My Story : Volunteer Emory
As a graduating senior, I've been thinking a lot about my last four years at Emory University, reflecting on the challenges, joys, surprises, struggles, love, and growth that I've experienced. There is no doubt in my heart nor my mind that my Emory experience has been shaped by my involvement with Volunteer Emory.
Don't let the name fool you - we aren't just about volunteering (and yes, it's time to update our name). We're about service, learning, social justice, growth, community-building, dialogue, and reflection. We're about hands, head, and heart. We're about starting a conversation and a movement. We're about creating opportunities for individuals to apply their energy and passion to creating positive change in the community. We're about seeking self-growth and transformation through these opportunities, so that we can become life-long advocates and agents of change.
Through my involvement with Volunteer Emory, from being a participant on service trips, to serving on staff and leading these trips, to serving as co-director of alternative breaks for the organization, I've learned and grown and lived more than I ever imagined was possible. I've met the most inspiring individuals, with a diverse array of interests, but all sharing boundless enthusiasm and dedication to making the world a better place for all. I've immersed myself in communities much different from my own, from rural Appalachia towns to communities of Waccamaw Siouan Native Americans. I've challenged my own perception of my abilities, discovered the true meaning of being a leader to my peers, and grown to realize my potential to make a difference.
Above all, I've realized the crucial role that service plays in our lives. Service goes beyond volunteering. Service requires engagement, and being open-minded to possibility of receiving just as much as you give. Service is a type of activism that is accessible to all, as long as you have a willingness to try and an openness to learn. It doesn't mean you need to protest on the streets or write letters to your congressman. Service can be a kind gesture to a friend in need, sorting through supplies at a food pantry, talking with an incarcerated woman about her hopes, or fixing up an elderly woman's porch so that she can safely enjoy her backyard. Service allows us to make meaning out of our lives. I won't preach and say that we all have an obligation to serve, but I can promise you that, through service, you can do good for yourself and the world in which you live.
Finally, I would like to share one of my favorite quotes: "Do not be daunted by the enormity of the world's grief. Do justly, now. Love mercy, now. Walk humbly, now. You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to abandon it."
Don't let the name fool you - we aren't just about volunteering (and yes, it's time to update our name). We're about service, learning, social justice, growth, community-building, dialogue, and reflection. We're about hands, head, and heart. We're about starting a conversation and a movement. We're about creating opportunities for individuals to apply their energy and passion to creating positive change in the community. We're about seeking self-growth and transformation through these opportunities, so that we can become life-long advocates and agents of change.
Through my involvement with Volunteer Emory, from being a participant on service trips, to serving on staff and leading these trips, to serving as co-director of alternative breaks for the organization, I've learned and grown and lived more than I ever imagined was possible. I've met the most inspiring individuals, with a diverse array of interests, but all sharing boundless enthusiasm and dedication to making the world a better place for all. I've immersed myself in communities much different from my own, from rural Appalachia towns to communities of Waccamaw Siouan Native Americans. I've challenged my own perception of my abilities, discovered the true meaning of being a leader to my peers, and grown to realize my potential to make a difference.
Above all, I've realized the crucial role that service plays in our lives. Service goes beyond volunteering. Service requires engagement, and being open-minded to possibility of receiving just as much as you give. Service is a type of activism that is accessible to all, as long as you have a willingness to try and an openness to learn. It doesn't mean you need to protest on the streets or write letters to your congressman. Service can be a kind gesture to a friend in need, sorting through supplies at a food pantry, talking with an incarcerated woman about her hopes, or fixing up an elderly woman's porch so that she can safely enjoy her backyard. Service allows us to make meaning out of our lives. I won't preach and say that we all have an obligation to serve, but I can promise you that, through service, you can do good for yourself and the world in which you live.
Finally, I would like to share one of my favorite quotes: "Do not be daunted by the enormity of the world's grief. Do justly, now. Love mercy, now. Walk humbly, now. You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to abandon it."