Service and Learning #4

The youth is our future. I had the privilege of working with a girl from Boys and Girls Club. Angela. Angela is going into her first year in middle school. Through service learning we did several projects to get her idea of being a professional chef going. What amazed me though is that this seventh grader already had an idea for what she wanted to do after high school.

I was motivated to work with Angela because she seemed very mature and she looked like she could life. She was very respectful towards Alex, Jasmine, and I and listened intently on the information we provided for her. I also saw that she was very social and friendly, i believe that being able to socialize in a friendly manner will help you out wherever you go and whatever you end up doing.

What was challenging about this experience was that Angela was one of the social lights in the club and that's what distracted her at times from focusing on her work and thinking about her future career. One of the leaders there wasn't very helpful either. She allowed other children to come in, and that disrupted our service learning time.

When Angela first told me that she was already thinking of becoming a Chef i was envious. At her age I had no idea what I wanted to do as a profession. Yet, at the same time i was overly happy for her that she had an idea and she has stuck with it for a while. That let's me know she's no a wishy-washy kind of kid but that she has a plan and is ready for anything that comes her way. I also learned that I need to get a move on my college planning and everything else that goes along with it. Knowing your goals then setting them to stone is a good way to start mapping out your future, and that's what I intend to do.

Working with Angela made me feel happier. I felt that happier by helping her decide. I know my role in her life isn't big, but i hope the impact lasts through out many years. After Service Learning is over i will hopefully look into other organizations where i can do the same. Help kids her age start thinking about their futures.

Angela will be what she wants to see herself become. She is a bright girl and her ambitions will take her far. I hope that in some way Alex, Jasmine, and I made and impact on her. She is our future. Whichever career field she goes into, I know that she'll make it.