This weekend helped to reaffirm my current place in the world, as a mentor hoping to inspire youth through the YMCA.
When I was in the 4th grade, I didn’t have many friends. I was the awkward and shy kid still recovering from being bullied the previous year. The Anaheim Achieves after school program made me feel safe, and accepted by the students I was surrounded by. The activities we did in school made up for the lack of a childhood I would have outside of the academic setting.
Now employed part time for an after school program at Katella high school, it’s hard to see the direct impact I can have on students on a day-to-day basis. There are some bright moments though. For starters, this one girl who annoyed me every single day with her attitude and behavior has improved to the point where she helps clean up after other disrespectful students. Those are the kind of changes that I look forward to seeing in my time at the Y.
Attending the dance competition at Loara high school was both rewarding and exciting. All the students whom I haven’t seen for a couple of months came up to me and gave me a hug, asking me to come back. Obviously I couldn’t say yes, but I did tell them they were missed. The dance competition itself was rather exciting, minus the fact that Loara ended up losing anyway.
The next day I felt proud of myself for working on a Saturday at Pearson Park for Y’s “Find your Future” event. Much of what the YMCA hopes to promote is future college and career opportunities for students of all socioeconomic backgrounds. I was in charge of a booth primarily concerned with asking them their future career choices as well as giving them candy and prizes for participation in a game of luck. In walking around though, I could see the impact the YMCA has on the Anaheim community as a whole, getting parents more invested in the lives of the students.
And that is why I feel somewhat fulfilled with the job I have now, and why hopefully teaching will allow me to continue to create these enriching experiences for my students in the future.
