Entering Paw Paw I was filled with excitement as I saw the stage being set up and all the campers. Once we were directed to our parking spot, we both got out and gathered our camping supplies. Once we gathered our supplies, we decided to walk around looking for people we knew, as well as camping spots that were not already reserved. After tirelessly searching for friends that were not even there yet to figure out, we came upon what seemed like a perfect spot until we saw that it was reserved. After leaving this campsite, we retreated back to the woods area to sit and think of what to do. Shortly after his girlfriend contacted me saying that she and my ex were there. Hearing this we decided to walk all the way back to the entrance to meet them,…
As I continued my high school journey this beautiful young lady began to figure out my talents away from being in Voices Up. I insisted joining the band where I played the flute and piccolo and became section leader all in 2 years, then found out about Girl Power Girls’ Choir which helped me so much. Now as a college student who’s majoring in General Psychology with a minor in criminal justice. After being interested in this particular field for the simple fact I was watching…
It was then I had a sudden, shocking realization. Everyone who came, all thirty-five people, were here because of me and my vision to help the community. This project was born because of my idea of helping restore the church property and, hopefully, improve the relationship between the troop and the church. But, this was all mine and I took the helm and guided it through the murky, rough seas to get it to this point. I learned I could be a leader and both adults and my peers respected me, saw my dedication and determination, and followed my lead. This realization brought a smile to my tired, dirty face, and gave me a boost of energy to help me finish off the…
Music has always been a very important part of my life. As a child, I was mesmerized by Disney’s Fantasia 2000 and watched the Disney sing-a-longs over and over. I began playing piano at a young age, and in middle school added more instruments to my list, such as flute, saxophone, and ukulele. I have had many opportunities to perform both solos and ensemble performances, but none of them have impacted me as much as my interactions with an elderly man named Mr. Roland Goff, or as we called him in my church, Brother Goff. When I was in 5th grade, I played a piano song in church entitled A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief. A couple years later, Brother Goff’s wife passed away and my family started spending more time with him. He told me he remembered the song I played in 5th grade and how much he loved it. I had many other opportunities to play in church as well, and he remembered and enjoyed each of them. It was then that I started…
I wasn’t the greatest singer in the world, but I still had confidence; confidence in that I can do better and learn. Ms. Janke helped build that confidence by being my own personal voice teacher twice a week after school and I saw much improvement. I would have never considered singing, especially to a crowd of people, but this all changed when I met Kate. She was my choral instructor for three years while attending school. I saw much improvement in my voice range and tone. I improved so much that I got up the courage and sang the national anthem at one of our high school’s football games. When it was all said and done, people were looking at me and applauding. Ms. Janke once told me that I can do anything if I just worked hard. Because of my National Anthem performance, she was right. To this day I sing for people, and when I help people in their musical struggles I pass down her message to work hard, have confidence, and to not give…
One moment I had that I will never forget is when my friend Libby Bridges who is another teen in PFO, was sharing HER impactful moment to the leadership team. I was sitting there and listening to her talk about how she used to be afraid that she will never make an impact on the world. Libby is a person that I really look up to in PFO. She shows impeccable leadership skills and she has the kindest heart. To hear her talk about her fears and watching her be so vulnerable makes me start to cry. In this moment I realized how surrounded by love I was, and how grateful I was for the opportunity PFO has given me. PFO has given me the chance to make beautiful connections and bonds that I wouldn't trade for anything.…
I went from the girl who was terrified of speaking her mind to someone who can easily give speeches in front of people and can lead a clarinet section of 20 people. Being responsible for 19 other people is a challenge that freshman me would never have been able to do, and in this way, band has helped me grow into both the leader and the person that I am today. However, band didn’t just help me grow, it made me happy. My memories of band are some of the happiest memories of my life. Memories ranging from praying to all the band gods above for a water break or possibly a nice cloud to shade us from the evil sun to marching and winning sweepstakes at our very first competition and crying our tears of happiness together. I will always cherish these memories.Band acted as my salvation in how it forced me to grow into the leader I am today and how it made me happy. I want college to act as my second salvation. When I first found Arcadia, I wanted to go there simply for the accelerated forensic science program it provided. Then, I visited the campus and realized that I adore it and would love living…
I haven’t been involved with ME to WE but I have been included in other community/school events. I went to the ‘YRDSB OUR VOICE: THE WAY FORWARD’ conference. This conference was very beneficial because it was a student-lead conference. It allowed us, students to use our voice and speak up. At the conference, I realized how important it is to use your voice in a positive way to help people. You don’t only need to use your voice; you can get your message out in any way, media, arts or verbally. I learned that student voice is important because, we are the ones who are the future to making our world a better place. When I went back to school, after the conference, I had a tiny activity planned with my class about bullying and speaking up. With my teacher’s permission, I explained the activity to my class and they did the activity. Even though there were 2 months left of school, I could see that my classmates were starting to speak up. Even though I only had an impact on my class, it’s better than nothing.…
Beforehand, I was the kid that never initiated conversations and frankly, meeting new people made me uncomfortable. However, as an active member of my community, my shell of awkwardness and seclusiveness slowly broke down with every service event that I was a part of. I waited for the first time in Freshman year during a charity dinner and the gratitude I received back was quite astounding to me. They all shook my hand, had bright smiles, and one man specifically thanked me for making his night. While my guests experienced joy through my waiting, I experienced likewise from their response. Instead of a risk for an embarrassing situation, I realized that helping people brought me genuine…
My Jr High choir teacher, Mrs. Bradbury, was the most challenging teacher I have ever had. She would never cut the choir a break, and never stopped pushing us to be our best; “I can’t” was not acceptable to her. I hated her with every fiber of my being, and every time she spoke all I wanted to do was sew her lips together. It wasn’t until the beginning of ninth grade when I realized she was amazing. Once I let my guard down, we instantly connected. Recognizing how much I loved to sing and becoming one of the top singers in my choir was thanks to her. I started working for hours every day on my songs, staying late after class for help, and going to voice lessons. I excelled exponentially and Mrs. Bradbury noticed it.…
Over the weekend I got the opportunity to march in the unity parade, which was a parade for the community to come together and become one. They had many speaker that spoke a good word, like one person talked about how you would never know what someone has been through by what they look like. That was something that hit home for me because that is something I have to tell myself, when others try and judge me by the words I say and not who i am.Throughout this week a Paul Quinn I have met many people that can help me succeed in this school and can become true friends of mines. When being a Quinnite you have realize that the grind doesn't stop no matter where you are or what your are doing. You have to always be presentable and be ready for what comes your way because nothing will ever be handed to you without hard…
For the remaining five hours that I needed to serve I had a close friend of mine shadow me during school. I chose this particular work because I’ve always regretted not getting to know what school at Bishop Ireton was like so I offered my friend the opportunity to do so. What I gained from this experience is happiness from seeing my close friend again and the guarantee that she’ll be coming to our school next year. I would love to do this again so I may encourage as many students to come to our school so they may be a part of our Salesian community.…
Throughout the night, we would engage in conversation and establish new friendships with interesting and kind people. I was fascinated with hearing the stories told by the people we met. It undoubtedly changed my once uneducated perspective on often stigmatized individuals, realizing they were important humans too, as deserving of love and nurture as everyone is. Some were raised in unfortunate predicaments that denied them of their basic rights, whether it be poverty, domestic violence, or abuse; all horrible issues that I was so fortunate to not have had to deal with. Some found themselves struggling with drug addiction and alcoholism, until they were left with nothing. I was able to listen to their stories, letting them know I cared, and in return providing me with their wisdom and advice. By the end of each day with project HOPE, I was certain of two things: all lives were important and mattered, despite racial, economic, or ideological differences, and everyone deserved a friend to talk to and confide in. I am glad I could put any differences aside, and be a compassionate friend to whoever needed one. From this eye-opening experience, I believe I am a better person and more inclusive individual. To be the best person one can be, it is imperative to eliminate any biases and strive to help everyone in…
Within a day of familiarising ourselves with each other, my group and I went gorge walking which greatly differed to my daily life; the entire experience allowed me to branch out of my comfort zone and acquire a new outlook on life. As a result of this, I became more sociable and confident which strengthened my public speaking skills when presenting to a large audience. My work experience in a nursery developed my understanding of a younger age range which allowed me to become a more responsible and adaptable individual. Additionally, I helped organise and participated in Christmas events in local care homes to increase community spirit, enabling me to further improve my leadership and responsibility…
I attended school at Broad Street High School in Shelby Mississippi. I was a junior in high school at the time me and a few of my friends decided to start a step team. The name of the group we started was called the Suave Young Gentlemen or S.Y.G. I had the opportunity to compete along with my friends against many other organizations. We won a lot of competitions along the way but that wasn’t the most important thing I hold on to from those years. Even though it wasn’t a college fraternity we still learned the values of building trust and strong friendships. I am still friends with many of the gentleman I had the pleasure of performing with. The biggest part of our group was community service. We did everything from cooking for our towns homeless to performing at local nursery homes for our elders. During those times I learned to love my fellow man. After performing I would sit and talk for hours with the homeless and my elders. The information that I learned from them all was so insightful. One of the homeless I was talking to surprised me when they told me just a few years before they held a manager title at a local restaurant. Everyone I talked to preached the same message to me about staying in school and pursuing a higher education. Those singular moments are still fresh in my mind as of today. I will truly never forget being a member of the organization I was apart of. My group also use to get up early every Saturday morning and cook breakfast for our family and friends with allowed us to bond even more with our families. Just picture every Saturday you…