Responsible Contributor
Upon entering into college, I had participated in a variety of volunteer activities and projects that resonated with my Catholic identity. I knew that when I entered college, I wanted to continue integrating service into my identity. Loras provided an avenue for this dream to become true in more ways than I imagined possible. I was presented with opportunities to help the local community and Loras, as well as serve the larger community of Morton, Mississippi.
Loras’ Catholic identity aligned perfectly with my desire to continue service work during my college experience. I always knew that I was called to serve others, but it wasn’t until I participated in service opportunities through Loras that I discovered my true purpose. It was through the exploration of my talents and the expansion of my comfort zone that I found my passion for teaching and helping children who are underprivileged.
It all started with learning about the history of privilege in the U.S. during Multicultural Education. I was astonished by my ignorance of the role race and ethnicity play in a person’s life. I was so surprised by this injustice that I chose to volunteer with AmeriCorps at the Multicultural Family Center, where I served as a crew leader for Future Talk. Future Talk, created by Loras professor Dr. Dana Livingston, is a program that serves at-risk youth in the community, its purpose is to connect teenagers to their community through environmental service work and meaningful experiences. The teenagers came from a diverse array of backgrounds, ethnicities, and races.
As a crew leader, I worked alongside the teens on community service projects while demonstrating how to endure difficult situations, be respectful to others, and communicate and interact with other teenagers and adults. Throughout the 8 weeks I spent working with the teenagers, I built relationships with them and saw academic and social progress. My experience provided me with the opportunity to demonstrate my ability to be a positive role model for students. Working with teenagers that came from a variety of backgrounds helped me appreciate diversity and the unique qualities that each individual has to offer. I was able to take what I was learning during my education classes and apply it to Future Talk. It was remarkable to be in a real-life multicultural learning situation, working with teenagers from a variety of backgrounds and cultures. My viewpoint of teenagers and different cultures was expanded. After this experience, I feel it is my calling, as a responsible contributor, to serve diverse communities.
I enjoyed my experience mentoring and working with the teenagers so much that I decided to start a mentoring program for some of the Future Talk girls through the eDUcation Club at Loras, which I was co-President. As the leader of the mentoring program I arranged different activities for the mentors and the mentees to participate in or attend. I saw a need for members of Future Talk to have a stable figure in their lives and I also saw a need for education majors to experience diversity before entering the teaching profession. The program is a highlight on my career at Loras because I was able to take my passion and combine it with a need in the community. I felt it was my responsibility to continue to contribute to the Future Talk community since it had a tremendous impact on me.
Another powerful experience came from a service trip to Morton, Mississippi, where I worked for a week in a local school and after school tutoring center. Many of the students from Morton are immigrants, a majority whom English is their second language. It was eye opening to see their demographics, along with their education system. This experience showed me that although many of our public schools nationwide provide a very strong education, there is still work that needs to be done in the future. Morton made it apparent that funding and lack of resources makes it difficult to provide an adequate education, as I learned about in Collaborations of Effective Learning. As a future educator, this experience helped me to realize that it is my responsibility to advocate for my students so that I can provide them with the best education possible.
These experiences that Loras provided me with throughout my college journey allowed me to serve others, but also served me in the process. From these experiences I have gained better understanding of the diversity that will compose my classroom. I witnessed the value of a stable figure, such as a teacher, in a student’s life. I also acknowledge that there is room for improvement within the field of education. All of this knowledge will impact me in the future as an educator. I will continue to use my talents to contribute to both the local and large community through educating the minds of young children to become responsible contributors.
Loras’ Catholic identity aligned perfectly with my desire to continue service work during my college experience. I always knew that I was called to serve others, but it wasn’t until I participated in service opportunities through Loras that I discovered my true purpose. It was through the exploration of my talents and the expansion of my comfort zone that I found my passion for teaching and helping children who are underprivileged.
It all started with learning about the history of privilege in the U.S. during Multicultural Education. I was astonished by my ignorance of the role race and ethnicity play in a person’s life. I was so surprised by this injustice that I chose to volunteer with AmeriCorps at the Multicultural Family Center, where I served as a crew leader for Future Talk. Future Talk, created by Loras professor Dr. Dana Livingston, is a program that serves at-risk youth in the community, its purpose is to connect teenagers to their community through environmental service work and meaningful experiences. The teenagers came from a diverse array of backgrounds, ethnicities, and races.
As a crew leader, I worked alongside the teens on community service projects while demonstrating how to endure difficult situations, be respectful to others, and communicate and interact with other teenagers and adults. Throughout the 8 weeks I spent working with the teenagers, I built relationships with them and saw academic and social progress. My experience provided me with the opportunity to demonstrate my ability to be a positive role model for students. Working with teenagers that came from a variety of backgrounds helped me appreciate diversity and the unique qualities that each individual has to offer. I was able to take what I was learning during my education classes and apply it to Future Talk. It was remarkable to be in a real-life multicultural learning situation, working with teenagers from a variety of backgrounds and cultures. My viewpoint of teenagers and different cultures was expanded. After this experience, I feel it is my calling, as a responsible contributor, to serve diverse communities.
I enjoyed my experience mentoring and working with the teenagers so much that I decided to start a mentoring program for some of the Future Talk girls through the eDUcation Club at Loras, which I was co-President. As the leader of the mentoring program I arranged different activities for the mentors and the mentees to participate in or attend. I saw a need for members of Future Talk to have a stable figure in their lives and I also saw a need for education majors to experience diversity before entering the teaching profession. The program is a highlight on my career at Loras because I was able to take my passion and combine it with a need in the community. I felt it was my responsibility to continue to contribute to the Future Talk community since it had a tremendous impact on me.
Another powerful experience came from a service trip to Morton, Mississippi, where I worked for a week in a local school and after school tutoring center. Many of the students from Morton are immigrants, a majority whom English is their second language. It was eye opening to see their demographics, along with their education system. This experience showed me that although many of our public schools nationwide provide a very strong education, there is still work that needs to be done in the future. Morton made it apparent that funding and lack of resources makes it difficult to provide an adequate education, as I learned about in Collaborations of Effective Learning. As a future educator, this experience helped me to realize that it is my responsibility to advocate for my students so that I can provide them with the best education possible.
These experiences that Loras provided me with throughout my college journey allowed me to serve others, but also served me in the process. From these experiences I have gained better understanding of the diversity that will compose my classroom. I witnessed the value of a stable figure, such as a teacher, in a student’s life. I also acknowledge that there is room for improvement within the field of education. All of this knowledge will impact me in the future as an educator. I will continue to use my talents to contribute to both the local and large community through educating the minds of young children to become responsible contributors.