I Love You, Mom

Role models are the most important people that influence us in our lives. I have learned the most about making a difference from my mom. She is a single mom with two daughters and still managed to get a college education and a great job. She taught me that you can do anything you set your mind to and that women can do anything that men can do. I also learned a lot about getting involved from my grandma. She is the Director of Volunteer Services at Ottumwa Regional Hospital. Her work makes a huge difference in the community. The volunteers at the hospital save millions of dollars each year. Helping at the Holiday Happenings every year opened my eyes to how important volunteers are! Aside from these two amazing role models, I have a big family and they all serve as my never-ending support system. Every day I get home from volunteering I call one of my family members and talk their ear off about what I accomplished and what I learned that day. They are always as excited as I am and are proud of me for my accomplishments. Their encouragement helps me tremendously and compels me to do more to make a difference. I am so lucky to have such a great family that has taught me so many valuable lessons. Alison Smith, from the book, said that because of her tight-knit family and religious background she already possessed the ethics and morals she needed to become a leader and make a difference. I feel like I can accomplish a lot over my lifetime because of the important messages my family has instilled in me.

The abilities that I have that I can contribute to social activism tie in with the values I have obtained through my family. They have taught me to be hardworking, determined, a good leader, organized, and a people person. Determination is the main thing that keeps me going. I love making a difference in people’s lives. When we go to a service site, they have jobs that we can do for that day. I want to finish them so they see how hard we are willing to work to help them get the job done. And it’s not so bad to see the finished product! One other characteristic of mine is being an animal lover and going to school to achieve one of my life goals of becoming a vet. Sounds off subject, but I think it is an important trait of mine. This trait adds compassion, a loving and caring instinct, and a sense of responsibility to heal to my skills. I have confidence that I can make a difference in the world with the skills I have, whether it’s helping endangered species or helping with the conservation of water.