When I first entered high school, I was a shy girl who was a mere five feet tall, and who never knew what it was like to soar above and beyond in the social world. Some of my traits were that I kept to myself, put other people’s feelings first, and cared too much about trivial things. I went through my first two years of high school stuck in a cycle filled with boredom and unhappiness. My days were spent moving from one worry to the next, and I could never seem to find a daily routine that made me happy. I looked towards the popular kids that were filled to the brim with school spirit, and wondered why I never had what it took to get involved in all my school had to offer.
When I entered my junior year of high school, I felt it was time to make a change. I realized that, before I knew it, high school would be over and college would come swirling my way, faster than a tornado. I knew that deep down inside, I did not want to be the small, shy girl in college. I also understood that I would not be able to change who I was completely within a day. It was unrealistic to wait until college to start branching out, so by the first day of junior year, I was ready to get involved in my school. I had always been a good student in high school, and it showed in my GPA. My high school had a “club day” every year where each club in the school would set up a table in the main courtyard to advertise their club and the activities they put on throughout the year. The only club that wasn’t available for sign-ups was the National Honor Society, which required a certain GPA and academic record to be accepted. For the first time in a while, I felt myself beaming with joy when I submitted my application for the club, and felt that same jubilation when I was accepted.
National Honor Society (NHS) serves to help the community, while simultaneously giving its members community service hours that are required to graduate high school. In order to complete these hours, NHS puts together a small event committee each year to schedule events for the club. After another application process, I found myself sitting in a small classroom with eight other students, and we became known as the event committee for the 2015-2016 school year. Each student on the committee was tasked with putting together at least one event for the club to participate in during a month assigned to us by our sponsor. This included finding a location, getting supplies, setting the supplies up, establishing a sign-up sheet for the other members, and running the event when the time finally rolled around. I was given the month of December, and since the committee was chosen towards the end of November, I wasn’t given much time to think of an elaborate project. Fortunately, I was struck with an idea almost immediately. When someone says December to me, the first thing that comes to my mind is Christmas. I thought back to who I was before junior year, and remembered the many times when I would put other’s feelings first, and how happy it would make me after I had helped them, and saw that they had calmed down, and felt untroubled once again. I combined this feeling and Christmas to think of my event, Adopt A Family. This organization works to give underprivileged families the spirit of the holidays they all deserve.
Putting together an entire event in two weeks while still trying to keep my grades in check was definitely a challenging task to take on. Once I had contacted our assigned family and told them a location, it was time to get the rest of the club involved. I was shocked and humbled by how quickly people signed up to donate toys and food for the kids, and to work the event. Those two weeks flew by before my eyes and soon enough, it was time to start setting up for the event. When I woke up that morning, the only feeling I could pinpoint was excitement. Bringing joy to others is a goal I try to set for myself every day. Even receiving a smile in return for something I do is enough to make my day worth it. When the small family of a single mom and her three kids entered our cafeteria, my heart was beating faster than a speeding bullet. A mountain of toys was waiting for the kids, with a few gifts sprinkled in for their mom as well. They were greeted with a yummy dinner, and coloring activities for the little ones. Their faces lit up as the spirit of giving and joy became real for them. In that moment, I felt like I was on top of the world. All of my work created this wondrous occasion that they would remember for a long time, and I knew that I wanted a career that involved helping others and bringing them happiness.
