(AMH2020 student)
“Help others and
give something back. I guarantee you will discover that while public service
improves the lives and the world around you, its greatest reward is the
enrichment and new meaning it will bring your own life.” - Arnold
Schwarzenegger
I found
that this quote says a lot about people like me. I love to help others because
it’s the right thing to do and because I enjoy it. While I get to do that, I
also feel rewarded and like I have made a difference in this hectic and, at
times, cruel world. My core belief is that I know that I could make a
difference in this world, I believe everyone has it in them. Because I could
make a difference, whether it be for one person or for one hundred thousand
people, there should be no doubt in my mind that I SHOULD make a difference. I
have lived this out in my life in the past and will continue to do so
throughout my life in the future.
For my
service project, I sent a box of snacks, candy, and personal care items to a
soldier stationed in Afghanistan. I chose this because it was unlike any other
service project I had ever participated in. In the past, I have fed the
homeless, participated in mission trips, and prepared back to school
backpacks/gave them out to those in need, but I had never done something to make
an impact on someone so far away from me.
I began by
going to Publix with a friend and getting everything that I would put in the
box. We planned to go directly to the UPS store after but had forgotten about
writing a letter so we went back to our dorms and wrote the letter then
proceeded to go to the UPS store. When we arrived we were told that they were
not a real UPS store and that we should go to the on campus (at FSU) one. We
were unable to because the time was getting really close so we were going to
either do it the next morning in Tallahassee or in the following days in Miami
when we went down. We ended up having to stick with the second plan because we
did not have enough time to do so in Tallahassee.
In Miami,
we first went to the nearest UPS store to our homes but when the person working
there weighed the box he said it would cost around $600 to get it sent to
Afghanistan. Obviously, we do not have the money to be able to do that so we
left and searched Post Office near me. We found one around one or two miles
away and went straight there. We walked in nervously as we were unsure how any
of this process went because we had never shipped anything before. First, we
are told to use the Flat Rate box, which was a little smaller than the bo that would
be able to fit everything. I had to remove a bag of chips and a bag of candy
from the box because they really did not fit in the smaller box. When we asked
for help we were looked down upon and talked to in a rude manner. In addition,
we were being told in a sassy way that we needed to fill out yet another paper
right after we had just finished filling one out prior. This process happened
at least four or five times back to back. The people working there would get
upset at us because we did not know anything and this, to be completely honest,
took a lot of the joy out of sending the box.
Now that I am writing this around
two months later I still feel bothered by this part of the entire project and
how it went about; however, I realized that I would 100% participate in another
project like this in the future. The rewarding feeling of giving back to
someone so far away from me really is like no other. I am thankful for being
able to show my respect, gratitude, and love for a soldier fighting for me so
far away. In the future, I plan on being either a physician, dentist, or
possibly a lawyer. All of these careers follow a path that I want to take. I
plan on helping others for all my life because I believe that I am able to help
and I should help others because it is the right thing to do. I am thankful for
the opportunities I am given to help others in ordinary and extraordinary ways
and for Dr. Soldani for giving me the opportunity to make a difference in such
an unconventional way. Throughout this semester I have learned many lessons
through this class. I have learned, first of all, more history than I have in
my entire life, and I truly enjoyed it. I also learned valuable lessons about
myself and about making a difference to others that I will carry with me
throughout my college life and beyond.
