The main courtyard of Coral Reef Senior High School was bursting with tables, poster boards, and sign-up sheets for a million and one clubs. Every student in the school was squeezed into the courtyard, weaving their way through the crowds to get to the next table they could find. Club day was a tradition at the beginning of every year at my school. It’s an overwhelming event for any student, yet, it triggers different emotions in different students. There are some who are outgoing, and are excited to sign up for every club. Then you come across the quieter kids, like I was, that would circle the courtyard two or three times before signing up for one small club. My name on that one sign-up sheet defined me, and defined what I thought I was capable of. That was who I was for my first two years of 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 these years 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. School was a complicated setting, because I would go through my drama classes with mild confidence and a unique personality, but would quickly retreat into my shell again after leaving that classroom. Once I stepped out of the black box (a theatre classroom or small performance area) and stepped back into the school community, 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. I wanted to feel proud of my school, but more importantly, I wanted to feel proud of myself and what I could accomplish in my school.
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. College is the time when you are thrown into the real world, and tested on how you can adapt to your new environment. I realized that I would not be able to change who I was completely within a day, a week, or even a month. It was unrealistic to wait until college to start branching out, so flash forward to club day my junior year, I was ready for change. I signed up for any club that interested me, even if I was scared of what may lie ahead. Each sign-up sheet acted as an obstacle in a race, and each time I signed one, I felt I was one step closer to the finish line. I was moving from table to table, signing each sheet, with each new club presenting fun and exciting experiences I could immerse myself in. I came to a halt when I saw that 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. One of my greatest achievements throughout my high school career, was my good grades. I knew I was meant to be in this club, and 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 tackling another sign-up sheet, and enduring another long 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 in a community 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. For the first time in my life, I was on the other side of the sign-up sheet. I had finally taken the step of putting myself out there, and for once, I had a responsibility to fulfill that didn’t only concern myself. I took pride in each word I typed out for that sign-up sheet, as those words represented everything I had accomplished in such a small amount of time. In a strange way, the sign-up sheet became a part of me, and it still holds a significant value to me today. When I sent out the first email with the sign-up sheet to the club, I was shocked and humbled by how quickly people signed up to donate toys and food for the kids, and to work the event. I was hit with a flood of emails, each one saying another person had signed up to help. Before I knew it, the sign-up sheet became full in less than 3 days. I had a surplus of kids wanting to help work the event, or donate anything they could, including their time. I was incredibly lucky to have the full support of my sponsor, and I appreciated all of her help in putting the event together. There is no way I could have accomplished everything for my event without the help of my club. The fact that I brought all of my fellow club members together to achieve one common goal, gave me a feeling like no other. Those two weeks were filled with a mixture of nerves and adrenaline, 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 something as simple as 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, and filling 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. I looked around that small cafeteria, and saw pure joy on every single person’s face in that room. That night, nothing but happiness radiated off of each volunteer, my sponsor, our family, and myself. All of my work created this wondrous occasion that they would remember for a long time. By taking a leap of faith in my junior year, something as small as a sign-up sheet, changed my life. At the end of the night, after the food was long gone and all the toys had been loaded into their car, the mother of that family walked up to me and whispered the two most powerful words at that time: “Thank you.” She gave me a warm smile, and walked quickly to her car to drive her tired little ones home. Until that moment, I was unsure about what career path I wanted to follow, and with college approaching so fast, I was starting to worry if I would ever find a field that I could be happy in. That night made everything crystal clear for me in an instant. I belong in a field that helps people, and brings them joy and happiness, no matter what situation they are in. I am thrilled to explore FSU, and find what clubs and organizations the school offers, that can help me do just that for my career.
