SERVE eportfolio
Development as a citizen
"Story is the the narrative thread of our experience-not what literally happens, but what me make of what happens, what we tell each other and what we remember"... "This unceasing interplay between experience and narrative is a uniquely human attribute. We are the storytellers, the ones who put life into words". This quote from Storycatcher, by Christina Baldwin, I immediately was drawn too. The whole first part in general really caught my attention. Throughout her whole essay, Baldwin, explains the importance of telling and sharing our stories and experiences. Through telling our stories and experiences we discover more about ourselves; how we can improve and where we succeed. Stories help us reflect and motivate others to do more with their lives. I definetly have seen a transformation in myself since I have been here at Virginia Tech and involved with SERVE.
I have grown and developed from the person I was coming in from high school to the person I am now has. I think a big part of this growth came from all the reflection I did in and outside of class. I have become more aware and understanding of my contribution to society.
I liked using the "What? So What? Now What?" outline of questions as they got me thinking of what I had done, how it helped a certain issues( or if it didn't), and how I would continue serving (would I volunteer more with that certain organization). After a while I did not need to use the paper anymore as I was able to reflect well on my own and dvelop a good understanding. There is always room for imporvement in my service and everything in between, but this paper did help me identify what went right and what maybe didn't.
Mentoring
I thoroughly enjoyed my meetings with Wei-ning. During my hectic day it was nice to take some to relax and just talk. It was a nice, small break from the stress and it allowed me to reflect and put everything that was going on during my week into perspective. Even if i had a crazy day, which was often, taking 15 minutes to sit down, relax, talk, and reflect was rewarding. I did not realize how much these helped until I started to write this reflection. Wei-ning always brightened my days with her motivational words and compliments about how she thinks I am funny in class.
I also liked how these meetings were very informal, like having a conversation with a friend. It reminds me having guidance counselors in high school and middle school, but better. I really felt like these meetings helped. Additionally, I think these meetings helped form a relationship and connection between myself and Wei-ning. The first meeting with Wei-ning I was unsure of what to expect, but it turned out great. Every meeting after that I enjoyed, and even looked forward too.
All in all, I think these meetings with Wei-ning or a great idea and I appreciated them very much.