Legacy Essay Winners - Spring 2005
| The joy of giving and receiving |
It was a couple of weeks before Christmas. The Student Government was looking forward to providing a generous Christmas for a special and deserving family we had chosen through “Adopt a Family.” We had gotten presents for the four people in the Castillo family. When the family arrived, we provided snacks and introduced ourselves to break the ice and make the Castillos feel comfortable. They loved the gifts we’d picked out for them. I can’t even begin to describe the feeling I got seeing Jessica’s and Joe Ray’s faces brighten with happiness when they saw the new bikes they got for Christmas. I could tell that they hadn’t expected much for Christmas, and I remember thinking that neither of us would have gotten to experience the joy of giving and receiving without the aspect of community service. I also volunteered for Habitat for Humanity and Keep Midland Beautiful, but the kids’ faces are what clearly stand out in my mind as the most memorable experience.
MC has been nothing but a blessing to me and my family. I do not know what I would have done if not for the opportunity to go to Midland College with my Legacy Scholarship. Without this opportunity, I might have had to work and take a semester or two off from school. In that case I would never have met the people I know now, become the Student Government President or planned to attend Texas Tech University this fall. And, without the 40 hours of community service I needed for the scholarship, I may never have enjoyed and learned all that I have from my community service efforts.
Abell-Hanger gets the youth of Midland involved in community service, and only after I had experienced community service, did I understand how important it was. Volunteering has changed the way I look at life. I know it has made me a better person. My goal is to become a mature, considerate and responsible member of society. My personal experience with community service has been amazing. I thank everyone involved with Abell-Hanger for encouraging me to look around and try to discover and meet the needs of others. |
| Developing the habit of service |
I believe that community service should be a habit — that one needs to develop the habit of service.
Since I plan on becoming an educator, not only was my community service helping others, I was preparing myself by gaining an insight into my chosen career.
Given the opportunity to tutor struggling students in summer school, I helped
students in a variety of ways. The experience was rewarding. “The students want to work hard and behave because they get to spend ‘special time’ with you,” the teacher told me. So, I put extra effort in making sure each child feel as though he or she was a special and successful individual. It was so thrilling to see the kids put forth their best effort to learn a difficult concept.
Their efforts allowed me to see a side of the student that isn’t always evident in the day-to-day classroom setting. I gained a valuable insight into how important it is to make a child believe he or she is special. The experience left a lasting impression on me. Not every
person can be “top dog,” but every person can feel that he or she is thought of as “top dog.”
I would like to end with a Chinese Proverb: “If you want happiness for an hour — take a nap. If you want happiness for a day — go fishing. If you want happiness for a month — get married. If you want happiness for a year — inherit a fortune. If you want happiness for a lifetime — help someone else.” |
| Realizing the American dream |
The Legacy Scholarship gave me the opportunity to attend Midland College and to give back to my community by offering my service to a kindergarten class at Greenwood Elementary. I learned patience, compassion and gained the love of 25 small human beings. I had the chance to be a mentor and a role model. I learned that no student deserves to be pushed aside or overlooked. At first I started out by helping then entire class, but then I began working with two students whose language barrier put them behind the rest of the class. During our first few sessions, it was difficult to communicate with the student because they did not understand or speak English. We worked together every day for an hour, and they slowly started to progress. By the end of the semester, both students could count to one hundred, recite their ABCs and even read a six-page book. I became attached to these students and was amazed at their progress. I realized anyone can accomplish the American dream as long as they have a little guidance and opportunity. I might have given these two students the foundation for their education, but they gave me reassurance that with a little help and confidence great things can happen.
After I completed the community service hours for the Legacy Scholarship, I was asked to continue to continue helping the entire class for another semester. This time around, I read to the students and helped with with reading, writing and math. As Educator Marion Edelman describes children: “It is they who are God’s presence, promise and help for human kind.” Helping others and contributing to the community gave me a feeling of pure joy. These children gave me a great outlook on the future and made me think about what is really important in life. I realized I gained a lot of love and friendships from this experience, just because I offered my service for a scholarship program. I am very thankful for Abell-Hanger. |
| Setting an awesome example |
As a child, one of my favorite things to do was to hang out with teenagers. It could have been one of my brothers, my sister or even someone from my youth group at church. From these teens I learned how to act, what was cool and what was right or wrong. Since teens had such an impact on me as a child, I knew right away that my community service would involve children.
I decided to help out with camp-outs at the Petroleum Museum. My goal was to provide the kids with a positive experience that can be hard to find in today’s times — to show the kids a good example. So, with a positive attitude I set out for a fun-filled night of camping inside the museum. I had a chance to interact with the children and try to be someone they could look up to. The 30 children watched us all night. They followed our example to the letter. That night I came to realize how important my actions are. It made me want to set an awesome example for all the kids, and I tried to be someone the kids could look up to. This community service was more of a growing process for me than most will ever know. It helped me “get my head on straight” and get my act together. When I saw how much the little kids watched me, I knew I didn’t want to be responsible for leading them in the wrong direction.
Service challenges each individual to be who they should be. It truly does make an impact in the student’s life. After all the benefits that I received, I’m also glad to know that I could help little kids and give them someone to look up to. Every kid has a role model, and these experiences have helped me strive to be someone’s role model. I’m thankful for the people I had to look up to and that they set a good example for me. Now I hope that I can continue to do the same for others. |
| An honor to serve |
I volunteered at the Children’s Museum of the Museum of the Southwest — a creative, intelligent and remarkable place for children to learn and play. There are so many ways for children to use their imaginations, whether they are in “My Town” or exploring the many exhibits.
As a volunteer, I monitored birthday parties, helped assemble exhibits, organized invitations for events and cleaned and organized items for “My Town.” These tasks helped me to realize how important the Children’s Museum is to the children of our community. Observing the children, I noticed how many had never experienced a place like the museum before — they were intrigued by everything.
I am an art major, so when I was searching for a place to do my volunteer work, the Museum of the Southwest seemed perfect. The children who visited the museum inspired me. They reaffirmed my thoughts about the importance of the arts and hands-on education for children. The knowledge, excitement and happiness each child gained made my experience as a volunteer fulfilling and special.
I feel honored to have served the Children’s Museum. I realize that without volunteers, places such as the Children’s Museum would not be as accessible. I now recognize that I had an effect on many children’s lives through my community service. I am thankful for the experience of being able to share my love of art with children. |
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