Why I Deserve Community Service

Criminal Justice, one of the best known academies at my school campus. CJ, as all cadets refer to is known by its academic excellence and community service. As comrades of the academy we are required to do 50+ community hours yearly. I myself go beyond the community service requirements because I am an over achiever person but also because I love helping people and giving back to my community.
My sophomore year in high school I enrolled in this particular community service that has taught me so many things. CJ is a team work based academy. Therefore; my group was assigned to go feed the homeless people around Del Paso height’s community during our thanks giving break, what surprised me the most was that the majority of my fellow cadets did not attend the event,
but I did. I was very uncomfortable at first, but then I began offering food and filling up their plates and felt rather content, as if I were in a warm bubble bath after a long day of cleaning houses at work. One of the woman’s there smiled at me, I felt like she wanted to tell me something but didn’t have the right words to do so, her face was glowing like a child’s face during Christmas time. Later that day I found out that the woman who had smiled at me was unable to talk and hear; she was deaf mute. When I went home that day I did not eat much because just the thought of helping this people and seeing the smile of that particular woman fulfilled me entirely, I was more than satisfied. Sounds Cliché but that was how it felt. Then suddenly it hit me that this curiously satisfying, happy feeling is what community service is truly about.
After that day my attitude changed, I now help others with more than a desire for “hours” I help individuals with the purpose of making their life’s somehow easier even if it’s just for a few hours or for a day.
As long as I can remember service to others was always encouraged by my family and teachers. For example, I helped teachers with the intent of lightening their load of work so they can be able to go home earlier. Things like this make me proud because I am able to help others, and to bring a smile to their faces. My excuse to avoid community service was that I always thought that school was all about homework and getting good grades to be on the top 20 of your class. Truth is I have always overlooked this people thinking they were being lazy for not working, but through this community service I learned that each and everyone around the world is fighting their own battles and we all deal with them the best way we can. I am proud of myself because I went to that community service and learned about this people who I had always stereotyped by their actions, community service has encouraged me to actively listen and learn from others, to walk alongside my neighborhood and to build new
relationships.
This particular contribution has shaped or relates to whom I am today in many ways, one being that I’ve realized that the more I dedicate my time to community service, the more giving back became a part of me. To me, community service is not just using up time, but feeling, a life lesson, or even life lessons in it. Through this I’ve learned that the simplest action can initiate a change around the world, maybe next time I go back to feed the homeless I see less people struggling to make it through every day with a piece of bread In their stomachs or maybe I will see more people helping out, including my fellow classmates.