We thought we would never make it to this point. Those countless nights of no sleep, the endless drowning of homework, the numerous cups of coffee, and of course, the tears have all led us to this point - the end of junior year. Yes, we actually did it; we all survived possibly the worst year ever. So before I begin, I would just like to say congratulations to everyone. However, the ending of junior year can be a little bittersweet because in the next few months we will be making some very important and life-changing decisions; which is why I am happy that I took part in many service opportunities this year because it has taught me a lot about myself and life in general.
This year I participated in after school care at St. Margaret of Scotland and I also went on the New Orleans mission trip. Though these service opportunities have revealed to me some outstanding qualities and characteristics of greatness, two lessons have stuck out to me.
1. Don't be afraid to step out of your comfort zone.
2. Do what you love.
To make the most of every opportunity that comes my way, I learned that I must step out of my comfort zone. I need to constantly open myself to new people, places, things, and experiences. I must continually challenge myself and live each day to the fullest by taking advantage of opportunities, especially opportunities that I know little to nothing about so that I can expand my worldview.
Throughout my service experiences this year I came across many people, young and old, who truly love what they are doing. At St. Margaret I met many teachers, the principal, and an after school aid, who probably do not make much money because of the financial struggles that the school has right now. However, these people work so hard at what they do and they go above and beyond their standard requirements. They absolutely love working with the children, and their persistence withy them benefits the children tremendously. In New Orleans, I met a ranch owner, a soup kitchen owner, and a youth center employee. All of these places were located in the lower class and poor neighborhoods of New Orleans, so I assume that these people did not make a lot of money either. But that did not stop them from doing their jobs and doing them right. These people worked so hard at their jobs and put so much into it despite the sacrifices they had to make in their own lives. They loved what they were doing and they loved to help people. I learned from all these people not to worry about money or other superficial factors when deciding what I want to do for a living, but to instead, choose something that I am going to always enjoy and love.
I am very thankful that I took part in many service opportunities this year because they have encouraged me to pursue my dream job - a pediatric oncologist. Whenever I tell a person that being a doctor is something I am thinking about I immediately get the warning of student loans and long schooling and insurance issues,etc. Before, I let these warnings affect my decision and started second guessing myself. But now, after my service, I realized that I do not care how long and strenuous the process is or how hard I am going to have to work for it and how many sacrifices I will have to make, because I know it is something I will absolutely love. The service opportunities helped me to recognize this and have inspired me to take a step further. This summer I am going to shadow a PEDs cardiology nurse practitioner at Advocate Children's Hospital in Oak Lawn. I also hope to shadow a pediatric oncologist there. In addition, I want to work with campus ministry at Marist next year to develop a program that will visit the Ronald McDonald house in Oak Lawn. The program can hold fund raisers to raise money for the families staying there that they can use for food, clothes, transportation, or even Christmas gifts. The program can also take a monthly trip to the house to make dinner for the residents and spend time with the kids there.
Whatever I choose to do in the future, I am grateful that I had these service opportunities because they have shown me that if I do what I love - I will be happy, and that's all that matters.
