Final Service Learning Reflection (4): due last week of classes

It was extremely meaningful for me as well because I really integrated more within the Irvine community by getting involved with the Disability Service. I also think it gave me a new perspective as far as responsibility and learning to inner workings of providing services.
In interviewing with the different staff members that worked there, I most definitely received a different perspective on what I wanted to do in the future as well. I interviewed with Lisha, who was in charge of working with students that have disabilities and she gave me great advice on how to jump-start my career or simply just finding out what I want to do. I think the bonds formed between me along with Patrick and Austin was also a bonus in participating in this service. I really got closer with them and I think the best way to find yourself really is to get lost in service.

I think it was very meaningful to build positive relationships with my children as well as the classroom as a whole. Just seeing their smiling faces every week just warmed my heart and convinced me even more that I made the right decision in joining Jumpstart. I learned more about how to teach children and for them to learn to how to respect each other as well as to help keep them focused. In addition, I think it was helpful that I did speak English because I notice now how they speak more English than Spanish so the barrier is lowering and they are catching onto the language more. In addition, it was meaningful to see how different children’s progress goes and to encourage them to keep trying and persist despite the fact that one of my kids could not write her name nor draw a picture while the other children could but that’s okay because it will come with time. Learning is a process and lifelong. Everybody is at their own level so who are we to say who is doing the best progress when we all have that time when we blossom and the pace is different for everyone.
Well I am not going to leave this experience because I need to keep track of their progress plus Jumpstart is a year long commitment so I cannot leave. On the other hand, I would like to investigate more on different teaching strategies so that things can be more tailor made for the children and not just a “one size fits all” technique. In addition, I would like to learn how to decrease the likelihood of fighting because I noticed how some male kids would want to fight over money and claim that they would rob each other. One of my team members said that they could play with money but I do not think so because that is causing the craziness so Iearning how to treat each other better and to not value money over people I think is very important for them to learn early.

This service learning experience has been an eye opener for me. I have always been interested in participating in helping the community some how but it was not until this class that I got to actually do it. I got to see first hand how much need there is out there for qualified individuals to lead and educate. But also just volunteering and offering your time and efforts are so very welcomed. Involvement then is key. I am glad I had this experience, I got to meet interesting people and most of all I got to do something for others and that had given me a greater appreciation for the life I have.

This class and service learning project was a great opportunity for me to grow as a person this quarter and help me realize of what I want to do in life and in college. I’m a first year student here so coming into UCI I was not sure of what I wanted to do here or what I wanted to major in, but because of this service learning project I am switching my major from Psychology to Social Policy and Public Service and also plan on picking up Civics and Community Engagement as a minor. The most meaningful thing I got out of this service learning site was getting to serve my community with a group of other people who have a similar goal of bettering the world. In high school I was the president of two service clubs and was involved in my community in many other positions, so coming into college I did not know if I wanted to bear that responsibility again, however after this service learning project I have come to realize that nothing in life comes easy and you have to work hard in life to reach the goals that you have. Participating with this service site also taught me valuable skills such as time management and persistence. This was my first quarter of college so taking on this challenge of doing service while still adjusting to being independent only made me stronger by teaching me valuable time management skills. At times it was difficult to manage all my responsibilities for my classes with service and other family problems I was facing back home, but in the end I’m glad I worked hard and got over these obstacles.
Being born and raised in India my long term goal in life is to go back and help there. This has always been my dream growing up and this class and service learning site has further inspired me to do that. Thankfully I am not done volunteering with Jumpstart, it was such a great experience for me that I plan on signing up as a full time volunteer next year and am going to continue to participate in volunteer events throughout this year. As Gandhi once said, “Be the change you wish to see in the world”, and I plan on using all the valuable skills that I learned from this class and service site to reach my goals in life and better the world I live in.

I worked with a non profit organization that helped raise awareness about the living conditions for the disabled in developing countries. The organization provides wheelchairs for people who would normally never be able to afford one. Doing my service learning for an organization as beautiful as this one was the most meaningful. Meeting people that want to see the world become a better place and help those without expecting anything in return is wonderful. I would like to work in a field similar to this one when I graduate from college. I am not leaving this organization. I will continue to volunteer at events they need help with and in any other way I can. I know another volunteer from UCI that has been working with my organization for over a year. She is doing her internship with them, I might do the same. Seeing the work environment, however, scared me a little, because as I get closer to starting my postgraduate life I realize that I will soon transition into a field similar to the one I was volunteering with.

What I really valued from my service learning was being able to work with different kind and concerned people to bring resources to the children being served. I am currently in the process of obtaining shoes for an elementary school site that School on Wheels serves and for Grandma’s House of Hope. In both areas, I have loved seeing so many people come together to meet the needs of children in the community. Although it may sound trite, I love working with kids because they possess so much inherent promise.
Working with School on Wheels also allowed me to work with Grandma’s House of Hope, and both these organizations allowed me to see just how prevalent the issue of homelessness is, particularly for the kids. I am going to continue to volunteer with School on Wheels. After the resource pamphlet that I make, I am excited to see what other projects my coordinator has in mind for me. I really want to work with the community organizations and the children in order to continue to better understand the complex issue of homelessness. I think that by continuing to work with various organizations and with different people, I will be able to learn all that I can about the problem. After this course and my service learning, I feel that truly understanding the issue and the needs of the community is of utmost importance in directing the way you will approach the problem at hand; comprehensive course of actions necessitate understanding the issue, and, because of this, I am looking forward to my service learning with my site to continue into the year.

After volunteering at the Center for Living Peace, I have learned how small acts of kindness do really matter and through reaching out to someone, it can be really affective. This is one of the mottos that the CLP supports. After having volunteered at the CLP, I have been inspired by the people I am working with. I feel proud to be supporting a non-profit that really cares about making a difference. The CLP helps people connect to their inners-self through meditation, yoga, and informative workshops that allow them to find peace and satisfaction. I hope to continue my learning experience at the CLP and become more involved with the workshops that they offer. In this way, I can have experience being behind the front desk and completing different tasks to being a participant and seeing what experiences I gain from CLP.

The most significant thing I have learned during my service learning experience is time-management. I work full-time, go to school full-time, and have been remodeling my home. Adding even a few hours a week into my schedule was a challenge for me. I think the lack of time forced me to be more diligent in staying on top of my readings and school projects. However, my service learning experience is far from done. I have committed myself to continue on at the crisis hotline for 6 months. So, I’m not really poised to leave, but to continue. I think I will move forward more aware of the personal cost of providing service, and try to be stay even further ahead next quarter. I would definitely tell those that follow in this path, to be extremely sensitive to the speed at which due dates creep up on you.
Oddly this experience has really shown me that I CAN do more. I would have guaranteed you last quarter that there was no way for me to fit it into my schedule. I have been getting more organized and efficient in my life in general this quarter, due to the high demands on my time. I feel I am more capable of taking on challenges because of this experience. I plan to increase my service learning to 10 hours a week and see how that goes. I realize that I have time to read at the call center, so I can multitask somewhat.
Also, reading the text from this class and hearing guest speakers has inspired me to try a trip to Africa to aid others in desperate need. I have always been slightly skittish about traveling to poverty stricken areas of the globe because of the guilt I would feel for having things so easy in comparison. But, I realize that it not my fault and instead of feeling guilty for having things, I should feel guilty for having and not helping.

What I found the most meaning or important in terms of my own learning was really getting to know the people around you and connecting with them. I believe that building relationships and gaining someone’s trust is really important if you want to succeed in a field where teamwork is key. I remember one employee at the Second Harvest Food, Starlight (that’s actually her real name) really took the time to get to know me as a person. This made me feel more welcome and more comfortable. I felt like I was actually welcomed and appreciated. Most of the time, mistakes are the reason why someone acknowledges you, but I learned that good work needs to be recognized too. I also learned that communication is essential in a team environment. It’s a bittersweet feeling as my service learning with Second Harvest Food Banks comes to an end. I am however, leaving with a new found of respect for people who’s goals are to serve others in need, a new set of knowledge about hunger in Orange County, and most importantly, connections with employees at the Food Bank.

Overall, through my service learning, I have come to the conclusion that I need to take the time to get to know the people that I am surround by (dorm-mates, professors, TA’s). I have also learned that I value face-to-face interaction and getting to know someone on a personal level (as opposed to filing papers) and have signed up as an intern for the Orange County Department of Education where I hope I will be able to interact with kids and get to build relationships with them.

-The most meaningful moment of my experience was my expanding my sense of responsibility. As an RA, commissioner of ASUCI and eldest brother I have always had people to help and guide, but never animals-especially cats. I think its important to know that I am and will always be, a dog person. BUT my SSL expanded my appreciation to the feline world. These cats relied on me for a clean habitat, fresh food/water and human love. If I didn’t come, they were not given any of this. It was incredibly rewarding to see these little kittes love and respect me. I never thought I would love cats as much as i do now. MEOW.
Responsibility. Either for humans, pets, school, work etc… It is a major attribute we all must embody to be successful leaders as be progress forward in life.I never realized the importance and severity of personal responsibility until I realized my feline friends could not survive without my care. They are not able to unlock their cage, open the cabinet and give themselves their food. They could not carry the canteen and replenish their low water cups. Concurrently, I could not have felt self gratification and empowerment without these kitties. We worked together to improve both our lives. It was definitely a rewarding and challenging experience that I will definitely pursue in the future.

The most meaningful part of my service learning was learning about the difficulties that children from a lower economic status than me face on a daily basis. I had no experience with children before entering my service-learning at KidWorks and I was slightly concerned that I would not be able to relate with many of the children. However, now that I am just about complete with my service-learning, I have an optimistic outlook on the issues that KidWorks attempts to face. Before joining KidWorks, I had no idea how the children who attend KidWorks could benefit so much from such a small program, yet I now have an overwhelmingly strong belief that that these types of programs need supported by the public. As mentioned by the speaker who came to our class, the children who currently attend KidWorks go to some of the worst performing schools in the state. Those who are currently attending the program were the fortunate ones who got in from a large waitlist. Having volunteered and seen firsthand how the program affects the children I can now see why KidWorks is such a highly desirable program. The teachers and staff who work the program give so much work and effort in order to help the kids succeed in life. This sort of positive reinforcement gives the kids a vast amount of hope for the future, which is an amazing thing to see considering that a large percentage of Santa Ana residents do not have a high school diploma. I have been very grateful to contribute to the KidWorks program and I plan on continuing with helping out and I hope to advocate for an expansion of services such as KidWorks throughout more communities in the future.

The most important thing I learned at Newport Bay Conservancy is that just knowing things is not enough at somewhere like a nature center. You have to have very good personal interaction skills. I think this is important in many different things in life, but it really stood out to me when I was working in the front desk of the Newport Bay Conservancy. People would ask questions and I would just answer at first. They would get there answer and say thank you and move on. Then I started realizing that if I gave more than just the answer, that I could get these people really excited about the Back Bay and being involved. It just made me realize that when I talk about the things I am passionate about I don’t always show that to people. Once I show that and create a conversation around it, suddenly the person who just wanted to know what kind of fish was in the tank now wants to volunteer. It was a rewarding realization.
After volunteering with the Newport Bay Conservancy, I realized that through them I could not only be working on things that I am passionate about, but also be developing my communication and personal interaction skills. I am very good at communicating with someone I already know, but I find it hard to communicate with total strangers even when I am knowledgeable on the subject. I plan to continue volunteering at the Conservancy to develop these skills and get to know the community better through nature education and engagement.

What was especially meaningful for me volunteering at Women Helping Women was the help I was able to give to my clients. I was a personal shopper, helping clients pick business clothes for their interviews. I only did it 1.5 times (half for the time that I was one of three personal shoppers for one client), but the clients that I did get to help, were very grateful for my assistance. They overcame huge obstacles that I don’t think many others, including I, would have been able to face. And now that they are getting jobs and getting a fresh start is truly courageous. I respect these brave women for enduring and overcoming such hardships.
I think I am leaving this experience a more educated person. Although I don’t understand everything, I do better understand the struggles many people face everyday. After this experience, I won’t take my life for granted or complain over simple, solvable issues. I hope to find another volunteer experience where I can see firsthand the problems other people face. I still don’t know what direction in life I will take, so I will volunteer at many different places to find the one thing (or things, hopefully!) that I am passionate about.

How are you poised to leave this experience? In particular, what is especially compelling for you to do next as a person, learner, or community member? (This could be tied to an issue or group you want to investigate, strategies for advancing your own skills and knowledge, etc.)

After volunteering for Free Wheelchair Mission, what was especially meaningful to me was the selflessness of those I worked with and their willingness to go out into the world and help those who need it the most. The inspiration to be selfless and help the less fortunate is something that I want to take with me for the rest of my life. The coordinator and staff for FWM were kind and always willing to offer their time and efforts for their cause to give out free wheelchairs throughout the world to those in third world countries. I could sense that they were genuine and sincere and would volunteer without hesitation, which is something that I admire and try my best to be every day – someone who gives back to the community and world without a hidden agenda.

As I end the quarter and finish my hours for the service learning project, I actually hope to continue my work with FWM. Although I do an average of 50 hours of community service on my own, I like the idea of helping out with a specific organization for a long period of time, to see your short term work come to life to accomplish long term goals. As a volunteer not only for FWM but for the community as a whole in my various services, I am compelled to volunteer and help selflessly. Even when required to do hours for a certain club or class, I want to be able to keep the mindset that my service is to help others, not for the benefit of myself or because it is a task or requirement. After volunteering for FWM, I am reminded of a goal that I once used to have when I was younger, which was to go abroad directly to third world countries and to provide healthcare to those who cannot afford it. Although I like to volunteer for a variety of things, I hope to someday go out into the world and provide care for those who cannot afford it, ultimately preventing diseases and disability in countries most susceptible of it due to lack of healthcare. Despite the lack of money people may have, I hope to develop a selfless heart, willing to help others in need – free of any gain for myself.

What was especially meaningful to me in terms of my own learning was how I was able to completely forget about all of the problems, that we as students have, while volunteering with the children at KidWorks. Here, it did not matter whether you had failed a midterm test or had a five-page essay due the next day. The smiles on their faces, the kids’, their energetic vibes, their laughter, it all made you become a child once again and simply enjoy the company around you. Even the little toys seemed enjoyable and I can honestly say that it made me place technology to the side; I did not need or even want to be texting because at those times all I wanted to do was be part of their lives, to be a part of them. Although at times it was difficult to get them to listen to me, once I earned their friendship and trust they obeyed me more often (not always!!!).
As a person, volunteering made me set the point of view in life that I had long lost. This experience will allow me to encourage other teenagers, perhaps through further volunteering, to not lose the essence of joy in the smallest environments. In other words, life does not revolve about one’s first world problems, it relies on the happiness of the less privileged; for me now, happiness does not mean top line phones, it means whole hearted smile that I have earned on my own through trust and unconditional support to those little ones.

As a volunteer for the Center for Living Peace, spreading the idea about living peacefully was most important for me. I learned that there are several ways to be at peace with yourself and with others through the various workshops and seminars that the center offered. I would normally overlook important things like arts and culture, but a workshop that I attended changed my perspective on how they can drastically change a person’s tolerance toward other cultures. As I leave this service learning experience, I hope to get myself involved with this center by attending their workshops and spreading the vision of the center. I believe that every person should know of the treasure we have located so close to campus. It offers various resources that would be beneficial to anyone, especially so for UCI students. I now feel obliged to show people a way for them to be able to drastically improve their lives through these simple classes. I feel it is my duty to spread the vision of peace to everyone, showing them the mentality that “good happens.” I will absolutely use this center as a means to improve my own inner development.