the great importance of family and I am trying not to take that for granted. Though sometimes I get caught up in this life and forget what is truly important, I can always turn back to this memory to remind myself what I might be dealing with struggle how good I really have

Growing up in America, we are exposed to the aspects of life and the standards that seem like overwhelming issues for us to solve ourselves, but we get consumed about our own problems that we neglect the standards of the LGBTQ+ community outside of the states. We usually stand our grounds and fight the battles at home with a movement that has been more evolved and transformed rapidly over the years. We have our feet rooted into the ground, but the LGBTQ+ movements overseas in more politically detested places are not visible. They are not grounded or rooted like the LGBTQ+ movement is in the United States and for the most part in the “western” realm. While I still believe that the problems we are fighting for at home are valid and need the strength of the community to continue to push for change, I also believe that we should focus some effort to help others in places that are not as accepting. We are fighting for our happiness and they are as well, but their happiness is having another day to survive and blend in.