My Mission Trip

An experience that has influenced my life was my sophomore year in high school in which I had made the Trojanette Drill Team. As a first time dancer and the lack of confidence I had at the time I didn't think I was going to open up to a cluster of girls I didn't know. Walking into the drill team room I was an introverted person who didn't believe I was worth being on the team, but walking out of the drill team room I was confident, responsible, hardworking and eager to continue the next year of dance.

After landing in Mexico and meeting up with the people I would be working with during a three-day mission trip, we were crammed into a bus and spent the next two hours getting to know each other. We were there to build homes for a multitude of families in the town of Xochimilco, Mexico. When we arrived late in the afternoon, we were led to an empty school where we would spend our nights. Sleeping on the floor next to school lockers with bugs buzzing in my ears in a country I did not know well was an interesting experience to say the least—but that was just the beginning. At dawn, the real work began and so did a change in my thinking that had a dramatic effect on my perspectives about life.

An experience that has provided me with the most growth as a person is my involvement in mentoring an at-risk teen in Athens, GA for 3 years. Mentoring has improved my leadership and interpersonal skills. It kept me accountable to living at a higher standard in order to be a positive role model for another person. I also developed a greater appreciation for diversity from spending time with a person from a culture much different from my own. Overall this experience instilled a passion for all people regardless of race, ethnicity, social status, gender, or age. A genuine interest for others motivates me to learn more about human behaviors and pursue a career in counseling. Another experience I have that has provided me with opportunities to grow and improve is my experience as an intern at Jay’s Hope Foundation. The Jay’s Hope Foundation offers many different avenues of support to children diagnosed with cancer and their families. I was able to be in direct contact with families facing life-threatening situations. It was a very emotionally heavy internship, but I learned so much and was encouraged by the resiliency of the children and families. At Jay’s Hope, I learned the importance of teamwork, I developed flexibility, I became more organized, and I gained more confidence in my ability to

This summer I went on a mission trip to Minnesota, and it changed my life. I got to strengthen my relationship with God and my friends, all the while serving a community. While I was there, I was tested a few times, but my view of life was permanently affected. If I was asked to leave tomorrow for another trip, I wouldn’t even hesitate to go.

When I read “Salvation” by Langston Hughes. I realized that everyone of us has something that had changed our life. As for me, my life changed when I first came to the USA. It was not just my life that changed, but everything about me had changed. The Language barrier and a new life in the USA have changed me the most.

One experience that has had an impact on the way that I think was living in Costa Rica. The part of Costa Rica that I lived in was very laid back. In order to survive in that culture as an American I had to be able to take the initiative in order to get things done, yet do it in a way that was kind and compatible with the Costa Rican culture. This taught me patience and how to lead in a kind, but effective way.

Going to Guatemala I only expected for me to be the one to make a change, I had no intention of them being the ones to change me. I achieved a fresh perspective on life, obtained more self-awareness, and sharpened my personal-insight because of this trip, and there is nothing more I could have asked

An incident that changes the direction of my life was, when I broke my foot. As a young kid I loved playing sports and do aggressive activities. One day playing soccer someone who was bit stronger than I was, kicked my foot which caused the bones to break. I fell to the floor not knowing what just happened. All I remember is that some EMT’s come to the rescue and took me to the hospital. I was so glade and appreciative with the EMT’s that took care of me. As a result I told myself I will do everything that I can to help out the community just liked I was helped instead of worrying about myself and not others. I started volunteering with the fire department and received all the certifications required in order to start helping those in need.

Over the summer, my church youth group and I set out for Costa Rica. While on the trip, God taught me three lessons, thankfulness, looking at the positive side of situations, and listening to God. With an awesome group of people by my side, we boarded the bus bound for the airport. A swift breeze floated through the open windows and cooled us down while the moonlight illuminated the bus. I sat in my seat talking to one of my friends, scarcely able to contain my excitement. To say the least, I felt quite enthusiastic about the trip ahead. We arrived at the airport in the blink of an eye and we started our journey!

The missions trip to Chicago taught me a lot, both about considering others’ opinions and working toward a common goal. The trip was definitely a point in my life where I can look back and see how I changed and improved my way of

We all have life events that shape who we are. For me, that event was the two mission trips that I went on with my church. Beginning in the summer of 2013, some of the youth from Christ Church in Warwick, NY, traveled to San Jose, Costa Rica, to start the construction on an Episcopal Church. We then returned in the summer of 2015 to continue our work on the same church, Iglesia Episcopal La Ascensiόn. What I didn’t know, was how much these trips would impact my life.

An experience that taught me about myself and the world around me was my involvement in Girl Guides of Canada. I learned so much about a range of subjects and gained a deeper understanding of myself. I worked to earn badges in subjects like science, nature, and arts. There were two large events that impacted me the most. The first when I was 11, and the second when I was 13. In my final year of being a guide, I travelled with other girls to Agassiz, B.C. to attend a week long camp called S.O.A.R.. At this camp, I took part in activities that contributed to the local community, learned how to screen print and learned to build a small robot. Girls from all over the world attended, and meeting them opened my eyes to different cultures and broadened

When my mom and I arrived at the airport in Salt Lake City, I had about an hour before my flight. Since I was a minor, the attendant let my mom come with me through security and help me find my gate. Security was such a pain. The line was about a mile long unless you had TSA on your ticket which meant you could blow right through security in no time. I sadly didn't have that on my ticket so we had to wait in the forever long line it seemed like. Once we got through security we decided to get a bite to eat and a few snacks for me on the plane. We grabbed a sandwhich at Subway and

If I had to choose I would say that the community service experience that was the most important to me and changed my life the most I would have to say that it was my service at the local soup kitchen in Hoboken. I was connected to this organization through the community service club at my high school and after meeting the overseers and other volunteers there it felt like a good fit. I know that this is probably starting to seem like the cliché essay about how I have ignored poor people all my life and I never really thought of them as anything more than homeless and how I went into the soup kitchen feeling very uncomfortable but that is not my truth. I was raised by 2 parents that came to this country from living in poverty in the Caribbean

My first overseas trip was Summer, 1985. It was an amazing and fascinating trip, which I will never forget. My mom and grandma decided I was old enough to know about my heritage and background, so they announced am going to Hong Kong and stayed one week in San Francisco to visit my cousins.